The group of doctors all agreed that it was best to stick together and monitor Alice. They brought her to Callie and Arizona's apartment, which wasn't bustling with residents, and therefore a better place for Alice to stay. They knew that the room was clean of drugs, and made Alice change her shirt and jeans to remove any possibilities of her having any hidden pills on her. They let her be in the guest room, and spent the next hour deciding the course of action.
"I'll go check on her." Lexie said, noticing the clock. She fetched a glass of water and headed down the hall. She opened the door. Alice glanced up from her book. "Brought you some water." Lexie gave a half smile and placed it on the table beside the bed before retreating back to the doorframe.
"Thanks." Alice said. As soon as Lexie left, Alice reached under her shirt. She fiddled around with her bra, and found the small purple pill that she had cleverly hid in the underwire. "Lex?" She called out. The door opened. "Yeah?" She asked.
"Perhaps I should consider becoming an actress. My little performance for Arizona was outstanding, if I do say so myself." She tossed the pill in her mouth and swallowed it dry before Lexie could react.
"No!" She gasped and darted forward, but it was too late. The pill, though small, was extraordinarily strong. "Bye, Lex." Alice smirked as she slipped into a thick and powerful drug-induced haze.
"Come on Alice, wake up." Lexie coaxed, shaking the girl a bit. It was no use, she was out. God, Lexie wished she knew what the girl had taken. Judging by the purple color, she figured it was one of the stronger doses of Oxy. But there was no way to be sure. Sighing, Lexie stood up and left the room quickly to inform the other doctors in the house what had happened.
"I don't know where she got it, but Alice just downed another pill." Lexie said, entering Callie and Arizona's living room. Everyone's heads snapped over to her in surprise.
"How the hell did she get her hands on it?! She went in clean!" Callie shook her head in disbelief.
"Beats me. I'm not sure what it was that she took, but she was out like a light in seconds." A look of concern crossed over Arizona's face when she heard this.
"I'll go stay with her, keep an eye on her vitals. Lex, you go and get an IV from the hospital." Arizona was grateful that she was so close to work. Lexie nodded.
"Back in ten." She said as she headed out the door.
"I'll call the house and let the other residents know that Lexie won't be around for a while." Callie volunteered. Jess nodded in approval and followed Arizona down to where Alice was.
Arizona and Jess sat in the guest room, awaiting Lexie's return. Every so often, Arizona would check for a pulse, relieved that it was still strong. As promised, Lexie appeared in the room a mere 15 minutes later, IV bag in hand. Arizona worked quickly to set it up, and sure enough Alice started to stir.
"What the fuck, why do I keep passing out..." She muttered to herself, obviously oblivious to the doctors.
"Because you take too much. If you cut back on the dosage you'd just be really high instead of completely out of it." Jessica answered. Alice jumped, and then slowly turned to face her.
"I'm not sure how many times I have to repeat myself. Leave. Me. The. Fuck. Alone." She glared at Jess, and then ripped the IV out of her arm before anyone could stop her. She winced as it hurt, and then tossed it aside.
"Hey! Quit giving her so much shit. Believe it or not, she has helped you Alice. Just because she's still trying doesn't give you the right to be a bitch." Callie yelled at Alice, whose eyes widened.
"What the fuck would you know about that Callie? You barely give me a sideways glance unless I'm dying!" Alice yelled back. Callie opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't think of what words to say.
"See? If you could deny it you would, but you know it's the truth! How would you feel if someone kept trying to force their help onto you, ignoring when you want them to back off, pushing you to your wits end? None of you are in the position to judge me, because none of you truly know what it's like to live like this!" Alice glanced at all of the doctors, her gaze settling on Lexie.
"Regardless of that or not Alice, you still need help. If you keep up with these drugs, you are literally going to be killing yourself. And you've survived too damn much to do that to yourself." Arizona told the teenager gently.
"Isn't that for me to decide? I mean, I'm not even related to you people. The only reason I know you is some psycho put a bullet in my side." Alice said defensively. Lexie had been expecting her to play that card.
"Alice, you live with me. If you didn't know us, where would you be right now?" She reasoned softly. She was getting frustrated with how bull headed the teenager was about getting help. There had to be another way to do this.
"I don't know. Maybe living with Chip." Alice murmured. Surely she would have been alright without the doctors, right?
"Chip?" Callie raised her eyebrow in confusion, as did the other doctors.
"Yeah, Chip. The kid I snuck out of the house that one night. Remember Lexie, you almost bit my fucking head off for it?" Alice said.
Oh yeah, Chip. Because that would put you in a good position, living with a hippie ass stoner." Jessica scoffed. Alice's stare hardened.
"Shut it ginger. You don't get a say in this." She snarled. Jessica rolled her eyes.
"Alice, why don't you want help?" Lexie asked exasperatedly.
"Because I know it won't do anything! God, why can't you people get that? It'll just bbe a fucking waste of time!" Alice yelled tiredly. She was tired of explaining it.
"Alice, I swear to God I will send you to rehab if I have to." The young surgeon threatened.
"Yeah, you'd love to send me away, wouldn't you? It's fine, I'll leave myself." Alice replied, starting towards the door. Callie grabbed her by the arm and held her back.
"Whatever, Lexie. I don't care, I'm not listening. Save your breath." Alice replied. Lexie threw her hands up in frustration and stormed out of the room. Jess followed. There was some conversation, and then Jess walked back in. She glanced at Arizona, some sort of silent communication. Arizona stood up and left, Callie following suit.
"No. Go away. Not talking to you, not listening to what you have to say." Alice said harshly.
"Tough. You have no choice." Jess replied. Alice rolled her eyes and flipped her off before turning her back and stretching on the bed with her head buried in the pillows. Jessica walked over from where she stood in the doorway. "Alice, don't shut me out." She said. No reaction from the teen. "You can only shut so much out." She persisted, with no luck. Jessica reached down and flipped Alice over so she was facing her.
"Gah! What the fuck! Boundaries, you crazy bitch!" She was clearly rattled.
"Well, there's a reaction." Was all Jess said in reply. Alice scoffed and went back to ignoring her. Jess pulled Alice's tee up, baring her scarred stomach. Alice freaked out and tried to get up, but Jessica's light hold on her abdomen prevented the teen from moving. "This is the root of the problem. This fear from being attacked, the memories that flood back. The drugs are all an attempt to escape it." Jessica continued. She traced the scars lightly, over and over again. Alice couldn't stop the trembling now.
"The problem is, fear this bad can't be escaped by simply swallowing some pills. It's totally consuming you; it's a psychological obsession. Some days it's not so bad, because the drugs cover it up. But it's never going to go away by pills alone. And this is why I won't leave. Because you need this help. Me leaving you, in the mental state that you are living in, is like Lexie walking away from a dying patient. It's not right, and it won't happen."
"Then make it happen. Because you people pressuring me isn't going to do anything." Alice told the psychologist in an annoyed, but calm voice.
"What do you think will happen when you end up overdosing? Do you know what that would do to her?" Jessica asked the teenager, whose eyebrows came together as she frowned.
"She'll get over it. I'll die, and everyone will be better off for it, no more of this bullshit. Sure, she'll be sad for a bit. But she's only known me for what, a few months. How devastated could she be?" Alice didn't sound entirely confident in her answer.
"You don't need me to answer that. You already know what kind of pain that would put her through." Jessica replied. Alice glanced away.
"So fine, say I cut back. How am I supposed to be happy and normal again?" She glanced pointedly at her stomach, where Jess was still tracing the scars. Alice's unease was evident.
"Trust, Alice. It seems to be the hardest thing for you, and I don't blame you. But you need to have faith in me, and let me help you get over this." Jessica was no longer furiously intense, but quiet and compelling. Alice wished so desperately that she could simply give up the fight and allow herself to get some help, but her damn instincts clung fiercely to the need to keep herself safe.
Alice sighed. "Fine. Try as you might. But I can't promise that it'll work." Jess smiled.
"As long as you give me a chance, it's all that I ask." She replied.
"Now go away. I'm tired." Alice said. Jessica rolled her eyes, but obliged and left the girl's room.
Lexie waited for Jessica out in the hall. As soon as the woman stepped out of Alice's room, she led Lexie away from the door and into the living room, where Callie and Arizona were waiting as well.
"Well?" Callie asked tiredly, leaning her head on Arizona's shoulder.
"She agreed to let me try to help her." Jessica said, smiling a bit.
"How the hell did you manage that?" The Latina replied in surprise.
"I just...talked to her. Although, she did say something that scares me a bit." Jessica frowned, sitting down on the living room's love seat.
"What?" Lexie, Arizona, and Callie all demanded at the same time.
"She thinks we'd be better off if she died." Jessica said quietly.
"Damn it." Callie hissed in frustration. "That's entirely false. No one would be better off if she died. Where the hell does she get off thinking these things?" Her voice rose.
"Shh! She doesn't need to hear this. Callie, when a mind goes through something like this, lives in this constant kind of pain, it can have a tendency to think irrationally. Only see the present. The present for her is an endless existence of pain. She's only trying to find a solution that she believes is best for everyone!" Jessica tried to put Alice's thoughts into perspective.
"But she's wrong! No one will be better off with her gone!" Lexie stood up off the couch, intent on trying to make Alice think clearly.
"Lexie, stop. She doesn't need more people telling her how she should think, feel, and react. She just needs support to deal with it all. If you're going to go and see her, you go to comfort and support, not to try and make her see things a different way." Arizona spoke up. Jessica nodded.
"She's entirely correct. If you're going to go see her, don't try and talk her out of anything. Don't tell her that she's wrong, don't try and make her see things differently. Just help her work though whatever it is she needs to." Jess added. Lexie nodded in understanding and started for the hall.
Lexie knocked quietly. "What?" Alice snapped irritably. Lexie pushed open the door. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?" She asked tiredly.
"Nothing." Lexie replied simply. She walked over to the bed and sat down. "Scooch over." She instructed.
"What? Why?" Alice glanced suspiciously at the surgeon, but did what she asked. Lexie lay down and pulled the teen closer. "What is this?" She asked. Lexie shook her head.
"No questions. Right now, we're nothing more than the two girls who saved each other. No drugs, no fear. Just us." She replied. .
"You don't have to come lie down with me because we totally freaked outbon each other." Alice said, still trying to maintain her tough little shell.
Lexie rolled her eyes. "Drop the act, kiddo. No one buys it, even if you'd like to think they do." Alice bristled and glared, but it was only half-hearted. "Oh stop that and get your skinny ass over here." Alice stuck her tongue out but obliged, secretly relieved that she could relax her guard for once.
Alice allowed Lexie to wrap an arm around her and leaned into the surgeon's shoulder. Though she would never admit it, she felt safer. Drugs kind of slipped from her mind, and she was able to focus on other things.
"I just want you to know that if you died, I wouldn't be able to live with myself, Alice." Lexie told the now dozing off girl.
Alice just sort of shrugged and turned so that she wasn't looking at Lexie. Great, she thought to herself, now they probably all think I'm suicidal.
A couple minutes later, Alice fell asleep. Lexie slid her arm out from under the teenager and crept out of the room, shutting the lights off as she went.
"She okay?" Arizona asked as soon as Lexie walked into the room.
"Yeah, she's alright for now." Lexie replied.
"Good. Now how the hell do we keep her that way?" Callie asked in frustration. Arizona put a hand on her arm to calm her girlfriend down.
"I...I honestly don't know." Lexie sighed. She sat down on the couch and ran her fingers through her hair.
"Maybe we should just lock her in her room for a couple days. Keep an eye on her, only let her out to go to the bathroom." Callie suggested bluntly. The surgeons exchanged glances
"No. You know how mad that would make her, and she wouldn't be there forever. As soon as she got out she would run, or worse..." Jessica shot down the idea.
"Well then what do you suggest?" Callie shot back, still rather frustrated.
"Keep her here, for starters. This house is guaranteed to be clean of drugs, and there isn't the hustle bustle that comes along with living with five residents. Don't actually lock her in the room, but try to keep her generally in the house for a few days. She's not going to be going through the severe physical symptoms associated with a long-time addict, but that doesn't mean she won't be dying for a hit. Once the initial three days pass, we can figure out what we want to do from there. But in all honesty, this needs to seem as normal and routine as possible. She's strong-headed, to say the least. She's not going to like being crept around and locked up like some sort of prisoner." Jess suggested this as a game plan, and the others agreed.
"This is going to be terrible." Arizona said. Everyone nodded in agreement, but they knew it had to be done. What other option did they have?
"Well Lex, you and Jessica can sleep in here tonight if you want. I suggest we all get some sleep because the moment she wakes up, she's going to be craving pills." Callie said, standing up from the couch.
"This is going to be terrible." Arizona said. Everyone nodded in agreement, but they knew it had to be done. What other option did they have?
"Well Lex, you and Jessica can sleep in here tonight if you want. I suggest we all get some sleep because the moment she wakes up, she's going to be craving pills." Callie said, standing up from the couch.
The surgeons said goodnight to one another and went to sleep as soon as they could, hoping to get in a few hours of shuteye. They managed for the most part. Lexie was the first one up when she heard the door handle turn. When she opened her eyes, she saw Alice attempting to open the door without making any noise.
"What are you doing?" Lexie asked, still a little disoriented from sleep. She sat up from the couch, waking Jessica up as she did.
"Nothing." Alice replied, stepping away from the door. She waited in a tense silence.
"She's trying to leave." Jessica said, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. It was then that both doctors noticed Alice's appearance. She had dressed in shorts and a tank top, with a hoodie half zipped up and a backpack slung over her shoulder. Her skin was paler than normal and her eyes were irritated and red. Both doctors could tell that the muscles in her body were tensed. This was going to be harder than they thought.
Hey guys….not many reviews last time. Oh well, we did kind of take a long time to update. Please review…..please! :D