Chapter 17
~.~
This is a take on what would have occurred had Becky not made it in the Self-Destruction (Part 1) Modern AU chapter.
Ruffnut runs to the front door while her brother continues to give CPR, opening it to let the paramedics in. The paramedics rush to the bathroom. Ruffnut grabs her phone and sits at the dining room table, not noticing the notes.
"They're here. Thank you. You're welcome. Stay on the line with me, okay? Are the paramedics with your sister? Y-yes. Oh, gods." Ruffnut starts sobbing.
"Ruffnut, sweetheart? You need to try to stay calm for me, okay? O-okay. I-it's just like before we adopted her into our family seven years ago. She tried to d-drown herself in a lake. Only this time it's worse because she wasn't responsive within five minutes. Ruffnut, sweetheart, the paramedics are going to do all that they can to help your sister. You need to try to stay calm. I know it's hard, sweetie. But you need to try your best to stay calm, okay? Okay."
Meanwhile...
"Come on, sweetheart. Breathe for us." The first paramedic tells Becky. Tuffnut is sitting off to the side, shaking.
"Please...Please, please, please." Tuffnut's eyes well up with tears. He shuts them, letting the tears fall, imagining having to explain this to his parents. To Eret.
"Come on, Rebekah. Breathe. You've got to breathe." The paramedic keeps using the resuscitator.
Minutes pass as Tuffnut resumes staring at his lifeless sister. More minutes pass before the first paramedic turns to the second.
"I...I'm calling it." Tuffnut looks up.
"What?"
"I'm so sorry."
"No...no, there has to be more you can do. Please. Is...is money an issue?"
"Money is not an issue. We've done all we can do."
"Please...we can't lose her. We almost lost her once. We can't lose her. We can't...we can't...Please. There has to be something else you can do. Something else you can try. Please!" Tuffnut kneels on the floor, taking his sister's head in his lap.
"Becky, sis. Please. Please don't do this. We need you. Please. Please." Tuffnut breaks down.
"We can call your parents for you."
"Thank you. I need to go let my other sister know and call my brother-in-law."
The paramedics nod as Tuffnut places his late sister down on the ground, then heads to the dining room, where Ruffnut and Penny are anxiously waiting.
"How is she?"
Tuffnut kneels in front of his sister.
"Ruff…"
"No…"
"Ruffnut, we…we were too late."
"No…not her. Not our sister!" Ruffnut collapses, her hand over her mouth as she sobs.
Penny, seeing her aunt in distress, runs to her mom to see what's going on.
She licks and nudges Becky, but there's no response.
It's then they hear the front door open.
Eret puts his keys down before seeing his distraught brother- and sister-in-law, Penny running up to him, whining and looking upset.
"What's going on?"
Tuffnut approaches him.
"Eret…"
"Tuffnut, what's going on? Where's Becky? Why does Penny seem uspet?"
"Eret, I don't know how to tell you this, so I just will."
"Tuff, you're scaring me."
"It's Becky…she…Eret, she drowned herself."
Eret drops to his knees.
"No…no…not her…please, not her."
"Eret, we did everything we could…but we were too late." Tuffnut says, shaking his head.
Ruffnut, meanwhile, is still on the call with 911.
"Ruffnut, sweetheart? Is everything okay on your end? She's gone…my sister is dead…Oh, Ruffnut. I am so so sorry. Who else is there with you? My brother and my sister's husband. And the paramedics. Okay. Do you need me to do anything else? No…thank you for your help. You're welcome, and, again, I am so sorry. Thank you." Ruffnut hangs up and dials her mom's number.
"This is Dr. Thorston. Mama? Ruffnut? Baby, what is it? What's wrong? It's Becky…Mom, she…she…drowned herself. Oh, gods. Who…who found her? Me and Tuffnut did. Is Eret there yet? Yes…he's here. Okay. I'll let your father know. I am so sorry you're the ones that found her. Me and Dad will be home soon. Okay. I love you, Ruffnut. So much. I love you, too, Mama." Ruffnut hangs up as she breaks down.
Becky suddenly bolts up and looks around, struggling to breathe.
"Becky? Honey, are you alright?" Eret puts a hand on his wife's back as she begins to hyperventilate.
Penny jumps up on the bed and gently paws Becky's knee.
"Becky, darling. Baby, you've got to slow your breathing down." When that doesn't work, Eret remembers the five steps to get Becky's breathing back to normal.
"My love, tell me five things you can see." Eret says calmly, taking his wife's hands.
"I – I can…I can see my blanket, my lamp, my phone, the dresser, our closet."
"Good. Now tell me four things you can touch."
"Your hands, my blanket, the bedsheet, my pillow."
"Great. What about 3 things you can hear?"
"Your voice, our air conditioner, traffic outside."
"Excellent. Now two things you can smell."
"You…i-in the best way. And…my blanket."
"Okay. One more thing. One thing you can taste."
"Toothpaste."
"Good girl. How are you doing now?"
"O-okay. Eret?"
"Yes, honey?"
"Can I tell you about my nightmare?"
"If it'll help you, sure."
"I was at home…and I had decided to kill myself."
"So it started out like last month did?"
"Yes. But that's the thing. I successfully did it."
"You successfully...you successfully killed yourself?"
"Yes."
"Go on."
"The paramedics couldn't revive me, and I followed Tuffnut out of the bathroom and he told Ruffnut that they were too late…You came home and…and you were told that I had killed myself…and you were distraught…" It's then Becky breaks down, and Eret doesn't hesitate to hold her close.
"Shhhh. Remember, love, the baby can feel what you're feeling."
"I know…I know. I'll be okay. Just…just keep holding me."
"I can do that. I can so do that."
Eret continues to hold his wife close, letting her lay her head on his chest so she can hear his heartbeat.
"It's okay. It's all going to be okay."
Soon, Becky falls asleep, one hand on her growing baby bump. Eret watches her until he, too, falls asleep.
