~*~ Chapter 5 ~*~
Serena awoke to the sound of her alarm clock buzzing. She let out a groan as she rolled over to turn it off. After laying there for a couple of minutes, she finally got up and made her way to the bathroom for a hot shower. At least her head wasn't hurting as bad as it was the last time. Although, she couldn't remember much from the day before. After getting dressed, she went to the kitchen to fix herself some breakfast.
"Where's Chris?" she said to Karen as she got a bowl for cereal.
"He left for the hospital already." Karen replied coldly.
"Are you working 12 to 12 again today?
"No, actually, I'm off today." Karen said watching Serena sit down to eat her cereal. "So you want to tell me what happened yesterday?"
"There's nothing to tell." Serena replied.
"Nothing to tell?!? ... Serena... I get a call from the school and I come home to find you and your so-called friends drunk in the living room. I think there is a lot to tell."
"We skipped classes, came here and drank a little. We got caught. We were wrong. It won't happen again." Serena promised. "Trust me...not if these headaches are the results."
"Serena, you need to understand that this is not a way to have fun."
"Karen, spare me the lecture..." Serena said as she got up to place her bowl in the sink.
"Serena, no. I spent most of my teenage years taking care of my drunk mother. I'm not going to stand by and watch my little sister do the same thing."
"Karen, I'm not your mother. I tried drinking one time and I've got the headache to prove it. That hardly makes me an alcoholic. I told you...it's not going to happen again. Stop over-reacting." She yelled, grabbing her bag and leaving for school.
"Serena...this isn't over yet" Karen shouted back. She sat down and tried to figure out what was going on. She was confused to say the least. Maybe she was overreacting, she thought. Every kid tries drinking. It only happened once. Maybe she and Serena can just sit down later and talk everything out. She grabbed her purse and left for the hospital for her checkup.
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At school, Todd and Jessie approached Serena who was at her locker going through her books. "Hey Serena, what did you get from Rico?" Todd asked.
"Four days of after school detention."
"Yeah...us too." Jessie said. "So, Karen let you out of the house, huh?"
"Yeah. My parole officer thinks I'm turning into her lush of a mother."
Todd looked at Serena with a very surprised glare, "Your mother is an alcoholic...I thought you said she died?"
"No, you idiot...my sister's mother...you know...same father, different mothers." Serena corrected sarcastically.
"Oh."
"I'm sure she isn't going to waste any time telling my dad what happened. Then the warden will rush home and be all over my back." She said.
"Hey, you know...I put the 'dessert' inside the twister game. I tried to get it in there before your sister saw it." Todd told Serena.
"Thanks. The game was on my desk this morning; she must have put it there last night. I'll take care of it when I get home." She finished as the bell rang for class.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
At the hospital, Karen had just finished her check up and was looking for Chris.
"Hey, how did the checkup go?" Chris asked as Karen approached the nurse's desk.
"Good...everything is okay." She said sounding depressed.
"If everything is okay, why do you look like you're about to break down?" he asked.
"I'm worried about Serena."
"Oh...I take it that things didn't go well this morning."
"Hardly...I accused her of turning into an alcoholic." She confessed. "At least that is the way she took it, anyway. And I have no idea what I'm going to tell my dad."
"Karen, don't you think you're overreacting a bit. I mean all teenagers drink at least once during their high school career. Call Scott, tell him what happened and let him deal with it."
"That's your answer? Just call my dad and let him deal with it...I can't do that Chris. Yeah maybe I am overreacting a little. But I also remember coming home everyday to find my mother passed out or to sick to walk to the bathroom." She argued.
"Karen, that was a different situation..." he began.
"A different situation? My mother started drinking when she was a teenager in high school. And what happened? She ended up a drunk single mother...I don't want that to happen to my sister."
"Somehow I don't think this is about your mother or your sister." He tried to point out.
"What is that supposed to mean?" she questioned.
"Serena is not your mother and she is not you. She experimented with her life a little. Ground her for a week, tell your dad and be done with it...." He said looking at his watch. "I have to start rounds...I'll see you later." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and walk down the hallway.
"Uhh...men..." Karen groaned tuning around to leave and nearly running into Gail.
"Karen...hi..." Gail greeted.
"Oh...hi Gail. I'm sorry."
"That's okay...having a rough day?" she asked looking very concerned for her granddaughter.
"You could say that."
"Well, why don't we go get some lunch and we can talk about it? My Treat." Gail offered.
"Thanks Gail...but..." Karen began.
"Don't but me...come on...how often do I get to take my granddaughter out to lunch." She urged linking her arm with Karen's as they moved toward the elevator.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Karen and Gail sat at the Recovery Room enjoying a light lunch and some conversation. Gail could tell something was eating at Karen. She could read Karen like a book. Gail had helped Karen through some of the roughest times of her young life and over the years they had created a tight bond. Karen knew that she could tell her grandmother anything and would always receive the utmost support. Although she didn't always take her up on it.
"So...you want to tell me what is bothering you?" Gail finally asked Karen.
"What makes you thing that something is bothering me?" Karen asked in reply.
"Honey...come on...I know you better than anyone. I can tell just by looking at your face that something is not quite right. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to...but I'm always here to listen." She said obviously concerned.
"Well...as always...your right...I'm worried about Serena." Karen finally confessed.
"Serena...why did something happen?"
"Yesterday, her and some friends skipped school and spent the afternoon at the firehouse. When I received a call from the school...that is the first place that I looked for them."
"And what did you find?" Gail inquired.
"I...um...walked in on Serena and her friends drinking in the living room."
"Drinking...Serena?" Gail was very shocked. "She knows better than that."
"I know...I tried to confront her about it this morning but we just got into an argument and she walked out."
"Did she tell you where they got it?" Gail asked.
"No, we didn't get that far...but...one of the had to bring it with them. Scott doesn't keep it in the house for obvious reasons."
"Did you call your father and talk to him about this?"
"No...not yet...I don't know how to tell him. I'm afraid of how he will react." Karen confessed taking a drink of her Iced Tea.
"Well. He'll react the way he always does at first..."
"Yeah...I know...that is what I'm afraid of..."
"But then he'll calm down and approach it rationally." Gail said trying to console Karen.
"Yeah...Rational for Scott is to storm in and shoot now and shoot some more and then when everyone is 'dead' try to ask a question or two." Karen said sarcastically with a smirk.
"Okay...your father is just a little protective of you girls. But I can't say that I blame him." Gail said smiling affectionately at Karen; then looking down at her watch. "Oh dear...I need to get back to the hospital for an appointment. Thank you for joining me. I love you sweetheart."
"I love you to...thank you for lunch and the advice." Karen said giving her grandmother a hug.
"Anytime, honey, you know that you can always talk to me."
Serena awoke to the sound of her alarm clock buzzing. She let out a groan as she rolled over to turn it off. After laying there for a couple of minutes, she finally got up and made her way to the bathroom for a hot shower. At least her head wasn't hurting as bad as it was the last time. Although, she couldn't remember much from the day before. After getting dressed, she went to the kitchen to fix herself some breakfast.
"Where's Chris?" she said to Karen as she got a bowl for cereal.
"He left for the hospital already." Karen replied coldly.
"Are you working 12 to 12 again today?
"No, actually, I'm off today." Karen said watching Serena sit down to eat her cereal. "So you want to tell me what happened yesterday?"
"There's nothing to tell." Serena replied.
"Nothing to tell?!? ... Serena... I get a call from the school and I come home to find you and your so-called friends drunk in the living room. I think there is a lot to tell."
"We skipped classes, came here and drank a little. We got caught. We were wrong. It won't happen again." Serena promised. "Trust me...not if these headaches are the results."
"Serena, you need to understand that this is not a way to have fun."
"Karen, spare me the lecture..." Serena said as she got up to place her bowl in the sink.
"Serena, no. I spent most of my teenage years taking care of my drunk mother. I'm not going to stand by and watch my little sister do the same thing."
"Karen, I'm not your mother. I tried drinking one time and I've got the headache to prove it. That hardly makes me an alcoholic. I told you...it's not going to happen again. Stop over-reacting." She yelled, grabbing her bag and leaving for school.
"Serena...this isn't over yet" Karen shouted back. She sat down and tried to figure out what was going on. She was confused to say the least. Maybe she was overreacting, she thought. Every kid tries drinking. It only happened once. Maybe she and Serena can just sit down later and talk everything out. She grabbed her purse and left for the hospital for her checkup.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
At school, Todd and Jessie approached Serena who was at her locker going through her books. "Hey Serena, what did you get from Rico?" Todd asked.
"Four days of after school detention."
"Yeah...us too." Jessie said. "So, Karen let you out of the house, huh?"
"Yeah. My parole officer thinks I'm turning into her lush of a mother."
Todd looked at Serena with a very surprised glare, "Your mother is an alcoholic...I thought you said she died?"
"No, you idiot...my sister's mother...you know...same father, different mothers." Serena corrected sarcastically.
"Oh."
"I'm sure she isn't going to waste any time telling my dad what happened. Then the warden will rush home and be all over my back." She said.
"Hey, you know...I put the 'dessert' inside the twister game. I tried to get it in there before your sister saw it." Todd told Serena.
"Thanks. The game was on my desk this morning; she must have put it there last night. I'll take care of it when I get home." She finished as the bell rang for class.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
At the hospital, Karen had just finished her check up and was looking for Chris.
"Hey, how did the checkup go?" Chris asked as Karen approached the nurse's desk.
"Good...everything is okay." She said sounding depressed.
"If everything is okay, why do you look like you're about to break down?" he asked.
"I'm worried about Serena."
"Oh...I take it that things didn't go well this morning."
"Hardly...I accused her of turning into an alcoholic." She confessed. "At least that is the way she took it, anyway. And I have no idea what I'm going to tell my dad."
"Karen, don't you think you're overreacting a bit. I mean all teenagers drink at least once during their high school career. Call Scott, tell him what happened and let him deal with it."
"That's your answer? Just call my dad and let him deal with it...I can't do that Chris. Yeah maybe I am overreacting a little. But I also remember coming home everyday to find my mother passed out or to sick to walk to the bathroom." She argued.
"Karen, that was a different situation..." he began.
"A different situation? My mother started drinking when she was a teenager in high school. And what happened? She ended up a drunk single mother...I don't want that to happen to my sister."
"Somehow I don't think this is about your mother or your sister." He tried to point out.
"What is that supposed to mean?" she questioned.
"Serena is not your mother and she is not you. She experimented with her life a little. Ground her for a week, tell your dad and be done with it...." He said looking at his watch. "I have to start rounds...I'll see you later." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and walk down the hallway.
"Uhh...men..." Karen groaned tuning around to leave and nearly running into Gail.
"Karen...hi..." Gail greeted.
"Oh...hi Gail. I'm sorry."
"That's okay...having a rough day?" she asked looking very concerned for her granddaughter.
"You could say that."
"Well, why don't we go get some lunch and we can talk about it? My Treat." Gail offered.
"Thanks Gail...but..." Karen began.
"Don't but me...come on...how often do I get to take my granddaughter out to lunch." She urged linking her arm with Karen's as they moved toward the elevator.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Karen and Gail sat at the Recovery Room enjoying a light lunch and some conversation. Gail could tell something was eating at Karen. She could read Karen like a book. Gail had helped Karen through some of the roughest times of her young life and over the years they had created a tight bond. Karen knew that she could tell her grandmother anything and would always receive the utmost support. Although she didn't always take her up on it.
"So...you want to tell me what is bothering you?" Gail finally asked Karen.
"What makes you thing that something is bothering me?" Karen asked in reply.
"Honey...come on...I know you better than anyone. I can tell just by looking at your face that something is not quite right. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to...but I'm always here to listen." She said obviously concerned.
"Well...as always...your right...I'm worried about Serena." Karen finally confessed.
"Serena...why did something happen?"
"Yesterday, her and some friends skipped school and spent the afternoon at the firehouse. When I received a call from the school...that is the first place that I looked for them."
"And what did you find?" Gail inquired.
"I...um...walked in on Serena and her friends drinking in the living room."
"Drinking...Serena?" Gail was very shocked. "She knows better than that."
"I know...I tried to confront her about it this morning but we just got into an argument and she walked out."
"Did she tell you where they got it?" Gail asked.
"No, we didn't get that far...but...one of the had to bring it with them. Scott doesn't keep it in the house for obvious reasons."
"Did you call your father and talk to him about this?"
"No...not yet...I don't know how to tell him. I'm afraid of how he will react." Karen confessed taking a drink of her Iced Tea.
"Well. He'll react the way he always does at first..."
"Yeah...I know...that is what I'm afraid of..."
"But then he'll calm down and approach it rationally." Gail said trying to console Karen.
"Yeah...Rational for Scott is to storm in and shoot now and shoot some more and then when everyone is 'dead' try to ask a question or two." Karen said sarcastically with a smirk.
"Okay...your father is just a little protective of you girls. But I can't say that I blame him." Gail said smiling affectionately at Karen; then looking down at her watch. "Oh dear...I need to get back to the hospital for an appointment. Thank you for joining me. I love you sweetheart."
"I love you to...thank you for lunch and the advice." Karen said giving her grandmother a hug.
"Anytime, honey, you know that you can always talk to me."
