Here is the next chapter. Thank you for the reviews! Amber
Chapter 18
Claire didn't know what was wrong but her mother was making phone calls like crazy. "Hello Meredith, it's Callie, is Brooke over at your house? If you hear from her call me would you. No everything is okay. Thank you."
Claire took the phone from her mother's hand. "It isn't okay. Stop lying. What is going on?"
"Your sister is having a really hard time baby. She's so overwhelmed that she wants to end her life."
Claire was too stunned to speak at first but the fury quickly came. "She told me that she went through a terrible ordeal. That she'd need a couple days to shake it off. Was that a lie?"
Callie went to hug her but Claire stepped away glaring at her. Callie swallowed. "No honey when she told you that she probably thought it was true. You know she's been seeing a therapist. They just weren't clicking. When I needed one, the first one I went to was great for me. Honey your sister isn't going to get over this. The pain lessens in time."
"So why didn't you tell me that? What the fuck happened to her mom!"
"It's complicated sweetheart."
"Don't patronize me mother! Why are you being such a bitch!"
The garage door closed. "Claire Ann Hardy don't talk to your mother like that. Be respectful."
Claire raged at her father. "Respectful? What respect have you shown me by lying. You both told me everything was going to be fine. Both of you make me sick! A person doesn't become suicidal overnight."
The words she said were like a knife in his heart but they were true. They had badly miscalculated not telling Claire the truth. Now she was angry and rightfully so. He had to get her to come around. "Baby I'm sorry. We should have told you the truth but we were trying to give your sister some privacy. We didn't know that she and the therapist weren't meshing. All we can do now is be open and honest with each other. Your sister needs our support right now."
Claire deflated. Her legs gave out and she collapsed to the floor crying.
Callie knelt down and hugged her. "I'm so sorry Peanut. We will all talk once we check on your sister."
Claire stood up and sniffled. "I just want her to be okay."
Joe rode in the ambulance to the hospital. He watched Brooke's vitals, he was a little worried about her pulse being high. He put her on oxygen. He'd get lab work done right away. They climbed from the ambulance. Joe called to his team. "We have a 15 year old female patient, who is suicidal. She cut her wrist. I need a CBC, comprehensive, troponin, PT-INR, PTT, crossmatch, and an HCG serum screen. Also perform a urine drug screen."
"Right away Doctor Hardy." The PA said. She grabbed the purse. Is this her ID?"
"Name is Brooke Hardy let's get her into trauma one. I need a suturing kit. I want psych to consult."
Laura Hardy ran into the trauma room. "What happened?"
"Mom, let get her stable first." Joe said.
Frank, Callie, and Claire made it to the ER. Fenton and Laura were sitting in the waiting area with Ben and his father. Claire hurried to her grandparents and sat beside them. Laura could feel the tension between them. She put an arm around Claire.
Claire wiped a tear from her cheek. "What happened to her?"
Frank told her. When he was done. Claire was trembling. "Why didn't she tell me?"
Fenton squeezed her hand. "She wanted to protect you kiddo."
Claire mumbled. "I don't need protecting, she does."
Joe came out. Callie rushed up to him. "Joe is she alright?"
Joe sat her back in a chair. "She lost a lot of blood. If I hadn't been right there. She probably would have succeeded. Her hemoglobin is low at an 6.8. I need your permission to give her a unit of blood."
Callie nodded. "Do what you have too. I'll sign the waiver for the blood." As if by magic a nurse appeared at Joe's side. The nurse started to give the usual explanation of the blood transfusion but Callie held up her hand. "I've had blood transfusions. I know the drill. Let me sign this so that you can give the blood to my daughter."
Claire was sobbing into her grandfather. Frank pulled Callie tight against him fighting back tears.
Callie cried. "I should have known! I'm her mother."
Joe rubbed her back soothing her. "We're lucky she wrote those notes and that Ben reacted so quickly. She's going to be admitted to an adolescent psych unit after she is medically cleared. We need to get her set up with a new therapist ASAP. She required forty stitches to close her self-inflicted laceration."
Frank swallowed. "Can we see her?"
"Yeah. She's going to be sedated for at least another hour."
Callie, Frank, Claire, and Ben went back to trauma 1. Brooke was currently sleeping. Ben didn't care that her parents were in the room. He leaned down and kissed her. "I wish you had told us Brooke. You know we would have listened. I'm going to say this again. You have nothing to be ashamed of or to apologize for."
Callie was smiling to herself. This young man reminded her of Frank in so many ways. Claire sobbed. "I love you sissy."
Callie approached the bed. "Ben can you take her out to her grandparents please."
Ben knew he had been on borrowed time and wasn't upset at all. "Sure. Come on Claire."
Claire kissed her sister's cheek then reluctantly left with Ben.
Once they were alone Callie approached the bed at last. "Oh my sweet baby girl. I'm so sorry I didn't realizeā¦"
Frank went up behind her and interrupted. "Don't Callie. It's not your fault."
Callie pulled Brooke into her arms and held her. The beating of her heart soothed her. But her emotions overwhelmed her. "Thank God Joe was there!"
Frank put his arms around them both. He too succumbed to tears. The same nurse came in with a unit of blood. She said. "My name is Amber. I'll be in the room for about a half hour to monitor for side effects." Callie took Frank's hand as she expertly hooked it up. She stood where she could see the monitors and Brooke. Frank and Callie both watched her monitors with bated breath. The blood slowly going into her veins. Side by side Frank and Callie sat by her side. They were both exhausted and dozed off.
Brooke moaned. Her mouth was dry. She turned her head and saw her parents asleep beside her. Great now the lecture. The movement immediately woke her father. His voice was full of emotion. "Brooke."
Her mother snapped awake then. She kissed her. "Honey we love you so much."
"Ben?"
"He's here." Callie soothed. "I'll get him."
"Not yet mom. I'm sorry I'm not strong enough."
Frank sucked in his breath. "Honey you can't look at it that way. You're hurting and there's nothing wrong with that. We're going to get you some help."
"I just want to be able to close my eyes and not see their sick faces or that stupid gun."
Frank kissed her. "You're safe baby. We're getting you some help."
"Can I see Ben and Claire."
Callie went to retrieve them. Laura and Fenton came back. Fenton took her hand. "Hello kiddo."
"Hi Grandpa. I'm sorry I stole the knife."
Fenton squeezed her hand and said emotionally. "Honey don't think about that now."
Ben and Claire came in. Claire sobbed and hurried to her sister. She crawled on the bed with her. "I was so scared. Promise me you won't do this again. If you feel sad tell us. I can't live without you. You're my best friend in the whole world."
Brooke swallowed a sob. "I can't promise that right now. I want to but I can't. I'm sorry."
Claire's lip trembled. "Good at least you're being honest about it. Mommy and daddy didn't tell me how bad it was for you. I wish they had told me."
"I wanted to protect you. That's on me. Not them." Brooke murmured. She stroked her sister's hair and looked up at Ben. She couldn't find anything to say. What could she say? She still wanted to die that still hadn't changed.
Ben kissed her forehead. "How are you feeling?"
"Groggy."
Joe came into the room wearing hospital scrubs.
"Uncle Joe what did they give me?"
Joe came over to the bed. He patted Claire. "Excuse me kiddo."
Claire reluctantly got off the bed. Joe listened to Brooke's heart and lungs. "They gave you a strong sedative to calm you down. I gave you something in the IV to calm you more. You'll start some medicine that will help with depression and anxiety at the hospital."
"What hospital?" Brooke started to panic.
Joe rubbed her arm. "Inova Fairfax. I've arranged a private room for you after you are medically cleared."
Frank squeezed Callie's hand. "Thanks Joe. What can we expect?"
"She'll be moved sometime this evening or early tomorrow morning depending on when she is medically cleared. Her h and h has to be above an eight. Inova is waiting for a patient to be discharged so that her bed is available. One of you will have to sign her in."
"I don't want to go." Brooke said.
Ben soothed her. "Hey...I know it's scary but it's what's best for now. You need help. Please don't be stubborn."
"Inova has a good reputation, they will start her on medications, individual therapy, and group therapy right away. She'll have a caseworker. I know it's a lot to take in but it will all help believe me." Joe said.
Brooke crossed her arms glumly. She wasn't going to have a choice. She was going to be made to go. Why did Uncle Joe have to ruin it? She was mad and now she was going to have to go be around a bunch of strangers. She shuddered.
Callie leaned over. "Honey, mommy has been hospitalized like this before, it was weird at first but it really does help. We weren't very successful making sure you had what you needed. Now we can get you and all of us some help with this. I would like to get some family therapy too."
Frank nodded. "That's a good idea."
"I don't want to talk about what happened to me in a group."
Callie soothed. "You don't have too unless you want to. The groups are to talk about different things like coping skills, stress management, triggers. Things like that."
Brooke for the first time looked thoughtful. "Grounding exercises don't work for me."
Callie squeezed her hand. "I've never heard of that. But I can tell you what worked for me. Visualizing a calm place and going to it in my mind. I used the beach, I know you like the beach."
"I do, the waves crashing on the shore is a nice sound to fall asleep too."
Callie smiled. "Exactly." That is when she realized practically everyone was here. "Um...before Brooke is carted off to the hospital I have some news."
Claire had climbed back onto the bed with her sister. "What news."
"I was offered a federal judgeship here in DC."
Joe clapped. "That's great! Congratulations hince your private celebration last night."
Both Claire and Brooke exclaimed. "TMI!"
Callie blushed. "Well yes, but there is more."
Fenton kissed her temple. "More than you getting your dream job?"
Frank nodded. "Yeah there is more, Callie's pregnant fourteen weeks. We went to the doctor just today. We're consulting a psychiatrist during the pregnancy so that we can start her on medications right after the birth to hopefully stop the really bad symptoms of the psychosis."
Claire pointed to Callie's tummy. "Mom! You mean...I get to be a big sister?"
"Yes."
Brooke for the first time in months genuinely smiled. "Wow! Do you know if it's a boy or a girl yet?"
"We did a three-d ultrasound and the gender is in this envelope." Callie pulled it out.
Joe pulled out his phone. "Whoa let me facetime Vanessa! She'll kill me if I don't."
Everybody waited while Joe's phone rang. Vanessa picked up. "Joe, how is Lynn's sister's ankle? It must have been serious."
Oh boy! "Babe a lot has happened we're at the hospital with Brooke, she's being admitted to Inova but Callie just told us she's pregnant and has the gender in an envelope."
Vanessa gawked. "What happened with Brooke? Callie's pregnant? Okay so what are we doing?"
Claire popped her head in the view of the camera. "Opening the envelope to find out if we have a dingle or no dingle."
Everybody laughed. Vanessa grinned. "Okay well let's do it. Who's doing the honors?"
Callie handed the envelope to Fenton. "I can't. I'm too nervous."
Fenton took it grinning. "Okay I'll do it." He tore the envelope and looked inside. "It's a boy!"
Callie's jaw dropped and she turned into Frank. "Oh my God! Frank!"
He simply kissed her passionately.
Brooke and Claire both squealed as well as Vanessa on the line. Joe, Fenton, and Laura were beaming. Laura smiled. "How wonderful."
Ben was grinning. He had maintained a respectable silence. "Congratulations!"
Callie pulled back slightly breathless. She still had her arms around his neck. "So do you think we can handle a boy?"
Frank kissed her. "I think so. Plus we have two babysitters in the house."
Brooke and Claire both groaned. "Hey." But they were grinning from ear to ear.
Brooke for the first time since her ordeal felt a little bit of hope. Maybe her life would be worth living. She hoped so.
