Heartbreak Warfare :: Chapter Eight
Bo was drinking pretend tea under a blanket fort in Ciara's bedroom. Her imagination fascinated him. Her laugher soothed his headache like a beautiful melody. She brought each of her stuffed animals to life entertaining him with make believe stories. She flooded him with so much joy, but even the joy she brought couldn't mask the pain burning like a flame through his body. His stomach flip flopped, swirling with an unsettled protest. He wiped at the sweat beading at his brow. She was wearing him out.
"I'll be right back," Bo announced as he struggled to stand, "All this tea made Daddy have to use the restroom."
"That's okay Daddy!" Ciara smiled innocently, "Hurry back!"
Bo rushed to the master bathroom, almost throwing himself face first on the toilet as his entire body convulsed. Vomit poured violently out of him, making his eyes sting with tears. This was more than a hangover. This was miserable. His throat burned from the presence of stomach acid blasting through his esophagus. He slumped back away from the toilet and rubbed his temples. Something was very wrong. He attempted to stand, but in the process a wave of dizziness knocked him off balance. He tripped over the rug and fell, slamming his forehead into the corner of the counter.
Fifteen minutes later, Ciara was tired of playing alone. She put Tommy Bear on her bed, and left her blanket fort in search of her father. She checked the guest bathroom first, but with no sign of Bo she headed towards her parent's bedroom.
"Daddy?" Ciara called out, "Where are you silly? Are we playing hide and seek?"
She saw the door to the bathroom was open, "Daddy? Don't you dare jump out and scare me!"
Her face fell when she found Bo lying face down on the bathroom floor in a pool of blood.
"Daddy!" Ciara screamed and then erupted into tears. Frozen from shock, she stared at him for a moment, before spinning on her heel and running down stairs to the living room phone. As a child, she called the one person you always call for when you're scared.
"Hello?" Hope's voice greeted on the other line.
"Mommy, come home quick," Ciara cried into the phone, "Daddy is hurt."
"What? Ciara slow down," Hope's voice filled with panic, "How is he hurt?"
"I don't know." Ciara wailed, "He's in your bathroom on the floor. There is blood. He won't wake up."
"Baby, I need you to wake him up. I'm coming. I'm on my way right now." Hope tried to sound soothing, but her heart raced with adrenaline.
"Mommy, I'm scared." Ciara confessed, "Please don't hang up."
"Where is the blood coming from Ciara?" Hope asked.
"I think his head." Ciara replied with a hiccup, "I don't know."
"Please, can you sit with him? Take the phone upstairs, you need to try to wake him up. I know you're scared, but I'm almost there." Hope felt terrible for her little girl. She couldn't imagine her fear because Hope had her own.
"Mommy, hurry…" Ciara begged as she forced her little legs to carry her back upstairs. When she made it back to the bathroom, Bo hadn't moved an inch.
"Is he breathing Ciara?" Hope prayed that her answer would be yes.
Ciara watched Bo's back rise and fall very slowly, "Yes."
"That's really good sweetie. That's great. I'm pulling in the driveway now, okay? I'm going to hang up. Tell Daddy I'm coming."
Hope jumped out of her car so fast, she forgot to shut the door. She raced inside and up the stairs as fast as her legs could carry her. When she found Ciara sitting defeated and in tears on her bed, her racing heart broke in two.
Ciara erupted into a new round of tears at the sight of her mother in person, "I'm sorry mommy! I didn't know what else to do!"
Hope wrapped Ciara in a tight hug, "It's okay baby. You're so brave! You did so good."
Ciara clung to her mom, scared for her father. Hope pried her away, "I have to check on daddy okay?"
Ciara nodded silently. She watched Hope run into the bathroom.
Hope almost threw up at the smell of vomit. She could see it in the unflushed toilet.
"Bo?" Hope said loudly, shaking his shoulders, "Bo, wake up."
She flushed the toilet, unable to handle the smell.
"Bo please," Hope begged. She shook him again, and struggled to roll him over. She examined the wound. It was superficial, but enough to knock a person unconscious. She grabbed a towel and applied pressure to the gash in his forehead, "Bo, if you don't wake up I'm calling 911."
She filled a cup with cold water from the bathroom sink and dumped it on his face. Almost immediately he began to cough and sputter.
"Bo!" Hope sighed and dropped to her knees next to him, "Thank God! Are you okay?"
"Fancy Face." Bo swallowed, "What are you doing here?"
"You scared the hell out of your daughter. I knew you weren't well. Why did you lie to me?" Hope was almost yelling as worry struck her like a train.
"I just got a little dizzy." Bo tried to joke, "The bathroom sink didn't move out of my way fast enough."
"Bo this isn't funny," Hope sighed, "You could have been seriously hurt. Tell me what's wrong. Please."
"I need to get off this floor." Bo protested.
Hope helped him slowly sit up. Bo's legs cramped and the change in head elevation made him dizzy again.
"I'm gonna puke." Bo mumbled as he scrambled for the toilet on all fours.
Hope watched in horror as Bo dry heaved. His body contorted as it betrayed him repeatedly. Hope closed the door so Ciara wouldn't have to see her father this way. Her heart was breaking. She knelt warily beside him and began to rub his back.
"Brady…" Hope whispered, she used her free hand to grasp one of his, "What is happening to you?"
Bo inhaled and slumped back once again, "I'm scared Hope."
"Tell me," Hope coaxed, "I want to help."
Bo wrestled with his sleeves, rolling both of them up. He rotated and exposed his arms to her and sighed.
"What have they done to you?" Hope questioned. Her hands ran over the tiny scars on his skin.
"When I was being held prisoner, they would inject me with drugs every day. They never told me what it was, but now that I'm home and not getting shot up anymore…. I'm really scared it was heroin."
"Brady…" Hope shook her head.
"I think I'm having withdrawals." Bo nodded, "I didn't do this Hope. I swear."
"Of course you didn't." She rubbed his back again, her eyes hot with tears.
"I'm scared Hope. I don't feel like myself." Bo confided.
"Please let me call Kayla," Hope pleaded, "She can help you."
Bo shook his head, "NO. No one else can know."
Hope bit her lip, but inevitably gave in to his request, "Is this why you got so drunk?"
Bo shrugged, "Maybe. I had a irresistible craving to be high. But there was so much more than the physical symptoms. I was torn up about you. Beer sounded like a great idea."
Hope nodded, "Brady… I'm here for you. I'll help you through this. But you have to let me. You have to want it too."
"Of course I want it." Bo almost broke down, "You're all I ever wanted."