"Chloe!" Beca nearly screamed. She looked up, still cradling her sister, as the redhead rounded the corner, followed by two paramedics and a stretcher.
"We'll take it from here, ma'am." One of them said. Chloe pulled Beca away from her sister, much to her dismay, and she watched in terror as Jaiden was laid on her back. The two men set to work, giving each other orders that neither girl could understand, and Beca winced as a huge needle was stuck into Jaiden's arm.
"Push another of Naloxone," The first man, murmured. He was listening intently to Jaiden's heart through a stethoscope. From the look on his face, there was reason for concern, and he shook his head slightly at his partner.
"Please, you have to save her!" Beca blurted out. Chloe had an arm wrapped around her chest in a protective restraint, and the brunette pulled against it slightly. If the men heard her, they didn't respond. Instead, they loaded her onto the stretcher and strapped her in.
"If one of you wants to ride along, get moving." The taller of the two paramedics grunted. Beca and Chloe exchanged a look and the redhead nodded at her slightly. The brunette scrambled to her feet and followed them out of the apartment. Her ankle flared up in pain as she struggled to keep up, and the two men paid no mind to her as they began loading Jaiden onto the waiting gurney and then into the back of the ambulance. Beca just barely managed to lift herself into the vehicle before the engine revved and one of the paramedics shut the doors behind her. She sat down on the small bench just in time to avoid falling when the large vehicle took off.
"Pulse is steadying out," The tall one noted. Beca felt the knot in her stomach loosen just a little, and she wanted nothing more than to be able to hold the younger girl's hand. But the two men were still working tirelessly and she forced herself to sit back and take it all in. Jaiden was still pale, and her eyes remained shut, but the heart monitor she had just been hooked up to showed a steady heartbeat.
"Radio to the ER that she's going to need charcoal when we get there. No telling how much is left in her stomach." The shorter one said.
"Is…is she going to be okay?" Beca asked hesitantly. One of the paramedics looked up briefly.
"No promises, but it seems like we're in the clear. You need to prepare yourself for when she wakes up, though. I've seen a lot of overdoses, but the purposeful ones are the hardest to move past." He informed her solemnly. Beca nodded, absorbing the information, and gripped the bench as the ambulance took a hard left. When she turned her attention back to Jaiden, the teenager was looking at her through half opened eyes. Beca sat, frozen, as her younger sister used the arm that didn't have an IV in it to pull her oxygen mask down.
"Beca," She croaked. The brunette finally moved forward and took her hand tightly, and the paramedics paused when they realized that she was awake.
"I'm here. I'm right here." Beca replied softly.
"You weren't supposed to-"
"Jay, don't," Beca shook her head and squeezed her hand tighter. The younger girl fell silent and a few seconds later, her eyelids fluttered shut again.
The rest of the ride to the hospital was much calmer, and the paramedics monitored her vitals carefully the whole time. By the time they got there, Chloe had sent a text that she had swung by campus and informed Stacie, and the two of them were on the way. The redhead had hinted that the other girl was not handling it well, and Beca knew she was going to have to brace herself for the waiting room when they got there.
"You're going to have to stay in the waiting room while the doctors detox her. One of the nurses will update you once she's completely stable." The tall paramedic said as he opened the door. Beca nodded in understanding and waited until they had lowered Jaiden's gurney to the ground before hopping down. She followed the small party through the ER entrance and watched as a team of doctors and nurses took her sister into one of the back rooms.
"Take a seat, sweetie. They'll be out when they can." The nurse behind the desk spoke up as she took in Beca's disheveled appearance. The tiny brunette nodded slightly and took one of the many open seats in the barren waiting room. It was well past 2 am, and for the first time she felt her fatigue from the night's events. The trip home hadn't gone quite as smoothly as she had anticipated, considering her mother had woken up when they had got there. And though Beca had promised herself she'd contain the immense anger she felt towards the older woman, she hadn't.
"Rebecca? What are you doing here?" Beca whirled around at the surprising voice and her heart dropped at the familiarity of it. The small brunette clenched her fists at the sight of her disheveled mother. She could smell the booze before the woman was even halfway through the doorway into the basement.
"Getting the rest of Jay's stuff." She mumbled.
"Is she here?"
"No. Why would I bring her somewhere she wouldn't be safe?" Beca's voice was laced with hostility as she glared at the woman coldly. Her mother fell silent, watching as her eldest daughter resumed shoving Jaiden's belongings into a large duffel bag. The basement looked almost as barren as when they had moved in.
"Where's your girlfriend?" The older woman spoke up less than a minute later.
"In the car. Why don't you just go upstairs and pass out on the couch. That seems to be all you and him were good for." Beca replied. Her mother gripped the bottle in her hand tightly, and she squinted at her daughter.
"You've always been disrespectful."
"And you've always been a God awful mother, so it's really no wonder I don't respect you. You couldn't even come see her after she almost died because of him! And you didn't come the last time either. So, what kind of mother are you?" Beca lashed out furiously.
"Get out," The middle aged woman ordered. Beca zipped up the bag and slung it over her shoulder angrily. She brushed past her mother and paused for a few seconds at the bottom of the stairs before turning around again.
"Don't ever come near us again. Because I swear to God if you do, you'll be worse off than him," Her voice shook with the deadly intent of the threat. "Have a good fucking life, Mom."
"We need to see Jaiden Mitchell!" Stacie's voice drug Beca out of her flashback and she looked up to see the very hysterical tall brunette at the nurse's station. Chloe appeared seconds later and she took Stacie by the arm before looking around, obviously searching for Beca. She stood up and went to them tiredly.
"They're flushing the rest of the drugs out of her system." She informed them. Stacie looked down at her through tearful eyes and Beca could see that she was struggling to accept what had happened.
"So…so she's alive?" Beca nodded in confirmation and led the two girls into the empty waiting room.
"Why would she do this? She showed up at my dorm with flowers and we spent all day together." Stacie ran her fingers back through her hair as she sat down and then rested her head in her hands.
"I don't know," Chloe admitted. "Maybe everything that happened finally caught up to her." The redhead didn't believe a word that she was saying; this was her fault. She had been too hard on her and Jaiden had cracked. Beca would never be able to forgive her once she realized it.
"Are you ladies here for a Ms. Mitchell?" A soft spoken doctor interrupted the sad silence that had followed Chloe's statement, and all three girls looked up anxiously.
"I'm her sister," Beca stood up, trying to read the man's face desperately. To her relief, he smiled at her calmly and took a seat; prompting her to sit back down as well. Chloe reached over and took her hand, running her thumb over the back of it gently.
"Jaiden has been stabilized and is currently under a light sedative. When she wakes up, she'll be evaluated by our head psychiatrist and then placed under a 72 hour watch. We take suicide attempts very seriously here, and it's important to us to make sure your sister gets the best care possible. After being discharged, it's going to be mandatory for her to attend outpatient therapy every week, as well as joining the hospital's group therapy session. It's an important part of her recovery. We also offer therapy sessions for family members affected by suicide attempts," he paused long enough to hand Beca an informational pamphlet.
"When can we see her?" Beca asked anxiously. The doctor sighed.
"Typically, protocol keeps us from allowing any visitors before the initial exam, but your sister was asking for you profusely. That's part of the reason we sedated her. So, even though my attending is going to rip my head off, follow me. I can only take you, though." His voice lowered and Beca glanced regretfully at Chloe. The redhead nodded in understanding, knowing that she'd be more useful staying with Stacie, and released her hold on Beca's hand. Jaiden's doctor stood and Beca followed his lead, through the front lobby and into a waiting elevator. When they were alone inside, the doctor flipped through the chart in his hand and sighed.
"From these medical records, it seems that the two of you have been through a lot. It's likely…it's likely that Jaiden has some sort of repressed PTSD. Though the therapy may help her, she's going to be depending a lot on a support system at home. You two live together?" Beca nodded her head to confirm and waited for him to go on. "Then I'm really going to recommend you attending a few sessions, even if it's just to learn how to help her cope."
"Okay, of course. I'll do anything. I just want her to be okay." Beca agreed sincerely. The elevator doors dinged and a few seconds later, they opened to reveal the psychiatric unit. The doctor led her out into the hall and they passed locked door after locked door. The ward was quiet, considering how late it was, and Beca felt a lump form in her throat as they stopped in front of a door. The man beside her opened it and led her inside slowly.
"I'll leave you two alone for a bit." He excused himself softly and slipped out of the room behind her. As the door shut, Jaiden roused from her stupor and glazed eyes met Beca's slowly.
"Hey," the older girl croaked out. She moved forward and took the seat beside the bed; a position that was becoming far too familiar.
"Beca?" Jaiden's voice was incredibly weak and Beca's bottom lip trembled when she took in her sister's appearance. The 18 year old was pale, obviously drugged, and looked thinner than usual. The fluorescent light above the bed cast an almost grey tone over her skin, and Beca was almost afraid to touch her for a few seconds.
"I'm right here." Beca assured her. "Why?" The question came out before she could stop it.
"I…I just couldn't do this anymore. I don't know how to fix things with you, or Chloe, or anything. I'm sorry." Jaiden murmured. Beca's heart broke at the explanation and she choked back tears.
"You can't do this, okay? You scared us to death and…I need you here. You promised you weren't going to leave."
"Beca, I'm sorry-"
"Don't; you don't have to say that. Just promise me that you're going to get better." Beca cut her off.
"I promise to try." Jaiden said after a few seconds. Her sister nodded, knowing it was going to be all she could get for now, and stood up.
"Okay. Give me a hug." Beca leaned over the bed and wrapped her arm around Jaiden tightly; feeling the 18 year old relax slightly in her arms. "I love you, Jaiden."
So she survived! Let me know if you guys are interested in seeing a recovery sequel, or anything else you'd want to request. If not, I'll probably write up a "going home" chapter next and end it there! Thanks for reading!