40
G abriel lay on the bed in a stupor after taking all the sleeping pills and washing them down with half a bottle of Jack Daniels. He had just listened to Emily’s latest voicemail and was now on the internet, reading the article about himself. As he stared at Maggie’s picture, a wave of guilt washed over him, reminding him that a beautiful life had been snuffed out because of him.
Unable to endure the torment any longer, he set the phone down on the nightstand and picked up the bottle of Jack. He brought it to his lips with shaky hands, spilling some down the front of himself. He took one final swallow from the bottle before slipping unconscious and letting it fall to the floor.
Emily hurriedly threw the car into park, leaped out, and sprinted into the hotel. She dashed to the front desk, bypassing the couple already standing there, and urgently pleaded, “My husband needs help. I think he’s going to hurt himself.”
Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the man behind the counter quickly addressed the couple, “I’ll be right with you.” He then turned to Emily; his expression serious. “How can I assist you?”
“My husband is here,” Emily said breathlessly. “I don’t know what room he’s in, but he’s not answering my calls. I think he might have done something to himself. Please, we need to hurry.”
“Okay, calm down. What is your husband’s name?”
“Gabriel Anderson.”
The man typed Gabriel’s name into the computer, looked at the screen, and frowned, “Your husband has checked in. But I’m afraid no other names are listed on the reservation. How can I be sure that you are who you say you are?”
“I’ll be right back,” Emily ran out of the lobby to get the purse that she had left in the car. When she returned, the manager stood beside the employee; Emily handed the man her driver’s license and said, “My name is Emily Anderson; I’m his wife, check the address; it’s the same as his. Please, we’re wasting time. My husband needs us.”
The manager examined her ID and compared it to the information on the screen before returning it to Emily. “I’m sorry, but I can’t give you a key since you’re not listed on the reservation.”
“That’s fine,” Emily replied urgently. “Just please, go check on him.”
The manager nodded to the employee, who swiftly created a key card and handed it to him. “Room 217.”
Upon hearing the room number, Emily didn’t wait for the manager. She raced down the hallway and sprinted up the stairs. Within moments, she reached room 217. She banged on the door, shouting, “Gabriel, it’s me. Open up!”
She was still pounding on the door when the manager finally arrived. Emily stepped aside to let him unlock it, but instead, he knocked politely. “Mr. Anderson, this is Keith, the manager. Could you please open the door?”
Frustrated, Emily shouted, “He’s not answering! Just open the door!”
Keith swiped the key card in front of the keypad, and the moment the green light appeared, Emily turned the handle, flung the door open, and rushed inside. Her heart sank, fearing they were too late, as she saw Gabriel, pale and unconscious, sprawled on the bed. An empty pill bottle and a bottle of Jack Daniels lay on the floor beside him.
“Call 9-1-1!” she shouted, rushing to his bedside and frantically feeling for a pulse.
Keith swiftly made the call while Emily urgently tapped Gabriel’s cheeks, pleading, “Wake up! Come on, Gabriel, wake up.”
She frantically attempted to rouse Gabriel without success until the paramedics arrived. Then, reluctantly stepping aside, she allowed them to take over and work on him. Within minutes, the paramedics assessed the situation, placed Gabriel on a gurney, and administered oxygen.
“We’re taking him to Community Hospital,” the EMT informed Emily as they wheeled him out of the hotel room.
“I’ll follow you,” Emily said, following them out of the room. She sprinted to her car, started the engine, and pulled in behind the ambulance, anxiously waiting as they loaded Gabriel inside and prayed, Please let him make it.”
As she sped behind the ambulance, her mind raced with thoughts of the boys. They were old enough to understand the gravity of the situation, and they needed to be there in case Gabriel didn’t make it. She knew they would never forgive her if she didn’t give them the chance to see him one last time.
She made a sharp U-turn, pressed the voice control button on her steering wheel, and commanded, “Call Hunter.”
He picked up right away. “Hello?”
“Hunter, it’s me. I found your dad. He took some pills, and he’s in an ambulance on the way to the hospital right now. Grab your brother and meet me outside. I’ll be there in five minutes to pick you guys up.”
“Oh, my God! Okay.”
Hunter and Hayden were waiting for Emily when she pulled up to the house. They quickly hopped into the car, and Emily felt a pang of sorrow; she had never seen them look so scared before.
“Is Dad going to be okay?” Hayden asked, his eyes brimming with tears.
Emily gently touched his shoulder and replied, “They’re doing everything possible.”
Ten minutes later, Emily dropped the boys off at the Emergency Department entrance and said, “Go. I’ll park the car and be right in.”
When she entered the hospital, Hunter rushed to greet her. “They won’t tell me anything because I’m a minor,” he said, anxiety evident in his voice.
Emily gently but swiftly moved past Hunter and hurried to the reception desk. “My husband, Gabriel Anderson, was just brought in by ambulance,” she said urgently. “Can you give me any information on his status?”
The receptionist stood up and said, “Let me see what I can find out,” before disappearing behind a set of doors. A minute later, she returned and informed Emily, “Someone will be out shortly to give you an update.”
“Thank you,” Emily said before walking to the seating area. She and the boys sat down, anxiously awaiting news. She watched the clock on the wall intently, and after twenty minutes, she was just about to approach the reception desk when a woman emerged from the emergency department and called, “Mrs. Anderson?”
Emily jumped to her feet and approached the woman. “I’m Mrs. Anderson,” she said.
The boys quickly joined her side.
“I’m Betty, the nurse caring for your husband,” the woman introduced herself.
“How is he?” Emily asked anxiously.
Betty tried to reassure her. “We pumped his stomach and administered an antidote to counteract the pills he took. We’re also giving him medications to lower his heart rate and reduce his blood pressure. We had to place him on a ventilator to stabilize his breathing.”
“But he’s going to be okay?” Emily’s voice trembled, her eyes pleading for reassurance.
“We’re doing everything we can,” Betty responded gently. “We don’t yet know the full extent of the damage. The next twenty-four hours are critical.”
“Can we see him?”
“He’s being transferred to ICU right now,” Betty replied. “Give them some time to settle him before you visit him.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Betty managed a thin, weary smile. “You’re welcome.”
They made their way to the ICU waiting room on the third floor. Emily dialed Agnes’s number. Without getting into too much detail, she explained that Gabriel was in the hospital and asked Agnes to pick Ava up from preschool and keep the news about her father from her. Agnes was understandably upset and immediately offered to stay with Ava until they could get home.
They spent the next several hours taking turns visiting Gabriel two at a time, waiting for Gabriel to wake up, but he never did. At 9:00 p.m., Emily turned to Hunter and said, “It’s getting late. We should head home.”
Hunter nodded and stood up. He walked over to his father’s bedside, gently placing his hand on his father’s arm. “Get some rest, Dad. We’ll be back tomorrow.”
They found Hayden in the waiting room, his feet propped up on a chair, his head resting against the wall, asleep. Emily gently shook his shoulder to wake him up. “Hey, it’s time to go,” she whispered softly.
Hayden slowly opened his eyes, stretched, and let out a long yawn before getting up and dutifully following her out of the waiting room.
On the drive home, Hunter finally broke the heavy silence. “Why would he do this?” he asked Emily, his voice filled with bewilderment.
Emily sighed deeply. “Your father is struggling with an overwhelming sense of guilt over everything that’s happened. Being suspended from work only added to the pressure. I think it was just too much for him.”
“Dad was suspended from work,” Hunter said, surprised. “Why?” he asked.
“He was sued for sexual harassment. He had to settle out of court and pay a large settlement. Our finances are not in a good place right now.”
“He should have told us,” Hayden said, frustration evident in his voice.
“I can’t speak for him,” Emily replied gently. “But he probably didn’t want you boys to be disappointed in him.”
“It’s too late for that,” Hayden said.