Chapter 21
CHAPTER
TWENTY-ONE
KOA
Koa squeezed his eyes shut, graininess burning them before he opened them once again.
“I told you for go home,” Tutu scolded.
Koa wanted to smile. Tutu was regaining her health as well as her sass.
She’d been in the hospital for a week now, and she’d passed every test to go home.
The biggest issue was that she’d need round-the-clock care that Koa couldn’t personally provide.
Thankfully, between Tutu’s insurance and state funding, they would be able to have a nurse work days as well as the nights Koa was at the firehouse.
The transition was going to be rough. Working three jobs and caring for his Tutu would be a lot, but Koa would relish every minute of it, knowing what the alternative could be.
He’d come too close to losing Tutu.
But even with all of that figured out, his chest ached. His soul wasn’t as logical as his mind, and it couldn’t understand why Mia was gone.
The nurse would need a room. But he couldn’t give her Mia’s room.
He needed to get a grip on reality. Mia was out of his life. For good. He knew why. He’d made this choice.
And yet…
“Boy, don’t ignore me,” Tutu said reminding Koa she’d spoken.
“I did go home,” Koa stretched the truth.
The only times he’d left the hospital were to get items he or Tutu needed or to go to work.
It was during one of those trips home that he’d seen Mia’s open bedroom door, her vacant room.
And since then he’d either slept in the hospital or at the firehouse.
He couldn’t spend the night back in his room. Not when he knew she was gone.
He’d done a quick walk-through of the house the day after Mia moved out. The home felt hollow, a lot like his chest, with all her stuff missing. No, it wasn’t her stuff that made the home feel hollow. It was her joy, her laughter, her infectious smile.
But her stuff had been gone. Along with all the pill bottles. Telling Koa all he needed to know.
How had she kept her habit hidden so well? Koa remembered the signs he’d noticed as a child of his mom using—stopping in the middle of sentences, imagined reality, and forgotten memories even if the event had just happened.
Mia had none of that. Or had Koa seen signs and ignored them, unwilling to see what was right in front of him until those orange bottles told the truth?
“Aloha, Lydia,” a pleasant voice interrupted Koa’s thoughts as a nurse entered Tutu’s room. “I’ll be looking out for you today. I hear we’re going to be discharged.” She stopped by Tutu’s chart before coming to stand next to the bed.
The cute hapa—part-Hawaiian—girl who couldn’t have come up higher than Koa’s chest looked up from the chart to smile at Tutu, before narrowing her eyes at Koa.
“I’m Natalie,” the nurse introduced, and Koa’s stomach sank.
The name confirmed what the stink eye had alluded to. This was Mia’s best friend. Of all the nurses in the hospital…
“Nice to meet you, Natalie. This is my grandson, Koa.”
Natalie’s smile was bright for Tutu but dimmed by one hundred percent when she turned to Koa.
“So Lydia, let’s get those vitals checked again. I know you’re sick of it, but doctor’s orders,” Natalie said, now completely ignoring Koa.
Koa willed Natalie not to say anything about Mia.
Tutu had asked on an hourly basis where Mia was until Koa had lied and told her she’d had a family emergency and couldn’t be at the hospital.
He felt horrible for lying to Tutu but had no idea what else to tell her.
Knowing Mia was using and worse that she’d brought those drugs into their home would have broken Tutu’s heart.
It was the kind of stress she definitely didn’t need as she was trying to recover.
He’d tell her the truth eventually. In fact, it would have to be sooner rather than later considering when they got home Mia wouldn’t be there. But he wanted to put it off as long as possible.
Though how Koa was going to be able to talk about Mia again when even just thinking her name tore at his soul, he didn’t know.
Tutu had asked for daily updates on Mia’s family and Koa had lied with the best of them.
Her little cousin was recovering but Mia had gone back to the mainland to help her aunt care for him.
Koa didn’t even know if Mia had a little cousin, so Koa felt a little bit better about the imaginary car accident he’d put the kid through.
Natalie was the consummate professional with Tutu, gentle yet efficient. However when she happened to glance Koa’s way, daggers flew across the room.
Where did she get off being so upset with him? It was her best friend who was an addict. Unless Natalie didn’t know?
That actually made more sense since Natalie was a nurse. Koa doubted she would have any tolerance for prescription drug abuse. Wait, was Mia stealing prescriptions from Natalie’s patients? Should Koa warn Natalie?
Though judging by her frosty demeanor, she wouldn’t welcome any information from Koa.
How was Mia keeping her habit a secret from everyone? Unless that was why she’d gotten divorced? Maybe her ex had found out about her addictions?
Koa didn’t want to discount what Mia had told him about the end of her marriage, but now he found himself rethinking everything. Addicts were beautiful storytellers. Their lies were their reality, so they were easy to tell.
The more Koa thought about it, the more he knew he had to say something to Natalie. Mostly for Mia’s sake. She needed help. And though Koa couldn’t help her, he could reach out to someone who could.
Maybe if Mia wanted to change, got into a recovery program, somewhere down the line…
No, he and Mia were done.
His hands and heart went cold.
Natalie spoke softly to Tutu, and his grandmother laughed.
Oh, that sound. How many times had Koa wondered on that long night if he’d ever hear it again? The night which Mia had made bearable….
“Well, it was lovely to meet you Lydia. I’ll be back around in about an hour to help you get all checked out. But if you need anything in the meantime, don’t hesitate to press the call button,” Natalie said before walking out the door.
“I just…” Koa put a finger up toward Tutu before racing out the door behind Natalie.
He didn’t have to go far, Natalie had stopped just outside Tutu’s door. Koa slid to a stop before running into her.
“Yes,” Natalie said impatiently when Koa didn’t speak immediately.
“I take it you know who I am.”
“The man who broke my best friend’s heart…yeah.” She crossed her arms and leveled him with a glare that should have scared him.
But Koa was on a mission. It was the last thing he could do for Mia.
“I didn’t want to break up with her…”
“But your mommy said whatever she said, and you had to do what mommy said,” Natalie said mockingly.
“What?” Koa shook his head. Of course, Mia had lied about why they’d broken up. “No, it was the bottles.”
Natalie reared back. “Bottles?”
“Of prescriptions. I’m not sure how Mia got them. I’m hoping they aren’t from your patients, but she had lots of them. All under different names.” Koa let out a breath, this was harder than he’d imagined.
“Mia. Abusing drugs?” Natalie’s eyebrows about ran into her hairline.
“I saw them. In her bathroom. I wasn’t snooping, but I went home to get some of Tutu’s things, and they were on Mia’s counter.
Well, a couple of them were. The rest were hidden away in a cabinet.
I did snoop to look for those after seeing the bottles on the counter.
” Koa confessed. But he shouldn’t feel guilty.
He hadn’t done anything wrong. Mia was the one in the wrong.
“I don’t believe it.” Natalie shook her head.
She could easily have said, I don’t believe you. She meant the same thing.
“Mia won’t even take more ibuprofen than the bottle says is prudent for daily consumption. Even on her worse period days, the woman will only take six pills total. There’s no way.”
Yet Koa knew what he saw.
“You don’t have to believe me. I just wanted you to know. I wanted someone who cares about her to know. I’m sure you know the signs to look for.” He waved a hand over her scrubs.
“I do. And Mia’s exhibiting none of them.”
“Just take care of her. Please,” Koa said, tears pricking his eyes. He spun on his heel and went back into Tutu’s room before Natalie could see them.
He paused just inside the door, waiting for Natalie’s footsteps to take her away. There, he’d done it. Now he could move on without feeling guilty for walking away from Mia.
“Boy, I knew you been lying to me, and what I heard you saying to that nurse confirms it,” Tutu said, startling Koa.
“I haven’t been lying…”
“Koa, boy. If you keep lying to your Tutu…”
Koa lowered his eyes. Tutu was right. The lies needed to stop.
Of course, Tutu had overheard his conversation with Natalie.
Her hearing had always been incredible. There were countless times Koa and his brothers had thought they’d gotten away with something only for Tutu’s ears to catch on to their naughtiness.
Koa walked over to the chair beside Tutu’s bed.
“Mia’s not on the mainland.”
“I know. I also know that you accused our Mia of some really bad things, so you better tell me why. Right now.”
Koa nodded, the pain swelling once more.
“I went home to get your stuff, and I couldn’t find a toothbrush. I remembered we used to keep some extras in Mia’s bathroom closet. When I went in there, she had pill bottles on her bathroom counter.”
“Just out there on da counter? So anyone could see ‘em?” Tutu asked.
Koa blinked. Yeah. They had been. “It’s her bathroom. I’m sure she thought they were safe.”
Tutu frowned. “Did your mother leave anything out in the open? Ever?”
Koa blinked again. No. But that was different. She’d been hiding her addiction from people she lived with.
Mia also lived with people. If she was trying to hide an addiction, wouldn’t she have done a better job….
Doubt began to creep in.