Chapter 20
EILEEN
The call comes in at a quarter to ten. Jason and I are in the middle of finishing the seating chart for the reception when my phone rings. Well, I’m arranging it while he’s playing Game of Thrones with the red and blue flags. It’s an epic battle, and if we’re lucky, we’ll have a red wedding.
This man is a closeted geek.
Lucky me, I have to deal with the wedding from hell and his nonsense.
When I check the caller ID, my smile flattens. It’s my dad, who never calls for anything. My blood runs cold as I pick up the phone.
“Hey—”
“Your sister’s been hospitalized,” he says.
I don’t remember the rest of what he says. Just this vague idea that I repeat what he says to Jason, who takes the phone from me.
“Yes, sir,” Jason says. “Littleton Adventist, I got it.”
“We have to go,” he tells me, moving the hair away from my face. “She’s going to be okay.”
I’m not sure how I get out of the house. I even wear shoes, who knows how I put them on—or when. There’s a lot of white noise. I’m sure Jason speaks to me, but I can’t think straight. My stomach is turning upside down.
Your sister is in the hospital is all I hear inside my head. It’s just like the time she was in a bus accident back in sixth grade. Nobody could tell us where she was and if she was okay. I remember my mother’s screams and my father crying.
“Everything will be fine,” Jason whispers, squeezing my hand as we get into his car.
The street lamps flicker as we pass them in his car. It’s a dream, I try to rationalize to myself. Charlie is irresponsible but not reckless. Nothing could have happened to her.
Unless some freak accident happened.
The music playing in Jason’s car is low enough that I can ignore it but loud enough that I don’t have to exist in silence. I think some Tears for Fears plays at one point. How appropriate.
I shudder when he nudges me.
“I got you,” he says quietly, opening the car door. “Just take my hand, okay?”
I trail behind him through the hospital. It’s a blur of bright fluorescent lights and the disgustingly strong scent of antiseptic. He squeezes my hand every so often. Somehow, that reminds me to breathe.
In hindsight, I think he told me to do that—breathe whenever he squeezed.
We find her at some point, curled up in a hospital bed. She has an IV in her. She looks so gaunt with those bags under her eyes. I can’t tell if they’re from crying or lack of sleep. Maybe both.
My dad says some things. The doctor says some other things.
My mom glares at me. I must be crying or something. I don’t know. She looks upset at me. But what did I even do? Fucking nothing.
Jason squeezes my hand. “It’s fine, just breathe,” he repeats in a low voice that only I can hear.
“We just need to keep her for observation,” the doctor continues. “but we’re strongly suggesting she stay on bedrest for the next few days.”
“So she’s okay? For the most part at least?” Jason asks. “And the baby?”
“Just your standard dehydration,” the doctor explains. “But as I pointed out she is a bit anemic which likely complicated things. The baby is fine, but she has to change her diet. We’ll have to keep an eye on that.”
My shoulders relax, and I finally let myself breathe deeply.
“How are you feeling, sweetheart?” Mom asks Charlie.
Charlie shrugs listlessly. “My wedding’s ruined.”
What? What is she even saying? Is that really what she’s worried about right now?
“She’s fucking kidding, right?” Jason mutters. “Un-fucking-believable.”
Maybe she is doing that Charlie-thing where she projects what she’s really scared of onto something more trivial.
I’ve never seen her look so sick and miserable before. This is terrible.
My mom glares at me again. Oh, maybe she was waiting for me to fix this.
I go to Charlie’s bedside. She’s always been taller than me. But right now, it feels like I’m towering over her. It makes my skin crawl.
My hand rubs her arm gently.
“Don’t worry, this wedding is going to go off without a hitch,” I say reassuringly.
“Eileen, it’s hopeless,” she whispers. “I can’t put together a wedding in this condition.”
I ignore the impulse to remind her—newsflash, you’re not planning this wedding anyway. Jason sighs behind me. I know he’s thinking the same thing.
But this isn’t the time for a reality check. This is my sister and she needs me.
Instead, I hug her carefully. “We’ll take care of everything, okay? I promise this’ll be the wedding of your dreams. Just relax.”
She hugs me back tightly, sobbing into my shoulder. It reminds me of when we were kids and I could rely on her. When all I had in the world was a sister who would kill for me, and that was plenty.
This is a no brainer. I’ll do anything to make my sister happy.
“Let’s take you home,” Jason says around two in the morning.
I look up at him and smile. “You’re still here.”
He hands me a Styrofoam cup. “Who else would be handing you an endless supply of caffeine?”
I take a sip of the cup and glare at him. “This is tea.”
“It’s late,” he informs me. “I’m cutting you off and driving you home.”
“Mom and Dad left her.”
“Marek is with her,” he reminds me while he’s looking toward Charlie’s hospital room. “Only one person can stay. Let’s go home.”
“Do you think she’s going to be okay?”
He gives me a patient look before sighing. “As long as she follows the doctor’s instructions. Who diets while pregnant? Your sister has a lot to learn and too little time before she has to become a responsible mother.”
I nod. The doctor gave her a lecture once she told him what she’s been eating—or not eating—so her dress would fit.
“Let me take care of you for a change,” he offers and extends his hand. “For once, let someone else worry about the weight of the world. Take a leap of faith and begin by believing that you can change the way you live your life.”
But then what’s there when my family can’t depend on me?