A coma?
The air expels from my lungs and as I go to draw another breath I can’t. My chest constricts and my lungs burn like an inferno.
“Gracie Mae?” The woman on the phone calls my name but I can’t speak. The words I want to say die on my tongue before I can get them out.
A coma.
What does this mean for mom? Will she come out of it? Will she die because of her overdose?
But what has me more concerned than my own mother’s death is what will happen to Connor.
I won’t allow anyone to take him away from me.
No, I won’t let that fucking happen.
I hear concerned voices from the ladies surrounding me but to my ears it only comes through as static noise.
Nora’s hand on mine grows stronger and before I know it Alice is kneeling in front of me with her dress not securely on.
She pries my fingers away from the phone and hands it over to one of the ladies. Who, I don’t know because all I can focus on is that my mom is in a coma.
“Grace, breathe,” Alice instructs in a calm voice. She then takes a deep breath and releases it, wanting me to do the same. “Breathe, Grace. Look at me and breathe.” She takes another deep breath and this time I do. I inhale despite the burn that flares in my chest and exhale when she does. We do this again and again until I feel the beat of my heart return to somewhat normal.
Alice gives me an encouraging smile yet her honey brown eyes are drowning in concern. “What’s going on, Grace?” She asks me softly.
Tears burn at the back of my eyes but I refuse to let them fall.
I have to be strong for Connor.
My eyes cut over to the ladies who have come to surround me. It’s as if they are my shield, protecting me from outsiders eyes and judgment.
It's then that I see Rosa has my phone in her hand down by her side. She must've finished the call for me.
I take another deep breath as the tears threaten to fall.
How is it that people I have known for such a short time in the span of my life provide me with more care and tenderness than my own mother?
“I have to go,” I announce to them, my voice strangled with overwhelming emotion.
Alice takes my hand gently in hers and the tenderness from her touch reaches my heart. “To Hollows Point?”
I nod my head. My tongue still feels heavy in my mouth. “My mom. . .” I trail off. Alice squeezes my hand encouragingly. “She’s in a coma, Alice. I have to go.”
I see the pain in her eyes first, and then I see it mix with sorrow. “You’re not going alone.”
I shake my head. “You’re supposed to be finding your wedding dress-”
“Fuck the dress. My sister needs me. And she’s far more important than a wedding dress,” she finishes, leaving no room for argument.
“She’s right, honey,” Rosa says softly. “You’re not alone. We’re here for you. And so are our men.”
Haven nods her head in solidarity. “Which is why they will all be here very soon.”
“I don’t know what to say,” I mumble.
“You don’t have to say anything, least of all thank you,” Stella tells me.
Nora initiates body contact by wrapping her arm around me. “You’re family, Grace.”
