‘I think so,’ I say. ‘I could smell it on him.’
He nods, clicks on a pen and puts it in his pocket.
‘He’s not showing any signs of an MDMA overdose so my suspicion is that this is all alcohol. It’s . . . not unusual for teens to experiment with it. They have a low tolerance and, if they drink large volumes in a short period, it can be very dangerous.’
The plan, he tells me, is for careful monitoring, oxygen therapy and fluids, to be given intravenously. He is also going to order a CT scan because he’s concerned about his head injury. So my son is swept away to radiology as I stand, watching, feeling more helpless than I ever have in my life.
Chapter 51
The wait is interminable, but when the doctor returns he gives me a very clear prognosis.
‘Your son is going to have a terrible hangover.’
‘What about his head?’ I ask, anxiously.
‘He’s had a nasty bump, so that will hurt, but there’s nothing on his scan that concerns me. The best course of action is for us to keep an eye on him here for a little while, then when he’s sober, you can take him home and let him have a good sleep.’
The nursing staff bring Leo back shortly afterwards. He’s conscious if not coherent – though part of me does wonder if he’s doing that deliberately to avoid having to talk to me. They set him up on the bed, with an IV and various other pieces of equipment, before he promptly falls asleep again.
Zach puts an arm around me and kisses me on the head.
‘Thank you. You know . . . for being here,’ I say.
‘Any time,’ he smiles. ‘Did you phone your mom?’
‘Yes, she’s on her way. You should go, Zach. It’s nearly 4am. There’s only meant to be two people at a bedside,’ I add, for good measure.
He nods. Stands up. ‘Well . . . that wasalmosta perfect evening.’
I give a little laugh. ‘Almost.’
‘Take it easy, Darling,’ he says, planting the softest kiss on my lips.
‘And you, Russo.’
It’s only a matter of minutes after Zach has left that the curtain swishes and my mother appears, like a magician’s assistant.
She looks at Leo, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. I’m not sure if it’s the sliver of drool out of the side of his mouth, but I am suddenly all out of ideas about how to put a positive spin on things.
‘You’d better sit down, Mum,’ I say.
She lowers herself onto the chair next to me.
I take a deep breath. And I tell her everything. Not just about what happened tonight. But about the run-up to this. The lying, the vaping, the non-stop clashes and his almost wilful resistance to his schoolwork.
She listens silently as I go on and on. When I’ve finally finished, she sits back in her chair as if she’s been winded.
‘I didn’t realise things were that bad. Why didn’t you tell me, Lisa?’
‘Because I was ashamed.’
‘Of what?’ she says, shocked.
‘Oh, I don’t know. Because you and dad were such great parents and I seem to be making an almighty cock-up of the job. If I’d pulled a stunt like this when I was a teenager, you’d have killed me. Quite honestly, Mum,’ I say, feeling my lip begin to tremble, ‘it’s hard not to feel like a bit of a failure sometimes.’
The expression on her face darkens. ‘Donotdo that, Lisa.’
‘Do what?’
