Auditory Hallucinations
Delusions
Anti-psychotics
Manageable with meds
No cure
No cure
No cure
He was sending us home with a few prescriptions for medications to start.
Ivy took my hand as we walked through the hospital’s revolving doors that symbolized our new normal, in and out of hospitals until I would eventually reach my breaking point.
CHAPTER 22
I took a cab from the hospital to my sister Allison’s house in Brookline. Ivy had stayed sleeping, so I decided to get some sleep myself. I’d go back to the hospital in the morning.
I had placed a quick call to Nina around midnight, letting her know everything was okay here and to reassure her about us, but I could tell by the tone of her voice, she was scared. Who could blame her? She needed to know what the fuck was going on with me, but I wasn’t about to tell her everything about Ivy over the phone.
Allison and Cedric had a big Victorian-style house with plenty of space, so I always crashed in their guest room on weekends. They weren’t expecting me on a weeknight, though. I knew my nieces would be asleep and hoped someone would be up to let me in.
Crickets chirped as I waited out front wondering if I should text one of their cell phones because I didn’t want to ring the doorbell and wake the girls.
Then, I remembered that my sister left a spare key under a rock in the side yard, so I grabbed it and let myself in.
My eyes nearly bled as I entered the living room to the sight of Cedric’s bare ass…while he was mounting my sister on the couch.
I covered my face. “Aw, man, what the—”
“Jake?” I heard my sister’s voice but refused to open my eyes.
“What the fuck are you doing here on a weekday in the middle of the night?” Cedric growled.
“Haven’t you guys heard of a bedroom?” I said with my eyes still shut.
Cedric chimed in. “Haven’t you heard of a fucking knock?”
When I opened my eyes and got a look at my sister, I couldn’t help but laugh. She was wearing red thigh high boots and was dressed as…oh, Christ. “Seriously? What the hell are you wearing? Are you supposed to be fucking Wonder Woman?”
Allison blushed and covered her face. “Shut up. He likes it. Sometimes I wear it.”
“Gross. That’s my sister, dude. You are one sick fuck.” I glared at Cedric.
He sneered as he finished putting on his sweatpants. “That’ll teach you to barge into our house in the middle of the night.”
“Yeah, I’m gonna fucking need therapy,” I said, causing Allison to laugh.
Then, her tone turned serious. “Jake…what happened? Why are you here? Is everything okay?”
I let out a deep breath. “I flew home this afternoon. It’s Ivy. She’s okay, but she’s in the hospital again. They found her naked on the roof of the group home. She claims she was trying to get air. They thought she was trying to jump. Who knows what really happened. It’s a fucking mess. The doctor wants me to try this medication that might have some serious side effects. She’s fine, for now, though…stable. She’ll be in the hospital for a few days, same as always when this happens. I’m wiped.”
It was sad that neither of them seemed shocked. But the truth was, you became immune to it after years of the same pattern with Ivy.
I was about to go up the stairs to the guest room when my sister came up from behind me and pulled me into a hug. “I’m so sorry you have to deal with this. You’re a friggin’ saint, you know that? I love you.”
“I love you, too. Good night.”
“Good night, Jake,” Cedric said as I was halfway up the stairs.
When I entered the dark room, I pulled off my shoes, undressed and collapsed onto the bed. As tired as I was, I couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning, worried about the medication decision I had to make. So, I decided to take a shower in the guest bathroom.
It was the first time since the plane ride that I allowed my mind to escape back into thoughts of Nina. I would have given anything to have her there with me under the water. With my eyes closed, I ached to be inside of her again. It had been only twenty-four hours, but it felt like an eternity ago.
Sex with her had been incredible, better than I had imagined it…the best I ever had. She was so eager, so wet, and it turned me on to no end, knowing I was the first guy to ever make her come like that. We did it as many times and in different ways as we could until the strip of condoms was gone. Then, we got creative and used our mouths and didn’t stop for hours. It was the most sex I had ever had in one sitting in my entire life, and it still wasn’t enough. I guess that’s what months of mind numbing sexual frustration will do to you.