Thinking of him with another woman slowly kills me—but that’s the reality…and sooner or later I have to face that. It’s inevitable that I will see him with his girlfriends. I just hope that he’s okay and hopefully, someday he and I can be friends again.
It was almost ten before we decided to leave the pub and by then we were starving. We totally forgot about dinner and got carried away talking. They never brought up the subject of Blake, thank goodness!
“Where do you guys want to go eat? I’m starving so decide pronto!” Chad demanded. “Oooh China Town, please? Crispy Duck?” My famished tummy growled.
“Genius, let’s go biatches!” Chad said as he hailed a black cab.
I haven’t had a meal all day. I nibbled on a granola bar, had two grande cappuccinos and two glasses of red wine. I am ravenous.
There’s this restaurant in China Town that’s open until four in the morning and they have the best crispy duck ever. I mean—seriously—it’s divine. They fry the duck to a crisp and the pull the meat into shreds on the table with two forks, you then eat it with Chinese style pancakes and a drizzle of plum sauce. It’s glorious! I’ve tried several Chinese restaurants in LA that offered something similar, but it’s not even close. We all love this place…even Blake. We used to come here often after late night partying.
When we got inside the restaurant, Lucy excused herself to call Toby. Apparently they’ve been playing phone tag all night. When Chad and I were both seated, I took the opportunity to ask him.
“Chad—whatever it is—you can tell me—something’s bothering you—I’m here for you,” I said as I studied his face. Something flashed in this eyes, was it pain?
“I’ll tell you later okay?—I’m not ready to talk yet—but thank you. I know you’re there for me, Sienna. That’s why I love you,” he smiled lamely at me. How I wish I knew what it was—so I can help put a genuine smile on his face again. His usual vibrant self is gone—the luster dimmed. What the hell happened? Why won’t he tell me?
“I’m not going to put my phone on silent at night anymore—you can call me anytime, whenever you are ready to talk.” He nodded and when he saw Lucy striding towards us, he pasted a lame smile.
So, I guess we both had a mask on—pretending we’re okay.
After dinner, Chad took off to party with his friends while Luce and I headed home. China Town is close to our flat in Covent Garden so it didn’t take us long to get back to our place.
Tomorrow’s Friday, so no classes for me. I can’t wait to sleep in late and just be a bum all day eating tubs of ice cream. I showered and went to bed. The past three weeks of getting two or three hours of sleep and short naps took a toll in my body. I’m exhausted and slept without a hitch.
I was woken up by my phone shrilling next to me. I placed it next to my beside table just in case Chad took my offer and it seems that he did. But when I reached for my phone, the number flashing on the screen was unfamiliar.
“Hello?” my sleepy voice croaked.
Goodness, I’m parched. I need water.
“Is this Miss Sienna Richards?” the stern voice of the man on the other end asked. I don’t know why, but there was something with the way he spoke that made my heart beat wildly. “Yes, speaking. What is it?” I inquired.
“I’m calling because you are the listed person on the emergency contact. There’s been an incident with Chad Wilson. We suggest that you come to the hospital to discuss the situation.”
Chad, my poor Chad. What happened? I started to shake as I responded to the other person on the line and informed him that I would be there as soon as possible. I called a cab company and rushed over to Lucy’s bedroom and woke her up. She almost jumped out of her skin when I told her. We both quickly changed and I harried myself in sweats and Uggs.
The entire cab journey was silent as we held hands. I could hear Lucy silently weeping. I haven’t any clue what the incident was. They wouldn’t disclose any information until I got there.
When we got to the emergency reception, the nurse directed us to the room and told us what happened. “He was brought in couple hours ago. He consumed great amount of alcohol. That alone was dangerous, but what put everything off kilter was his use of cocaine. He overdosed and slipped into a coma.” I stared at her while Lucy bawled next to me.
“Coma? Drugs? Chad doesn’t do drugs. There must’ve been a mistake. Chad wouldn’t do that…” my voice trailed off as the nurse smile sadly at me.
“That’s always the case love. Here’s the room. Do you know how to reach his family? It’s best you should contact them as well.” I nodded not knowing what else to say. I have to go through Chad’s phone for his parent’s phone number. The nurse went on, “I just checked on him so you both can go in and wait for the doctor. He’ll explain everything.” I nodded half hearing her speak as I gently pushed the ominous white door open.
The shock of seeing Chad lying there on the hospital bed hit me with sadness and guilt. I rushed to his side crying.
“Why didn’t you tell me? Why the hell didn’t you!” my sad angry voice shook as I hugged his body and cried.
This is all entirely my fault. I let him leave knowing something was off. I could’ve stopped this from happening but I didn’t. Now he’s in the hospital…in a coma. His dark skin looked ashen, his lips pale. Aside from the beeping noise of the heart monitor and the ventilator, he looked completely lifeless. Chad, had I known you were in so much pain, I wouldn’t have left your side tonight. He was in so much pain he overdosed on booze and drugs, I thought sadly to myself. Lucy was crying openly on the chair.
We were both distraught when the doctor came in the room.
“Miss Richards?” The salt and pepper haired doctor asked. I nodded to him because my voice has completely left me, my body completely in shock. He introduced himself as Dr. Hill. He was kind and understanding as he explained the situation. The amount of alcohol and drugs Chad consumed was unbelievable. I felt as if the doctor slapped me when he asked if Chad had given any indication he was suicidal. What was he blabbering about? Chad would never commit suicide. But why would he? The doctor kept insisting that it was suicide. His coma could be indefinite or it could be permanent. The next few days were going to be critical for his recovery. He said there was not much that we can do until they see progress. He bid his farewell shortly after.