To Have It All(85)

It was Max.

Max was back in his body which could only mean one thing.

Liam had returned to his.

Helen and I locked gazes, as what had happened dawned on us. “This is Max,” I told her, barely able to form the words as the shock seemed to smother me.

We both looked at the bed where Kym had just placed an oxygen mask over Liam’s mouth and nose. Even after they removed the ventilator, they still gave him oxygen through the mask until his heart stopped beating. Liam was officially off life support. My chest heaved up and down as the reality sunk in. They’d switched, and Liam was dying. It was the worst case scenario, and it was happening. My emotions were quickly halted when Max began to convulse, his eyes rolling back in his head as he foamed at the mouth.

“He’s having a seizure,” Dr. Malcolm grunted as he rolled Max to his side to keep him from choking. “Kym, get some help.”

It felt as if I’d been hit. Everything was happening so fast, and I didn’t know how to process it. “Has he taken anything?” The doctor asked as others rushed in to assist. Helen and I were stunned, both of us struggling to comprehend what was happening. Liam hadn’t taken anything that morning, I knew it. Then Helen’s eyes widened as her jaw went slack as if something had just occurred to her.

“The pills,” she said more to me than to anyone.

I stared at her blankly. “The note and the pills,” she tried again to help me understand.

“He took pills?” the doctor asked.

“I think he tried to kill himself,” Helen clarified and then it dawned on me, my mouth falling open. Liam had been right. Max had tried to end his life, and when he did, they switched. Now, Max was waking up in his body again right where he’d left off.

He was overdosing.

Now, they were both dying.





After they whisked Max’s body out of the room, Helen and I stood frozen as we stared at Liam. If we watched closely, we could see his chest rise ever so slightly as he took shallow breaths. He was still breathing, barely.

Helen moved to the left side of the bed, and I moved to the right. It had only been a few moments before that he was still here, beside us in Max’s body.

They’d said it could take up to an hour for him to stop breathing, for him to pass. Taking his hand in mine, I told him, “We’re here, Liam. We’re right here with you.”

Helen took his other hand in hers. “We’re with you, Liam,” she echoed my words.

Seconds seeped into minutes, and before long it had been twenty minutes. A few times he’d stopped breathing, and we’d stopped breathing as we waited to see if he’d draw another breath. When he did, we’d exhale with relief. He was still alive. We still had him.

After thirty minutes, Kym came in and updated us on Max. “They’ve pumped his stomach, but his blood-alcohol level is through the roof, and he tested positive for high levels of opioids. They’re still trying to stabilize him.”

We knew Liam hadn’t had any alcohol or pills that morning because we’d been with him every second—he’d barely been able to go to the bathroom alone. “This is fucking crazy,” Helen murmured as she stared down at her brother’s face.

“Please keep us informed,” I asked Kym. She nodded once then looked to Helen.

“I believe your son is outside,” she informed her. “I asked him to let me get you first because I wasn’t sure if you wanted him to come in or not.”

“Damn it,” Helen sighed, her mouth tightening. “He wanted to come today, but I told him no,” she explained to me. “He’s as stubborn as his uncle. I’ll be right back.”

They both scurried out of the room leaving me alone with Liam. The room was so quiet when I realized he wasn’t breathing again. I took his hand and squeezed it as I pressed my mouth to the back of it. “I’m here, Liam,” I told him again. “I’m here with you.”

The door opened again, and a woman entered, a kind smile on her face as she looked from me to Liam. I narrowed my eyes as I studied her face. I recognized her. She was the woman from the pier.

“Pearl?” I questioned in disbelief. She looked cleaner than the only time I’d seen her the previous day. Her gray hair was sleek, pushed behind her ears and she was wearing a loose white linen dress, which made her look anything but homeless.

“Hello, Waverly,” she greeted, her tone comfortable as if she was someone who knew me well. I snapped my mouth shut as I widened my eyes in surprise. She knew my name. How did she know my name? At the sound of her voice, Liam took a short ragged breath as Pearl placed her hand on his shoulder, “Hello, my friend.”

I watched her closely, wondering if I should ask her to leave, but I couldn’t manage the courage to ask. Besides, I told myself Liam would have wanted her to say goodbye.

“Looks like he doesn’t have much longer,” she noted, casually, her tone lacking the appropriate amount of sympathy. She said it as if she were noting the weather; as if it were no big deal. I dug my nails into my palms to keep me from lashing out. How dare she come in here and state the obvious as if it wasn’t already hard enough. Then I remembered what Liam had told me about her. He wouldn’t want me to get upset with her because she couldn’t help it.

“No, I don’t think so,” I murmured as I choked back a sob.