Saugatuck Summer (Saugatuck, #1)(87)

“Do you have any questions?”

I stared at my mother on the bed. The pale blonde hair that had left me with my Justin Timberlake ’fro had dulled, so now she colored it a much brassier shade that never managed to look natural. She had been twenty-one when I was born, but now, at forty-two, she looked closer to sixty. Nearly three decades of heavy drinking and smoking—and I meant that literally; she first began running away from home and partying at the age of thirteen—had ruined her skin and left her face bloated.

“Was anyone else injured in the accident?” I directed this more at Colleen, who shook her head.

“No, she hit a light pole, not another car. She doesn’t have enough control over her right side to manage the accelerator and brake pedal, and it looks like she sped up going into a turn instead of slowing down.”

I nodded and looked back at Mom, then to the doctor. Somehow I’d ended up taking position against the wall, my arms crossed protectively across my chest.

“She’s got a history of substance abuse and addiction. What’s the plan to keep her from becoming dependent on the pain meds? I mean, I assume you’re loading her up with narcotics for the time being?”

Apparently no one had considered mentioning alcoholism as part of Mom’s medical history when she was admitted, because the doctor was surprised by this.

“It’s good that we know that. We’ll try to wean her off the opiates as soon as possible, keep an eye on how much she’s receiving, keep the doses to the minimum necessary for adequate pain management. However, that’s going to be a bit of a challenge right now because with broken ribs, pain management is absolutely crucial. If it hurts too much, she might not breathe as deeply as she needs to in order to keep the lungs clear, which can lead to pneumonia. But we’ll look for any warning signs that her reliance on the medication is increasing rather than decreasing, watch for drug-seeking behaviors, and so forth,” he assured me.

“Okay. What was her blood alcohol level?”

“Topher!” Colleen glared at me, and Tonya rolled her eyes.

“She could have killed someone, Colleen!” I shot back, matching her glare for glare.

“I’m the one who’s been running her errands, and I haven’t bought her any alcohol.”

“Right. And how do you know this is the first time she’s tried to run an errand on her own? Maybe she’s been getting her own beer.”

“She doesn’t drink anymore!”

“She’s gone through periods of sobriety before and then relapsed.”

Usually I was aware of when it happened because Mom always went for the phone when she’d been drinking, and she was an argumentative drunk. The last time, she’d called me while I was between classes my junior year in high school, and gone on one of her self-pity riffs. When I’d tried to tell her I had to get to class, she’d called me a little * and hung up on me. I’d been so shaken up that I’d gone home sick for the rest of the day.

I’d subsequently sent her a letter informing her that if she ever called me while drunk again, I would stop speaking to her entirely. Colleen and my aunt had been furious with me for it.

“Can you excuse us, Doctor?” Colleen asked, giving him her patented aren’t-I-sweet-and-cute cheerleader smile. He nodded politely and left without ever answering my question, and Colleen whirled on me when he was gone. “If you’re going to come in here and start making this all about your drama, you can leave.”

“Oh, don’t even tempt me!”

Tonya huffed and pushed herself away from the wall. “Whatever. You two duke this out on your own time. I’ve got to drive two hours to get back for my shift tonight. Mom and Dad will be here after they’re out of work this evening.”

Oh, yes, Tonya had been living with our aunt and uncle so long she considered them “Mom” and “Dad,” which was why she could manage to treat issues involving our mother with so much detachment. She had accomplished what I’d tried so desperately to achieve; our mother didn’t fill that space in Tonya’s heart reserved for “Mom.”

“Fine.” I murmured. “Drive safely.”

She gave me a hug, which I returned dutifully. My relationship with her wasn’t nearly as contentious as the one with Colleen, though if there was a difference of opinions, she usually landed on Colleen’s side of the fence. I was the black sheep in more ways than one. I didn’t have the simpatico with either of them that they had with each other.

When Tonya was gone, I looked back at Colleen, who rubbed her forehead wearily.

“So, where’s Grandma?” I asked.

“On a cruise to Alaska with her seniors’ group. She won’t be back for two weeks.”

“Yeah, well, that’s probably for the best, I suppose. Otherwise she’ll freak out over money and we’ll have to explain to her all over again that she won’t be left on the hook for the medical bills if Mom dies, just like we had to last time.”

Colleen nodded. “Yeah. Come on. Let’s go down to the cafeteria, get some lunch and figure out what we’re going to do.”

On the way down the elevator, Jace called.

“Hey.”

“Hey. Good morning. Sorry I didn’t call until now. I was in conference with a new client and didn’t get your messages. How’s your mom?”