Killian had been away in California for two long
years, but now he was back in his hometown of
Nevada. His best friend Bree was about to start
her freshman year of college, and he had
promised to pick her up from her parents' house.
Killian was...
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Without knowing how long they had waited outside the emergency room; a doctor finally walks towards them with an expression that causes Bree to cry out a loud "No—" and is about to fall to her knees when Tristan catches her. She cries and screams heartbreakingly in Tristan's arms, causing others around them to look in their direction. He pulls her head to his chest while he tries to hold up her tiny body from falling.
The doctor begins and explains to Tristan and Hazel that Killian was pronounced dead at 10:39 p.m. but that his heart miraculously started beating again after 30 seconds and he was now stable.
This good news caused Bree to start crying in relief instead and was now eager to see him, but she would have to wait until they had moved Killian to a room of his own.
He could probably feel muscle pain, crampy stomach, mood swings, or crying and even vomit when he woke up again, the doctor continued to explain, that he had been really lucky that God still had a plan for his life. Usually, it ends in a coma or fatal outcome, the doctor further explained, and Killian will need to go to group therapy and a detox program they offered at the hospital to keep himself clean.
Bree tried to take it all in, but all she had on her mind was to see Killian get rid of the terrible sight of him lifeless in bed and assure herself that he was alive. She had never been so afraid in her entire life of losing him and of having on her conscience that the last thing she told him may have been what pushed him over the edge.
"I should have seen earlier that something was wrong with him," Bree said as she calmed down, running her hands over her red swollen face as she sniffled.
"You can't blame yourself; Killian is a grown man who makes his own decisions," Tristan said, sitting down on the metal chair that stood against the wall. "Although this wasn't one of his smartest ones. I was the one who introduced him to Gina... If it's anyone's fault, it's mine."
Bree turned to Hazel who hadn't said a word since they arrived at the hospital.
"Sorry, I should have asked you this earlier but what is your connection to Killian? Are you his neighbor's girlfriend?"
Hazel tucked her hair behind her ears and floated her gaze between Bree and Tristan.
"Um, I'm the neighbor, I moved in a few weeks ago," she said in a trembling voice. "I've been spending a lot of time with him, as he's been quite lonely lately."
"Oh... I see," Bree said, scrutinizing Hazel's beautiful but tired face. "Did you never suspect he was taking drugs?"
Hazel fell silent, thinking back to all the times she had seen Killian drunk and now she began to see the signs which she hadn't done before. He wasn't drunk, he drank some beer to hide that it was drugs he was high on and not intoxicated by the beer.
"There was a morning he..."
"You slept next to him?" asks Bree, not letting Hazel finish the sentence.
