“Dad.” I walked over to where I knew he was sleeping and slammed my hand on the desk. “Dad!”
Like I predicted, he jerked awake with a startle, looking around with wide eyes.
Jesus Christ.
When was the last time the man shaved?
He was beginning to resemble Al Pacino inSerpico.
When I finally had his attention, I locked my eyes on his and said, “I need your help.”
“Where’s your mother?”
“Unavailable,” I bit out, trying to keep the head. “Which is why I needyourhelp.”
Eyes that looked exactly like mine stared back at me. But there was no fire in my father’s eyes anymore. It had been snuffed out four years ago. “What do you need, son?”
“I need you to drive me to Lizzie’s house,” I said in as even a tone as I could muster. “It’s really important.”
His brows furrowed in confusion. “Lizzie?”
“Yeah, Dad,Lizzie,” I snapped, unable to conceal the bite in my voice. “My best friend. The girl who has stayed at our house nearly every weekend for the past four and a halfyears.”
My father looked at me with regret in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Hugh.” He shook his head, shoulders slumping in defeat. “I’m not doing too… I mean, ah…today’s not a good day for me, son.”
“No day is a good day for you anymore, Dad,” I replied, tone laced with disappointment as I turned to leave. “Don’t worry. I won’t ask for your help again.”Hell will freeze over first.
“Hugh,” he called after me, sounding broken. “Wait, son!”
I didn’t wait.
And I didn’t look back, either.
UP, UP, AND AWAY
Lizzie
MARCH 18, 1999
“IUSED TO LIVE ON ANOTHER PLANET,” IMUMBLED, TRYING AND FAILING TO MAKE EYEcontact with the stranger in front of me. “Under the water.” Mashing my lips together, I traced my lip with my tongue but couldn’t feel a thing. “She has claws.” Yep, I was really gone this time. “And the monster scratches me.” I could see four of the stranger now. “They flew me here on an airplane.”
“Is she okay?” That was my mam. She was crying. I could hear her. I knew that made me sad, but I just couldn’tfeelit. “What’s happening to her?”
“Don’t worry, that’s the Midazolam sedating her system,” I heard the lady in the white coat tell Mam. “She’ll be extremely drowsy for a day or two until it works its way out of her body.”
“What do we tell the school? How do we explain what she did today?”
“I’ll write a letter for you to take to the principal explaining this morning’s incident. Please try not to worry, Mrs. Young. Schools are highly sympathetic to children with complex medical issues, and this in no way will affect Lizzie’s opportunity to learn with her peers.”
“And what about all the school she’s been missing?”
“The Board of Education have already been informed of Lizzie’s condition and an exemption has been granted in her favor, so you won’t have any trouble regarding truancy claims.Regarding her education, all correspondence from her teacher has confirmed that despite her bipolar disorder, your daughter continues to thrive academically. I’d even go so far as to wager Lizzie is scoring in the top five percent.”
“At least that.”
“Yes, it’s not all doom and gloom.”
Slumped in the chair between my parents, it took everything inside of me to hold my head up. I could hear the doctor talking about bipolar episodes and something else called rapid cycling.
