Page 125 of The Sun Sister

‘I’m happy to do it if you need me.’

‘Thanks, I appreciate that, but I’m sure I’ll be fine.’

‘Okay, I’ll check everything out and give you a call back between seven and eight when you have your cell phone.’

‘Oh, don’t worry about that. I’m going back to The Ranch to see my therapist now and I’m sure she’ll let me have my cell for the day. Bye, Mariam.’

As I walked back to Vanessa’s room, I wondered whether Mariam’s eagerness to accompany me home was because she cared, or because she was worried I might have drunk the on-board bar dry by the time I landed in New York.

Iwondered whether I would too, but I had to face temptation alone some time.

Vanessa was sitting up in bed, picking at her breakfast of juice and a pastry. I was happy to see that the line was out of her arm and only the blood pressure monitor remained on her finger. She didn’t look as perky as she had earlier, so maybe grim reality was starting to set back in.

‘Hi,’ I said. ‘How are you?’

‘’Kay, thanks.’

‘She’s worried about the psych team coming to evaluate her,’ commented Miles from the other side of the bed.

‘Yeah, I ain’t going to no nuthouse. I might be a junkie, but I ain’t loco.’ Vanessa shuddered. ‘You won’t let them lock me away somewhere like that, will you, ’Lectra?’

‘Everyone is only trying to help you, Vanessa,’ I said, ‘and you’re going to have to trust them, okay?’

‘Yeah, but they’re not gonna lock me up in an asylum or nothin’, are they?’ she repeated.

‘Listen...’ I could see that Vanessa was getting worked up. ‘I just spoke to that nice doctor who admitted you last night. We talked about trying to find you a facility nearer Manhattan that can give you the help you need. It would be like The Ranch, but without the horses,’ I joked. ‘Miles and I got scared last night and we don’t want that happening to you again.’

Vanessa stared at me hard. ‘An’ why would you care what happens to me? You, with all your dollars in the bank?’

‘Because I do. And so does Miles. And you have to trust us and the doctors who all want to help you.’

‘Why should I trust you any more than I trusted Tyler? He said he’d look after me, but he just got me hooked on the junk.’

‘Because I said I wouldn’t leave your side last night, and I didn’t. At the end of the day, you’ve got two choices: you trust us and the professionals who want to help you, or you go back to your old life.’

‘Or I end it and leave you all behind,’ Vanessa muttered.

‘Remember, you’re doing well,’ said Miles. ‘You’ve been off the hard stuff for almost two weeks now.’

‘Yeah, and it worked out so good I tried to kill myself.’ Vanessa rolled her eyes, pushed her breakfast tray away and stared at the ceiling.

I looked at Miles for guidance.

‘Me and Electra are just gonna go out and have a chat,’ he said, standing up.

‘Yeah, you guys had enough of me already, see?’

I opened my mouth to speak but Miles shook his head and I followed him out of the door.

‘Shit! She’s so negative!’

‘The doc says she’s got post-withdrawal depression and she needs a shrink to prescribe her some meds that will help.’

‘But the doc also said that Vanessaisoff the junk now and just needs the right help and support to keep her off. So that’s got to be positive.’

‘Yeah. Look, I’m sorry I lost it earlier, Electra. I know you only want to help her.’

‘Yeah, I do, but I understand she needs more than I can give her.’ I felt so tired, physically and mentally, that I was swaying where I stood.