A Song for Us

Chapter Thirty-Four

SARAH

I COULDN’T GET THE taste of charcoal out of my mouth and I begged the nurse to bring me something to drink after I had purged the final contents of my stomach. They seemed to not hear me or pay me any attention as they checked my vital signs and made notes on their little pads of paper. I wanted to lash out and scream at them but I was terrified.

“I want to go home.”

“Can you tell me where home is?” a balding man with wire-rim glasses asked as he pulled a pen from his pocket.

I shut my eyes tight and tried to play my song in my head, but his voice interrupted my thoughts.

“Can you tell me your name?”

“Sarah Winsor, and I don’t have a home.” E was my home and I had lost him.

“Why is that, Ms. Winsor?”

“I’m in a band. We travel.”

“You don’t have a family home? Parents?”

“No. I don’t have anyone.” I tried not to let that affect me, but the floodgates had already been opened and I wasn’t strong enough to close them again.

“You would like to tell me where you got the pain pills and why you took them?”

I didn’t know what to say, where to start.

“What about the cuts?”

“I had a headache and some guy on the street gave me the pills.”

He scribbled down a few notes and adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose as he waited for me to continue, but I didn’t say anything else.

“I would like to keep you here for a few days. We have some excellent people for you to talk to.”

“No! I want to go home.” I started to sit up but he put a hand on my shoulder.

“Where is home, Sarah? This is for your own good. I think you are a danger to yourself and need to be observed for a few days just to make sure you are feeling better, okay?” He smiled as if he wanted me to agree, even though I knew I had no choice in the matter.

“You can’t just do that, can you? This is America. You can’t just keep me here. Where is Eric? He can take care of me.”

“Some friends are here to see you. I think they can help fill in some of the events that transpired for you. I’ll give you some privacy.”

He turned and walked out of the room as Cass and Donna came in, tears in their eyes.

“Thank God! Get me out of this place.”

“Sarah, we can’t . . . we can’t take you out. Not yet. The doctor said . . .” Cass looked heartbroken.

“I don’t care what the doctor said, Cass. I can’t be here. What happened?”

Cass and Donna exchanged a look before Donna spoke up.

“Sweetie, we can fill you in on what happened, but the doctor doesn’t think it is a great idea to upset you further, and they won’t really tell us much about you because we aren’t your family.”

“You are the only family I have!” I broke down, unable to wear the mask I’d hidden behind for years. “Where is Eric?”

“Eric is in jail.”

“Oh my God! They think he did this? Tell them he didn’t do this! I did this! This is all my fault.”

“They know.” Cass put her hand on my shoulder and rubbed it gently. “He is in there for beating the hell out of Derek.”

I sagged back against the bed as I let that sink in. “What will I do here all by myself?”

Another look passed between them before Donna cleared her throat.

“They contacted your family. Someone is coming.”

“No.” I shook my head. “You can’t let them come.”

“It’s done, sweetie.” Cass shook her head as a tear fell. I had never told her the truth of my past, but I could see in her eyes that she understood. I nodded, swallowing back the nasty charcoal they had given me to induce vomiting.

The doctor returned, tucking his pen in the breast pocket of his white coat. “I think we should let her get some rest for a while.” He smiled at Donna and Cass and they nodded, giving me an apologetic smile before hurrying out of the curtained room.