I Woke Up in a Car

After Eric left, my phone rang, an unfamiliar number with a New York area code popped across the screen. Hesitantly I answered, "Hello?"

The other end of the phone sounded a rather upbeat woman, "Is this Arianna Mitchell?" The other voice said.

"Yes." I was confused, no one I knew ever called me Arianna. I looked up when a floorboard creaked, John was standing on the stairs in some pj bottoms, scratching.. well.. you can use your imagination on what he was scratching.

I turned from him and headed outside to the cool morning air, sitting by the fire pit where the coals where still hot from the fire that had burned into the wee hours of the morning from the night before. "Miss Mitchell, my name is Anna Sands and I'm calling on behalf of New York Preysbyterian Hospital." She paused, "Are you sitting down?"

I bit my lip, hard, "Um.." I stuttered, taking a seat in a chair. "Y-Yeah.." I paused, "Is this about my mother?"

The words that were coming at me from this woman's mouth were nothing short of devastating and life-altering. I don't even remember exactly what she said, I only heard a few things and my world was shattered in to a million pieces. I thought I had things bad with Eric and I, Eric was now a drop in the bucket to the waves of emotions that were washing over me as tears spilled from my eyes and I started sobbing.

I had to return home. I had no choice. I had to bury Gene and my Mother, and now I had Danielle to look after.

I had to leave John. I had to leave this lifestyle. It was not in the cards for me.

I left John's that night, I sent an e-mail to Burton and Susan explaining the situation and tossing in my resignation from my position. I decided that the work that Susan expected of me and wanted me to do, at least at this moment, was not something I could do. Thankfully she understood and told me I would be welcomed back with open arms if and when I was ready to come back to work for her and her team.

I sent an e-mail, though I knew it would go unanswered, for Eric to please mail anything I left behind at his home to my parents' address, that I would not be coming back and that it was not his fault. I refused to elaborate much more though I was sure that John would fill Eric in at some point.

I was grateful that Danielle had survived, now, I was going to be facing a new kind of struggle.

Someone else was now depending on me for everything.