You Are the Only Exception

I woke up on a random person’s couch with all my clothes on, Andy behind me, and a head ache. Andy quickly woke up and jumped out of the spot.

“Did we uh, do anything last night?” Andy asked cautiously.
“Not that I can remember.” I said shaking my head. “All my clothes are on, and so are yours. I do remember making out though.”

Andy was about to say something but someone from my school came running down the stairs saying that everyone needed to leave before their parents came home. Andy and I left the house laughing, the awkward moment quickly forgotten. We ran all the way back to my house.

Once we got there I opened the door and collapsed on the couch, panting. Man, I needed to run more. Maybe I could start doing that; it would help with my weight as well. Andy came over to the couch and sat with me.

“Hey, my mom wants me home for a little bit.” Andy said.
“Okay.” I said looking at him. “You have been kind of spending a lot of time here.”
“I want you to come with me. You know, get out of the house for once, that isn’t school.” I laughed. “So, will you come with me? I can call my mom and she can come get us.”
“Okay. Let me go tell my mom.”

I got up off the couch and headed up to my mom’s room. I knocked on the door and she didn’t answer. I knocked again and still no answer. Now I was starting to get worried.

“M-mom?” I asked opening the door. I saw her laying there passed out with a bottle of booze and open pills on her night stand. “Mom!” I shrieked, running over to her. Andy came running up the stairs. “Call the cops or something!”
Andy ran to a phone and dialed the number and I ran to my mom’s side trying to wake her up.

“No mom, you can’t die on me, you just fucking can’t!” I yelled. Andy came back in and pulled me out of the room.
“Paramedics are on the way, come on, we can wait downstairs.”

By then, I was sobbing. I didn’t have a dad and my mother was most likely dead. Where the hell was I going to go?
The paramedics soon arrived and they officially pronounced my mom dead. I cried even harder. They asked me questions but I couldn't even answer them. All that I kept thinking was my mom is dead, what the hell am I going to do?

One of the paramedic people came over and asked me if I wanted to go with them while they took my mom to the morgue. I was about to say no but then changed my mind. My mom would have wanted me to go.

I got up and headed for the door, Andy tagged along as well. We sat in the back of the ambulance and I couldn’t even look at the body. I took one peak and had to resist the urge to scream. But I had to look again because I noticed something, the body bag was moving.

“Wait!” I screamed. I got up from my seat and unzipped the bag. My mom wasn’t awake but she was breathing. “Hey, she’s breathing! My mom is breathing!”

The paramedics pushed me aside and began to do what they needed to her. Once we got to the hospital and not the morgue now, they put her in a room and Andy and I sat in the chairs, and soon a nurse came in.

“Are you Susan’s daughter?” The nurse asked. I just nodded my head. “Well, she has major alcohol poisoning and we had to pump the pills out of her stomach. She swallowed almost a full bottle; it’s amazing she’s like this.”
“What do you mean, like this?” I asked her.
“Well, your mother is in a coma. We don’t know how long it would be before she wakes up. It could weeks, months, days, maybe even years.”
“What am I going to do? I don’t have anywhere to go.” I said looking at my hands and trying not to cry.

“Well, head home and we’ll help you tomorrow.”
“I’m not leaving my mom.” I said.
“Cassi you might want to-“Andy started to say.
“I’m not leaving my mom.” I repeated. Everyone in the room (well, besides my mom) sighed.
“Are you sure there isn’t anything that you need?” The nurse asked.
“I’m sure.”

The nurse soon left and I went back to my seat.
“My parents still want me to come home for a little bit.” Andy said.
“Go, I don’t want you getting in trouble.” I said. Andy looked torn. “Go, I’ll be fine.”
“Oh, happy birthday, Cassi.”
I looked at him and wiped a tear away. Yea, happy fucking birthday.