Status: hiatus
Soul Searching
My Baby
“Stacie, open up,” Tate roughly turns the doorknob to no avail.
Not even bothering to glance over her shoulder, Anastacia sniffles lightly. “I’m changing.”
“I don’t care, even though I know you’re lying. Open the door.”
Putting a slight amount of pressure on the top of the pill bottle, Anastacia twists the cap.
“Stacie!” Tate’s converse shoe collides with the bottom of the door, making the wood barrier jump. “Open the damn door!”
Anastacia glances over her shoulder, her vision blurry with tears, as the powdery pills spill, one-by-one, into the palm of her hand. “Just gimme a second, Tate!”
“No!” He shouts, the palm of his hand colliding with the door this time as the handle shakes loudly.
Clumsily connecting her hand and mouth, Anastacia quickly fills her mouth with water before swallowing the mixture. She quickly sets the water bottle down and walks over to the door, unlocking it and letting it fly open. “What the fuck?”
“What the hell?”
Anastacia shrugs. “I’m tired, Tate. I’m gonna lay down and take a nap, ‘kay?”
Tate slowly walks into the room, his eyes narrowing at Anastacia as she crawls onto the bed. “What’d you do, Stacie?”
“I didn’t do anything,” she slurs, not picking her face up off of the bed. “I’m just gonna take a nap, okay?”
Standing over the end of the bed, Tate watches as Anastacia’s eyes slowly roll into the back of her head before her eyelids fall. His voice is quiet, and gentle, this time, “Stacie.”
Her chest is shallowly rising and falling, but she does not respond.
“Stacie!” Tate shouts, crawling over the end of the bed and violently shaking the young woman’s back. After a moment of getting no response, he stops shaking her back. Clenching his eyes shut, he lowers himself onto the mattress next to the young woman. Skillfully snaking his arms around her gently trembling frame, Tate shakes his head before burying his face in her hair. “Why’d you do this, Stace?” He whispers, blinking the tears out of his eyes.
“She was upset, obviously,” Violet says quietly, resting her head against the threshold of the door.
Tate ignores the young woman loitering at the edge of the room.
“I don’t understand, Tate. That used to be me,” Violet whispers. “It’s not that I’m jealous or anything, because I would never want you back. But you seemed to get attached to her pretty quickly.”
He shakes his head, cradling the heavy head of blonde hair. “You don’t know her.”
“Do you?” Violet crosses her arms.
“More than she thinks I do,” Tate whispers, shaking his head. Blinking tears out of his eyes again, he looks up at Violet for the first time. “It didn’t have to happen this way. Not with her.”
Violet shrugs lightly, “nature of the beast, Tate. Just try not to royally fuck up with her, maybe you can have your little happily-ever-after.”
“Dr. Wilks to the ER for an emergency.”
Danielle looks up from the paperwork on her desk, standing up with a loud sigh. Adjusting her white jacket as she exits her office, the woman navigates a few hallways before approaching a back hallway of the hospital’s emergency room.
“Dr. Wilks, down here!” Another ER doctor shouts to her from down the hall, standing outside of a room.
She crosses her arms, “what’s the emergency, Dr. Oliver?”
“An Anastacia Wilks was just brought in,” he says quietly. “That’s your daughter, correct?”
Not answering the older man, Danielle quickly walks around him and straight into the room. She stops, as if she ran face-first into a brick wall, before getting three feet into the room. “Oh my God!”
The older doctor gently rests his hand on the woman’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
Shrugging his touch off, the woman approaches the bed and pulls the sheet back gently. Sobbing quietly, she shakes her head as she covers her mouth with both hands. A muffled, “my baby” escapes her trembling lips, but nothing more.
“We’ll give you a minute,” a nurse says quietly, exiting the room with Dr. Oliver and closing the door behind them.
Dr. Wilks gently places her hands on each side of her daughter’s cold face, the peaceful expression never changing.
Not even bothering to glance over her shoulder, Anastacia sniffles lightly. “I’m changing.”
“I don’t care, even though I know you’re lying. Open the door.”
Putting a slight amount of pressure on the top of the pill bottle, Anastacia twists the cap.
“Stacie!” Tate’s converse shoe collides with the bottom of the door, making the wood barrier jump. “Open the damn door!”
Anastacia glances over her shoulder, her vision blurry with tears, as the powdery pills spill, one-by-one, into the palm of her hand. “Just gimme a second, Tate!”
“No!” He shouts, the palm of his hand colliding with the door this time as the handle shakes loudly.
Clumsily connecting her hand and mouth, Anastacia quickly fills her mouth with water before swallowing the mixture. She quickly sets the water bottle down and walks over to the door, unlocking it and letting it fly open. “What the fuck?”
“What the hell?”
Anastacia shrugs. “I’m tired, Tate. I’m gonna lay down and take a nap, ‘kay?”
Tate slowly walks into the room, his eyes narrowing at Anastacia as she crawls onto the bed. “What’d you do, Stacie?”
“I didn’t do anything,” she slurs, not picking her face up off of the bed. “I’m just gonna take a nap, okay?”
Standing over the end of the bed, Tate watches as Anastacia’s eyes slowly roll into the back of her head before her eyelids fall. His voice is quiet, and gentle, this time, “Stacie.”
Her chest is shallowly rising and falling, but she does not respond.
“Stacie!” Tate shouts, crawling over the end of the bed and violently shaking the young woman’s back. After a moment of getting no response, he stops shaking her back. Clenching his eyes shut, he lowers himself onto the mattress next to the young woman. Skillfully snaking his arms around her gently trembling frame, Tate shakes his head before burying his face in her hair. “Why’d you do this, Stace?” He whispers, blinking the tears out of his eyes.
“She was upset, obviously,” Violet says quietly, resting her head against the threshold of the door.
Tate ignores the young woman loitering at the edge of the room.
“I don’t understand, Tate. That used to be me,” Violet whispers. “It’s not that I’m jealous or anything, because I would never want you back. But you seemed to get attached to her pretty quickly.”
He shakes his head, cradling the heavy head of blonde hair. “You don’t know her.”
“Do you?” Violet crosses her arms.
“More than she thinks I do,” Tate whispers, shaking his head. Blinking tears out of his eyes again, he looks up at Violet for the first time. “It didn’t have to happen this way. Not with her.”
Violet shrugs lightly, “nature of the beast, Tate. Just try not to royally fuck up with her, maybe you can have your little happily-ever-after.”
“Dr. Wilks to the ER for an emergency.”
Danielle looks up from the paperwork on her desk, standing up with a loud sigh. Adjusting her white jacket as she exits her office, the woman navigates a few hallways before approaching a back hallway of the hospital’s emergency room.
“Dr. Wilks, down here!” Another ER doctor shouts to her from down the hall, standing outside of a room.
She crosses her arms, “what’s the emergency, Dr. Oliver?”
“An Anastacia Wilks was just brought in,” he says quietly. “That’s your daughter, correct?”
Not answering the older man, Danielle quickly walks around him and straight into the room. She stops, as if she ran face-first into a brick wall, before getting three feet into the room. “Oh my God!”
The older doctor gently rests his hand on the woman’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
Shrugging his touch off, the woman approaches the bed and pulls the sheet back gently. Sobbing quietly, she shakes her head as she covers her mouth with both hands. A muffled, “my baby” escapes her trembling lips, but nothing more.
“We’ll give you a minute,” a nurse says quietly, exiting the room with Dr. Oliver and closing the door behind them.
Dr. Wilks gently places her hands on each side of her daughter’s cold face, the peaceful expression never changing.