RUSH

By the time I got to Nan’s hotel room, I was pissed. I had left Blaire upset and it was all Nan’s fucking fault. If she weren’t so damn selfish, I wouldn’t even be here. I needed to tell her that she had to grow up and deal. I was done. I couldn’t keep on doing this. She had to figure this out. I was her crutch.

I knocked on the door to her hotel room and waited. I’d checked with the doorman and Nan had returned about fifteen minutes ago so I knew she was here. I waited a few minutes then knocked again and got nothing. More damn games. I started pounding on the door harder. “Nannette, open this door,” I called out.

A bellman paused when he saw me beating on Nan’s door. “My sister’s in here and she isn’t answering. I’m worried about her,” I lied. “Could you open the door?”

The man still didn’t look too sure about me. I could tell by the look on his face he was close to calling security. Nan would love that. I reached in my back pocket and pulled out my wallet. “Check my license. I’m Rush Finlay. My sister Nannette is in that room. Having me escorted out is a really bad idea.”

“Yes sir,” the bellman replied. He had recognized my last name. In LA that happened a hell of a lot more than it did in Florida.

He had the door opened and I was stalking inside the suite getting ready to yell at Nan for being a child when I saw her crumpled body on the sofa. She was lying there in an unnatural position. I ran over to her and felt for a pulse to find a weak one against my fingers. I wanted to weep from relief. “I need paramedics, NOW,” I roared as the bellman stood at the door gaping at Nan.

“Yes, sir,” he replied and took the phone from his waist and started telling whoever was on the other end exactly what was going on.

“What did you do, Nan?” I asked as my heart slammed painfully against my chest. My throat was tight and I couldn’t get a deep breath. I hadn’t believed her. I had thought she was trying to get attention. I’d become like everyone else in her life. I had ignored her. I was a horrible brother. I held her against my chest as my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out, saw Harlow’s name on the screen and tossed it aside. I wasn’t in the mood to talk to Harlow. She was part of what tormented Nan. I didn’t have anything to say to her at the moment.

I rocked her in my arms gently. This was Kiro’s fault. He’d pay for this. If something happened to her he’d pay for this. “I have you Nan. I won’t leave you but you can’t leave me,” I whispered as we waited for help.

It felt like forever before I heard feet pounding down the hall and the doorman say, “In here.”

Three paramedics came rushing into the room and I handed Nan over to them. They began checking her vitals as I stood there and watched helplessly. I heard my phone ring from where I’d tossed it on the floor. I should get it.

“She’s taken something. Do you know what it is?” one of the men asked me.

“No, I just got here,” I replied, numb. She’d overdosed. Holy shit. I ran to the bathroom and found two empty prescription bottles in the sink. Too many pain killers. “FUCK!” I roared. A paramedic was beside me taking the bottles from me.

“We need to get her stomach pumped. Are you family?” he asked.

“Brother,” I managed to get out.

“You’ll do. Let’s get her out of here. You can ride in the ambulance,” he replied.

I watched in a daze of disbelief as they put Nan’s unresponsive body on a stretcher and began carrying her out of the room. I followed. My phone rang in the distance but I left it. Right now I had to save my sister.

Six hours later I sat beside Nan’s hospital bed. She hadn’t woken up yet but the doctors said they thought she’d have a full recovery. Apparently, I’d found her in time. She’d just passed out from the pills when I’d arrived.

I didn’t have my phone and I needed to call Blaire. She’d be worried about me by now. I hadn’t been ready to talk to her just yet. This wasn’t Blaire’s fault but I had been too sensitive to talk to anyone. I had needed them to tell me Nan would live before I could think about anyone or anything else. Now, I felt guilty for not calling Blaire.

Leaving my phone at Nan’s hotel hadn’t been smart. I had just been in a state of shock and nothing made sense at the time. I was going to get Nan some help and then I was getting Blaire out of LA and back to Rosemary. I needed to call my mother. She should be dealing with this. Not me.

Kiro wasn’t going to do anything about it. Nan wanted something she would never have. It was time she let it go. A nurse opened the door and walked in. I looked up at her and decided it was time I gave up trying to be everything to Nan because I sucked at it.

“I need to speak with the doctor. When she is ready I want her admitted into a facility that will help her get a grip on things. She needs help I can’t give her,” I said aloud for the first time in my life. I was admitting I’d failed my little sister. Instead of feeling guilty, I felt a huge burden lift from my shoulders.

“Doctor Jones will be in shortly. He’ll want to admit her as well. She does need help; I’m glad you’re in agreement. That always makes these things easier.”

Nothing about this would be easy but it was what was best for everyone.