Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 61867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
“But I could have handled things better. I was talking to Eliza about it, and we both agree that I have to work on some things.”
Again, I just shake my head to let her know it’s not a problem and that I’m on her side.
“Seriously, Iris, it’s okay. You didn’t offend me or anything. In fact, I was worried that I had done something, and I came looking for you last night so I could apologize to you!”
Iris sighs deeply and lets herself fall forward against me. I catch her in my arms and hold her there, swaying gently from side to side, running my hand through her hair. It feels so good to have her back here with me, despite her having been gone for less than a day.
Iris, my flower. I always want her with me.
“You didn’t find me though,” she sighs. “Because I was at Eliza’s, and you don’t have my number.”
“Exactly.” I smile. “But I have to say, I did have a bit of an eventful evening after showing up at your place.”
“Oh, no,” Iris groans. She pulls back and looks up at me. “Please tell me my mom didn’t bother you. Did she?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say bother, but something did happen with her, Iris.”
“Oh God–”
“She’s all right, but I did have to take her to the hospital.”
“The hospital!?” Fear and concern instantly flood into her face. She snatches her phone and moves toward the door, but I stop her.
“It’s okay. She’s at home right now. I stayed with her until she was discharged.”
“What happened!?” Iris asks, her voice shaking.
“Come on,” I say, taking her hand and walking her out the door. “I’ll explain to you on the ride over.”
I walk her down the drive to her car and go over last night’s events with her—how I went to her house hoping to find her but instead ended up running into her mom. Then I explained the state she was in.
“Alcohol poisoning?” Iris groans as we drive. “You have got to be kidding me. She’s okay, though?”
“She is. I took her to the Emergency Room, and they looked after her until I was able to bring her back to your house.”
“Oh, thank God,” Iris groans. “I mean, this is a new low. Even for my mom. I’m so sorry you had to deal with that. It should have been me. I should have been there for her, not off at Eliza’s being a little baby.”
“You can’t blame yourself, Iris. It’s not your job to take care of her. She’s your mother. She should be taking care of you.”
“Yeah,” she says softly, unconvinced. “Maybe you’re right.”
It’s only a few minutes later before we’re pulling into her driveway. She hops out and rushes quickly up to the door and goes inside. Her mom should be sober today, considering I took all the alcohol out of the house when I left this morning, along with the keys to her car. She’ll definitely be nursing one hell of a hangover, though, that’s for sure.
I take my time following Iris inside, but before I even step through the front door, I can hear raised voices.
“Alcohol poisoning, Mom? Are you kidding me? You could have died!”
“Don’t shout, please. My head is killing me.”
“Why didn’t you call me? Or have the hospital call me?”
“Well, first of all, I didn’t have my phone on me, so I couldn’t call you,” her mom replies. “And second of all, I had Jameson with me. There was no need to involve you.”
She’s lying. She was embarrassed and didn’t want her daughter to see her like that. That’s why she didn’t have the hospital call her. The nurses were badgering her all night for Iris’s number, once she was aware enough of what was going on around her, but she refused to give it up. And to be honest, I can understand why.
“No need to involve me, Mom? I’m already involved! I take care of you all the time! What if Jameson hadn’t been there? He said you were trying to drive too? This is serious, Mom. What if he hadn’t been there to stop you? What if you’d gone and crashed into a tree or something and died!?”
“Ugh, don’t be so dramatic, Iris,” her mom groans. “You’re always being so dramatic.”
“How am I being dramatic? You literally could have died, Mom! This is what happens if I’m gone for a single night. I try to have time to myself for one second and…and everything falls apart.”
I decide not to even go inside. This is a conversation that Iris and her mother need to have on their own. I’ll just get in the way.
“Iris, can we not do this now? My head is killing me. I have the hangover of all hangovers–”
“Yeah, I’m surprised you’re not just drinking again to numb it all away.”