Chapter 3
“Are you his girlfriend?
Here, I need you to fill out this paperwork.” Before Olivia could say anything, the
receptionist in the emergency room of
“But, I’m not his girlfriend,” she protested. “I’m just his neighbor, and I can’t fill this
stuff out. I don’t even know him.”
The woman gave her a strange look but shrugged and took the papers
back. “Do you know the numbers of any of
his family members?” she asked hopefully.
Olivia shook her head. “No,
I don’t. Sorry.”
“Okay. Well, if you’re
going to stick around, you can wait over there.” The receptionist nodded to a waiting area
across the hall with couches and chairs, magazine racks, vending machines, and
a TV. A few people were sitting slumped
in couches, but other than that, it was pretty empty.
“Thanks,” Olivia said, walking slowly over to where the woman had
directed. She sat down in a chair in
the corner, wondering what to do. Should
I stay here, or should I just go home? she asked herself. On one hand, I don’t even really know
him, and since I’m not related to him or anything, they might not even tell me
his condition. She thought about
that for a moment, and then countered, But on the other hand, I can’t just
go home and leave him here. I’m
involved now, and I have to at least know how he’s doing.
She had made her mind up.
She was staying.
***
“Excuse me, miss, but are you the one that’s here with Nick
Carter?”
Olivia looked up to see a tall, thin man in blue scrubs standing
in front of her. His voice was hushed,
as if he knew that if he said the name Nick Carter any louder, there could be
chaos.
“Yes, I am,” Olivia replied.
“Okay. I’m Dr. Filson,” the
doctor introduced.
“How is he?” Olivia asked right away.
“Well, he’s alive, and he’s holding his own for now. But his condition is very critical, and
there’s no telling how much damage was done to his system,” Dr. Filson said.
Olivia nodded, not sure whether to be relieved or upset. At least he’s alive, she told
herself. “Do you think he’s going to
make it?” she asked, looking the doctor right in the eyes.
“At this point, I really don’t know,” Dr. Filson said
apologetically. “It’s too soon to
tell. A lot might depend on how willing
he is to fight for his life.”
Those last words suddenly brought back the reality to Olivia that
Nick had overdosed on medications, on drugs.
A suicide attempt. The
realization was hard-hitting and shocking to her. Why would Nick Carter want to kill
himself? she wondered. He’s so
talented and famous. He’s got everything
anyone could want. Why would he waste
it all?
It seemed unbelievable that someone like Nick would actually try
to take his own life. Olivia had never
understood why anyone would want to commit suicide. It was such a selfish thing to do, such a
waste of life. And for Nick Carter to
do it, it seemed even worse. What
reason did he have to commit suicide? He
had everything. At least, that’s what
she had always assumed. But maybe
not.
***
After she was done talking to Dr. Filson, Olivia headed home. As soon as she reached her house, she headed
upstairs to her bedroom, collapsed onto her bed, and fell asleep almost as soon
as her head hit the pillow.
When Olivia awoke the next morning, the first thing she thought of
was Nick. She immediately wondered how
he was doing and decided to call the hospital first thing to find out.
She stumbled out of bed and downstairs to the kitchen, where she
pulled out a phone book and looked up the number for the hospital. She slumped down into a kitchen chair and
dialed the number, silently praying that Nick was going to be okay.
“Hello,
“Um, yes, I need to find out the condition of one of your
patients,” Olivia said.
“Name?”
“Nickolas Carter,” she replied.
There was a pause, as the man probably was looking up the
information, and finally he said, “He’s listed under critical condition.”
“Okay… thank you,” Olivia said, and hung up, feeling
disappointed. She glanced out her
kitchen window, which faced Nick’s house.
What if I hadn’t have gotten there when I did? she
wondered suddenly. She realized that
Nick was actually very lucky to still be alive. He must have just taken the pills not long
before she had come over.
Olivia’s stomach began to growl, and she realized she was
hungry. Determined to try and get on
with her day, she got up and started making breakfast.
***
