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We made it through the night. After Teagan woke the first time, she fell back to sleep and didn’t wake again. I slept for a bit in Drake’s lap, but other than that, it was hit or miss. At the moment, I was sitting with Teagan while Hollis caught a couple of hours of sleep. Everyone was dragging that morning.
Amie had delivered freshly baked cinnamon rolls about an hour before. I’d put one on a plate, and I was going to see if I could get Teagan to eat. That day would be the day she’d have to choose—life or death. The choice was in her hands. But if she chose to continue using, I would be forced to cut all ties with her, personally. It was a boundary that had to be set.
In her sleep, she seemed a bit more agitated, which was to be expected the longer she went without the high she got from heroin. The methadone dose was still high, but not enough to fool her body into thinking it was getting the dose of drugs it was used to.
Teagan’s eyes fluttered open, and I sent Drake and Hollis a text.
Me: She’s awake.
Drake: Outside the door if you need me.
Hollis: On my way.
I’d asked for some time to talk to Teagan by myself that morning. They agreed on one condition—that they stay right outside the door. Hopefully, we could keep things calm.
As she grew more alert, her eyes searched the room.
“Hey there. Amie brought some cinnamon rolls. Do you want to try and eat something?”
Teagan stiffly nodded, and I laid the plate on the table and rolled it up to the bed. She was in desperate need of a bath. Her dark hair was matted and plastered to the side of her face.
“Mind if I sit with you?”
“No.” Her tone was bordering on unfriendly. She haphazardly picked at the roll, but after two bites, she pushed it aside.
I sat next to the chair and tried to relax. This was my first time doing anything like this. What if I mess up? Thankfully, Hollis had walked me through the basics.
Cautiously, I continued. “You gave us quite a scare. How are you feeling?”
I was met with only silence.
This wasn’t going well. “Can I get you anything?”
She snorted. “No.”
I let out a long breath. Here goes nothing. “I don’t know if you remember, but Dr. Fritz has offered to send you to a detox program. All expenses paid.”
“He’s a good guy.” She wiped her nose with her forearm.
“Yes, he is. Last night you mentioned something about a boyfriend.”
She paused and shifted a little as if she were uncomfortable. “He… uh… yeah. Where’s Donnie?”
There was a knock at the door, and Hollis stepped inside. “The police are here to interview Teagan since she’s awake. I’ve told them she needed to finish her breakfast first.”
“Thanks.”
Teagan took my hand. Her skin loosely hung on her bony frame, and she looked like a shadow of her former self. “I think I want to try and get clean.”
This was good news. Very good news. I took her hand. “I’ll be here to help every step of the way. Do we need to tell your boyfriend?”
She shook her head, her answer quick. Too quick. “No.”
“I think your boyfriend would want to know you’re okay.”
Again, she shook her head. “Sam wouldn’t like that. Not at all.”
After a moment, it was obvious Teagan hadn’t realized she’d given me a name. “Do you want me to call him so he knows where you are?”
