Cassidy Part II

The connecting bathroom was bigger than any Cassidy had seen in her life. The long granite countertop sparkled under the many lights. There were tiny soaps, and bottles of creams and lotions on the counter as well as small bottles of shampoos and conditioners. The tub itself was huge, and took up the majority of the room. It was long and deep with what looked to Cassidy as jets. On the back of the door was a long thick robe that screamed comfort.

Heaving a sigh, Cassidy walked back into the room and walked to the window. There was a cozy leather chair facing the window, and she slumped down into it, sinking into the cushions. She pulled her knees to her chest, and with tired eyes watched the world outside her window.

Cassidy woke to a knock at the door. For just a moment she wasn’t sure where she was, and then it all came flooding back to her. The knock came again at her door, and she opened it to see Westly.

“Hello there. I’m terribly sorry to wake you, but it’s time we get to the hospital now.”

Realizing she was standing in a door way, she pushed away to let him enter, “Of course, I’m sorry, I must have been more tired than I thought. I know I may seem selfish, as I haven’t even asked about Chelsea, but to be honest, I barely know her.” She fumbled with her shoes, as she stood to put them on. Walking to the door, then running back to grab her purse, she finally gave Westly a helpless smile, “I suppose I’m ready.”

To Cassidy, all hospitals looked and smelled the same. If she thought hard, she could remember what it was like when her mother was in one. She walked down the hall towards the elevators that would lead her up to her sister’s floor. Once out of the elevator, she slowly walked towards a nurse’s station to request her sister’s room.

“Hello, I’m looking for my sister.” Her barely audible whisper caught the attention of only one of the nurses.

“Who is it you’re here to see?” The nurse, a large black woman with a very loud voice demanded.

“Uh…I’m here to see…” She fumbled with the slip of paper that stated her sister’s name, “Gina Coy. I’m her sister. I was told that she was here…”

“Ah, you must be Cassidy. I’ll need your identification card, please, and we’ll get Dr. Kline for you.” The nurse waved another nurse along to find the doctor, as she efficiently jotted down Cassidy’s information in a guest log book.

Handing the ID card back to Cassidy, the nurse eyed her cautiously. “My name is Pearl. I’ll be here during your visit and will answer questions for you. Dr. Kline will need you to fill out a lot of paperwork.”

Cassidy mearly nodded her head in acknowledgement when she was the other nurse returning with a very tall man. Dr. Kline was 7 feet tall with sandy blond hair, and the greenest eyes Cassidy had ever seen. He towered over her, and made her feel very small, and unsure of herself.

“Miss Keaton. I’m Dr. Kline. I’ve been taking care of your sister for you. It you’ll please come this way, I’ll take you in to see her.” Gesturing her to follow, Dr. Kline lead Cassidy down a long white hallway to a door with a very bored security guard standing watch. “This is Cassidy Keaton, the patience’s sister.” At the nod of the guard, Dr. Kline walked into the room.

Slowly, Cassidy walked to the bed where her sister lay. She studied the still, quiet form, and tried to remember her as her sister. Chelsea’s hair was platinum blond, the kind that was more white than gold. Her cheeks were hollow, and sunk in. She had very dark circles surrounding, what Cassidy remembered were very blue eyes. She slowly took in the face of the sister she didn’t remember and let a single tear flow over her cheek.

“I’m sorry, Doctor, I just don’t know her, not this woman. My sister is still fifteen years old in my mind, and this is a stranger to me. Please, can you tell me what happened, and why I’m here?”

Dr. Kline studied the woman in front of him, and knew what it was like to feel bewildered and lost. He motioned to a set of chairs in the far corner of the room, and sat.

“Your sister has had an apparent drug overdose. We have done all that we can for her at this time, and if she makes it through this alive, it’ll be a miracle. You were called here by your sister’s lawyers, as you’ve been listed as executive of her estate, and will be in control of her finances, and will be the person to make final decisions regarding your sister. We had to do surgery when she arrived here to remove the baby she was carrying, and at this time, that child is in NICU under strict supervision. It appears that the child will indeed make it, and you’ll be responsible for what happens to her.” Dr. Kline placed his hand over Cassidy’s when he saw her mouth fall open. “I know this is hard for you, and I know it’s got to be a complete shock, but you are the only family listed, and there is no father that we can find for the child.”

“Can…can I see the baby?” Glancing towards the bed where her sister lay, Cassidy continued, “I can’t picture Chelsea with a baby. She never wanted them, and if she came in here from a drug overdose, she didn’t intend to keep this one. Tell me, is the baby addicted?”
“I can tell you that we found only very slight traces of drugs in the infant’s system. It appears that perhaps your sister wasn’t doing the drugs during pregnancy and it’s speculated from her agent that perhaps she was depressed. I have a full statement from her agent upon her arrival, but I can say that I don’t think he’s very credible. He’s known to introduce his stars to drugs, and dangles it over their heads in order to get them to continue doing his bidding.”