Fix Me

“What about the sleeping meds?” I asked.

“She says they don’t work. I know when I take an Ambien, I’m down for the count. Most people are, but not Bree. She is a stubborn woman. I think she could fight against anesthesia if she wanted to. When she gets her mind onto something, there is no changing it.”

I nodded, taking it in. “Stress. She’s stressed out.”

“Obviously. That’s what keeps us all up, right? Bree just handles it a little differently. While some people can process it and just kind of move through it, she holds onto it with that iron grip of hers. She can’t let go. She won’t let go. It’s almost like she likes it. I know she doesn’t, but she can really wallow.”

I didn’t like the sound of that. It reminded me of something my mother would do. “And how do you help her through it?”

She sighed. “Honestly, I don’t. Not anymore. All I can do is be there for her. She has to find her own way out of this.”

“Does it get bad, worse, I should say?”

“I think the longest she has gone is

maybe three weeks. That was a couple years ago. She stopped showering and was literally a zombie.”

“What changed? How did she overcome it?”

She looked at me and smiled. “Art. She painted. She painted all night and all day and then one day, she called me and said she was going to sleep and would call me in a couple days.”

My eyes widened. “That’s it. Just like that.”

She laughed. “Yep. Have you ever seen Forrest Gump?”

“Yes.”

“You know where he says he’s going for a run or something like that.”

I nodded. “I do.”

“It’s kind of like that. When she gets through it, she’s over it.”

“But now she doesn’t have art because she can’t see,” I whispered.

“Exactly. This time is different. Have you spoken to her about the surgery?”

“No!” I quickly answered. “Definitely not. She does not want to be bothered about that. That’s the last thing she needs to think about.”

“What if that’s what she is thinking about?” she countered.

I rubbed a hand over my face. My eyes felt gritty. I didn’t bother shaving yesterday or today and I was feeling a little scraggly. “So, basically I need to ride it out.”

“Yes,” she answered. “I’ll take shifts with you. We need to make sure she eats and showers and sleeps when her body can’t take anymore.”

“You don’t have to do that. I’m technically being paid to watch over her.”

“Ah, but this is a twenty-four-hour job and judging by the way you look, you’ve been on duty for a couple days.”

“I hate seeing her suffer,” I said.

“I know. So, do I. We’ll get her through this.”

“Thanks.”

“I have a thing I have to be at this afternoon, but I can stay with her tonight if you want to get some sleep.”

I shook my head. “I’ll be okay.”