Home Is Where the Heart Is (Welcome To Redemption) by Rogers Donna Marie

Author:Rogers, Donna Marie [Rogers, Donna Marie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-06-29T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

“All right, Pop, you wanna tell me what’s going on?”

Andrew Porter Sr. climbed hesitantly into the passenger side of Drew’s pickup and leaned his head back, closing his eyes as if to shut out the world. Drew knew something major had to have happened for his father to have gotten himself fired.

He put the truck in park and waited for his old man to speak. When he didn’t, Drew said, “Look, whatever it is, we can fix it. Lindy can be a little...intense at first. But once you get to know—”

“I opened that bottle of bourbon Kurt gave me for Christmas and drank...quite a bit of it. That’s how Miss Spalding found me.”

Drew was quiet for a moment as he processed that bit of info. His father wasn’t much of a drinker, never had been. A couple of beers during a ball game or when bowling with the guys, but that was about it. “Why? Pop, what happened?”

Andy swiveled his head and met Drew’s gaze. The misery Drew saw nearly took his breath. “Son, I have something to tell you. I...Jesus, I have no idea how to say the words.”

Scared, Drew murmured, “Just say it. What the hell’s going on?”

“It’s your mother. She...Drew, I’m so sorry. Yesterday...your mother took her own life.”

The hairs on the back of Drew’s neck stood up as his father’s words sank in. He struggled to suck air into his lungs as gut-wrenching sorrow filled his chest, stealing his breath. The text he’d received last night had been from Hannah reminding him of their mother’s birthday, wanting to know if he’d remembered to send roses to the hospital, as they did every year.

He hadn’t.

Christ, Hannah. She was going to take this so hard.

“But...when? How? I thought she was doing so much better since they’d started her on that new pill...?”

His father swiped a hand across his face; a sob escaped him. Drew pulled him into a bear hug and, surprisingly, the old man let him. Drew knew this was killing him. He’d never stopped loving her, never stopped hoping she’d be well enough to come home someday.

Andy gave Drew a pat on the back to let him know he was okay. He cleared his throat, wiped his eyes on his sleeve, and settled back against the headrest. “The new medicine seemed to be working. Your mother was happy; she was alert. She knew who I was when I called. But I guess the last few days she started cheeking her meds, tossing ’em in the trash. The doctor had no idea why, though that quack wouldn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground.”

Drew nodded in agreement, though he knew it wasn’t the doctor’s fault.

“Anyway, she managed to steal a bottle of something called Cyclobenz-something or other. Muscle relaxers. She swallowed the whole goddamned bottle, then hid in the closet. By the time the orderlies found her, it was too late.”

Tears burned Drew’s eyes. He’d loved his mother, but he’d also spent most of his life resenting her.

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