Complicated Relationships (The Southern Devotion Series Book 3) (11 page)

She wrapped her hand around mine. “You’re not alone, not really. You told Mary Jane, right?” I nodded. “Then she’ll tell the others, and together you all can help Angel. I would stand here and offer my help, but I barely know her. She needs people that she is comfortable with, people who love her. If you need me though, I’ll be there. You say the word, and I’ll come running. I don't want a break-up, Tristan; just a pause.”

Before Lanie left, she gathered all the phone numbers for Gracie, Cameron, and Mary Jane. She promised to call them and have them come to my house tonight so we could all support Angel in some way.

Chapter Nineteen

That's what friends are for

Lanie sent Macy upstairs to see me as she left. Macy helped me roll Angel to the side and said she'd stay upstairs and let me know as soon as Angel woke up. A real friend would've noticed this spiral a long time ago. Angel and I had only known each other a couple of years, but we lived together for months.

The doorbell rang pulling me from my guilt trip. Gracie wrapped her arms around my neck the moment I opened the door. "Mary Jane told us everything. I wish you had told us sooner."

Ashton stepped up behind her, "If there is anyone who knows how hard it is to deal with complicated matters on your own it's Gracie and me."

Gracie stepped back giving me room to breathe again. "Next time don’t try and take on something like this alone, Tristan." She peered out the door for a moment. "Cameron, Gavin, and Derrick weren't far behind us."

"MJ?" I noticed that her name hadn't been listed for those on their way.

Gracie looked around for a moment, glancing up the staircase as well. She lowered her voice to a whisper, "Derrick is worried about her getting too stressed out. He also doesn’t want her near Angel. He's afraid she'll get upset with us and go ballistic again."

"I'm here; I'm here, no one fret," Cameron said as he came through the door waving his arms as though we were all in a tizzy that he hadn’t arrived. He stepped forward and hugged me. "We'll get her back, Tri-stud." He gasped as he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Ooh, how was the
Risky Business
move?"

"Worked perfectly, Cam. I owe you one."

"One? Pssht, I think you owe me a couple." He winked.

"What
Risky Business
move?" Gracie asked curiously.

"I'll explain later," I promised.

Derrick stepped inside next. "Hey guys," he turned to help someone in the door. As he noticed the surprise on everyone's face, he said, "You all know how stubborn this woman is, she wouldn’t let me come without her."

"I'm fine. Angel is what is important right now. Where is she?" Mary Jane inquired looking around.

"Upstairs sleeping. I'll go get her."

Macy sat with her feet propped against the bed leaning back in Angel's vanity chair reading a book. "Everyone's downstairs if you want to say hi." She took the hint and left me alone with Angel.

Shaking Angel awake, she groaned rubbing her eyes and covering her mouth as she yawned. She reached up finding the wet rag on her head and pulled it aside. When she saw me, her face lit up with hope. "Have you been here the whole time?"

"Pretty much. I only left for a few minutes."

"Thanks for the rag, it always helps my head." Angel sat up reaching for the nightstand drawer.

"It was Lanie who did the wet rag. Whoa. You're not taking drugs right now." I said to stop her from opening the drawer.

"Drugs? Tristan, that’s my medication. Alcohol is my drug; I don’t need anything else. I can show you the prescription bottles if you want."

"I'll need to see them. Why do you have them spilled out in a drawer?"

She pointed out the different combinations of drugs. "These are set up in the order I have to take them. Some pills I take daily and others I do with flare-ups. It's easier than keeping them in bottles for me at least. It's another reason for my drinking. I haven't told anyone about it."

"What are the pills for, Angel?"

"I went to the doctor earlier this year because of constant fatigue. I kept having these tingling sensations in my limbs; I became clumsier than normal, and I would get stabbing pains in different parts of my body. I had no clue what it all meant until they began running tests on me. After running several tests and putting all the symptoms together, they told me I have Multiple Sclerosis."

My chest sank with her confession of this debilitating diagnosis she'd received at such a young age. I'd never known anyone personally who had this disease, but I'd read about it and seen stories of famous people who suffered from it.

"What exactly does this mean for your future, Angel?"

"It means a lot of medical treatments that may or may not work. It means episodes of pain where I may not even be able to get around on my own. It means a lot of issues that I'm not ready to say out loud or admit to myself for fear of breaking down. I'm scared, T.  The pills sometimes help but other times the pain is so great that I can't handle it. I've been drinking to numb myself and also to explain my lack of balance. I guess it was stupid to think I'd rather you believe I'm a drunk than someone with the disease."

"Don't talk like it's the end, Angel. We'll do the research; I'll go to the doctor and ask any questions I can, whatever it takes. This disease will not be the end of your life. You're a young beautiful woman who has many full years ahead of you."

"You don't know that, T. I may not be able to have children. And what man is going to want to take on the responsibility of marrying me knowing that he would have to take care of me on the days that I am practically an invalid."

"A good man," I responded. "One that you deserve.  He's out there. And you have to quit keeping all these secrets, Angel. Let your friends help. Speaking of friends, everyone is downstairs waiting for  you."

Angel stiffened, "They all know?"

"They all want to help you." I held out my hand until she took hold of it and squeezed for support as we walk down the stairs. Everyone chatted among themselves in the living room as we entered; then the room grew silent. Angel squeezed my hand even tighter causing me to cringe a bit.

Gracie patted the seat next to her on the couch. Angel moved slowly towards her, and Gracie stood to give her a hug first. "So is this where you guys handcuff me and drag me to rehab?"

Cameron jumped in to answer first, "Ooh honey, I know you've always fantasized about being handcuffed by me, but it's not the time for flirting, especially in front of my husband."  Angel let out a small laugh and seemed to relax a little. Cameron was the comic relief in our group. His personality is very flamboyant. He's the gay stereotype you see in movies such as Hollywood in
Mannequin
or Jack from
Will and Grace
. Believe it or not
Mannequin
was a movie I've seen. When Cameron becomes serious though, everyone takes notice.

Cameron knelt in front of Angel taking her hands in his. "Now, sweetie, we're here to help you. No one wants to force you into anything you don't want to do. The purpose of our visit is to tell you that we love you, and we want you to be around for a long time. We aren't here to judge or throw labels around. Gavin and I brought brochures for you to look through and decide which program you'd like to try."
              Gavin handed Angel the brochures. "I can't afford these programs, I…"

Cameron patted her hand again. "I'm covering it in exchange for some babysitting time with your niece later on. Angel, I love you. You're my chica. It breaks my heart to see you in pain." He reached into his pocket pulling out a set of car keys. Holding it up, he pointed out a keychain in the shape of a tree. "Remember when you and MJ gave me this charm. You said it's a sign of heroism and that I am your hero. Let me continue to be your hero. Please."

Sniffles filled the room as Mary Jane and Gracie let tears flow at the pleading tone of Cameron's request. Angel felt the pull too as she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his softly. "I love you, Cam. I'm so very scared."

"I understand that, baby girl. There's no need for you to be scared. You have all of us."

Angel looked around the room at all the faces staring back at her then landed on Mary Jane's face. She covered her mouth, closed her eyes, and began to cry. Mary Jane tried to stand quickly, but her pregnant belly wasn't cooperating. Derrick helped her stand, and she walked over to Angel. "Don't make me bend over, I'll never get back up."

Angel stood, and Mary Jane wrapped her arms around her in a strong warm, loving embrace. Angel sobbed as she repeatedly said, "I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry. If anything had happened to the baby…"

Mary Jane pressed her palms against Angel's face forcing her to look her in the eyes. "The baby is fine. I'm fine. Now we want
you
to be fine."

Gracie stood up next. "When Hudson raped and beat me, and I confided that in you, you didn’t hesitate to step up and go to rape counseling with me. I never thought I'd be able to repay you for that but now is my chance. I'll go to every meeting with you, hold your hand, support you by standing beside you for as much as I can."

"Thank you, Gracie. Thank you all for being friends that I don't deserve."

I stepped up next and said, "You need to tell them the rest of the story, Angel. Tell them why you began to drink in the first place."

She spilled everything about the depression of being alone to the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis that scared her more than anything else. The girls were in a huddle together all crying. Gracie and Mary Jane swore to find out everything they could about MS so they could be there for Angel every step of the way.

Cameron and Gavin huddled in an intense conversation across the room. Cameron came forward and pulled Angel out of her group. "Gavin and I spoke about it and we are going to find you the best specialist that money can buy in order to make sure that you have as few episodes as possible."

Angel cried harder as she threw her arms around Cameron. "You're always my hero, Cam. I don’t know what I'd do without you."

Chapter Twenty

Taking the first step

Once everyone left; I helped Angel begin packing. Cameron left long enough to take Gavin home to relieve their babysitter, and he was coming back to go with us to admit her. She sat on her bed holding up different pieces of clothing. "What do you pack for rehab?" she asked turning to face me.

"The pamphlet says you have a three bag limit, and you should bring casual clothes and athletic shoes. It also states not to wear revealing clothes so we may want to go shopping," I teased hoping to lighten the mood.

It worked because Angel smiled and smacked me playfully, "Nice one." Then she glanced at the stacks on the bed, placed her finger to her lips, and said, "But you know you might be right. Can we run to the store and buy me some plain t-shirts and such?"

"Sure, we have a couple of hours before Cameron will be back."

"Can I go?" Macy asked, stepping into the room.

Angel wrapped one arm around Macy and the other around me. "I think it would be great to hang out with my two favorite people for a little bit."

Angel drove, and I texted Cameron to let him know we'd be out for a bit in case he beat us back to the house. "Ok, you needed a few toiletries so I'll grab those while you two go look at clothes."

Macy and Angel went to the right of the store, and I went to the left. Here I stood again in front of the feminine hygiene products, and my mind wanders off to Lanie. I must have stared for too long because a voice asked, "Can I help you find something, sir?" A young woman in a blue smock stood next to me with an odd look on her face.

"Oh, sorry. Nope, I found them." I held up the hot pink package to prove my statement. Tossing it in the cart, I hurried over to the women's clothing. Macy and Angel were loaded down with plain t-shirts and a couple of pairs of jeans. "Is that everything?"

"Yep. I grabbed a few jeans too. Most of my jeans contain fashionable rips or they're incredibly tight, so they leave nothing to the imagination."

"See Macy, you should always have t-shirts and jeans that leave much to the imagination."

"In the chance she has to go to rehab?" Angel asked sarcastically.

Macy laughed, "She got you on that one."

Macy pushed the cart and Angel, and I walked behind her. Angel's leg gave out, and I grabbed her elbow as she began to fall. "Are you alright?" I whispered.

"Don't let Macy see me struggle. I'm alright, just a bit weak today."

Encircling my arm with Angel's, we kept walking and Macy never knew the difference. Cameron was at the house when we returned. He grabbed a few bags, and I asked Macy to go hang out in her room while we finished getting Angel ready to go.

"You're going to do great, Angel," Cameron encouraged. He lifted up a few of the t-shirts and said, "Are you going to a nunnery? I've never seen you wear anything this boring."

"The pamphlet suggests boring," I interjected. "She's not going to meet guys, Cam."

Cameron appeared offended, "She should always be prepared to meet guys. You never know where love will find you. At least in rehab, they'd already know they have stuff in common. And they could support each other with their recovery."

"He has a strange yet somewhat valid point," Angel said. We were rolling her clothes as tightly as possible to fit everything she wanted to take into three medium sized bags. Her packed bags sat next to the door. Angel fell back into a seating position on the bed with a stunned look on her face.

Cameron and I took a seat on either side of her, and each took a hand. "Talk to us, hun." Cameron had been Angel's friend much longer than I had so I let him try to get through to her first. She didn't speak, so he tried again. "Babe, you're going to be fine."

"Can I have visitors? Will you visit? Both of you?" she asked panicked.

"It says family can visit; I'm not sure if we'll be allowed to though," I answered.

"You are my family. We'll sign you in as my brothers," Angel suggested. And that's what we did.

Cameron, Macy, and I took Angel to the facility and helped her fill out all paperwork. She had to list immediate family members, and she listed the three of us as siblings. She wanted to see the others as well but knew that Gracie and MJ were busy being new moms. I watched Macy say goodbye to Angel with a lot of emotions. She told her how she admired her for doing this and that she would always be a real role model for her.

Cameron said goodbye next with words of encouragement and hope that brought more tears. He stepped outside to be with Macy and gave me a moment to say my goodbyes in private.

"I'm scared, T," Angel said to me as soon as they left.

"I know. I'm proud of you though. You're going to do great, and when you come home, Macy and I will help you continue your recovery. You'll come through this with flying colors. And I promise, every visitors day, we'll be here. We'll keep you up to date on the gossip too."

She sniffed back tears. "I love you, Tristan. I owe MJ a lot for bringing you into my life."

"We both do. I love you too, Ang. Come here," I pulled her against my body wrapping my arms around her shoulders. I kissed her forehead gently. "Take care of yourself in here, kid. Call me the first chance you get." I let go of her and walked away before she could get even more emotional.

Outside, Cameron had his arm around Macy, and though her face still streaked with tears, she was laughing. Mary Jane always said that only Cameron can make you laugh even through the worst pain. I know this was difficult for Macy. Angel was the second person she's loved that we admitted to a hospital for longer than a night or two. It would be my job to keep her distracted until Angel came home again.