Chapter 6

Bianca

I dropped the phone beside me with a long sigh, staring at the ceiling. The apartment felt different now, emptier somehow, even though Max's presence had been more of a burden than comfort for months.

My eyes drifted to the corner of the living room where I kept a bottle of whiskey. Dad's whiskey, the expensive kind he only brought out for celebrations. I had been saving it, holding onto it like some kind of connection to him. But tonight, I didn't care about saving anything.

I dragged myself across the floor, my body feeling heavy and numb. My fingers closed around the bottle's neck, and I twisted off the cap. The smell hit me first, I brought it to my lips and took a long gulp.

It burned going down, scorching my throat and chest. I coughed, my eyes watering, but I didn't stop. I took another drink, then another. The warmth spread through my body, dulling the sharp edges of everything that hurt.

I leaned back against the wall, the bottle resting in my lap. The alcohol was already making my head feel fuzzy, disconnected from the rest of me. Good. I wanted to feel nothing, I wanted to stop thinking about Max and that woman, I wanted to stop seeing their bodies tangled together in my bed.

I lifted the bottle again and drank deeply. The liquid sloshed as I tilted it back, and I didn't stop until my lungs screamed for air. When I finally lowered it, the bottle was almost half empty.

My vision was blurring now, the room spinning slightly. I slid down until I was lying on the floor, the cold hardwood pressing against my cheek. The bottle rolled away from my hand, but I didn't bother picking it up.

Tears started rolling down my face again, I didn't wipe them away. I just lay there, my mind blank while my body shook with quiet sobs.

I closed my eyes, letting the darkness take over. My last thought before sleep pulled me under was that tomorrow, I would have to figure out how to keep going. But tonight, I could just stop thinking about it..

*******

The ringing dragged me back to consciousness. Loud, drilling into my skull. I groaned and fumbled for my phone, my hand knocking against the empty whiskey bottle. My head was pounding, my mouth tasted like something had spoiled in it.

"Hello?" My voice came out rough.

"Miss Bianca?" A professional female voice came through the speaker. "This is Sarah from City General Hospital. I'm calling to inform you that Emma's surgery will begin in approximately two hours. We wanted to make sure you were aware."

I sat up too quickly, and the room spun. "Two hours? Okay." I rubbed my face with my free hand. "Thank you for calling."

"You're welcome. We'll see you soon."

The call ended, and I started to let the phone drop back to the floor. My body wanted nothing more than to collapse back into sleep, to escape the headache and the memories of last night.

But then my eyes caught the time on the screen.

12:04 PM.

"Oh shit!" I scrambled to my feet, nearly tripping over the whiskey bottle. "Shit, shit, shit!"

I slept for over twelve hours. Twelve hours of lying on the floor like a corpse while Emma was about to have surgery. What kind of sister was I?

I stumbled toward the bathroom, my legs shaky and uncoordinated. The face staring back at me from the mirror was a disaster. Smudged makeup from yesterday, red puffy eyes, hair sticking up in every direction. I looked exactly like someone who had drunk half a bottle of whiskey and passed out on the floor.

I turned on the shower as hot as it would go and stepped under the spray. The water hit my skin like needles, but I welcomed the pain..

When I got out, I wrapped myself in a towel and went to my closet. I grabbed jeans and a simple blue sweater, something comfortable and normal. But as I was pulling the sweater over my head, I remembered the text from last night.

I stood there half dressed, staring at my closet. My regular clothes hung on one side, and pushed to the back were my work outfits from Velvet Nights. I reached in and pulled out a black lace set, something even more revealing than what I had worn last night.

“Just in case,” I told myself as I folded it carefully and tucked it into my bag.

I finished dressing quickly, grabbed my phone and keys, and rushed out the door. The cab ride to the hospital felt too long. I kept checking the time on my phone. 12:47 PM. 12:53 PM. 1:02 PM.

When I finally burst through the hospital doors, I was nearly running. I got to the surgical floor and went straight to the nurses' station.

"Emma," I said breathlessly. "Emma Fernandes. She's supposed to have surgery at 2 PM."

The nurse checked her computer. "Yes, but there's been a slight delay. The surgery is now scheduled for 3 PM. Dr. Martinez is running behind."

I felt relieved. "Can I see her?"

"She has been moved to room 312. But only for a few minutes. They'll be prepping her soon."

I found Emma's room and pushed open the door. She was sitting up in bed, looking small in her hospital gown. But when she saw me, her face lit up.

"Bia!" She reached out her arms.

I crossed the room and hugged her carefully, mindful of all the tubes and wires. "Hey, Em. How are you feeling?"

"Scared." Her voice was small. "But the doctor said this surgery is going to fix everything."

"It will." I pulled back and smoothed her hair. "You're going to be okay. I promise."

We talked for a few more minutes until the nurses came to prep her for surgery. I kissed her forehead and watched as they wheeled her bed out of the room and down the hallway toward the operating theater.

I stood there for a moment, my hands shaking. She looked so brave, so much braver than I felt.

I walked back toward the reception desk, trying to steady my breathing. The same woman from billing was there, and she looked up when I approached.

"I need to know the balance on Emma’s account," I said quietly.

She typed something into her computer. "After the deposit you made last night, the remaining balance for the surgery is nine thousand and five hundred dollars. That doesn't include the bed fees and post operative care."

My stomach dropped, nine thousand and five hundred dollars. I pulled out the envelope from my pocket and looked at the five hundred dollars inside. I had maybe eight hundred more in my bank account.

I was nowhere close to enough.

"Thank you," I managed to say.

I walked to the nearest ATM and withdrew everything I had. Eight hundred and forty seven dollars. Combined with the five hundred, I had just over thirteen hundred dollars total. I went to the billing office and deposited it all, watching my last safety net disappear.

By the time I finished with the paperwork and made it back to the surgical waiting area, it was already 5 PM. Emma was still in surgery. The nurse said it could take another few hours.

I sat down on one of the hard plastic benches and leaned my head back against the wall. I closed my eyes, just for a minute and the next thing I knew, loud voices were jarring me awake.

I jerked upright, my heart racing. The waiting room was busier now, filled with other families. The clock on the wall read 7:04 PM.

"Shit!" I slept for over two hours. I looked around for someone to ask about Emma, but the nurses were all busy with other patients.

Fucking alcohol. This was all the whiskey's fault. I shouldn't have drunk so much last night.

I checked my phone. Multiple missed calls from Fred. The last message was simple and threatening. "Where are you? The client is asking."

7:04 PM. If I left now, I could make it to the club by 7:30. Maybe 7:45 with traffic.

“I’ll be back before you wake up,” I whispered, even though she couldn’t hear me. Then I ran out of the hospital and flagged down the first cab I saw. "Velvet Nights," I told the driver. "And please hurry."

The club's neon sign came into view at 7:38 PM. I threw money at the driver and rushed toward the entrance. Fred was standing outside, his face red and angry.

"You're late!" He grabbed my arm as I tried to walk past him. "Almost an hour late! Do you know how much he’s paying for you?"

"I'm sorry." I pulled my arm free. "I'm here now."

"Get changed. Now. He's been asking for you every ten minutes."

I ran to the dressing room, ignoring the stares from the other girls. My hands were shaking as I pulled out the black lace set and changed as quickly as I could. Makeup went on in rushed strokes. I didn't have time to be perfect.

Rae appeared in the doorway. "Room Three. He's waiting."

I grabbed my things and walked down the hallway. My heels clicked against the floor, each step bringing me closer to that door. Closer to him.

I stopped outside Room Three and took a deep breath. The gold handle felt cold under my palm.

“Just one last time,” I told myself. Just tonight, and then I'll figure out another way. Just one more night.

I pushed the door open.