He didn’t know why he did what he did. The thought never crossed his mind. He settled a few things with Lucy and that made him feel slightly better. The only thing left to agree on was his tour. He wanted to tell her what Brown said, but he didn’t have the guts.
Maybe I am just a kid, he thought. He was about to take on a lot of responsibilities. A career, a wife, a kid, all in one shot. Would he be able to handle this? After all, he was just a kid even though he hadn’t felt like one for the last seven years.
“I need to lay down for a bit, Luce,” he said. “It’s been one of those kinds of days, and I’m beat.”
Lucy nodded her head and rose from the couch. She held out her hands to him. He grasped them, and she pulled him to his feet.
“I think we could both use a rest,” she said. “Mind if I join you?”
“Not at all.” Affection glowed in his eyes. “I love you, Luce. We’re going to get married. We’re going to have a baby. It’s a lot, but I’m happy about it.”
She breathed a sigh and slowly shook her head. “I sure hope so. I guess I need to get used to the fact that you’re only seventeen. Now I wish I had never asked.”
He scratched his head. “Yea, that’s kind of a bummer. Let’s go to bed. I’ll join you in a sec. I gotta hit the bathroom first.”
He watched Lucy go into the bedroom, then walked into the bathroom and shut the door. The only thing on his mind was to take a leak. He lifted the lid on the toilet seat and relieved himself. Then he washed his hands and studied his reflection in the mirror.
For a reason he would never fathom, he opened the medicine cabinet and took out the bottle of Valium that Brown gave him. He shook the bottle and listened to the sound the little blue pills made as they tapped against the sides of the bottle. He opened the lid, put the bottle to his mouth, and tipped it.
The bottle had been full. Now it wasn’t.
He left the pills to melt on his tongue as he ran water in the sink, filled his palms, and drank the water, washing down all of the Valium. He closed the medicine cabinet door and studied his reflection again. He stuck out his tongue. It turned blue from the pills and was starting to get numb.
He felt nothing. His mind was a blank canvas. All he wanted to do was rest.
He went to the bedroom and crawled in beside Lucy. She turned to face him, kissed him gently on the lips, and smiled. “I love you, too,” she said softly. “You big kid.”
He snorted, took her in his arms, and pulled her close to him.
Her body grew warm next to his.
It felt good.
It felt right.
Rob closed his eyes.
***
Lucy sat up in the bed and glanced around the darkened bedroom. Something was off. She could feel it in her bones.
Throwing the blankets aside, she left the bed, making her way through the small apartment. Everything was in its place. Nothing was amiss.
She went into the bathroom and sat down on the toilet. As she relieved herself, her eyes fell on the empty bottle of Valium that lay in the sink. Her heart skipped a beat. Hurriedly, she cleaned herself and took the bottle from the sink. The prescription was written for Lawrence Brown. It was for Valium 10mg—30 count.
“Rob,” she cried softly. She dropped the bottle and ran to the bedroom, her bare feet making slapping sounds on the floor. Her heart was turning inside out. She hoped and prayed she wasn’t too late.
She knelt at his side. He still lay in the same position.
He hadn’t moved since they went to bed.
She lay a trembling hand on his chest. She couldn’t find a heartbeat.
Giving a short cry, she put her ear next to his mouth and listened intently. Rob wasn’t breathing.
“Rob!” she cried. “No, Rob.”
She grabbed her cell phone and dialed 911. She tried hard not to be hysterical when the operator answered her call, but Rob was dying, or maybe he was already dead.
“Please hurry,” she begged into the phone. “Please.”
While she waited for the ambulance to arrive, she threw on some jeans and a sweatshirt. She sat down on the bed and took Rob in her arms. As she rocked him gently against her breast, she felt the tears roll silently down her cheeks.
“Why, Rob?” she murmured against his hair. “Why would you do this?”
When she heard the siren’s wail, she placed his head back down on the pillow and ran to answer the door. Moving automatically she ran to the door and showed the EMT's the way to the bedroom. She wished she could cry, but she was too numb.
When the EMTs loaded Rob onto the stretcher, she climbed into the ambulance and sat down beside him. She took his hand in hers and squeezed it tightly, hoping for a sign that he was still there.
Rob never squeezed back.
© Copyright 2026 k.l.warzala. All rights reserved.
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Hey, KL. I guess he was overwhelmed. He wanted out. His life, already badly damaged, couldn't provide him with a strong will to live. At least that's my two cents. No one can really take a whole lot before they push the panic button, even the Big one.
This was a very sad chapter to read, but again, good fiction contains the HARD times, the IMPOSSIBLE times.
How far will he bounce back? I expect he's still got a LOT more to contend with :-0 One can only hope and pray for the Robs of this world much of the time. Can't stop them from doing what they're gonna do...
Intense and harrowing, just like the rest of the story :-0
CHEERS!!!!
Mike
Author
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Thank you very very very much Mike.
This story is pouring out of me! KL
Now the reason. Things were going too good for him, so worrying the worse was looming he in a nonchalant moment kills himself. At 17. Maybe he didn't know it would kill em, just stall life a while. We know he survives but what sort of brain well he have after being deprived of oxygen for minutes.
mikejackson1127