apparently the police have some physical evidence, social media posts and a video.”
“The attack was caught on video?” Michaela asked in surprise.
“I didn’t get the sense that it was quite as dramatic as that.” I pushed my plate away. “More like the video put them in the area at the time of the assault.”
“Any drugs or alcohol involved?” Michaela asked.
“There wasn’t any in Cora’s system. I don’t know about the other girls. But Cora has a pretty bad infection and the docs are talking about more surgery. When I left she had a high fever.”
“Sad all around,” Michaela said.
“Yes, it is,” I agreed.
My phone buzzed and reluctantly I answered it. It’s the hospital. “This is Dr. Gideon,” I said. I listened to the resident on the other end and with each word my stomach dropped. “I’ll be right there.”
“What is it?” Michaela asked. “Did Cora take a turn for the worse?”
“No,” I said as I grabbed my coat from the back of my chair. “It’s her sister, Kendall. She just tried to kill herself.”
* * *
I rushed back to the hospital, and made a beeline to the emergency room where Kendall was being treated.
My old friend Dr. Soto was working again. “Where are they?” I asked and he directed me to one of the examination rooms. I tapped on the glass and when the door slid open I was slammed with a sense of déjà vu. Kendall was attached to an IV, eyes closed, her mouth black with chalky charcoal, a sure sign they pumped her stomach. Mara was sitting in a chair next to her, bent over in anguish.
“Mara,” I whispered. “How is she? How are you?”
Mara lifted her head; her eyes were bloodshot, her face streaked with tears. “I don’t know what’s happening,” she choked out. “Why would Kendall do something like this?” Kendall stirred in her bed and Mara and I moved to the hallway.
“She took pills?” I asked.
Mara wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand. “Yeah, after she ran out of Cora’s room earlier she didn’t come back and, honestly, we didn’t go looking for her. Cora’s fever spiked again and we were worried about her.” Mara looked over at Kendall’s sleeping form. “We just thought that it was overwhelming for Kendall and she needed some fresh air, some space. If I knew she was going to do this, I would have gone after her. She swallowed a bottle of Tylenol PM and God knows what else.”
“Has she been conscious?” I asked.
“Yes, just sleepy. I’ve nearly lost both my children in a matter of days, Dr. Gideon. What has my family done to deserve this? My husband is beside himself with anger. Did you know they let those kids go home? Can you believe that?”
This was news to me. Last I heard, Jordyn and the boy were the main suspects and were in custody and being questioned. Things were happening so fast. “Cora could lose her eye and Kendall tried to...and she refuses to talk to me, won’t tell me what she was thinking.” Mara looked at me helplessly. “How can I help her if she doesn’t tell me what’s wrong?”
“Sometimes confiding to those people who mean the most to us can be the most difficult,” I said. On the other side of the door Kendall blinked her eyes open.
“But she should know that she can always talk to me. I’m her mom.” Mara’s voice broke on the final word.
“Would you like me to visit with Kendall?” I asked.
Mara dug a tissue out of her pocket and dabbed at her nose. “But you can’t repeat what she says to you, right?” Mara asked. “I won’t be any closer to knowing why she did this.”
“You’re right,” I told her. “I can’t tell you the details of our conversation but I can help Kendall process what’s been happening, help her try to understand what she’s feeling. And I can encourage her to talk to you.”
Mara and I looked through the glass at Kendall, who pushed herself up in bed and wiped at her mouth with her sleeve, grimacing at the taste of charcoal. “It’s up to you, Mara, but at some point Kendall is going to need to talk to someone.” Mara knocked on the glass and gave Kendall a little wave and tried to muster a smile. Kendall looked away, pretending she didn’t see.
“Oh, Jesus,” Mara said, pressing her forehead against the door. “I can’t take much more of this and I know that Jim