Sea Breeze 04 - Just for Now

morning.”
    Oh no.
    “Weren’t you at school yesterday and today? Could she have gotten up while you were at school?”
    That had to be it.
    “No, she hasn’t moved. At all.”
    “Okay, Brent. I’m on my way right now. I want you to call 911 when we hang up, and tell them this exact same thing, okay? Then you and Daisy sit together in the living room. I’ll be there in about five minutes. Be waiting on me.”
    “She’s dead, ain’t she?”
    How did I tell this little boy his mother was very likely dead? That or in a coma.
    “We don’t know that. She could just be sleeping a long time. You call 911. I’m on my way. Is Daisy okay?”
    “Yeah, she’s sitting here beside me.”
    “Good. You keep her right there with you. See you in a minute.”
    “Okay, bye.”
    He disconnected the line, and I dialed Preston’s number. It rang three times, then went to voice mail.
    “It’s Preston. You know what to do.”
    “Preston, it’s Amanda. Brent just called me. Your mother hasn’t woken up in two days. They’re worried. I had him call 911, and I’m on my way over there. Call me as soon as you get this.”
    I ended the call and gunned the engine.

Chapter Twenty-Three
Preston
    A loud banging sound interrupted my dreams. I tried to block it out. I wasn’t ready for this dream to end. Amanda was laughing and running down the beach while I chased her. She didn’t hate me. She still loved me. The banging was joined with a ringing noise and some yelling. I peeled open my eyes and glanced over at the clock. It was four in the afternoon. I’d slept all day. I hadn’t gotten home from work until almost four this morning. Then I’d been too jacked up on coffee to sleep. It had been almost seven before I crashed. I had to go back to work at eight tonight.
    The banging reminded me of why I was awake. I stumbled out of bed and made my way to the door before whoever was on the other side beat it down.
    I jerked it open to see Marcus standing on the other side. “Shit, man, I was getting ready to break the door down. I’ve been calling you, and then banging on this door for over ten minutes when that didn’t work.”
    “I was sleeping. I’m working nights now, you know.”
    “That’s right. I forgot you worked last night. Listen, I need to tell you something, and I don’t know how you’re gonna take it, so you might want to sit down.”
    This was not something you wanted to wake up to. “What is it?” I demanded. I didn’t need to sit down, I just needed to know.
    “It’s your mom. She overdosed.” He paused and waited for a reaction from me.
    “Did it kill her this time?” This wasn’t her first overdose.
    Marcus placed his hand on my shoulder and let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah, man. It did.”
    I turned and headed for my room to put on some clothes. The kids would need me. I slipped on some jeans and tried to figure out how I could fit all three kids in here and take care of them when I was working nights. Without my mom’s rent and utilities I’d have a little extra to hire a sitter.
    “You okay?” Marcus asked from the doorway of my room.
    “She was junkie, Marcus. It was bound to happen. I just need to get to the kids. They’re probably scared.”
    The tightness in my chest surprised me. I wouldn’t grieve for this woman. She’d done nothing for me in my life. I swallowed the weak emotion from the little boy deep inside who had wanted his mother to love him. Even a little. I’d figured out long ago she never would. I wouldn’t shed a tear for her now.
    “The kids are fine. Amanda has all three of them. They’re getting ice cream, then going to the park. She sent me to find you. There are custody issues you have to deal with.”
    Amanda had the kids? How? Why? No matter how much they liked her, they would have called me first.
    “How did Amanda know to get the kids?”
    “Your younger brother called her. Told her your mom hadn’t woken up in two days, and Amanda left school and rushed over there. She also had him call 911 while he waited on her to arrive. They couldn’t reach you, so they called her.”
    Brent had called Amanda. My chest hurt. All three kids had been upset when I’d had to tell them I wouldn’t be bringing Amanda around anymore. Daisy had even cried. But they’d known they could count on her when they couldn’t get me on the phone. A lump formed in my throat, and I grabbed my keys and headed for the door.
    “I know she left you for the Stone guy, and I’m