Overdose at Home
My oldest and dearest friend in the world lives here in my hometown. We have been friends since we were 12 and in the 7th grade. We are closer than some sisters, I think.
She called me yesterday at 2:05. I was at work. She was crying and said, "Cats can you come over?" And I said "yes, of course. I'm on my way" She's that kind of friend. She asks and the answer is "yes, of course. I'm on my way". I'll figure out why I'm going once I'm on my way.
I don't know how I knew, from those 5 words that she spoke, that her BF of 17 years was dead. I just knew. And dang him, I am fairly sure it was an overdose. She wants to believe it was his heart, and it might have been - at age 53 after a lot of drinking and drug use, it may have given out... who knows. Toxicology and autopsy will tell next week sometime.
She went home for lunch from work, which she very seldom does. She found him on the couch in their home. She called 9-1-1 and tried to do CPR. The police were there within 2 or 3 minutes, but there was no helping him. He was already dead.
She said the police picked up a pipe off of the floor, and she was totally dumbfounded. If he was using again, she honestly had no idea. She really thought he was clean and had been for awhile, although he did not attend meetings or get any kind of help after he went to treatment a few yrs ago. They asked her if he used meth, or maybe crack? She really had no idea. She's pretty sure it wasn't meth, and knows he had done crack before but thought he was done with it. Was he that good at hiding it from her? Or was her denial really that strong? I don't know...
I was the first person she called, and he was still there on the couch when i arrived about 10 min later. The police and medical examiner were there, and took pictures and did whatever else it was they had to do. She waited outside.
I went over to where he was, and I yelled at him. "You DUMB*SS how could you do this to her?" And then I realized, he didn't do it to her. He just did it.
I am so angry. I couldn't sleep last night. GOD ALMIGHTY I hate this disease. And I'm having troubles getting the picture of him dead on the couch out of my head.
Please send up your prayers for S, and for R and for those who loved him. And for me, that I will know how to support my dear friend, who needs me right now.
Oh, and for R's son B. They recently reconciled after years of being apart. He's serving in Afghanistan and will get the news today or tomorrow that his dad died and will have to make a long and lonely trip back home for the funeral.
It's just so sad. All of it.