Prescribed (The White Coat Series) by D.D. Parker Page A

play basketball,” I said, my mood dampening at the thought of Eric. The love for him was still there, but finally being able to be with Ryan helped drop a thin layer of dirt on the grave that held our relationship. It was just a delicate layer, threatening to be brushed off at any moment to unveil the twisted, co-dependent bond underneath, but for now that thin layer was all I needed. It was going to take time and possibly therapy to fully get over Eric, but I did see now that our relationship from before was over. 
    “I promised him I was going to stay over and help him with things since his arm is broken.” 
    There was a moment of quiet on the phone for a few minutes and then, “Are you being stupid on purpose?” 
    “It’s not being stupid. You know we’ve had too much history to throw it all away. Besides, he knows what we had was over and this is just until he can take care of himself. Mentally and physically.” 
    “That might take forever,” she said, some light raindrops now plopping on the front of my windshield. It never rains in Los Angeles and of course, it had to rain that day. If only I could have seen the foreshadowing. 
    “It won’t. I’ll put a time limit on myself,” I said, confident that I wouldn’t stay there for longer than I needed nor would I fall into the same trap again, I couldn’t let myself.
    “Just please be safe, Em. You don’t know what he’s capable of.” The concern in her voice was palpable and it made me slightly nervous. Courtney never really got worried about much, she was always such a happy spirit, someone that lived life with a positive mantra all the time. So to hear her anxiety made me nervous for myself.
    “I will be,” I promised her, glancing over at my purse that held a can of pepper spray inside. 
    “Alright well I just got to his place, I’ll call you back later,” I said. I walked up the steps to the apartment and unlocked the door, not expecting what was behind it. 
    The smell hit me first. 
    It was like a garbage man decided to collect all the trash instead of throwing it out, bags of pizza and coke cans and who knows what else rested on the floor. Above one of the bags was a mirror that had been shattered; its pieces gleaming on the carpet underneath, waiting for the right moment to shred through someone’s bare foot. The kitchen had moldy meat lying on the counter, a gallon of un-drank milk sat curdled and sour by the sink.  
    I was in shock. 
    I stepped back out and inhaled the only clean air left. Stepping back inside was another mission as I held back my gag reflexes while the stench punched me over and over again. I couldn’t stay here. I couldn’t sleep here. 
    But I knew I needed to help him. 
    I put down my purse, took in another deep breath of fresh air, and entered the disaster zone, fully immersing myself in the neglected apartment. I started with the bigger things first, collecting all the torn trash bags and dragging them to the door, hoping nothing would leak out onto the floor and create some sort of uncontrollable bacterial crust. 
    Once all the trash was lined up in a nice, smelly row, I got to cleaning the glass shards, wondering how in the world Eric was able to even walk in here. I looked over to our bedroom and noticed all of our framed pictures were also shattered and scattered on the floor. Seeing our memories destroyed in a fit of rage really sobered me. I was starting to wonder just how gone Eric really was. 
    After the sharp, jagged pieces of glass were safely put away into the trash, I went into the kitchen. My body once again tried to projectile vomit in a form of protest but I was able to hold it together. The meat had turned a disgusting gray color underneath a white fuzzy growth, extending out and over the counter. It looked like small tendrils were trying to pour themselves some spoiled milk, which rested in chunks next to the Styrofoam meat container. 
    I closed my eyes and gently poked the growth