chapter one

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chapter one

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chapter one

CELIA CLIMBED BACK INTO HER BED. Her sister had come to visit her in the late hours of the night. It was something she did only when she had a rough shift in the E.R. By the way Connie looked, she could tell it was one of the worst nights she had.

"I was about to finish my shift when we got another ambulance, Cece. Paramedics said the pregnant woman collapsed after she got off her flight. By the time she got to us, she was barely breathing. I knew she overdosed on cocaine because of her vital signs, but she didn't have any residue on her or any injection marks. We did everything we could to save her, Cece, but it wasn't enough. She died in the ER and then we tried to save her baby. Her baby died in my hands. She was body-packing, like a mule, 11 ounces of cocaine. Two of the pellets opened and she instantly got twelve grams of cocaine in her bloodstream. No one survives that...." Connie Murphy explained her rough shift at the hospital to her adopted sister as she laid in bed with her. She had laid there under the duvet with her sister before she glanced at the time. "I should probably go home. Steve's probably going to be worried about me if I don't make it home before him. I need a shower anyways."

"He's always worried about you and so am I. It's because we both love you so much, Con. These shifts in the ER are obviously taking a toll on you." Celia wrapped her tanned arms around her sister and pulled her in for a tight embrace. "I'm sorry about what happened."

Connie was the first to pull back after she gave her adopted sister once last squeeze before quietly collecting her belongings. Once she got her shoes on, Connie said her goodbyes then walked herself out of Celia's apartment. Celia's small smile dropped once she heard the front door closed. Falling back onto her bed, she laid there awake for a while and worried about her sister. Of course death was something Connie knew she was going to be exposed to when working as a nurse in general, but now with drugs in the mix? Connie was seeing a death by the lethal substance almost every night. This night just happened to hit harder because it wasn't just some random person found on the street. It was a pregnant woman and her baby who both were victims to cocaine.

Celia struggled to go to sleep that night. Her sister's story had began to haunt her. Just knowing all the deaths see was going to witness had reminded Celia of when she changed her major from pre-medicine to Spanish back during her days at the local university. Although she was adopted, her family didn't want her to forget her Latin roots. Her parents and siblings surrounded her with as much Spanish words and Guatemalan culture as they could. Celia would be forever grateful for that.

Thinking about her family had distracted her mind enough to fall asleep. It was about time she did. Celia was going to have an early start tomorrow if she wanted to have some breakfast with Connie and her husband, Steve.

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BURNT TOAST FILLED THE AIR. Steve was in the midst of flipping a pancake when the smell hit him. He swore and dropped the spatula in his hands to move towards the old toaster in their kitchen.

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