Lizzie - Chapter 24 - The Revelation

After last night's conversation, exhaustion overwhelmed her, and Lizzie passed out the moment her head hit the pillow.

When she awoke, her parents were already waiting by her bedside.

"Morning," she said, rubbing her eyes. 

"Good morning, did you sleep well?" Jennifer asked.

"Yeah." Lizzie smiled, shifting her legs beneath her covers, relieved to find them clean and dry. 

She looked over and noticed a blanket and pillow on the couch. 

"Did you both sleep here last night?"

"Your mom did, I went home and came back an hour ago." 

"You should've gone home so you could've slept better," Lizzie said, noticing the wrinkles on her mom's face.

"She didn't want to leave your side."

"I just wanted to be here in case you woke up in the middle of the night and needed something."

"Thanks."

"Dr. Susan said she'd come to check in with us soon, but is there anything you want to do before then?"

"Mmm, I'd like to take a shower."

"I brought you a change of clothes, and this," Philip said, holding up her favorite bottle of shampoo.

"Thanks dad."

The water felt great. She basked in the stream, letting the hot water soften her entire body.

She let her shampoo work its magic, the suds washed away the grime, leaving a faint scent of roses in its place. 

She had just finished drying her hair when there was a knock on the door.

"Good morning Lizzie," Dr. Susan said as she entered. "How are you feeling today?"

"A lot better, thanks."

"Well, I have some good news. I did a final review of the latest tests and you can be discharged today."

"That's great," her mom said turning to her.

"Yeah, I'm glad." She smiled.

"I do have one other important piece of news though. Earlier you mentioned increased agitation and bedwetting, so I asked your parents about any medications you may be taking.

"Your dad mentioned some vitamins, and after some research, I got the lab to run some tests. Have you been taking them for long?"

"Just a few months… is something wrong?" Lizzie asked. 

"Were those prescribed specifically for her?"

All eyes turned to Jennifer, who paused for a moment. "I got them from a friend. She works for this health supplement company, and said they were amazing for girls Lizzie's age for development and mood stability." 

"Well, these so-called vitamins are actually some relatively potent medication. Firstly, it contains St. John's Wort, a drug that's sometimes prescribed as a mood stabilizer, but it's also been known to instead cause increased irritation and aggression in some. While it's mild, taking it at a young age when there are no known mood problems simply does more harm than good."

"That's—" Philip started, turning to look at Jennifer.

"Unfortunately, I'm not finished," Dr. Susan interrupted, her face still soft, but her voice stern. "Although it definitely contains some good vitamins, the pills also contain known diuretics and mild sedatives. These would've led to increased urine and deeper sleeping respectively."

"Does that mean…" Lizzie's voice trailed off, her gaze turning toward her mom.

"That's right. Together, they would've had a negative impact on your bedwetting. Now, thankfully all of this is relatively mild, but even so, for a young developing adolescent, taking something like this long-term could've had significant consequences."

"I…" Jennifer's face was bright red as she struggled to find words. "I didn't realize…"

Dr. Susan shook her head and sighed. "That's exactly why you should leave the prescribing to us medical professionals." 

"I… I didn't know."

"You'd be surprised how many self-medicate like this and end up in the hospital. Thankfully, in this case, we caught it early enough and the drug itself was mild enough, the effects should've already begun to reverse and will return to normal within another week or so. But please take this as a strict warning, don't take health products that weren't prescribed by a doctor, even if they may seem mundane and harmless. Consider yourselves lucky, the consequences could've been far worse."

"Understood…" Philip said, and Jennifer nodded quickly.

"And Lizzie, keep your parents honest. I know they did it with your best interests at heart, but as a mom myself, it's easy to think we're doing what's best, only to overdo it."

Lizzie nodded slowly.

"Good news is that, the rest of your bloodwork and tests are back to normal, so I feel comfortable discharging you today. Unless you have any further questions, I'll leave your parents to figure out how they can make it up to you."

"Wait," Lizzie called out. "When you say the drug effects will reverse and return to normal, do you mean my bedwetting would…" 

"Sorry, I should've phrased that better. What I meant is that your bedwetting, among other things, are likely to return to how it was prior to you starting the medication."

"Oh," Lizzie said, letting out a short sigh and looking down.

"Bedwetting gets better over time. But seeing as it's caused you and your family some stress, if you'd like, I can refer you to a pediatric urologist. They would be able to talk about other methods that can help."

Lizzie looked to her parents, who both nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that."

"Thank you for all of your help, and I'm sorry." Jennifer said. 

"It's really not me you should be apologizing to." Dr. Susan nodded toward Lizzie. "And, I know it's not really my place, but it seems you both have a lot to make up to her. From one parent to another, you two have raised a great kid, I hope you can see and appreciate that."

Only after the door slid shut did everything the doctor said slowly begin setting in.

Could it all have been adverted if she hadn't taken the medication that her mom had so irresponsibly given her? All of the yelling, punishments, and suffering she'd undergone, had it all been because of some stupid pills?

"Lizzie…" Philip said.

She turned to glare at Jennifer, ready to give her an earful, only to find her mom's face in her hands.

"I'm sorry," Jennifer choked out the words. "I'm so sorry, Lizzie." 

"I…" Lizzie thought back to the doctor's words. "I need a minute."

"Lizzie please…" 

"Don't worry, I just need to use the restroom."

Shutting the door, she began pacing back and forth.

Her increased wetting, her growing frustration, her explosive outbursts, had it all been the result of taking some small pills?

If she hadn't taken it, would she still have gotten into the mess at Aunt Miras? Would she still have removed her protection? Would she still have gotten put in the pajamas and harness? 

"Lizzie…" the voice at the door interrupted her thoughts. "I am so sorry, Lizzie. I… I know that's not nearly enough, and I know there's nothing I can say to fix what I did… 

"I really was trying to do the best for you, but now I realize I was a fool. I just blindly trusted my friend without thinking. And to think I was so hard on you, blaming you without looking for other possible explanations. You deserve to be angry."

And yet she wasn't. 

Lizzie blinked at the realization. She had every right to be mad, to be furious at her mom for everything… so why wasn't she?

"Everything that happened was my fault. I never should've given you those medications. I shouldn't have been so fixated on the rules. I should've listened to you more. Been more patient. I know I hurt you in ways that are unforgivable. I'm sorry."

No. 

The medication hadn't caused everything.

The tension had always been there. Her bedwetting had always haunted her, isolated her from her friends. And her struggles against that babying image meant fighting against her parents' protective embrace. 

Yet the conflict had always been subtle, swept under the rug by cheap apologies and temporary fixes. 

So yes, perhaps without her meds, she could've avoided the punishments. Perhaps without them, the problems would've stayed buried, seeds of resentment that would've slowly grown until… 

"Lizzie… I know I can never make it up to you, but I promise you, I will spend the rest of my life trying. If you let me."

Lizzie opened the door, and found her mom kneeling on the floor, face full of tears. "I forgive you," she said. 

She wrapped her arms around her mother, who looked back at her, a dazed expression on her face. "I know it's been tough for you guys too. Meds or not, I know I'm not easy to deal with sometimes. Even though you guys are strict, I… I've come to realize that it's because you love me."

"I…" Her mom's voice faded.

"I just want you to trust in me a bit more. Let me make mistakes, let me fall down. I'll be okay, because I know you'll be there to pick me up."

"I promise," Jennifer said, tucking Lizzie into her chest. "I know I've said that before, but now I understand why it's so important to you. From now on, I… we promise to respect your opinions, and to let you make your own decisions."

"And moving forward, rather than punish you for your mistakes, we'll sit down and discuss them, and figure out a plan together, like adults."

"And if and when we forget, you'll remind us, okay?"

"Of course."

"What did we ever do to deserve you?" Philip joined in the hug. "Lizzie, we're so lucky to have you."

"I know," Lizzie said, but felt her eyes moisten. 

She was still a bedwetter, and perhaps she would be for the rest of her life.

But resting her head between her parents' embrace, something now felt different. 

She felt, perhaps for the first time, that everyone — her friends, her parents, and even herself — was on her side. And no matter what problems lay ahead, she knew they'd be able to overcome it. Together.

And so, Lizzie knew, everything would be alright.