Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 139803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 699(@200wpm)___ 559(@250wpm)___ 466(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 699(@200wpm)___ 559(@250wpm)___ 466(@300wpm)
“She’s going to be okay.” Tears streamed down my cheeks. Oh, God, she was going to be okay.
Dr. Gresham softly smiled. “She’s going to be okay, Meghan,” he confirmed.
I dropped into a chair. “I’m sorry. Give me a minute.” I sniffled, swiping at my cheeks. “This is huge. I know I lashed out at her that day, but God, I was so angry and disappointed with her. She had so much potential, and she was throwing it all away, and she was hurting Axel so much.”
“I know,” he reminded me as he slid me a box of tissues.
“Axel needs to know she’s here,” I told him. “I can’t keep this from him.”
Dr. Gresham nodded. “I’ll give him a call in a few minutes. I wanted you to see for yourself first though, that she’s really trying.” He gave me a stern look. “Now, dry your eyes, calm down, and go check on her.”
I blew out a harsh breath but quickly dried my eyes. I stopped in the restroom on my way back to the painting room and splashed some cool water on my face to cool my cheeks before I went to go check on Alli.
She was silently crying as she swiped her brush over the canvas. She was the only one in the room, everyone else already having left to go do something else.
“Alli,” I gently called. She paused and set her brush down as she silently stared at her canvas with tears sliding down her cheeks. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Does it ever get easier?” she asked me, slowly turning to face me.
I nodded. “It takes time—a lot of time—but it does eventually get better. You just can’t give up. You’ll want to. Trust me, you will really want to just call it quits and let that darkness rule your life, but you have to keep pushing forward.”
“It’s so dark.” A sob ripped from her lips. “Meghan, I’m still scared of the dark, and now, it’s in my head.”
I quickly wrapped her up in my arms, letting her rest her head against my chest as she wailed out her internal pain, her fingers twisting in my t-shirt as she sobbed.
“There will be light soon. Don’t ever stop fighting and pushing forward, Alli. I promise it will show up.”
I don’t know how long I stood there holding Alli for, but eventually, Dr. Gresham came to tell me it was time to go home. Alli whimpered but released her hold on me. I smoothed my hand over her long dark hair. “It’s supposed to be my day off tomorrow, but I’m going to come see you, okay?” I gave her a tender smile. “We can paint together. How does that sound?”
She nodded. I grabbed her hand in mine. “Is it okay if I walk her to her room?” I asked Dr. Gresham.
He smiled and shook his head. “I’ll lead the way,” he told me.
Alli basically had a death grip on my hand, and she resisted when I tried to coax her into her room. “What’s wrong?” I asked her.
“I’ll have nightmares,” she told me, her voice breaking.
“They’re just dreams. They’re not real.” I looked at Dr. Gresham. It was normally a rule for lights to be out after a certain time, but she had admitted she was scared of the dark—both in her mind and in reality.
“Dr. Gresham, Alli is scared of the dark,” I quietly told him. “Is there some kind of strings you can pull so she can have a light?”
He looked at Alli. “Would it help if we turned on the bathroom light in your room and let it stay on throughout the night?” he asked her. “I, unfortunately, can’t allow the room light. It will disturb the other patients who are sleeping, but I can allow the bathroom light.”
She nodded, her grip loosening a little bit. “Okay,” she whispered.
I led her into her room, and as she was getting settled into her bed, I walked over to her bathroom and turned on the light. It shone the perfect amount of light into her room. She relaxed slightly. I smiled at her. “Get some rest, Alli,” I told her. “I’ll come see you tomorrow, okay?”
She nodded as she wrapped her arms around her pillow. “Goodnight, Meghan. Thank you for today.”
I smiled at her. “Anytime, Alli. Goodnight.”
I stepped from the room, quietly shutting her door behind me. Dr. Gresham smiled. “That, Meghan, is how I know she’s really trying.”
I nodded in agreement. Before, she had absolutely hated my guts, and now, she was looking to me for comfort, support, and guidance.
“Can she have a stuffed animal while she’s here?” I asked him. “For her to sleep with,” I clarified. “It might help her. And I can buy her a nightlight as well.”
He nodded. “I think it’ll be a great idea.” He looked at his watch. “I need to stop by the nurse’s station and let them know not to bother her or her light, and I’ll inform them of the night light being put into her room tomorrow. You should go on home. Axel and Julian have already called up here wondering when you were coming home.”