Just Breathe

Chapter 2 {One Note From Jacob}

It was Jonathan's fist day at the crisis center. He couldn't fathom why the judge would even consider giving him free reign to callers who were on the edge of suicide. Jonathan's life didn't have hope; he didn't feel like he could explain the word hope to someone when he had to force himself to believe in it every morning he woke up.

"I don't wanna stay with Ms. Crazy-pants today!" Jonathan's younger brother, Timmy, whined in protest while Jonathan raced around the small apartment, picking up things that he thought his brother may need throughout the day. 

"Her name is Ms. Cralley and you're going to behave, understand?" Jonathan questioned his brother with a stern look while holding out the small backpack for him to take. Ms. Cralley was an older lady that lived on the second floor of their apartment building. She had taken care of Timmy as much as she could the last couple of years and Jonathan was very grateful, although Timmy often said she smelled like rotten cheese and bologna.

"Yes." Timmy responded dejectedly before throwing the bag over his shoulder.

Jonathan frowned at his younger brother in sympathy and kneeled down in front of him, putting on a smile for his brother's benefit. "Ice cream tomorrow?"

The small boy nodded in excitement and immediately shouted, "yes!"

Jonathan ushered him out of the apartment and couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sadness due to their situation and the cards they had been dealt.

~

"Hi, my name's Jonathan and I'm here for my community service." He mumbled lowly at the lady behind the counter as she flipped through some papers on her desk. She smiled up at him brightly and nodded with a tad too much excitement so early in the morning. 

"Yes, Mr. Grey, I have all your information right here. It's so good to have you with us, I'm sure you will be an excellent part of our 'save a life' staff here at the crisis center. If you will just follow me I will show you to your cubicle." She spoke quickly and didn't give Jonathan a chance before starting her walk to the back, expecting him to follow.

He followed after the peppy woman, wondering why she was at the front desk instead of taking calls. She should have been the one talking people off a ledge. He thought once more and shook his head. If she was the one talking him off a ledge, he wouldn't have thought twice about jumping.

"Here we are, your own personal space for the next twelve months. If you have any questions I will be up front and Dr. McCarthy's number is taped to the phone if you have any problems or serious suicidal callers. We know this may seem strange to you, Mr. Grey but here at the crisis center we have learned that people under extreme stress and depression tend to respond better to people who have similar feelings and experiences. A person feeling an enormous amount of pain in their life doesn't want to hear from a person...of say...someone like me for example." She smirked and a strange shot of shame abruptly. She knew exactly what he had been thinking.

He nodded and glanced down at his small desk once again as she walked back to the front with that same large smile. He sat down at the desk and began looking through the drawers, playing with the stress relief ball placed by the phone. His eyebrows scrunched together in curiosity when he saw a folded piece of paper wedged between a stapler and a pencil holder. He saw, 'From Jacob' wrote on the front and began unfolding it.

'Her name is Riley. She's seventeen, has a drinking problem and a constant stream of suicidal thoughts. I wasn't given enough time to help her but maybe you can. She's rough around the edges, but you're a fool if you can't feel her heart.'

He stared at the paper in intrigue and curiosity. Was this note purposely left for him to find? Maybe Jacob was the guy who worked this phone before him but that still didn't explain Riley. Who was Riley? The guy didn't know Jonathan because if he did, Jonathan knew he would never have left her fate in his hands.