Dysfunctional (Sequel to Soft Whispers)

Big Surprise

I sat down on the edge of the bed and tied my shoes. I was going home today. I doodled on my whiteboard and waited for someone to come and get me. As if on que, Ray walked in; he was eating a bag of potato chips.

"I'm gonna miss the food here" he stated, "and also the cute teenage girl at the reception desk".

I raised an eyebrow.

Teenage?

He nodded. "Yeah, she's volunteering, getting her community hours in".

Oh.

"Yup" he said as he threw the empty chip bag away, "you ready to go?"

Yeah.

"Okay, well let's head out".

I followed him out of the room and after him saying a quick goodbye to the reception girl, we went to his car.

Hi.

'Oh, wow. I thought you left, hi'.

I'd never leave without saying goodbye first.

'Right. I don't know what I was thinking'.

I just... Hospitals always made me nervous, even though I had been in them millions of times before. I just don't like them.

'So you didn't talk to me because you were nervous?'

Yeah, basically.

'Oh. Okay'.

'Why don't you like hospitals? Besides the whole death thing'.

I've been an inpatient so many times, I can't even give you an exact number. You know the four times I tried to slit my wrists?

'Yeah, I do'.

The nurses knew it was me before they even heard the patient's name.

'Wow'.

Yeah, I made a nurse friend. Her name was Nurse Owens. She let me call her by her first name, which was Janice. She was really nice, and she would always make sure that the other nurses were treating me right. She'd give me little candies whenever she saw me, they were cherry flavored. She was my favorite nurse because she believed me when I told her about the voices.

'She sounds lovely'.

Yeah, she was great.

'What happened to her? Like your relationship with her?'

I messed it up by dying.

>>*<<

"Close your eyes" Ray stated as I climbed out of the car.

I can't talk and now you want to take my sight away from me too?

"Yup, but just for a couple of seconds".

I sighed and closed my eyes, I stood still and waited for him to guide me to the door. I felt him lightly place one hand on my back and the other took a hold of my hand. He led me to the front door and opened it, he walked me forward and I nearly tripped and fell.

"Oh, yeah. Step up" he said with a small chuckle, "my bad".

I stepped up and walked into the house. The door closed behind me. "Okay, you can open them now".

I opened my eyes, "welcome home!" My eyes scanned the living room and I saw different colored balloons on the floor and in the air, streamers hanging from the ceiling, pictures of my friends and I on the walls. I turned around in a circle and saw the words 'Welcome Home, Bria' on the top of the wall. I faced the living room and looked at Jordan, Jazmyne, and.... Chresanto. I stared at him for the longest, I was shocked to see him. I thought I'd also be sad, and I was. I wiped at my tears as I began to cry, I shook my head a little and walked upstairs to my room.