Here's to the Heartache (Frerard) *Discontinued*

43: Thing Can Only Go Up From Here

"Sorry to intrude, but I need to check your vitals honey."

Frank and Mrs. Wentz both nod politely, not wanting to continue their conversation with someone else present. Moments later, a man entered the room as well. Frank could only assume it was the doctor due to his white coat and the clipboard he was holding.

"Ah Pete, good to see you up," the man smiled. "I'm Dr. Collins. How are you feeling?"

"Fine, I guess," Pete shrugged, "considering what I did, I'm just lucky to be alive."

"Yes, you are, son. I know right now might not be the time, but we do need to talk about what happened before we can release you. We can have this discussion later if you like." The doctor paused, glancing back at Frank and Mrs. Wentz before turning his gaze to Pete again.

"No, it's okay. They're my family, so anything we need to talk about they can hear."

Frank smiled to himself at Pete's words. He hadn't been sure how Pete would feel about him after he'd invaded his privacy, but it appeared that he was already forgiven. He didn't deserve love like this, but he knew for a fact that he would never take Pete for granted again.

"Well, the good news is, you have no serious injuries. Your scan all came back and you have no brain damage or internal bleeding. Luckily, it was raining so hard tonight, so the river was much higher than usual. I've had a few patients in here that have made that jump and ended up in the morgue. I'm glad you won't be one of them."

"So am I," Pete cut in, but the doctor wasn't finished speaking yet.

"I want to make sure I don't see you in here again though, and I can't help but notice you have a lot of previous scarring and injuries that didn't happen tonight."

"I...yeah, I have been self-harming," Pete admitted. "I didn't mean for it to get this bad, but now it's hard to stop." Frank couldn't help but admire Pete's bravery. He struggled with so many things as well, but he was never strong enough to admit that to anyone else, yet here Pete was barring his darkest secrets to a stranger in the attempt to get better.

"I'm proud of you for admitting it, that's a big first step," the doctor smiled down at Pete, ignoring the two visitors in the room for the time being. "And I know it's hard to admit you need help, but this hospital has an amazing inpatient program for people struggling with addictions like self-harm. I know the idea of it is scary, but a lot of people have found it very helpful in the long run. You don't have to do anything that you and your mother don't agree on, of course, but I would highly recommend admitting yourself for the minimum thirty day period and seeing if it's of any benefit to you. For now, I'll leave you all be so you can discuss things, but the nurse will be asking about your decision when she comes back

"Okay, thank you," Pete nodded thoughtfully. Frank smiled at the doctor as he said his farewells to him and Mrs. Wentz as well.

Although Pete had given him permission to sit in on their conversation, Frank still felt like a bit of an outsider. Pete was facing a huge decision that would most likely impact the rest of his life, and even if his friend wasn't going to mention it, Frank had put him in this predicament in the first place. Maybe he wasn't the only reason that Pete had fallen into this pit of despair, but he had pushed him down this road, his journal was proof of that.

Yet Pete was being the bigger person and taking the blame all on his own shoulders. Frank didn't know what he would do if he were in Pete's position. He'd never been brave enough to ask for help before, and now here Pete was practically screaming for someone to save him. Frank didn't want him to be committed to the hospital, but if it would help him regain his feet, it might be for the best.