"…I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me…"
-Evanescence
Outside the open door, Dr. Abbott turns to Andy. "I'll call my mother and she can go pick up anything you might need."
"Thank you for coming, Harold," Andy says.
"It's going to be okay, Andy. He's a good kid, he just needs to learn how to ask for help. I can come by in the morning if you want," Dr. Abbott offers.
"I would appreciate that," Andy nods.
Dr. Abbott leaves the upset parent and returns to his house.
Amy is waiting up for her father. "Dad, what's going on?"
"Why are you still awake, Amy? It's a school night. Go to bed," Harold sighs, still concerned about Ephram.
"Something's wrong, is it Ephram?" Amy replies.
"Honey, I can't talk about it," Dr. Abbott answers.
"Well, can I ask him about it at school tomorrow or should I stop by his house afterwards?" Amy questions.
"Amy. I think you should let Dr. Brown take care of Ephram," Dr. Abbott says, a stern tone in his voice.
"Dad, Ephram…" Amy begins.
"Go to bed, Amy."
Andy sits quietly beside Ephram's sleeping form as Edna readjusts the I.V. she recently placed in his hand.
"He's a good boy, Andy. He's stubborn like you. He let himself get sick running himself ragged…" Edna says.
"No, Edna. I'm losing him…" Andy sighs, quietly.
Ephram starts to struggle in his fevered sleep. "Please…I'm sorry…I'll get better…I don't see you…I won't see you…" He murmurs.
"He must be having bad dreams…" Edna says, gauging Andy's reaction.
"Ephram's been seeing his mother. When he's awake. Dr. Abbott thinks that he's had some sort of breakdown. He's been drinking and god knows what else and I didn't see any of it. I mean, I knew Ephram and I have nothing in common…he barely tolerates me, but I love him…he should have been able to come to me…" Andy loses his train of thought and stops mid-sentence.
"Andy. He's going to be fine. Ephram will be okay. He's a strong kid, he'll get through this. I don't think he's ever really dealt with his mother's death. Maybe it finally caught up with him…" Edna says, quietly.
"I should have noticed that something was wrong," Andy states.
"He's going to be fine, Andy. You have to stop blaming yourself and start helping your son. He needs you to be strong right now. Are you going to get a hold on yourself?" Edna asks.
Andy hesitates and finally nods. "Will you sit with him? I'm going to get cleaned up. I'll call Nina and see if she can take Delia to school with Sam."
Edna sits in Dr. Brown's abandoned seat and absently takes Ephram's hot hand.
"Do you think I'm going crazy?" Ephram asks, surprising Edna. She jumps, startled.
'How long have you been awake?" She questions in return.
"I don't sleep, especially when people are watching me," Ephram replies. "Do you think I'm going crazy?"
"No, honey," Edna replies.
"I don't remember talking to Dr. Abbott. Whatever I said…my Dad thinks…" Ephram begins.
"You Dad is worried about you," Edna interrupts. "He loves you too much for anything else to matter."
"I could never tell him the things she says," Ephram says.
"Ephram," Edna starts as Andy enters.
"I know she's dead…" Ephram begins, meeting his father's gaze. "But she speaks to me and she's always with me…" He looks away. "But she's mean now. She's changed and she's changing me…"
Andy glances at Edna who is shaken visibly by Ephram's confession.
"She's real to you, Ephram. Tell me about her."
Ephram won't meet his eyes. Edna leaves to answer the ringing phone.
"Ephram."
"She's hurt, Dad. She's covered in blood. When I sleep, even for a few minutes, I can feel the blood from where she touches me. I can see it on my skin. Her eyes are cold, empty…why does she hate me?" He asks, whispering to himself.
"Son…"
Ephram shakes his head. "I wasn't listening at first…I ignored her but she just talks louder. All I hear is her voice…"
"Will you let me help you, Ephram?"
Ephram sighs, exhausted. "You can't help me. She's a part of me, now. I failed. I'm crazy, just like she said I would be."
"You are not crazy, Ephram. Look at me," Andy urges. Ephram doesn't respond. "Ephram?"
"She says that I'm pathetic. Letting you pamper me like this. I'm not sick, I'm making a scene, showing my weakness…" Ephram shakes his head, trying to focus.
"Ephram, I want you to rest. I'm right here," Dr. Brown says.
"She's here, too. She's always here. Don't you hear her?" Ephram asks, his eyes glazed.
"Sleep, son. Rest."
Ephram closes his eyes and breathes shallowly. "I'm trying Dad…I'm trying not to listen to her, to ignore the things she says, but she's too strong, too real…"
"Ephram, you're wearing yourself out. You need to rest. We'll figure everything out after you're feeling better."
"We'll figure everything out? Dad, this doesn't concern you. You can't help me," Ephram says quietly.
"Is that what she told you? Ephram?"
"I'm going to try and sleep now…" He says.
Andy is at a loss as to what to do for his son. After watching him breathe for several minutes, he goes to get his address book to look for a good psychologist for his son.
Ephram wakes in a cold sweat, shivering. His father is sleeping in the armchair beside him. His mother's constant whisper is almost inaudible. He can think clearly for the first time in weeks with her dulled voice.
He is thirsty. He pulls the I.V. out of his bruised hand. He is dizzy as he stands up and silently walks to the bathroom, closing the door with a click. He drinks a glass of water but it only increases his thirst.
In the mirror, Ephram doesn't recognize himself. He is pale and his eyes are sunken in his face. He is shaking. His mother leers at his reflection.
"You are a waste, a waste, Ephram. Useless," She says.
"What do you want?" Ephram asks.
"You are a disappointment."
"What do you want from me?" Ephram asks, starting to cry, softly.
"Everything," She hisses.
Ephram suddenly smashes his fist into the mirror, shattering it. Blood starts to drip from his hand all over his clothes and the bathroom. Andy starts to knock on the door.
"You want everything?" Ephram asks, defensive and tired of his mother's constant harassment. He holds a shard of glass in his mangled hand.
"Ephram!" Andy gasps, opening the door.
"You want everything, Mom?" Ephram asks, not noticing his father. "I'll give you everything I have if you'll make this stop…" He says, slicing his arm from the wrist to his elbow, clumsily nicking the vein in several places. Andy finally manages to grab his son's wrists.
"You want me to give up? You want me to lose everything that I have?" Ephram asks, sobbing as he yells at his mother's smiling face. "I don't have anything left to give you…"
Andy manages to shake his son enough to cause him to drop the glass shard.
"Is this what she wants, Dad?" Ephram asks, noticing his father's presence for the first time. His eyes are glazed as he slumps to the floor.
"No, Ephram. She's not your mother. She might look like her and sound like her, but its not your mother," Andy says, trying to stop the blood flow. "Edna! Can you come in here?" He yells, trying to control his panic. Andy holds a towel on Ephram's sliced forearm.
"I don't know…I don't know what else to do…" Ephram looks up, ignoring his father and stares at his mother.
"You are nothing," She says, standing over him. "Look at you. You're revolting…"
"Ephram. Look at me. Focus on me. Don't listen to her," Andy urges, shaking his son again.
"My god…" Edna rushes in, seeing the blood.
"Nothing I do makes you stop…" Ephram says to his mother, dazed.
"We have to stop the bleeding…" Edna says, joining Andy in putting pressure on Ephram's bleeding hand and arm.
"Because you are nothing to me. You never were. You are a waste," Ephram's mother hisses.
"If I'm nothing to you, why are you haunting me?" Ephram asks, aloud.
"Ephram. Ephram, look at me," Andy orders. Finally, his son meets his eyes. "I want you to keep looking at me."
Ephram starts to look back at his mother but Andy uses one of his bloodstained hands to keep his face level. "No, Ephram."
Ephram stares at his hands, distantly. "I guess I should be in pain."
"I'm going to call an ambulance…" Edna says, standing up.
"No. Just leave me alone…" Ephram protests, starting to pull away from his father's grasp.
Andy nods to Edna. "Ephram, you really hurt yourself. I can't take care of you by myself…" Andy begins.
"I can take care of myself…please…don't do this to me…I can't handle this…first mom, now you…please…I'll get better…I'll try harder…please don't make me…" Ephram pleads.
"Ephram…" Andy starts.
"You know they'll lock me away…" Ephram's voice fades.
"Ephram?" Andy calls, noticing his son's drooping eyelids.
"Maybe I should be locked away…it'd be better for everyone…maybe she couldn't find me there…" Ephram mutters before going limp in his father's arms.