"Dad, is Ephram in the hospital?" Amy asks, waiting for her father outside his examining room the next day.

"Amy…"

"No one's answering at his house, his teachers don't know anything and Colin says that his parents heard an ambulance dispatched to his house this morning so if you don't want me calling all the hospitals saying I'm his sister, you better tell me what's going on…" Amy rambles.

"Amy, calm down. I'm expecting a call from Dr. Brown at any time now to update me on Ephram's condition…"

"You knew he was sick the other night, why is he only going to the hospital now? By ambulance, no less?" Amy asks, panicked.

"Amy, you know I can't talk about Ephram's condition…"

"I want to see him. Will you take me to see him?"

"He can't have any visitors right now, Amy…" Dr. Abbott starts.

"I don't believe you…" Amy turns away, frustrated.

"Ephram has been going through a hard time lately and he let it get the best of him…" Dr Abbott begins.

"I wasn't there for him…I've been taking care of Colin…I've ignored him for weeks now…" She turns back to her father. "I need to be there for him now, I have to make it up to him…"

"Amy, he…" Dr. Abbott begins, pausing at his receptionist waves him to the phone. "Hang on, Amy…"

"Andy?" Dr. Abbott answers.

"Yes. They just let me see him…"

"How is he?" Dr. Abbott questions.

"He's not catatonic, but he's not talking. They had to strap him to the bed…he thought she was coming for him…he's sedated, it's the only thing they can do right now to keep him from struggling…" Andy's voice is cracked with emotion.

"Andy, they have very good doctors there…what happened this morning?" Dr. Abbott questions, turning away from Amy's steady gaze.

"He woke up…his fever finally broke and he managed to get to the bathroom. He punched the mirror, and before I could stop him…he slashed his wrist…he was just trying to make the voices stop, Harold…I don't know what to do for him…nothing brings him comfort…" Andy mutters over the phone, clearly distraught.

"Andy. I'm seeing my last patient right now, I'm going to come on down there and see if I can find anything out. Is anyone with you?"

"Your mother is here…Nina's keeping Delia but I'm going to have to talk to her about this tonight," Andy sighs.

"Yes. Amy is wondering about Ephram. What do you want me to tell her?" Dr. Abbott asks.

"It's going to be several days before he's going to be up for visitors, Harold…"

"You think they are going to keep him?" Dr. Abbott questions, quietly.

"I'm going to try and keep them from committing him to the mental ward, but they want to keep him for at least a week. He's going through withdrawal from the alcohol so they're expecting it to be kind of a hectic few days…"

"He's going through DT's? He was drinking that much?" Dr. Abbott questions.

"That's what the doctors are saying. They hope that the hallucinations will pass quickly so they can get a clearer diagnosis on what's causing the root problem…" Andy starts. "I need to go. I'll see you here later?"

"Of course. It's going to be okay, Andy. We'll find out what's wrong with him," Dr. Abbott assures. He hangs up, immediately turning to his daughter.

"He's drinking? Dad, you have to tell me what's going on…" Amy begins, pale.

"Amy, any other time I would encourage you to try and help, but Ephram is going to need a little time before he is going to be able to have visitors. Dr. Brown understands that you are concerned, but he has to do what's best for Ephram right now."

Amy nods after a long pause. "You'll tell him I'm worried about him, right? If you see him?"

"Of course," Dr. Abbott promises.

At the hospital, Andy follows a nurse into his son's room and sits down.

"Kids at this age are a handful, aren't they?" The nurse smiles, sympathetically as she adjusts Ephram's I.V.

"Apparently," Dr. Brown replies.

"He should wake up soon and we'll see how he is," The nurse adds, loosening Ephram's wrist restraints. She turns to Andy as she is leaving. "He seems to be better when you're here. He keeps himself from panicking. When you're not here, he doesn't try. It says a lot about a parent when a child tries to protect them like that…"

"You think he's trying to protect me?" Andy questions.

"He doesn't want you to think he's weak, that he can't handle it. He's being strong for you…"

"That seems to be the problem. He didn't come to me when he started losing control and now he's…" Andy looks down.

"You can't blame yourself," She says, squeezing his shoulder. "He's trying to be grown-up and take care of everything himself…he probably learned that from you. Don't be too hard on yourself," The nurse says, closing the door behind her as she leaves.

"Oh, Ephram…" Andy sighs, taking his son's hand.

Ephram drowsily opens his eyes and blinks at his father.

"Ephram? Are you awake?" Andy asks, anxious.

Ephram nods after a beat.

"You're still not going to talk to me?" Andy questions, quietly.

Ephram looks past his father, nodding to the invisible spirit that only he can see.

"You know she's not real, right, Ephram?" Andy asks, frustrated.

Ephram suddenly gets tears in his eyes. "I don't know anything anymore…" He whispers, his voice hoarse from screaming earlier in the day. He closes his eyes and turns away from his father as much as his restraints allow. "I know she's not real, but knowing that doesn't make her go away. She can't hear me if I don't talk…she can't throw everything I say back in my face if I don't talk…"

"Ephram, tell me what you need me to do," Andy says, after a long pause. "I'm at a loss here."

"Me too…" Ephram replies, dryly.

"I'm sorry, Ephram…" Andy apologizes, seeing the effect his admission has on his son.

"Me too. Could you…could you just leave me alone a while?" Ephram asks, defeated. He doesn't meet his father's eyes.

"I'm not leaving you, Ephram. Don't ask me to do that, son…" Andy protests.

"Then can we just not talk? She's…it's better when I don't talk," Ephram says, his voice still hoarse.

"Whatever you need, Ephram," Andy promises.

After several minutes of silence, Ephram sighs. "I fucked myself up pretty good this time, didn't I?"

"Ephram…"

"Drinking. That's what's making me shake now, right? The cramps and the weird things I'm starting to see? It's because I was drinking…"

"It's part of it."

"It was the only thing that made it any better. I just want it to stop…I'm sorry you had to see what you did in the bathroom…but I have to make it stop…" He looks at his father, seriously. "I'm tired of trying to make it better. I have to make it stop."

"Ephram, I'm not sure what you mean, but you have to believe me. We will get through this. You have to have faith. I'm not giving up. You can't give up…"

Ephram doesn't reply, his eyes drooping slightly.

"Ephram, please. Don't give up. I'll find a way to make you better…" Andy starts, but Ephram has closed his eyes. Andy squeezes his son's hand as an afterthought, but Ephram is asleep.