CHAPTER NINE
Wendy slowly walked to her house. She went in the door and saw that nobody was home. They must have gone out. She walked upstairs and into her room. Everything was left the way it was, except it seemed different. Everything was different somehow. Wendy didn't like it.
As she looked around her room for things she may want to bring she tried to get her mind off Ash and that kiss. She still couldn't' believe it.
Half an hour later, Wendy had packed everything and she headed out the front door, glad she had missed her parents. When she was just outside of the door a pain shot through her head and she got a horrible headache. Something wasn't right. Without thinking, she ran back to Lisa's house only to find her grandmother crying at the kitchen table with Lisa's mom hugging her.
Wendy dropped her bags, "What's wrong?"
Her grandma was startled at her granddaughter's arrival, but told her to come sit down. Wendy slowly walked and her grandma cried even harder than she had before. Wendy sat on the chair beside the two crying women.
"Wendy, dear, there was an accident. Your father got angry...your mother was sticking up for you and he- he beat her badly. She'd in the hospital, but that's not the worst part. The doctor called while you were gone and filled us in. He told us- he told us there is bad internal bleeding and she- she may not survive through the night."
Wendy lost her breath and everything went blank. Before she even knew it they were walking to her mom's room, Wendy couldn't cry, She wanted so much to cry, but the shock was too much, and she couldn't.
"Grandma, can I go in alone?"
"Are you sure?"
"Very sure, I need to talk to her."
She nodded and Wendy turned the doorknob, looking back for the courage to go in. Her Grandma smiled and nodded once more. Wendy went in, but regretted it as soon as she saw her mother in the bed, all cut up and bruised, it didn't look like her mother. Her mother was model-worthy and had no defects. This person you could barely see because of all the bruises and cuts.
"Wendy?" Her voice sounded like she had been hit hard in the gut. It occurred to Wendy that she had been.
"Oh Mom."
"Come here dear."
Every word that came out of her mother's mouth felt like a slap in the face. Wendy pulled a chair beside the bed and held her mother's outstretched hand.
"I'm so sorry Wendy, I was a horrible mother, and for that I will go to hell. I know I haven't always been there but I have always loved you, I was just hypnotized by your father and never saw how I was making you feel. I finally realized it tonight, when I came home and you weren't there for the millionth time in the past few weeks. I hope you can forgive me."
"I accept mom, just don't go okay. Don't leave me here to rot."
"I won't."
"Promise?"
"I promise. When I get out of here, we will start over. We'll move out of the house and forget you father, and we can have a great relationship, to make up for all the lost years. I promise."
"Mom?"
"Yes Wendy?"
"I love you."
"I love you too dear. Tell grandma I am sorry too, and Jake."
"Mom, don't talk like that, you know you will make it."
"Tell your father I love him, even if he is the cause of my death. Apologize to everybody, and tell Peter to take care of you, he's a great guy."
"Mom, please stop, you're scaring me."
"Sweetie, I love you more than anything on Earth, or in all of the universe. Please, if you have a daughter, don't make the mistakes I made. Nobody deserves what I did to you. I'm sor-"
Wendy began to cry, "Mom, you're not going to die. Please stop talking like that, please...mom? Mom?"
Wendy shook her mother gently, but there came no answer, "Mom, you can't die! Mom, please wake up, please. Mom?"
Wendy's cheeks were completely wet now. She looked at the monitor and there was a flat line. She screamed and as if in slow motion everyone came running in. Wendy fell on the ground and the doctors and nurses were doing all they could to bring her back; but it didn't do anything. Peter came running in with a look of shock on his face and picked Wendy up, carrying her out of the room.
"NO!!!!! I want to stay with my mom, let me go!"
Wendy struggled out of Peter's arms and began to go to her mother, but she couldn't get there. As she reached out her arm, she heard her mother's voice. Good-bye Wendy, I will always remember.
She stopped and looked up at the roof. There was a chill up her spine and she saw her mother's face, smiling at her to be happy. Wendy stopped crying. For an instance, she forgot about what was going on and smiled back, but when her mother disappeared, her smile faded and she turned around to see Peter running to hug her. She cried on his shoulder.
Lisa came into the spare room where Wendy was sitting on the window seat staring out the window. Her face was tired looking from hours of crying and a sleepless night.
"How are you doing?"
As if she wasn't there, Wendy ignored her. She sat beside her at her. She continues staring off into space.
"What are you looking at?" When she didn't answer, she held her hand and still there was no reaction. "You can't ignore me forever."
"I still see her," Wendy whispered, though it was barely even a whisper.
"What do you mean?"
"She is sitting on the other side of me, running her hand through my hair like she used to when I was a little girl."
Lisa's face went glum, she looked down and that's when she saw it. On Wendy's wrist were about twenty cuts. Lisa began to cry, but Wendy didn't seem to notice that.
"Wendy, what the hell did you do to yourself?"
"They won't leave," She whispered again.
"Who won't Wendy?"
"The voices."
"What are these voices telling you? Are they telling you to hurt yourself?"
When Wendy didn't answer, Lisa bit her lip. She let go of her best friend's hand and walked out of the room with her fingers over her mouth.
Ash was standing by the door. He told Lisa he was going to move, but couldn't when he heard about Wendy's mom. He came back from the airport before he got on the plane because Lisa called him on his cell in tears.
He hugged her and she cried on his shirt for what seemed to be like eternity. When she finally calmed down enough to talk, Ash took her to the hallway bench and sat her down.
"What happened in there Lees?"
"Ash, she's going crazy. She said her mother was sitting beside her running her hand through her hair. She slit her wrists too. Then she said 'they won't go away'. I asked her what and she said 'the voices."
Lisa began to cry again and Ash took some tissue from a box nearby. He wiped her eyes, "Take a few deep breaths Lisa. It will all be okay."
Lisa calmed down after she breathed a little. She was still a little shaky but she managed to put her head up. Ash was looking at her. He was on the verge of tears as well, but he wanted to calm his best friend down. She looked into his eyes and he into hers.
"Ash, what's going to happen to Wendy?"
"I don't know, but after a while she will be okay. She is just in shock, but she's a strong girl, she'll get through it."
"You really love her don't you?"
"You know, I thought I did, but after I sat down and thought about it, I am in love with the thought of being in love with her, and I realized that I was being stupid. So I am just her friend, nothing more."
"Do you think it's possible to be in love your whole life and not realize it?"
Lisa and Ash leaned closer slowly. Both their eyes closed and they kissed. After a while, Lisa pulled away, "Oh my god, Ash, I know what might help Wendy."
"What?"
"Bring me the phone."
"Who are you calling?"
"The only person who ever has been able to help her."
