Encore
Ellie pulled the comforter over her head, trying to ignore the sunlight shining through her window. She wanted badly to be lazy today, and ignore the fact that she had group later that night. The past few days had been stressful for her. She was ignoring Orion in a desperate attempt to save her heart from breaking. She wanted Orion to be Sean, but Orion didn't deserve to be treated like that. To be loved in a second best manner. To be loved while she was thinking of someone else. Ellie peeled back a small portion of the comforter to look at the clock that sat on the bedside table. It was eight, she was late for breakfast. She sat up quickly in bed and the blood rushed from her head, making her sway dizzily for a moment before she looked over at Verity's bed.
Ellie cocked her head to the side, Verity was usually up before her. Verity was usually up and dressed by six, and usually woke her up around seven. Something was wrong. It was ironically quiet. Ellie slipped from the bed, and walked slowly over to Verity's bed. Rubbing her arms, in an attempt to warm them Ellie raised her foot and poked at the body under the covers, "Ver?" Ellie asked, "you up? We're late for breakfast…"
Nothing.
Not a movement.
Not a sound.
"Verity?" Ellie squeaked, nervously. Ellie bent over the bed and pulled back the cover and gasped as she saw Verity's wide open blood-shot eyes, puffy raw from crying. Her skin was a sallow blue, and she most definitely wasn't breathing. "Verity?" Ellie's eyes were watering from instinct and she just broke down as she gently touched her face, "Verity wake up" she cried, shaking the body, "WAKE UP!" she screamed, as sobs escaped from her throat.
"El? Ver?" Jerzy asked as he knocked on the door, "El? What's going on?" Jerzy opened the door and saw Ellie violently trying to shake Verity awake.
"Wake up Verity…wake up, we're late…"
"Ellie." Jerzy grabbed her and pulled her back, and spun her around to face him, " go get nurse Pen" he said. Ellie opened her mouth to protest, but Jerzy stayed calm and gently smoothed her hair and cupped her face, "go get nurse Penny" he asked again. Ellie bit her lip and nodded and rushed out the door.
Jerzy walked over and sat on the bed and sobbed as his body shook. He reached up to her neck and silently loosened the belt she'd tightened around her neck in the middle of the night. He wouldn't cry. He gently closed her eyes and held her hands. This is what she wanted, this is what made Verity happy, Verity strived for this, a suicide. It was why she starved herself. Why she struggled to breathe everyday against her will. Why she struggled to be among the living when she didn't with to live. Why her smiles always seemed so fake.
Ellie trailed behind Nurse Penny as she rushed into the room, followed by Dr. Bronsen. They led Jerzy aside and returned to Verity's bedside, only to confirm twenty minutes later that she was dead. "Have Marie call her parents, and call General to come pick up her body," Bronsen said sadly. He turned to Ellie, "you okay?" Ellie shrugged. He turned to Jerzy, "take her to the cafeteria get her something to eat," he concluded. "Ellie, I'm switching out your group today for a private session with Mohavi." Ellie nodded.
"Come on El," Jerzy said, wrapping an arm around her and leading her out of the room.
" I need to go to the bathroom," Ellie said quietly and pushing herself into the community bathroom at the end of the hall. She fell into a stall and threw up in the toilet, before leaning over the sink and splashing her face with water. She looked at her reflection, bags under her eyes and her face pale stared back at her. A knock at the door interrupted her staring contest.
"El, you okay?"
Ellie turned to Jerzy and shook her head, her eyes threatening to burst into tears.
"Come here" he said and opened his arms for her to fall into. He held her tight and smoothed her long red hair and kissed her forehead, "don't be sad for her, it's what she wanted." Ellie sniffled, silently agreeing with what he was saying. "Hungry?" he asked. Ellie nodded and they walked down to the now empty cafeteria.
-X-
Marie Mohavi paced her office. She just had to inform the parents of one of her patients that their child had committed suicide. No one saw it coming. No one, and it was taking the hospital by storm. Verity Russo was dead, and everyone was in mourning.
"How does something like that happen at a facility like that?" Ramona Russo asked angrily over the phone, trying to fight back tears, "You were supposed to be protecting her from hurting herself, and you let her die."
" I can assure you that this was a tragedy, we weren't aware of her suicidal thoughts or plans, this wasn't something that could have easily been prevented." Marie tried to argue over the phone.
"Bullshit Mohavi, that's fuckin' bullshit, my baby girl is dead because you can't tell one suicidal teen from another, rest assured there will be a law suit."
"Ms Russo, that's completely unneeded, there was no way to prevent this, by suing this facility you're going to cause problems for other patients here, we'll lose funding and possibly the facility itself."
"tough luck, doctor, you should have thought about that before you let my daughter strangle herself with a belt."
"Ms Rus—"
The line was dead. Marie looked at the phone and angrily hung up the phone.
Rich parents who toss their kids aside like their recyclable trash made her sick. The Russo's dumped their daughter at Lake View expecting a miracle and a perfect daughter. Money wasn't everything, and it certainly couldn't buy someone's happiness. Verity was proof of that. Marie fumbled through papers on her desk and got a call from Bronsen reminding her that Ellie was swapping her group meeting for a private one.
"Ellie," Marie breathed. The poor girl had found her roommate dead this morning. Ellie, the girl who was so close to being well enough to leave, may be staying longer if Verity's death is hitting her harder than the others. Ellie had already lived with her for almost a month.
A knock came to the door, "Dr. Mo?" Ellie asked, walking into the room, shuffling her feet in sandals and dressed in the same thing Jerzy found her in this morning, sweats and a t-shirt, the only difference being that she was now wearing a black hooded sweatshirt. Marie sighed, "Hello, Ellie" she said sweetly waving her hand to offer a sweat.
Ellie sat down.
"Do you want to talk about what happened this morning?" Marie asked.
" Not really, I…every time I close my eyes I just keep thinking I'm going to wake up and this was all just a dream. That in a few minutes Verity will be jumping on my bed to wake me up an hour before breakfast."
Marie sighed, "I think we all wish this were just a dream Ellie."
"Why would she do that…?" Ellie asked, "I mean, I know she talked about how she wished she were dead but…" Tears were falling from Ellie's eyes, " I didn't think…"
"No one did Ellie."
"How do you feel about this, how do you think you're affected?"
" I cant…I don't think I can sleep in there anymore" Ellie answered, wiping her eyes, "It still feels like she's there, her scent, her things, her pictures, everything's there, I'm scared."
"What are you scared of."
"I'm scared I'm going to find a way to hurt myself."
Marie stopped breathing. If one girl was able to kill herself would another be able to find a way to hurt herself? She let go of the breath she'd been holding, "You have a month left here Ellie, you haven't cut since you've been here, would you really risk it all because of Verity."
Ellie turned a shade of red Marie had never seen before, " she was my friend, my roommate, I have a right to mourn her death how I see fit!" Ellie shouted angrily.
Marie made a note on her legal pad about what Ellie had said, "I see, …but Ellie, do you think Verity would want you to do that?"
Ellie relaxed, and then shook her head.
"Then you shouldn't be scared,… I don't think you'll do it…" Marie said honestly, "empty threats won't help you leave here faster."
"It wasn't a threat Dr. Mo, I'm honestly scared that sometimes I have no control over anything I do or say."
" We all have control over something, have you been to the music room lately?" Marie asked.
Ellie shook her head, " I just haven't…felt the need…"
"We have a bunch of instruments there, bass guitars, violins, guitars, drums, trumpets…"
" so?"
"I heard that you're a musician"
" sometimes"
" what do you play Ellie?"
"bass, guitar, used to play the drums, I haven't really played anything since last summer though."
"why is that?" Marie asked, making another note.
" I dunno," Ellie answered as she shrugged, " I just haven't…felt like it I guess."
Marie nodded, "how about after this session I send you down there and you have a go on the drums or what ever tickles your fancy."
Ellie smiled politely.
"So," Marie continued, " here's what I'm thinking Ellie, I'm going to evaluate you this week…and maybe send you home early" Ellie's eyes widened as Marie looked over the rest of her notes and then set down here legal pad, "You've made a lot of progress since you first arrived, and I agree, it's too much stress you to be here, in that room, in this building, and it may just cause more damage than help…"
"So you're sending me home?" she asked.
Marie rocked her head back and forth, "hopefully, after all your doctors get together and we evaluate your health, you'll be cleared to go home," She paused for a moment, "you'll probably be required to attend group therapy sessions and a Lake View affiliated psychiatrist and or psychologist."
Ellie nodded.
Marie looked at her watch, "okay Ellie, times almost up, I'll let you go early, why don't you head down to the music room and let some of the pain out."
-X-
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Ellie brushed her red hair out of her face as she fiercely hit the double base pedal with her bare feet and crashed a drumstick down on the hi-hat and picked up an angry beat on a snare again. The sticks in her hands moving faster as her feet rocked faster on the double base pedal before clashing with a cymbal. She looked around the room. She'd been there for a good forty-five minutes beating on the drum kit. She gently rapped the sticks against her legs until they were raw when she heard a round of applause. She turned around and saw Max.
"Nice" he concluded before walking further into the room and picking up one of the bass guitars and plugging it into an amp.
" thanks" Ellie answered spinning around on the stool.
" how are you?" he asked, "Jerzy said you found her this morning."
"I'm okay," Ellie answered, " I guess, I mean…I dunno"
"that drumming didn't sound like you're okay"
" it's just a drum beat Maxamillion."
Max rolled his eyes, "You and Orion seem distant lately."
"so?"
"so? Ellie…a few days ago you were always together and smiling."
"Max, I adore you, I'm you're little fag hag, but seriously stop trying to push me and Orion together, he's just going to end up hurt!" Ellie said angrily.
" but…"
"No Max! I don't love him like I love Sean, he's just going to end up being a temporary replacement until I go home, or until he leaves, or until Sean and I get back together. I can handle that" she said throwing the drumsticks across the room, "so would you quit it?" and left the music room with a slam of the door.
A/N: Okay, well look at that, I pushed through three chapter in a matter of literally hours (between yesterday and today) I've finally cleared through and finished the Verity suicide I've been planning since the beginning of this story. Verity was created for that purpose, to be a friend and to shake Ellie enough to either stay longer or go home, what happens, whether she stays or goes was also a bit in the gray area. But I'm sure I already know the answer to this, you'll just have to wait and see. I apologize, in the chapter twelve it was was sonnet number 132? regardless I wrote it in the chapter, in the dialogue, I'm just stupid today, should prolly be paying attention in my business accounting class hahaha! Anyways...ignore my grammar mistakes, I did spell check, but like I've said for the past few chapters, I wanted to get these up for you guys...
I hope you guys are happy with these last 3 chapters, because I worked my ass off on them,...