They arrived at the Possible residence, Ron didn't want to go inside. He didn't think he could handle Mr. Dr. P in his condition. She helped Ron up the stairs to her room; his knee wasn't hurting as much but was still pretty stiff.
Ron sat down heavily on Kim's bed, "I'm ok Kim, and we don't need to be bothering your mom with this." He said uneasily.
Kim was scared and was trying not to show it, "Ron, sit here, I'll be back."
She went downstairs and found her mom reading in the family room, "Mom, Ron's been taking these pills for the last two meets, J.D. says its meth and I need you to look at Ron for me." Kim said in hurried voice.
Mrs. Dr. P. looked at her daughter, "Honey let's try this from the beginning, I'm a little lost here." She said shaking her head.
Kim started over from the beginning, Ron's not being able to sleep, weird scary moods, having to make him eat, the last two meets, and then she finally handed her the pills, "J.D. gave these to Ron…and I didn't like Ron taking them so I kind of….got J.D. to tell me what it was he'd given him…He said it was meth." Kim said near tears.
Mrs. Dr. P. took the sandwich bag from Kim and looked at it, "Well it's not meth, looks like prescription stuff…From what you told me it's doing to Ron, its probably Ritalin or Adderal, let me have a look at this in the office.
She stood up and motioned for Kim to follow her back to the little office she shared with her husband in the back of the house. She walked into the room and put her hands on hips, "I swear Jim, you have more junk lying around…Well here's what I need." She said motioning to a big round magnifying glass that was on the inside of a ring light.
She turned the light on and pulled one of the pills out of the bag and looked at it under the magnifying glass, "I can't be for certain but its 30mg…Probably Adderal…How many of these did you say he took today?" she asked.
Kim looked at her nervously, "He said he took two of them."
Kim's mom cocked her head to one side, "Whoa, that'll make you think your skins crawling alright….This is prescription medicine for kids with ADHD and if you don't have it, it can really mess with your head…it will also give you the same effects of methamphetamines." She told Kim shaking her head.
Kim shook her head, "You have to look at Ron, mom…I've fought super villains, saved people from catastrophes but I have no idea what to do about Ron." She told her in a defeated voice.
Kim's mom picked up a small pin light and found a stethoscope and some other medical instruments that a general practitioner would use, "Let's go have a look at Ron." She said in a calm voice.
Kim and her mom entered her bed room, Mrs. Dr. P. audibly gasped when she saw Ron. The big black circles under the eyes, he was pale and he had lost so much weight since she saw him the night of the home coming dance.
Mrs. Dr. P. walked over to the bed and grasped Ron by the chin and tilted his head up, she shined the pen light into his eyes and moved it away. The pupils were wide open and they didn't follow the light, "Ron…How long has it been since you had a full nights sleep?" She asked him in a professional manner.
Ron licked his lips and looked over at Kim, "I…I'm not sure, since before the dance…I think." He said quietly.
Mrs. Dr. P. nodded, "I think I know what those pills were that you took, why on earth would you do this to yourself, Ron?" she asked in exasperation.
Ron shook his head, "I didn't run very well in the last meet of the season, J.D. gave them to me to get me up for the last couple of races…So many people were depending on me to do good…I just didn't want to let anyone down…I never thought the pills would hurt me…They thought I had a heart attack today…I should of…I should of…" and Ron let his thought trail off.
Mrs. Dr. P. watched his shoulders slump forward, then he pulled his head in like a turtle, "Ron, when is the last time you ate a regular meal?" She was still probing for symptoms.
Ron shook his head, "I don't remember."
Mrs. Dr. P. let out a deep breath, "Ron…When was the last time you felt good, like your old self?"
Ron looked around the room, "I haven't felt really good…since…well before Lacey died." He told her sadly.
Mrs. Dr. P. listened to his heart with the stethoscope and then to his lungs, she told him to take a deep breath and hold it, then to exhale. She looked into his ears and mouth and checked his eyes one more time.
She reached over and patted Ron on the shoulder, "Ron…I'm going to make you something to eat, ok?"
Ron shrugged, "I'm not really very hungry." He told her in far away voice.
Kim leaned over and squeezed his hand, "I'll be right back Ron." She told him trying to sound comforting.
Kim followed her mother back to the office, "Mom, how's Ron?" she asked fearing the answer she was going to get.
Mrs. Dr. P. shook her head, "Not good, he's still has the junk in his system, once that works through his system…He'll still be suffering from Clinical Depression." She told her daughter sadly.
Kim looked at her mother, "He can't be depressed…He's dating me." She said in a panicked voice.
Mrs. Dr. P. let out a small chuckle, "Not that kind of depression honey…I'm sure he's very happy to be dating you." She told her sympathetically.
Then she went on to explain what was happening to her boyfriend, "Ron's depression comes from a chemical imbalance in the brain, he received a terrible shock from Lacey's death and his brain just stopped working normally."
Kim looked at her mom shaking her head, "You can fix him…can't you, mom." She wanted her mom to fix him so he could go back to being her old Ron again.
Kim's mom shook her head, "Nope, out of my specialty. He needs to see a specialist who knows all the ins and outs of this disease. I could give him medicine but I might just make things worse and we wouldn't want that, would we?" She asked putting a hand on Kim's shoulder.
Kim looked shocked, "Well what do we do now?"
Mrs. Dr. P. chuckled, "Get him to eat and try and make him feel comfortable until that junk is out of his system." She told her daughter.
Kim shook her head; she was hoping mom would have a quick fix for Ron. She wanted her boyfriend back to normal, Lacey told her before she died to help keep Ron from falling apart and now it looked to her as if she was failing her mission and would not be able to keep her promise..
She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see her mother looking at her, "Honey, go sit with Ron and I'll make you both something to eat."
Kim nodded and started the long walk back up the stairs, it was as if little pieces of Ron were falling away one by one and the harder she worked, the more pieces fell away She reached the door and walked into her room to sit with Ron.
Kim sat down next to Ron and took his hand, "How you doing?" she asked trying to make conversation
Ron shook his head, "I've screwed things up bad haven't I, KP?" he asked her in a quiet sad voice.
Kim shook her head, "It's not as bad as you think, mom says you need to see a doctor."
Ron nodded, "I'll make an appointment on Monday, I'm so glad the seasons over...I'll never do this again." He told her sadly.
Kim nodded, "You want me to go to the doctor with you?"
Ron nodded, "Yea"
The door to the bedroom opened and Mrs. Dr. P. came in the room with a couple of plates of food. She held them up, "This is what the doctor orders for the night, eat every scrap of food on the plate…Got it Ron." She said in her no nonsense doctor voice.
Ron smiled as his shaky hands reached for the plate, "I'll try to eat." He told the doctor.
Ron took a couple of bites of the food, it was left over pot roast and it had potatoes and carrots in it. Ron closed his eyes as he chewed trying to remember the last time he had eaten anything. He couldn't remember, he ate a few of the carrots and some more of the meat. "I have a little bit of an appetite after all." He thought to himself.
Kim and her mom watched Ron eat and it made Kim smile, "Maybe he'll pull out of this yet?" she thought happily to herself.
Ron was starting to enjoy the food, and then he remembered why he couldn't remember eating. He scared Monique away and he didn't have anyone to make sure he ate any more. Sadness crept into Ron's mind and he dropped his head.
Mrs. Dr. P. was watching him, "You ok, Ron?" she asked observing his mood swings.
Ron shook his head, "I remember why I haven't eaten in a while…I scared Monique away from the lunch table last Wednesday and I haven't talked to her since." He said shaking his head sadly.
Kim reached over and tapped the plate with her fork, "You eat, and I'll worry about Monique." She told him.
Ron smiled, "It's very good." He told Kim's mom while he ate.
Kim was watching Ron and noticed that it looked as if the weight of the world had come off of his shoulders, "Cross country being over is gong to do a lot to help him relax." She thought to herself.
Ron finished the plate and handed it back to Kim's mom, "My stomachs hurting now, I haven't eaten that much in a long time." He told her honestly.
Mrs. Dr. P. looked a little relieved, "He ate, that should boost him up a little…He's got to pull out of this, Kim's been worried to a frazil about him." She thought to herself.
Ron tried to get up and was able to stand, "It's still stiff, but I think I can make it down stairs." He told the two ladies.
Kim looked at him, "Leaving already?" she asked surprised.
Ron nodded, "Yea I better go, I've been here too long already…I don't want you to get in trouble with your dad." He told Kim nervously.
Mrs. Dr. P. looked at Ron, "Ron, I don't think Jim minds you being here." She said puzzled at Ron's behavior.
Ron shook his head, "Oh yea, he told me the night I brought home Kim from the home coming dance that I wasn't good enough to date her…I don't want Kim to get in any trouble over me." He said anxiously as he started limping to the door.
Kim nodded at her mom, "I already had a few words with dad and I was wanting you to talk with him…I just never got around to talking to you about it." She said sheepishly.
Mrs. Dr. P. nodded her head, "I think me and your father are going to have a good long talk tonight, Kim." She told her daughter in a serious tone.
Kim left the room to help Ron down the stairs; Ron was trying to move normally, he didn't want anyone to notice his limp. She could tell by the way he was moving he was trying to get out of the house in a hurry.
She caught up with him, "Slow down Ron you might hurt yourself worse trying to rush." She warned him.
Ron was shaking his head, "No, been here too long…Shoot, I should have known better, your going to get in trouble and it will be all my fault…I should of went home." He said as he became more and more upset.
Kim was becoming aggravated with him, "Ron slow down, I'm not going…" she stopped in mid-sentence. She saw Ron come to a stop right in front of her dad.
Kim looked at Ron; he was like a deer in car headlights. He had come to a complete stop and the only thing moving was his head, which was moving up and down very quickly. She saw that Ron was standing ram rod straight, jaw locked and eyes that were totally devoid of expression.
Dr. James Possible was looking at Ron, "He looks like a wreck, what happened to him?" he wondered to himself. He cleared his throat, "Ron, anything we can help you with tonight?" he asked trying to not sound too awkward.
Ron just stood there staring at him, "I have stayed her too long…I should have known better, I do not belong here anymore." He thought to himself sadly.
Mrs. Dr. P. walked over to her husband and led him by the arm into the kitchen, "We have to talk, Jim." She said in a serious tone.
Kim took Ron by the arm, "Come on Ron let's get you home." She told him in a quiet voice.
Ron slumped and nearly collapsed on the floor from fear, "Ok…KP…You'll have to drive." He told her weakly.
Once Mrs. Dr. P. and Mr. Dr. P were in the kitchen, Mrs. Dr. P. placed the dishes in the sink and then turned and sat down at the kitchen table with her husband.
Mrs. Dr. P. looked at her husband, "Ron looked pretty rough tonight didn't he?" she asked.
Mr. Dr. P. nodded, "Yea he looked bad, he been sick?"
Mrs. Dr. P. nodded, "He's got a bad case of depression, Jim."
Mr. Dr. P. sat up in his chair, "How'd he get that? He always seemed so happy last year."
Mrs. Dr. P. shifted her weight, "He had a girlfriend die back before he took Kim to that dance…I think it might have started then." She said sadly.
Mr. Dr. P. gave her a strange look, "I didn't know he had a girl friend that died." he said shaking his head.
Mrs. Dr. P. shrugged, "I'm not sure the whole story Kim gives me bits and pieces but when he came over to pick her up that night I could tell he wasn't the same Ron we were used to."
Mr. Dr. P. nodded, "He always stares at me now, it kind of gives me the creeps."
Mrs. Dr. P. looked at him, "Jim, he's afraid of you…What did you say to him after the dance that night?" she asked her husband.
Mr. Dr. P. shifted his weight, "Now you have to remember they got in pretty late and I wasn't in the best of moods…Looking back on it now…I think I was a little harsh with him." He said trying to dance around the question.
Mrs. Dr. P. shook her head, "Jim what did you say to him." She said in an even voice.
Mr. Dr. P. shifted nervously, "I told him that he probably wouldn't be dating Kim for long, that she'd probably find some one new so not to expect this to go anywhere. I told him I didn't think he was good enough for Kim…You know how he is about school and all…" He trailed off realizing that he was getting into a pretty big hole for himself.
Mrs. Dr. P. was looking more sad than angry, "What else did you say?"
Mr. Dr. P. was not feeling real comfortable talking about it, "I was mad at him for getting Kim in so late you see…and…ummm…I told him that nothing was impossible for a Possible, but I didn't think anything was Possible for Stoppable…It was a little word play there…" he voice trailed off into silence.
Mrs. Dr. P. shook her head sadly, "His other girlfriend had only been dead about two weeks…I don't think Ron really wanted to date Kim then but…he did…He probably was feeling guilty and then you jumped into him with both feet in his chest…Jim, I think you might of sent him over the edge." She said sadly.
Mr. Dr. P. stood up from his chair and started to pace the floor of the kitchen, "Ohhhhh…uhhhh…umm…ohhhhhhh…I…I didn't know." He told his wife sadly.
Mrs. Dr. P. nodded, "I know Jim, I'm scared though, I didn't tell Kim…I didn't want to upset her…but people with clinical depression have been known to try and hurt themselves if they go untreated…Ron has gone a long time without treatment." She said as she put both of her hands over her mouth.
Mr. Dr. P. was struggling for words, "…You mean Ron might try to…" he was interrupted by his wife.
Mrs. Dr. P. shook her head desperately, "Don't say it, Jim…Think…If Ron's this bad off after the death of a girl he's only knew for a few months…Now think…If something happened to Ron what this would do to Kim, she's known him almost all of her life." She said as her voice cracked with emotion and her hands were shaking.
Mr. Dr. P. nodded and sat back down uneasily, "It sounds like I have a lot of apologizing to do…I...I didn't know." He said sadly.
Mrs. Dr. P. placed both hands on the table and pushed herself up, "Well that's not going to happen, Ron said he was going to go see his doctor on Monday." She told her husband in a confident voice.
Mr. Dr. P. shook his head sadly and let out a deep breath, "I hope he gets it together, I'd hate for his last memory of me to be that little talk in the driveway." He thought to himself as he got up from the table.
The both unconsciously went to the same place in the house, the twin's room to look in on their sons. Inside the room they found them busy working on some new model space plane design.
The twin's looked up, "We didn't do…" Jim started, 'anything." Tim finished.
Mr. Dr. P. looked at the two of them, "Nothing wrong, we just wanted to look in on you two." He said trying to sound normal.
They both watched the twin's work for a while and then went back down stairs to watch a movie together. Neither of the two parents felt like being alone after the talk they just had in the kitchen.