'Tiffany's Diary, October 1st. Things have been very difficult as of late. Last week, Justin tried to commit suicide again. This time, instead of overdosing on sleeping pills, he tried to drown himself in our bath tub. From what Audrey told me, he used my decorative rocks as a weight to keep him under. I don't know what he was thinking, but that was a breaking point for me.
Needless to say, I've confiscated those rocks so that he can't use them again. I've also hidden any knives or sharp objects so that he won't cut himself again. I'm still worried about him, but after that little stunt he pulled, I'm looking into having him committed to an institution somewhere.
I've done more research and my main pick is Blackwing Mental Hospital. Even though it's located a few hours away, I'm willing to use that gas if it meant that he wouldn't do that to himself ever again.
But I'm trying to refrain from it. Beckman told me he'd be back November 1st, one month from now. I'm hoping I can hold off until he comes back. I still need to schedule that intervention with him if things get out of hand.
Justin, if you so happen to read this, just know that I love you so much. I'm never going to leave you. But you need to keep it together. I'm worried about you to the point to where I'm shedding tears at work. I need you to stay strong for me.'
CC General Hospital, 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Tiffany was still on shift for the day. She was placed in the ICU and was taking care of the patients, a majority of which were in comas.
"Excuse me, Tiffany Maye?" a man wearing scrubs said, getting the blondie's attention.
"Yeah? What do you want, Reznik?" she said, answering the hospital's young and clueless intern.
"Hey, I heard about that boyfriend of yours... He sounds like he's giving you a hard time."
She looked down, knowing what he was trying to do. "It's nothing I can't handle. Go away."
"Hey." he said, laying his hand on her shoulder. She smacked him away, not liking him getting all touchy with her.
"What? I'm just trying to comfort you." he said, sounding defensive that she smacked him away like that.
"Stop trying to flirt with me. It's not gonna work like that." she said, getting heated.
"Fine. I didn't want your dumb ass to begin with. You're too vanilla for me anyways."
He walked off. Tiffany was now upset, feeling overwhelmed with all of her problems.
I've been working here for only a few months and it's already starting to be too much. Shit, if Beckman were here, he would've stopped him the moment he started walking up to me.
The blonde nurse put her head down, trying to hold back several tears. She was very stressed out. The fellow staff she worked with knew there was a lot of pressure right now, considering that her boyfriend ended up in the emergency room almost two months prior.
"Nurse Maye?" an older woman said to Tiffany.
"Oh, h-hi, Dr. Lynn." she said, wiping a tear from her face.
"I couldn't help but notice you looking a tad emotional over here."
"Y-Yeah." she replied. "I'm just a bit overwhelmed, is all. No need to worry. I'm alright."
The older woman looked at her. She couldn't help but feel empathy for the 23 year old blonde nurse.
"Listen, why don't you take some time off?" Lynn offered.
"What? N-No. I can't."
"Nurse Maye, I think it would be in your best interest to take some time off. Beckman left me in charge. He told me if any of our staff seem overwhelmed that I can offer some relief. I think you deserve a week paid vacation."
"R-Really? You'd let me do that?" she asked, thinking a paid vacation was a bit much.
The older woman nodded. "Yes. You need some time to gather your thoughts. We all know what's been happening with you. We know Justin's been struggling. Oh, and don't mind Reznik, he's only an intern on the verge of being laid off."
"Really? Are you sure about that?"
The older woman nodded. "Yes. I think you deserve a break."
Tiffany smiled, cheering up a bit. A paid vacation would definitely be nice this time around.
"T-Thank you, Lynn. I appreciate it."
"No problem, Nurse Maye. We know things have been rough lately. Take it easy for a while, okay? We'll call you."
She nodded, somewhat relieved. She never really knew Lynn, but she knew that she was second in charge, as well as being well-acquainted with Beckman. She could definitely be trusted in a situation like this.
The blonde nurse finished her shift and clocked out, ready to head home. There was no telling what she'd come home to, or if JD was still feeling depressed.
The moment Tiffany arrived at the house, something felt off. Not in an unsettling way, but in a joyful way. She walked up to the doorstep, hearing the faint sounds of someone singing.
"What is going on in there?" she said, placing her ear on the door. She could vaguely hear someone singing "Ring of Fire" inside.
'I fell into a burning ring of fire, I went down down down, and the flames went higher. And it burns burn burns, the ring of fire. THE RING OF FIRE!'
She opened the door, not knowing what to expect. But the moment she walked in, she came in to an unexpected surprise.
"Justin?" she said, seeing him dancing and acting all hyper. But that wasn't what she was more concerned about. His hair, a once rich brown color, was now dyed completely black.
"Oh!" he shouted, still dancing. "Hey, Tiffany. I'm just finishing up my dance routine. Hang on."
He then switched over to an electronic 80s song. She didn't know what he was doing, but she was glad that he seemed to be in a better mood as of late.
"What did you do to your hair?" she asked, wondering why it was black.
"What? I can't hear you." he said, turning the music up. He then grabbed her and began to dance with her, catching her completely off guard.
"Oh. Justin!"
He then danced with her, singing to the tune of the song. "All I ever wanted, all I ever NEEDED is here, in my arms!"
"Justin-"
He placed his finger on her mouth, still singing the song and dancing her.
"Words are very, UNNECESSARY, they can only do harm!"
He continued to dance with her, all while singing "Enjoy The Silence". As much as it felt uncomfortable, she couldn't help but feel a sudden change in him. Whatever he did to get him out of this funk worked. He was happy, dancing around, and seeming to be overjoyed.
The music then shut off, ending his dance routine. Now that this little dance party was over, she could settle down for the night, as well as ask him about his hair.
"I'm glad you're starting to feel better." she stated, happy to see him revert to his older ways.
"Yeah." he said, sitting down on the couch. Even if his attitude randomly changed, the hair was a bit distracting.
"So, what did you do to your hair?"
"What about it?" he said, feeling the top of his head.
"Like... Why is it black?"
"Oh, right. Well, Tiffany. I like black. That's all you need to know. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!"
"But like, how did you dye it while I was gone? Where did you get the hair dye from? Did anyone help you?"
"You know what your problem is?" he interrupted. "You ask too many questions. I dyed my hair. End of story. Just be happy for me."
"I am happy for you. It's just..."
"Just what?" he asked, not aware if there was a problem or not.
"It's just very weird seeing your hair like that. Are you trying to hide something?" she asked, wanting to know if there was more of a reason for this sudden change.
"Yeah." he said, "I'm hiding my true self. Black suits me better than brown ever did. Black is the new brown."
She looked at him, thinking he was still acting off, even if he seemed happy just moments before.
"So, what have you been up to today?" she asked, wondering all of what he did while she was at work.
"Let's see, I went to the store and restocked on our almond milk. I went by Vinnie's house to talk more wedding business, I called Catfish, and then I came home and had a dance party by myself."
"Catfish?" she asked, not knowing who he was referring to.
"Yeah. He's my redneck buddy. He lives off the grid over in Pine Fresh. Have you never met him?"
Tiffany shook her head, not even aware of his oddly-named friend.
"When did you dye your hair?" she asked, still on the subject of his recent physical change.
"Don't worry about it. Let's just settle down for the night, Tiff. You wanna watch a movie or something? Or watch Nikki's livestream? Maybe cuddle again?"
She looked at him in the eyes, knowing something was off.
"Are you feeling alright?" the blonde nurse asked.
"Yeah, I feel great, actually. No scars on my wrists, no sleeping pills in my system, no water on me. I'm OK. Quit worrying so much." he said, trying to dismiss any discussion about his suicidal tendencies.
She brushed everything off, feeling as if she may have been overthinking all of this. Maybe he is fine now. It's still pretty weird seeing him with black hair though. He looks like an edgy teenager or something. I'm not gonna say anything about it. Maybe it's just a phase? I dunno.
Now that Tiffany was going to be off for a week, they could potentially have some real quality-time together. A paid vacation was definitely needed this time around. It was getting close to Halloween as well.
Maybe I should throw a Halloween party. Didn't do shit last year... he thought to himself.