Here is the last update of the night. Enjoy everyone. It's still going to be a rollercoaster of a story. We'll have the aftermath of this, the birth, and the trial. Amber

Chapter 17

Ben Culpepper was doing his homework. It was their first week in tenth grade. He had texted Brooke but she hadn't answered. Which was odd. But he wasn't too worried. His pencil broke so he looked in his front pouch for another. He found two notes. One was addressed to Mom and Dad in Brooke's handwriting. The other was addressed to him. He opened it.

Hello Ben,

I'm sorry. I will be dead by the time you read this. I can't live like this anymore. I can't sleep without seeing their faces, without seeing the golden gun looming. Nothing has been helping my therapist won't listen to me when I tell her that the stupid grounding excercise doesn't work. She just talks and talks about it will get better. Well it still hasn't. I feel just as guilty and just as dirty as i did the day it happened. The past is too much for me to handle. I just need to be able to close my eyes and rest. Please don't mourn me long find someone to be happy with who will be able to love you completely. Give my ring to my sister.

Love,

Brooke

Ben didn't finish reading it. He stopped at the second sentence. "DAD! I've got to go to the Hardy's NOW!"

David Culpepper came to his son's room. "It's dinner time son can't this wait?"

Ben thrust the letter in his father's hands. He paled. "No it certainly cannot wait. I'll drive you."

Ben called their friend Molly Moomaw. "Molly is Brooke at cheerleading practice? NO! Okay thanks! Gotta go!"

They pulled up to the Hardy's home. Ben rang the doorbell, then banged on the door for good measure.

Frank Hardy opened the door with a raised eyebrow. "Ben I thought you'd be at cheerleading practice."

"I had a doctors appointment. Sir..It's Brooke! She...she wrote." He pulled out both his note and the Hardy's note and handed them over with trembling hands.

Frank paled. "Oh god! When did you last see her?"

Ben answered. "At school."

Frank called. "Callie!" They had just gotten back from the doctor themselves.

Callie came at once hearing the urgency in his voice. "Frank what is it?"

Frank handed her Ben's note. Callie paled. "We keep our medications locked up. What could she use."

Callie stopped mid sentence when his father's car pulled up. Fenton said. "We are missing a kitchen knife. Brooke was up late last night. I also found these." He pulled out the caffeine pills.

Frank handed his father his and Callie's note.

Dear mom and dad,

I'm sorry. I can't live like this anymore. My therapist doesn't listen to me. The stupid grounding excersise doesn't work. Nothing works. I keep seeing them in my sleep, I see the gun in my sleep, I still feel them. I'm going to a place where I can finally rest. Tell Claire I love her and she can have anything of mine. Please don't mourn me or blame yourselves, this is all my fault because I'm not strong enough. I love you so much.

Brooke

Callie was clinging to Frank. "Where could she be?"

Ben spoke. "There's a place under the bleachers at the school in the gym. The custodian never goes there. There's a beanbag chair under there and a lantern. A lot of kids go there to make out."

Frank grabbed his keys. "It's a place to start. Callie start calling her friends."

Fenton said. "I'll drive."

Ben said. "Wait for me!" He jumped in the car before the men could say no.

Fenton peeled from the drive. Frank called Joe. "Joe, can you meet us at Brooke's high school. She's suicidal and has a knife in her possession. Ben said there is a hiding place under the bleachers in the gym."

Frank hung up; he knew his brother would burn rubber to get there. He may actually beat them since their house was closer to the school.

What Frank didn't know was that Joe was at the school his next door neighbor's baby sister had taken a bad fall during track. The girl was nurse Lynn's sister. Phil and Lynn had brought him to the field and he was looking at her ankle now. When he got the desperate phone call from Frank. He ran towards the gym as fast as he could go. The door was open and the cheerleaders were leaving. The coach saw them. "Hey who are you?"

Joe didn't answer. He ran to the bleachers. The teacher said. "Sir who are you?"

"I'm Doctor Joseph Hardy and I'm looking for my niece, Brooke Hardy."

He saw the niche and ducked inside. And saw her sitting on a beanbag chair facing the wall. She was holding the knife in her left hand and had just cut her right arm and wrist. Joe immediately pounced. "Brooke! No!"

She jumped up pointing the bloody knife right at him. Blood was oozing onto the floor. "Go away Uncle Joe just go away! How did you find me?"

Joe knew she wouldn't stab him. He lunged forward and grabbed the knife from her hands. She screamed as his arms enclosed her. "NO! Let me go! Just let me go!"

Joe's heart broke. He knew she meant to let her die. He said. "Phil hold onto her. I have to stop the bleeding." He gripped her arm, it was slick with blood.

By then a small crowd had gathered Joe was furious. "Do you mind? This is a mental health crisis not a soap opera!" He took the handkerchief that Phil gave him and used it to staunch the blood.

Brooke was struggling to break free of Phil's grip. "Get your hands off me! Don't hurt me!"

Ben, Frank, and Fenton came with the principle on their heels. Frank paled when he saw Brooke. "Oh my poor baby." He hurried over and took Phil's place.

She was still struggling to break free. "Let me go! Leave me alone! Just leave me alone...Please."

Frank held his daughter as she fought. Joe said. "She's going to need stitches."

Brooke started hyperventilating. "How could you! How could you! I can't...I can't."

Ben, who was crying, took her shoulders. "How? Because we love you Brooke. Why didn't you tell us the therapist was a moron?"

"Dr. James recommended her, he said she was the best in the area."

Frank said. "But honey if you don't have good chemistry she isn't going to do you any good. She would have wanted you to switch trust me. Oh baby."

"I can't stop seeing them daddy. I can't stop feeling them in me! I keep seeing that gold gun. I can't stop smelling them. I want it to stop! I need it to stop!" Her legs gave out and she started heaving. Frank sat on the floor cradling her. Joe dropped to his knees still applying pressure to her wound.

Fenton pulled Ben back a bit. He too was holding back tears. They had failed her and now it was hitting them in the face. Frank rocked his daughter. "Baby I know you're hurting, we didn't see how much. I'm sorry baby."

"Just leave me alone. Please daddy. I want to sleep peacefully again."

The medic's came under the bleachers. One clearly was an alumni. "It's still here. I'm not surprised. "What's happened here?"

Joe said. "My niece is suicidal. She just cut herself with this knife. I'm applying pressure to the wound. She's had significant blood loss. We are going to my hospital so that I can treat her. She needs a sedative, give her five milligrams of Droperidol, now."

Lynn had come to Joe's side. She passed him more sterile dressings to put on top of the handkerchief. Then she went to the other side and checked Brooke's pulse. She said. "Her pulse is 140."

The medic pulled out a syringe. Fenton pulled up Brooke's sleeve. She had started fighting them all again. The medic quickly prepared the IM injection and administered it. Her body started to relax then it went limp. Frank placed his poor daughter on the gurney. He wanted to ride with her but knew that needed to be Joe. He looked at his brother pleading. "Please take care of her."

Joe nodded. "You know I will. Go get Callie and meet me at the hospital."

Phil said. "I can watch Claire if you like Frank."

"No." Frank said. "No...she needs to come to the hospital too."

Phil murmured and squeezed his shoulder. "I'm sorry Frank."

"Me too Phil. Thank you for helping her. Did she hurt you?"

"No. I'm fine. Go take care of your family Frank."