They both sat in the exam room waiting for the neurologist to come back to discuss Elise's MRI results.
Elise's eyes darted from her father to random posters on the wall when the door finally opened and entered the middle aged neurologist.
"Hi guys." She said as she closed the door behind her with her file.
Elise adjusted in her seat while Harold sat on the edge of his seat, anticipating what the doctor was about to tell them.
The neurologist turned to the father and daughter and opened the file to examine the results and history of Elise.
"Okay, we knew that Elise suffered a traumatic brain injury in her accident; and that while Elise struggled with small things, she never experienced seizures or developed a speech impediment." The neurologist remarked.
Elise nodded as the doctor went on "However the MRI concludes that the brain injury is secluded to the temporal lobe, and that's what caused the seizure."
"Is it a permanent thing?" Elise asked.
The doctor removed her glasses "Most likely not, but it could." She said.
Elise nodded, Harold took her thigh and sighed "What do we do now?" he asked.
"I will prescribe some anti-seizure meds and we'll see what works and what doesn't…it's going to be a long process but I'm sure we'll be able to find something that fits Elise's needs." The doctor said.
Elise nodded "Thanks."
Elise got ready for bed as her father walked into her bedroom, leaning against the door frame as he looked at his daughter.
"Are you alright?" Harold asked.
Elise smirked "Yeah, of course! Just another way my life is falling apart at the seems." She said sarcastically.
Harold rolled his eyes as he walked into her bedroom "Sit down." He said, forcing Elise to sit down on her bed with her father.
"I know a lot has happened in the past 9 months, I know. I know you blame yourself for what happened to mom and Haley, but you shouldn't." he said, taking her hand.
Harold sighed, tearing up as he looked at his daughter "Sweetie, we all struggle in some way. And you're like your mom, a lot. You're strong and brave…but you're also kind and compassionate."
Elise sighed, brushing away forming tears as she looked at her father "Dad, I'm going to spend the rest of my life taking pills so that way I don't have seizures. I knew I would live the rest of my life coping with a brain injury…but not like this." She said.
"And I blame myself for mom and Haley because I saw it coming a mile away, and I did nothing! I let that 18-wheeler hit us." She responded gently.
Harold took Elise's hand "It was nobody's fault. It just happened." He told her.
Elise sighed, looking down at her lap as she cleared her throat "I'm really tired, dad. I've had a rather long day and I need some sleep." She said.
Harold kissed her forehead "I love you." He said before getting up off the bed and leaving her bedroom, closing the door behind her.
Elise let a deep breathe out, wiping her eyes in silence as she listened for her father to close his bedroom door from down the hall.
She wasted no time pulling the box out from under her bed and placing it next to her.
Elise grabbed a white sheet and tacked it against her window that was across from her bed as she pulled out the projector and films and laid them across her bed when she realized she had no idea how to use an old projector.
She muttered a curse as she grabbed her phone and googled 'how to operate an 8mm projector', getting thousands of results; she read the instructions closely as she put the most recent film 'House Painting '12' together on the projector.
Elise turned off her light as she played the movie, seeing a man in an office looking on his computer and watching films with an identical 8mm camera; she saw two children bickering as well as a young girl painting on a wall.
It was then that the film turned dark, a bright light focusing on the man who would bound and gagged to the floor while lying on a tarp near the fireplace.
She noticed that the fireplace looked identical to the one in her new downstairs living room as she watched the man look up at the camera before letting his head chopped off with an axe.
Elise covered her mouth in shock, wanting to close her eyes but couldn't as she watched the man bleed out onto the tarp before the camera turned to a woman, probably his wife, as she received two wacks with the axe.
She couldn't bare it any more; she turned off the projector as she sat in the dark on her bed.
"Oh my god." Elise whispered through tears; and in her fear and vulnerability she turned her lamp on and stared at the projector.
She took the film out of the project and placed it back in its case before putting everything back in the box; regardless of how many pushes she gave the box that was now back under her bed, she couldn't shake the feeling of fear.
She felt like someone was watching her as she took down the white sheet and let it lay on the floor; she contemplated who to call with such footage and while the police came to her mind several times she couldn't bring herself to make the call for some reason.
Should she call the local police?
Maybe the County?
What about the FBI? No, they couldn't give less of a shit.
Elise lied in her bed, covers surrounding her and her favorite stuffed animal that she held close.
She couldn't close her eyes as every time she did there were the faces of the poor couple who died ruthlessly in their home…her home…or at least she thought.
Elise got no sleep, and it was obvious with the bags under her eyes yet she pretended to be asleep as her father checked in on her before heading off to the university.
As her bedroom door closed, her eyes shot open as she shot up in bed, the battle of her conscious now nagging at her once again for the hundredth time.
'The film and how she should report it to the authorities.' She told herself one more time before she got out of bed and pulled the box from underneath it again and placed it on her bed.
She glared for a moment before turning to her closet to change into her wardrobe for the day; making a rather easy decision hard as she finally got dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.
Elise turned back to the box, giving it once last look before she took a deep breathe and decided to bite the bullet as she reached for her cell phone to call the local authorities.
As she dialed the number, the doorbell rang; Elise huffed as she ended the unfinished call and made her way downstairs and towards the front door where she opened it to find a man in uniform standing in front of her.
"Hi ma'am, I'm Deputy Olsen with Nassau County, may I come in?" he asked.
Elise stood there for a moment, thinking to herself; how was it possible that a deputy appeared at her door right as she was about to call the cops? Was it coincidence?
"I—I…" Elise muttered softly.
The deputy took a step forward "Ma'am, are you okay?" he asked.
Elise took a deep breathe "Can I show you something?" she asked gently.
The deputy nodded "Absolutely." He said, walking inside the house.