"This is going to make getting her out of this so much harder," Chloe whispered, trying desperately not to wake the sleeping girl in her arms. Jaiden had conked out over 45 minutes ago and Beca had come to sit beside them.
"As if it wasn't already hard enough," Beca sighed.
"How did her therapy go?" The redhead continued to draw slow patterns on Jaiden's back, hoping to keep her out for as long as possible. Although it pained her to see this girl so upset, Chloe was content to have her napping against her. After the tension that had rested between the two of them, this was a nice change, despite the circumstances.
"She seemed pretty annoyed when she came out. But then again, that might have been me."
"What do you mean?"
"She feels like I'm babying her," Beca admitted. "Do you think I'm being overbearing."
"I think you're just trying to keep her safe." Chloe assured her seriously. Jaiden shifted a bit, causing the older two girls to freeze, and then buried her face into the blanket she had wrapped around herself. Beca smiled a bit at the two of them and then subtly snapped a pic on her phone. She knew there were a lot of hard days ahead of them, and if anything, they needed to savor the moments like this.
"She loves you, you know. That's why she was so upset when she thought you were mad." Beca told her. Her girlfriend looked down at Jaiden and continued to rub her back as she listened to the 18 year old's steady breathing. "We can do this, right? We can take care of her?" The brunette's voice wavered with uncertainty as she looked towards Chloe for assurance.
"I think so. I hope so." Chloe huffed. "At least she's okay for now. Should we…is there anything we could do to keep her mind off of Stacie when she wakes up?"
"Well, drinking is out," Beca pointed out obviously. "She won't want to go anywhere. It's like all she wants to do is sit around."
"So let's do that then," Chloe shrugged lightly. "Go out and buy some movies and take out and then we'll just sit with her."
"That's actually a really good idea," Beca got off of the couch slowly, careful not to jostle the other two too much. She kissed Chloe on the head and smiled down at her appreciatively before jogging towards the door. "I'll be back in like half an hour," She assured her. With that, Beca grabbed her purse and booked it out the door.
Nearly 20 minutes later, Jaiden shifted again against Chloe and slowly opened her eyes. The redhead watched, a bit nervous, as she slowly came to and realized her position. Surprisingly, Jaiden didn't move away from her. Instead, she rolled over just enough to look up at Chloe and yawn.
"Where's Beca?" The groggy teen asked.
"She ran out to get some stuff. How're you feeling?" Jaiden only shrugged in response. From the look in her eye, she had already started thinking about Stacie, and Chloe watched as her hand moved towards her phone. "Don't," She warned her gently.
"I just want to know why."
"No, you don't. And if she has any ounce of intelligence, she probably blocked you by now. Because you know if Beca finds out she's still talking to her, she'll kick her ass-"
"But I love her, Chloe," Jaiden interjected. The older girl sighed and began to rub her back again; completely at a loss of what to say. She knew that nothing she had to offer could soften the pain Jaiden had to be in.
"I know you do. And I think somewhere she loved you too. But, she just wasn't the one."
"She was. If I…if I could have just kept it together-"
"Jay, stop. You can't blame yourself for everything. Stacie was the one who screwed up." Chloe told her sternly. The brunette stared down at the phone in her hands and opened up the most recent string of messages from Stacie. They had been talking last night, and Jaiden read her own replies in serious scrutiny. She should have been more affectionate with the older girl, despite everything. Jaiden had been so selfish lately, and now she was paying for it. How much longer until Chloe and Beca would see that too and decide she was too much of a burden? They should be living happily together in the apartment and instead they had a 24 hour babysitting job.
"Can I see that for a second?" Chloe asked, drawing her out of her thoughts. Jaiden glanced up at her and offered her phone hesitantly. Her heart dropped as she watched Chloe swipe right and delete the entire conversation. "I'm blocking her too," She muttered. Jaiden let her gaze fall back down to the floor as Chloe tapped away at the iPhone.
"That didn't make me feel better," She sighed.
"But, it'll keep you from feeling worse later." Just then, the door opened behind them and Chloe watched as her girlfriend walked into the apartment. Beca looked a bit frazzled; considering her hair was a wind-blown mess and she was juggling several grocery bags and a tray of coffees.
"Hey babe," Chloe greeted her warmly. Beca shot her a questioning look, obviously wanting to know how her sister was doing before she entered the living room. Chloe nodded inconspicuously and sat up a bit, which forced Jaiden to as well. Beca rounded the back of the couch and set her small bounty down on the coffee table. The room filled with the smell of coffee and Jaiden perked up just enough to eye Beca suspiciously.
"What's all this?" She asked.
"Comfort food and movies. You're spending the day with us." Beca's tone left no room for an argument and she plopped down in the space beside Chloe. Jaiden, on the other hand, stood up and wrapped her blanket around her shoulders as she walked away.
"No thanks," She mumbled. "I just want to be alone for a little bit."
Beca shoved the small pang of sadness aside as she rose back up from her seat. God only knew how annoyed Jaiden had to be with her at this point, but she followed her nonetheless. Chloe watched, ready to intervene, as Beca took Jaiden by the arm.
"I know you do. But, neither one of us are going to force you to talk. Just stay out here where we can keep an eye on you. Please?" Jaiden tugged her blanket tighter around herself and stood still; debating over what she wanted to do. She hadn't been alone since she had woken up, and what she really wanted to do was curl up in bed and mull over every single mistake she had made with Stacie. Obviously Beca knew that. And Jaiden knew that her sister wasn't going to relent, so she shuffled back into the living room and slumped down into one of the arm chairs. "Thank you," Beca murmured as she sat back down beside Chloe. The only response she got was Jaiden reaching forward and plucking one of the Starbucks cups out of its tray.
The rest of the day passed without one single word escaping Jaiden's lips. She responded to the few questions she was asked with either a shake of the head or a nod, and not one ounce of emotion more. By 8, she had folded herself up into a small ball in the leather chair and was snoring softly.
"Should we wake her up so she can go to her own bed?" Chloe couldn't help but notice Jaiden's less than comfortable looking position as their third DVD of the day returned to its menu. Beca looked over at her sister and winced at the angle her neck was in.
"Yikes," She grimaced. "Maybe."
"Do you want me to do it? Things have seemed a little tense between you two today," Chloe offered. Beca nodded gratefully and braced herself as the older girl stood up and walked around the coffee table. She nudged Jaiden's shoulder a few times and then jumped back as the teenager jolted awake and grabbed her arm. "Whoa, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," Chloe apologized. "How about you head off to bed?"
"Mmm'kay." Jaiden grunted and got to her feet, still a bit disoriented from sleep.
"Goodnight," Beca called after her.
"Night." Her younger sister's voice barely reached Beca's ears as she walked down the hallway. A little relieved at how docile Jaiden had been, Beca relaxed against Chloe when the redhead came back to the couch.
The next day passed slowly for both Beca and Chloe. Jaiden was practically lethargic; either sleeping or staring off into space throughout the majority of the time they had checked in on her. The most eventful thing that the 18 year old had done was get a shower.
When Saturday morning finally came, Beca found herself debating whether or not to allow Jaiden to drive herself. In a moment where she really could Chloe's advice, she was left without it. The redhead had gotten up and headed to the grocery store early in the day, leaving Beca to make the decision by herself. By the time Jaiden had emerged, Beca was jingling the younger girl's eyes around in her hands anxiously.
"Hey," Jaiden said, spying what Beca was holding. She came to a stop at the counter beside the smaller girl and watched her patiently.
"Promise you'll come right home?" Beca's tone made the question more of a demand, and she kept the car keys just out of the brunette's reach.
"I promise, Becs."
"Okay. Give me a hug," Beca finally relented and handed Jaiden the lanyard. She pulled the slightly taller girl into an embrace and squeezed her tightly. "I love you."
"Love you too. Thanks." Jaiden replied sincerely. Untangling herself from Beca, she exited the apartment while her older sister watched nervously.
Truly alone for the first time in days, Jaiden took her time driving to the hospital. Her mind filled with dread at the idea of spending another hour and a half in a group session, but skipping was not an option. Jaiden knew damn well Beca would be calling to make sure that she was there, and she didn't think the nurse at the front desk was going to do her a solid and lie. Being late, on the other hand; she could manage that.
20 minutes after she was supposed to be there, Jaiden strolled into the hospital with an iced coffee in hand. Ignoring the glare she got from her nurse, the 18 year old scrolled through her Twitter until she was directed into the group therapy room and finally put her phone away. Dave did not look amused.
"So nice of you to join us," The man remarked.
"Sorry," Jaiden shrugged. "Traffic was bad this morning." She took a sip of her coffee and crossed her legs; settling in for what she knew would be a long hour and ten minutes.
"Back to where we were," Dave apparently was ready to continue with his "lesson". "Shelby, you were just telling us about the first time your parents addressed your problem," He paused, just long enough to shoot a look at Jaiden. "For those of you who didn't catch the beginning of this session, it's important to acknowledge those that are trying to help."
"Yeah," Shelby snapped the rubber band on her wrist once. And then again. And then four more times. "They opened my backpack and found my notebook."
"And what was in that notebook?"
"My time log," The girl mumbled.
"What were you tracking?" David asked, as if he already didn't know.
"Washing my hands," She admitted.
"How often were you washing them?"
"Every six minutes," Shelby whispered. And then she began to snap at her rubber band again, six more times. Jaiden took another sip of her drink; watching the exchange curiously.
"What did they say to you, Shelby? How did they address it?" David prompted.
"They told me that I needed help, and that they had noticed my, um, my habits. We fought a lot about it and we tried a few different therapists before the hospital got involved." She explained timidly. Apparently satisfied with the answer, Dave turned his attention to the girl beside Shelby.
"Jenna," He tilted his head to the side. "It's your turn."
"My parents didn't do shit," The redhead crossed her thin, thin arms in front of her chest and eyed the therapist challengingly. "My friends at school told my guidance counselor on me and she called home. They were too busy to do anything other than tell me to eat. I got help by myself."
"Surely you have someone supporting you?" Dave frowned. Jenna rolled her eyes and glanced around the room.
"You guys are as close as it gets." She didn't sound happy about the fact. Apparently ready to move on before his methods looked stupid, Dave looked at the girl who was sat beside Jaiden. The seating arrangement was the same as last time, and Jaiden couldn't help but notice the way Emily tensed.
"Emily?"
"I don't…I don't really feel comfortable talking about it." She mumbled. Jaiden sat up a bit, sympathetic to how uncomfortable she seemed, and looked over at Dave warily. The therapist clicked his pen and adjusted his glasses before speaking.
"That's why we're here, Emily. You have to learn not to internalize these things. That's part of what causes your condition." He told her. When the dark haired girl didn't respond, he huffed impatiently. "I suppose I'll start you off then. From what your father told me, he found a few of your used razor blades in your bathroom." Emily tensed and gripped the seat of her chair. Jaiden looked between her and the therapist; growing to dislike him more and more. Everyone in the session was staring at Emily and she locked her gaze on the tiled floor.
"He got really mad," She whispered.
"And?" Dave leaned in. Jaiden's gaze hardened at him just before she was started by what sounded like a stifled sob.
"I…I can't talk about this," Emily whimpered. A fear slipped down her cheek and Jaiden looked around the room, waiting for someone to do something.
"You have to-"
"Dude, can you shut up for like a second?" Jaiden stood up from her chair and looked at the man in disgust. The other patients stared at her in shock and then looked towards the group leader, waiting for their reaction. "She's obviously not okay right now."
"I'm sorry, I wasn't aware you had a degree in Psychology. Sit back down and quit interrupting." He ordered, obviously insulted at her outburst. Emily, on the other hand, was struggling just to keep it together. The shouting and the pressure had become far too much for the teenager and she took the opportunity to bolt from the room.
"Your degree obviously doesn't mean shit," Jaiden scoffed. Before he could stop her, she turned around and followed the other girl out of the room, still absolutely fuming at what she had just seen. Emily was halfway down the hall by the time Jaiden caught up to her and pulled her into the first empty room they saw.
"Hey, you okay?" She asked the brunette worriedly. Emily's breath hitched in her throat, but she nodded anyways. Jaiden's hands were securely on her shoulders and she held her steady; skeptical of the response.
"Th-thank you," Emily stammered out.
"Hey, listen, that guy's a dick. I'm sorry he was pushing you like that." Jaiden fell silent as she heard footsteps coming down the hall. The 18 year old silently held a finger to her lips before maneuvering them away from the doorway and against the wall until she was sure that whoever it was had passed.
"You d-didn't have to-"
"Please," Jaiden rolled her eyes. "It's fine. Do you want to leave? We could sneak down to the lobby."
"My parents are coming to get me. I don't have m-my license."
"Okay," Jaiden wracked her brain for a solution. She really didn't want to get this girl in trouble. "How about we waste the next hour down in the cafeteria. I'll get you a coffee or something." She offered. Much to her relief, Emily seemed to calm down a little bit as she nodded. "Alright then. Follow me lead." Jaiden took the slightly smaller girl's wrist and jumped as she flinched back. It took a few seconds, but she realized what she had done and her face reddened.
"Shit, I'm sorry. Come on," She coaxed apologetically. Jaiden took her hand instead and pulled her out into the hallway. The two girls looked around warily before booking it over to the stairwell and disappearing from the psych ward.
Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!