It's Not Too Late

Molly looks out her window at the sunset, warm colors fill the sky as the bright yet fading yellow sun shines. She puts her hand on the window, it's cold to the touch, but she's starting to feel warmer. She's getting the help she needs and even though it's scary, she knows she needs to get better.

Molly's room at the inpatient treatment center is almost exactly like her room back home. Her family and friends made sure to help her decorate it as much as they could so she didn't feel too homesick. Her bedsheets and pillow are purple, she has encouraging posters and art supplies, and even some of her favorite plushies.

Molly looks at the picture of her with her family and friends by her bedside. Her little blue ghost chain that's usually on her phone is connected to the picture so Scratch doesn't get left out. She misses them all.

Family and friends come to visit Molly every chance they get, but she hasn't seen Scratch since she was hospitalized. It's for good reason though. If they caught her talking to a ghost, even if he's real, she'd have to stay there longer. Scratch wasn't going to let her take that chance.

Molly looks at the picture by her bedside, feeling sad.

"I'm so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen. But I'm trying to heal and I'm going to get better. I promise, I'll fix this." Molly said.

Suddenly, Molly hears a knock at her door. It startles her, snapping her out of the moment as she realizes she was crying. So she quickly wipes away her tears and goes to open the door.

To Molly's surprise, it's Sasha, or Dr. Waybright. She smiles, happy to see her therapist.

"Sasha! It's so nice to see you, but what's going on? Therapy sessions don't start for a couple hours." Molly said.

"Well, it's been one month since you checked in, and I just want to say I'm so proud of the progress you've made. Your treatment team and I have made the decision to discharge you. I know, it's kind of out of the blue, but I wanted to surprise you! How are you feeling?" Sasha asked.

Hearing those words, Molly feels a sense of relief and joy come over her. Although she's gotten used to being in treatment, she's missed being home.

Molly starts to cry as her emotions come to the surface, like a tidal wave crashing down on her. It's scary and sudden, but it feels right.

Molly jumps into Sasha's arms and hugs her tight.

"Wait…I get to go home? I get to go home! Thank you, Sasha…Thank you so much!" Molly replied.

Sasha hugs Molly back, she can feel her excitement radiating. Happiness filling her heart. She's going home and she can't wait.

After Molly has her moment to process her feelings, Sasha takes her down to the visitors room. She made sure it would just be Molly and her loved ones so they can talk before they take her home.

Once Molly arrives in the room, she sees her Dad, Mom, Darryl, and Libby are all here. She smiles, hope in her eyes, as she goes over to hug each and every one of them. Still, she misses Scratch but knew he couldn't be here. She's finally getting discharged and the last thing he wants is for them to see her talking to a ghost.

Molly sits down in her own chair, ready to talk with everyone before they all leave together.

"I just want to say I'm so sorry for everything that's happened. I can't even imagine the pain I put you all through watching me suffer. It's not fair and if I had controlled myself and my emotions so none of this would have happened. I'm so sorry…" Molly said.

Molly starts to cry, feeling, letting all of her guilt and shame out as she shares her honest feelings about everything. It's a lot for her, only thirteen years old and having a diagnosis that may follow her for the rest of her life. It scares her.

Libby then gets up and walks over to sit in the chair next to Molly, taking her hand to comfort her.

"Molly, none of this was your fault. What happened to you was scary for us, that's true, but please try not to burden yourself with our feelings. It's okay to focus on your recovery." Libby replied.

Molly starts to cry again and looks around at her family with sadness. Still letting those intrusive thoughts in and letting them convince her she's the one to blame for all of this.

"Are you sure? That seems kind of selfish of me. I'm the one who had a psychotic breakdown. And it's probably happened a lot in the past, as Sasha told me. I just didn't realize it. I'm doing my best to get better though, for all of you." Molly said.

Suddenly, Darryl starts to feel angry. Seeing his sister say such hurtful things about herself is hard to watch. He hasn't talked much since everything happened, so he's going to speak up.

"Molly, please stop saying this is all your fault. It's not. You weren't yourself in those moments and all of us are happy to help you. That's what being part of a family is all about." Darryl replied.

Molly's taken aback by this. With his chaotic energy, she never thought Darryl could be so compassionate. Showing her how much he cares by telling her what she needs to hear. It means a lot coming from her brother.

"Thank you, Darryl. You're right, I know you'll all be here for me, no matter what. I guess I just needed to hear it from you all. My mind plays tricks on me sometimes, telling me that no one cares about me and that you'd all be better off if I didn't exist, but those are just thoughts. They can't hurt me and will pass." Molly said.

Pete and Sharon look at one another a bit concerned. They've never seen Molly so sad while still trying her best to be optimistic and hopeful. They can tell this whole experience really traumatized her.

Sharon gestures for Molly to come sit next to them. She nods as Pete pulls up a chair for her, right in the middle of them.

"Molly, you need to realize that it's okay to talk about these things. I know you love helping people and making everyone around you happy, it's a part of who you are. And it's also okay to be sad, afraid, and even angry sometimes." Sharon said.

Molly nods, taking in the insight from all of her loved ones perspectives. Then she looks to her Dad.

"You're Mother's right, Molly. Even those scary thoughts you've been having, it's okay to open up and be honest with us about them. Those thoughts and strong emotions won't seem as powerful if you talk about them and let the people who love you help you." Pete said.

Molly wipes away her tears, feeling freer already. The pain she was carrying made her feel so heavy and now that the burden's been lifted, she feels so much lighter.

"Thank you all. Talking about all of this helps and I'll definitely do my best to be more honest about my feelings. And I'll try to be kinder to myself. You're right, what happened wasn't my fault. I can't change the past, but I can focus on moving forward. One day at a time." Molly said.


Molly packs and gets all of her things out of her inpatient room. Before she leaves, she looks back at the empty room one last time, reminiscing about the time she spent in treatment. There were many lonely days and nights, a lot of emotional moments, and many life lessons learned. Even though it was traumatic, it brought her closer to the people she loves in a way. And, looking back, she wouldn't change a thing.

Molly walks with her family and Libby out to the car, finally breathing in the fresh air from outside. It's been so long since she's felt the warmth of the sun and just been outside in nature. It's all so magical and healing.

As they drive, Molly looks out the window and watches with wonder as the road passes her by. The motion of the car feels like a ride and she enjoys every moment of freedom outside of the treatment center. It's exhilarating but also calming at the same time.

Once they arrive at the McGee's house, Molly looks at her home, tears of joy overcoming her. It feels like she's moving back into her forever home all over again. Although she's been through so much, this memory she gets to relive is a new beginning that she never knew she needed.

Libby helps Molly with her bags as they all walk inside together.

Molly opens the door and is surprised to see Scratch and Ollie all dressed up in their Halloween costumes, the home still spookily decorated for the holiday even though that date has long passed.

Pete, Sharon, Libby, and Darryl all join in with Molly's friends and all say in unison.

"Welcome home, Molly! Happy Halloween!"

Seeing everyone together like this, celebrating one of Molly's favorite holiday's, makes her feel so loved and happy. She missed Halloween after being admitted, and now they're recreating the moment for her. That's what makes it special.

Molly runs over to join everyone in a group hug, a big smile on her face, tears of joy, and hope in her eyes as she takes in the moment.

"This is the best day ever! Happy Halloween! Thank you all so much!" Molly said.

Once they all break out of their hug, Libby explains.

"It was all Scratch's idea. He knows how much you love Halloween and he was sad you had to miss it. So he did all of this for you." Libby replied.

Molly looks at Scratch and gives him a hug. He was the only one she hasn't seen since she went to treatment and she's so happy to see her ghostly best friend again.

"Well, I didn't want you to miss out on Halloween, and I couldn't pass up on the chance to experience my favorite holiday for a second time." Scratch said.

"Aw, thanks Scratch! I missed you too, buddy." Molly replied.

With that, everyone enjoys the Halloween treats, Libby tells scary stories, and they all enjoy Halloween together. It's not exactly like Molly's dream of being a ghost princess and going out trick or treating with her friends, but that's okay. She's just happy to be home.

Molly then takes a moment to step away from it all and sits on the couch in the living room, looking out the window at the light blue cloudy sky. She then sees the shadow creature with the bright yellow glow around it, curious but no longer afraid.

"You're just in my mind, you can't hurt me…But I know you're hurting and you're a part of me, so I'm going to do my best to help both of us get better. Don't worry, it's not too late. We'll…No, I'll be okay. I know it." Molly said.

The shadow creature nods, finally feeling at peace as Molly comes to accept this part of herself. The road to recovery will be a journey, but she's on the right path.

Molly then gets up and goes back to celebrate Halloween with her family and friends, waving to her shadow self one last time as it disappears in the distance. She cries a little. Letting go but holding onto the lessons this shadow part of her helped her learn.

"Goodbye. I'm sure I'll see you again, but for now I'm just going to enjoy this moment with my family and friends. I'll get through this. One moment at a time." Molly said.

The End