Author's note: Hey, just a very short, rather poorly written, dialogue
heavy chapter today. I've been dealing with a lot of really bad mental
health issues these past few weeks. Definitely inspired the previous three
chapters regarding this topic, as that is where my head has been at recently,
in a very dark way, and while I don't really feel like writing right now,
I thought I would get something out, to show that I haven't disappeared ;)
I do however have some good ideas in the works coming up for anyone still with me.
This is more of a connective chapter, not an awful lot going on, as my head still isn't great.
Stay tuned,
HilsonForever96 xxx

"Wow," Greg sighed, "that… that was rather interesting… intense… you envisioned shooting the kids?"

"That's what you took from that story?" James looked back, wide eyed, "and no, I didn't, I shot the dog first, and then I snapped back to reality,"

"Probably a good thing that you did. Seeing a vision of the kids being hurt can really fuck you up, even after you come back round," Greg grabbed a bottle of water off the bedside table and took a drink.

"Yeah, I'm aware, I've seen you come around from your own night terrors," James pointed out and Greg glanced over, "Greg, I… I think that maybe you should spend a few days in hospital, you know, make sure you're alright and everything?"

"I'm fine," Greg muttered, "I'm not going to hospital,"

"Greg," James grumbled, his patience wearing thin, "you were about to kill yourself. I can't keep watch of you 24/7. You locked me up when I attempted, even though I didn't want to be, remember?"

"Of course, I remember that, James. But things are different; firstly, being that you actually attempted suicide, actually took the pills-" Greg began.

"A matter of timing really, if I'd walked into that bathroom five minutes later then everything would be very different now, and probably play out exactly like that vision," James interrupted.

"And also, that it's not just us anymore, James. We've got children, they need us to help them; I can't do that while I'm locked away in a hospital," Greg added.

"All the more reason that you go and get evaluated, Greg, we have children now. It's not just you and me anymore. It'd just be for a few days, then you'd be out," James countered, "I can manage to look after the kids for a few days, what I can't manage, Greg, is if you take your own life because I didn't act now,"

"Why don't we just wait and see? Anyway, we've been down here a long time, I'm going upstairs to make sure my son of a bitch of a mother has left; or your theory of everyone in the house being shot with Rob's Glock might just come true," Greg stood up, walked over to the stairs and headed up. James just shook his head and rubbed his temples, before sighing and following Greg upstairs. James had felt like sighing a lot more over the past few days.

"Everything okay up here?" Greg walked back out.

"Yeah, everything is all good, Charlie is napping and we're watching some daytime crap TV," Ryan answered, muting the TV, "what's going on?"

"My hippie looking husband is trying to convince me that I need to go be admitted into hospital because he had a vision that I had actually died while I was innocently taking a nap," Greg muttered.

"How do I look like a hippie?" James countered, following him back out the door; "and I think it's important that you get checked out, Greg, I can't be watching you constantly; especially considering that there is a gun in the house and that you know where it's kept. I can't risk that,"

"Your hair," Greg gestured, "but don't cut it off though, please," he went and sat down in the living room, perched on a chair, "look James, I'm sorry that I came so close to ending my life, but that doesn't mean that I belong in the loony bin,"

"You chucked me in there when I tried to kill myself," James folded his arms and stared down at Greg intensively.

"Well, yeah, but James, you'd also taken a whole bunch of prescription pills so I needed to know that your organs would be fine. I didn't do any potential lasting physical damage aside from a small, diagonal pressure cut on my wrist from where I was holding the blade against it. I didn't swallow a bottle of pills, and I didn't need to be revived twice. Plus, it was just the two of us back then, we didn't have kids to take care of," Greg argued.

"I'd argue that having kids is a factor for needing inpatient treatment, not against it," James disagreed, "like I said before,"

"Yeah… I have to agree with James on that one," Phil agreed, "you're right, it did just used to be the two of you, now you have two young kids to look after,"

"Of which I'm the primary caregiver," Greg argued back, "so it's going to be hard for James to take care of them,"

"I'll manage," James crossed his arms, "it's only going to be a few days,"

"Fine," Greg growled, "three days, James, I'll behave myself there for three days; and once those three days are up; then I'm going to be turning that ward upside down. I'll give them three days grace, and then all hell is happening. I think that's as long as I can last with my roommates being Jesus Christ and Ronald McDonald,"

"Okay, well, I think they've got more to fear, and they'll be more scared of you than you are of them. But let's get your bag packed, and head down to the hospital," James sighed, patting Greg on the back, "you're doing the right thing. This is the right thing to do, Greg,"

"You better make this up to me when I get home," Greg half smirked downstairs while shoving some clothes into his duffel bag, "I hope you make this up to me,"

"I will. But let's focus on getting you better first, okay?" James sighed, feeling relief at the limited level of fight Greg was putting up; "do you want to wait until Ryan brings Tyson back from school and tell them?"

"Tell them what, James? That daddy is off to the asylum because he has unspeakable demons tormenting his brain and would have rather been dead than to be here with them?" Greg pulled the bag over his shoulder, "no, you tell them, just… leave out any details, okay? I'm in hospital, I'm going to be fine and I'm going to be home in a few days; that's all that they need to know,"

"Okay," James nodded, "let's go then,"

James returned home with a box of pizza to share not only between himself and the kids, but also Ryan and Phil as a gesture of thanks for all their help and support that day. "Where's daddy?" Tyson asked, looking around.

"Daddy's not feeling well, he's going to go stay in the hospital for a few days; but then he'll be back home, good as new," James smiled falsely back, "just eat your dinner, Tyson," as Charlie then began asking where he was too.

"What's wrong with him?" Tyson pestered, and James could feel his exhaustion; both physical and mental, waning.

"He's not been feeling well, Tyson, but he's fine. Just eat your dinner, okay? Before it starts getting cold," James answered a bit more curtly, and to his friends it was clear that less than half an hour into this; James was already feeling the pressure as the kids continued to prod and pry. "Tyson Gallagher! Eat your food and stop yapping! I said that he's fine and he'll be back in a few days, and that's the end of it! Just drop it, okay?"

"Can we visit him?" Tyson continued, and James just sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he shook his head.

"Tyson, your dad's not really up for visitors at the moment. How about after school tomorrow you make him a get well soon card that you can give him when he gets home?" James suggested, trying not to let the fact he was at the end of his rope show anymore, to which Tyson just nodded.

Ryan reached out a hand and gave James a comforting squeeze on his shoulder, "he's going to be just fine, James," he whispered, "Greg is a tough, strong-willed cookie, if anyone can return back the way he was before, it's him,"

"Thanks," James mouthed back, his appetite now feeling entirely lost on him, without Greg there, it felt just… empty, "we've been essentially inseparable for the last twenty years, even longer. It just feels weird without him being here," James whispered.

Phil smiled, gesturing over to Tyson plucking off the toppings from his pizza slice, throwing them in the air and catching them in his mouth; "well, you've got a little Greg right over there," he joked and James just smiled weakly and sadly, not bothering to correct the behaviour as he watched and thought of Greg who was definitely missing James just as terribly.