The Skeletøn Bøy

THIRTY-NINE

First, this chapter is dedicated to Sleeplessness because she created an amazing cover for this story, and while I'm not using it, it's still AMAZING and I'm very very thankful. It really made my day <3

++ C H A P T E R | T H I R T Y - N I N E ++

"No, this isn't the first time Elliott has hallucinated." Adrian dropped his head in his hands. He was tired and terrified. He had never seen Elliott in such a bad state before. He had never thought his older sister would crack.

She'd always been the strong one. The one who saved him and Mat from everything. But, now that she was accepting that she didn't need to protect his siblings, Elliott was breaking down. She was slowly going crazy.

"How many other times?" Anna asked, concerned. She'd known Elliott had to be having a hard time, but this was so much worse than she could have ever imagined.

"I don't know. She probably doesn't let on as much. The only reason I know is because that's not the first time I've witnessed it happen to her. Elliott is unstable, obviously. She tried to kill herself because she thought Mother was there, telling her to do so. She needs real help, Anna."

Anna felt sick to her stomach. Mark was beside her, holding her hand tightly. He was watching how much it was affecting Anna, and it made him worried. Worried for the entire family. Not once had he assumed it was this bad.

"I don't know what to do. She refuses help!" Anna buried her face in Mark's chest. She was trembling with fear for her oldest foster child, and she was fighting to keep her heart calm. She had to believe it was going to be alright.

Mark rubbed Anna's back. "Sometimes, you have to push the help on a child." He offered. "Elliott might not realize she needs help, but she does. And the sooner she gets help, the sooner she'll get better. Stop having these hallucinations."

Adrian ran his hands through his hair, again. He was so worn out, but he knew this was probably how Elliott felt all the time. She was the type of person to never let anyone know what she was feeling. She was the type of person to never let anyone feel burdened by her. The nurse stepped in.

"There's a boy outside, requesting visitation rights. I thought I would ask you."Anna looked up, and then looked at Adrian. When he offered no opinions, she simply nodded.

"I see no problem with Elliott's friends wanting to visit."

Adrian wanted to say no, but it wasn't his place. No matter how much he despised of Brent, it didn't matter.

Only, it wasn't Brent who stepped in. It was Wes.

"Son." Mark stood up. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

Wes closed the door behind him, his face grim. "I heard what happened to Elliott. How's she doing?"

Anna bowed her head again. "Not so well. She's been out for quite awhile. I'm going to have to leave soon to pick up Mat." She looked at her watch, sighing in dismay.

"Mind if I sit?" Wes gestured to an empty chair, and Anna nodded. She hadn't expected to see Wes, but she was glad Elliott had someone. Anyone.

"Son, who is watching the shop?" Mark's voice was anxious and hard. No room for silly business, but Wes was used to that.

"The shop is closed. I closed it to see Elliott."

For a moment, there was silence between Wes and Mark as they stared each other down. Then, Mark cleared his throat. "What about the special customer coming in today?"