In Your Face

Analean Johnson

My heart sank as the policeman said Stanley's name. Stanley hadn't wanted to go to the dance, claiming it was lame.

I gulped as I walked out with the officer. Once we were outside, he started talking.

"Ms. Johnson, your twin, Stanley, he's in the hospital right now."

My mind swirled. "Why? What happened?"

"I am not in the place to tell you, but I can take you to the hospital so you can be with your parents. That's it." When he saw my face, he added, "Unless you don't want to leave. You can stay if you want."

"No way! I'm going." With that, I got in the car and slammed the door shut.

The policeman followed my lead and got in the car. It was a silent ride to the hospital.

---------------15 minutes later---------

The moment the car was stopped, I opened the door and ran out as fast as I could. I quickly asked the front desk where Stanley was, then rode the elevator up to the fourth floor. I hesitantly walked to his room. I sighed and opened the door.

My breath got caught in my throat as I saw the scene in front of me. Stanley was hooked up to about 12 different machines. He was very pale and had bandages covering both his wrists. I knew before anyone told me that Stanley was hospitalized for a suicide attempt. My heart broke as emotions flew across my mind. Tears filled my eyes as I walked in closer.

"Hey Analean. How was the dance?" My mom asked. Her eyes were bloodshot, telling me she has been crying too. I burst into tears and sat down on the edge of Stanley's bed. The doctor came in and explained everything to me.

Apparently, Stanley had locked himself in his bathroom and tried to commit suicide. He cut his wrists and lay there waiting for death. No one really knows why yet, because he also took some other drugs and stuff that put him into a comatose state and he hasn't woken up yet. But anyways, he thought that our parents wouldn't find him until he was gone, but the circumstances made it so my dad came in to talk to him and found him on the floor.

So here he lays. The doctor said that this case has never been seen before, so no one knows when or if he'll wake up. The doctor said more, but I ignored him because my mind was wondering. Then I thought of something.

"Um, mom? Dad? Aaron doesn't know what's wrong or where I am....and I kinda ditched him at the dance. Any advice?"

My mom thought for a moment. "No, I don't think I've ever had this type of situation occur with a boy before." We all nervously laughed. Then I sighed.

"What if he never wakes up? What if he succeeds with his attempt? What if I can't ask him for advice with boys, or weird stuff, or mess with him, or other sibling stuff? What if I lose my best friend?" I blurted out after some silence.

"Well, um, I don't know sweetie. I can't exactly help you with this. Your mom and I have never been through this before. It's new to us too," my dad replied.

I became overcome with anger. I slammed my fist on the wall. My left arm started hurting, but my right arm was fine because it was still in a cast. Tears were streaming down my face.

"Why did this happen to me? Why did you try to kill yourself Stanley? Why this night? Why are you stupid enough to think your life doesn't matter? You have me. I'm your best friend. You can't just leave me like this!" I collapsed on a chair and started sobbing. My mom came to comfort me. The door creaked open, but I didn't look to see who it was. My mom started mumbling to the visitor.

"He tried to...take his life today. Slit his wrists. Doctor says there are some other drugs in his system that have helped put him in a coma. He's not doing so well."

"I'm sorry to hear that Mrs. Johnson. That...sucks. That seriously sucks." The deep voice surprised me. I looked up, tears still streaming down my face. There stood Aaron, still in his tuxedo. He had a morbid look on his face.

My eyes met his. We stared at each other for a while. Then I got up and ran into his arms. He just hugged me. This is why I love Aaron. He's always there when you need him.

"Shh. Shh, it's ok, it'll be ok. Just relax. You're fine. Stanley will be ok. Trust the doctors. Shh. You're fine. Stop crying," Aaron muttered in my ear. I grabbed the tissue box and dried my eyes. Then I became overwhelmed with exhaustion. I yawned.

"You wanna sleep?" Aaron asked me.

I nodded. He led me to a chair and I curled up in a ball, still in my dress. I fell asleep to Aaron telling something to my parents.

He said, "I have some bad news for you guys, but you can't tell AJ yet."