See Me

Chapter 7

TW for this chapter: talk of suicidal ideation

Outside of the door to his hospital room was a sign with neat, block handwriting scrawled across printer paper in bold, black ink.

DO NOT TALK ABOUT HOCKEY

August had figured out that his team was headed to Minnesota in a couple of days for semi finals and championships from Casey accidentally letting it slip a few days prior.

He remembered that because championships were going to be in Saint Paul this year his entire family had been planning on making the short drive from Saint Cloud to watch August play.

To say the memory made him upset would be a huge understatement. The days following the realization, August was distraught.

He'd been so excited for his family to finally get to watch him in person after a season full of them just having to watch him on television.

He gave everyone the silent treatment for two straight days, only speaking on the third day when his mother came in and managed to coax the words out of him and get him to eat a couple of bites of food.

In those two days it was decided that for August's sake, anything hockey related wouldn't be mentioned while he was around, hence the sign on the door.

His eyes hurt from crying and his body ached from lying in bed the last couple of days.

Reina had come in time and time again, trying to get him up but he had refused, now regretting his decision as his right leg continuously went into obnoxious fits of spasms.

Today, his mother came in along with a doctor August didn't recognize. "Good morning sweetheart, this is Dr. Werner. He wants to talk to you for a bit, is that okay?"

He nodded, his gaze fixating on the older man who stood beside his mother with a clipboard in his hands.

"Alright, I'll be back soon." She left the room, leaving August alone with Dr. Werner who sent him a small smile as he made his way over to the chair pushed up beside his bed.

"Hello August, I'm Dr. Werner, a psychiatrist here at the hospital. Is it alright if I ask you a couple of questions?"

"Yeah, I guess so." His voice came out scratchy and hoarse from a lack of use.

"I understand you've been having a difficult time coping with everything recently, is that correct?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

He watched as Dr. Werner uncapped the pen wedged in the clipboard, angling it upwards so that August couldn't see what was on the paper attached.

"Okay, for these next few questions I want you to be honest. These questions are meant to help me gain a better understanding of where your mind is at right now."

"Okay."

"Alright, I'm going to ask you how often you have been bothered by any of these problems over the last two weeks and your answers can be not at all, several days, more than half the days, and nearly every day."

He nodded, his gaze falling to the white sheets covering his legs.

"How often have you had little interest or pleasure in doing things in the last two weeks?"

"More than half of the days." He listened to Dr. Werner's pen scribbling across the paper.

"How often have you felt down, depressed, or hopeless?"

"Every day."

"Have you felt tired or had little energy?"

"Yes."