Chosen Families

Chapter 3

TW: ED, suicide, self-harm, drug abuse

A/N - please excuse the different writing style, i hate writing speech and there is a lot of speech here so this was just easier for me

Reece: What do you know then?

The blonde has hesitation in his eyes as he pulls his hand away from himself. He looks at his younger sister, trying to piece together what she's figured out

Aut: Are we forgetting what our teenage years were like? You and I both know that you weren't the only saviour. You may have protected me from father but I was the one protecting you from your own head, so I know the signs.

Reece: Aut, I promise I am fine. You have bigger things to worry about than me anyway.

He tries his best to hide from Autumn. The brunette moves closer towards him.

Aut: Arm.

She holds her hand out, awaiting Reece. He almost refuses until he notices Aut's eyes tear up slightly. She takes it, looking around before unrolling the sleeve. She softly gasps as she sees the faint lines up and down his lower arm. The woman thinks to herself, he's going back to Marjories tomorrow and I'm not sure how he'll hide these. She lets go of his hand and walks to the door, ensuring the corridor is free from prying ears before shutting it.

Aut: Reece, what's going on?

Reece: I just got a bit stressed the other day and then it happened, no big deal

Aut: Reece you haven't done that since you were 19, how is it not a big deal if you're returning to behaviours that you haven't done in almost 20 years?

Reece: Aut, I appreciate your concern but I'm fine, really.

Aut: I don't believe you.

She sits back down on the sofa, head resting upon her hands. She tries to utter more words but she is speechless. Reece may always be a grumpy man, but he doesn't always do this.

Reece: Okay fine, I've been having some.. talking sessions with Charlotte. She kept pestering me about going to therapy so I thought it easier to just speak to her instead of relaying everything to someone completely new. She did her best and started to research things. She took me to a psychiatrist and she told them everything. And now I've been diagnosed with BPD.

The older man stops his rambling abruptly. He looks at Autumn who is just at there listening, trying to figure out why this has made her brother spiral.

Aut: But now you have an explanation and something to fix, so why have you spiralled and regressed to being a teenager?

Reece: To tell you the truth Aut, I don't know. I can't eat, I can't sleep, I can't do anything. I thought this would help but it's made everything worse and now I can't even tell Marjorie. What would she think of me Aut?

Tears start to fall from his eyes as he faces towards his sister. He just wants the world to swallow him, it would be better if he wasn't there. A text flashes up on Reece's phone. Out of the corner of Aut's eye, she reads the word 'dealer' as the contact.

Aut: Reece, please do not tell me you are back on them, do you not remember what happened last time?

Reece: Honestly Aut, I'd love for it to happen again, only this time nobody calls an ambulance.

Aut: Delete the number.

Her anger is starting to show through now. The only reason her brother survived last time is because she called the ambulance. She had hoped that he would never get back into drugs again. She believed he wouldn't, he hadn't for years, until now.

Aut: Delete it Reece or I will

After waiting for a moment, Autumn takes Reeces phone from the desk and deletes any trace of the number. Reece is sat in silence, letting it all happen to him.

Aut: Reece you have so many people who care about you, what is the point in throwing it all away for the sake of a diagnosis?

Reece: Aut, I couldn't care less, I really don't want to be here anymore

Aut: I know you believe that now, but you do want to be here and so many others want you here too. Marjorie, me, Car-

The younger girl bursts in, it seems she had been sitting outside the room for quite a while as her eyes were red and glossy.

Carly: And me! Reece, I had no idea you felt like this.

At the sight of the colourful child, he starts uncontrollably sobbing. He wished he had never opened up to Aut, especially in the nursery. He knew Carly would find a way to listen in and end up finding everything out. His breath stopped for minutes before he finally remembered to breathe, repeating this for almost half an hour. He really in that moment, did just want to die.