Colton's Spring

Chapter 9

"I'm fine," Colton grumbled. "I appreciate you driving me home because you're right, I'm a little woozy because of the painkillers, but I'm alright."

"And stubborn," Seth added.

Dorrie just smiled, a little sadly, but it was a smile nonetheless. "She's going to write the story."

Colton swore.

"Yes, I feel the same way," Dorrie said, "but it's her right. She sees it as her obligation - to get the truth out."

"But she can't report the suicide note, right?"

Seth held up his hand. "Colton, would it really be so bad if people knew the truth about Belinda's suicide attempt?"

"Yes," Colton replied without hesitation. "She's a very sick young woman who needs help."

"A young woman who almost died," Dorrie pointed out. "She knew what she was doing."

"But she called Spring," Colton argued. "If she had been truly set on that path, she wouldn't have reached out for help."

"Or it might just have been the influence of the drugs," Seth said. "We may never know why she did what she did."

"But the Abbotsford cops are going to question her." Colton felt a little desperate. "The doctors are going to help her now, right? Find a way to get her the help she needs."

"If she comes out of the coma." Dorrie's contribution.

"She will," Colton said. "She has to."

"Because she can exonerate you," Seth said.

Colton shook his head. "She has to come out because it's not her time to die. She's too young."

Dorrie gave him a long level look. "She's facing a lifetime of mental illness, Colton. Even if she does stay on her meds, it's still a lifetime commitment to the process and we've seen what can happen when people go off their meds. If she stays on the path she's on, she's going to self-destruct and who knows how many people she's going to take down with her?"

He swallowed. Hard. Because everything Dorrie was saying was true. Mental illness as severe as Belinda's could only bring heartache if she didn't stick to the regime set out by her doctors.

"It also looks like she's an alcoholic," Seth added. "Her place was full of empties."

"The two go hand-in-hand," Colton argued. "If they can get the bipolar under control then they can treat the alcoholism."

"If she wants help," Dorrie reiterated.

Colton threw up his hands. "This is getting us nowhere. Look, it's getting late and I'm exhausted. Knowing my luck either a lawyer or an intrepid reporter are going to be on my doorstep at the crack of dawn."

"Probably not Spring," Seth said. "She just finished interviewing Jocelyne and Doc has the impression the job is just beginning. Seems the intrepid reporter has a lot of work ahead of her."

"You do realize I'm going to have to kill her," Colton said.

Dorrie leaned forward in her seat. "I refused to give her names or even promise to talk to victims and reassure them she'll give them anonymity. Still, she implied there were people who had written to the paper and asked for the opportunity to tell their stories."