Being Josh Ramsay's Daughter

Sympathy

Mike got ahold of the phone and I panicked. I didn't want him to know what was going on.

He looked at me confused. Then he handed the phone to me. I answered it, surprised. How did Mike know I wanted to answer it and how important that was to me.

Once I got off the phone, I hung up and slowly walked back to the couch.

"Who was it?" Mike asked.

"A friend from school. I hope it's okay that a gave them your guys' number while I'm here." I thought up a decent lie on the spot.

"Yeah, of course. No worries." Mike said, smiling.

Megan looked at me, curiously.

I shook my head to let her know that I was lying. She frowned and stood up.

"Hey, Acadia, come with me I wanna show you something in my room." She said, making her way to her room.

I got up and followed her there.

I wasn't excited for the conversation we were about to have. I wasn't sure how it was going to go, how I would handle it, how she would handle it. But it had to happen eventually.

I braced myself before entering the room.

She looked me directly in the eyes as she spoke.

"What did they say?"

"Okay, first. Please let me tell my dad about this. It's not going to be easy, but it has to be me. I need to tell him, I promise I will. But it has to me. Do you promise you'll let me be the one to tell him?"

"Of course. Your news, you get to tell him. What is the news?" She seemed anxious.

She was hopeful that I tested negative for both. She was dying to know.

"My test results showed that I tested negative for both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder."

"Oh my gosh! That's wonderful." She exclaimed, hugging me.

But she didn't know that was just the beginning.

"So why don't you look happy?" She asked, letting go from the hug.

"I don't have either of those. But, I showed early signs of panic disorder. And slight paranoia. If I don't keep these under control, they could take over my life. And just because I don't currently have schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, the nurse said, that doesn't mean I can't develop them."

I wanted to cry. But I had cried so much the past few days, I had to hold myself together this time.

"Oh Acadia." Megan said.

I could hear the sympathy in her voice. She hugged me again and told me I should get some rest.

I didn't know my own life anymore. Within three days, my whole life had changed. It's like a nightmare I can't wake up from.