Behind the Scenes-A Whose Line Fanfic

I'll Be Home for Christmas

Jennifer's POV

I woke up feeling refreshed. I climbed out of bed and got ready for the day. I met Danny at the breakfast table. "Good morning," I smiled. "Hey! You seem very happy this morning," Danny replied. "I am. My nurse told me that I might be able to go home sometime today," I told him. "That's amazing! Actually, I'm going home today too," Danny said beaming. "Congratulations! I'm counting on you finding me before you go," I smirked. "Of course," he responded putting his arm around my shoulder. We ate breakfast together.

Sonia sent my off to a meeting with my psychiatrist. "Good morning Jennifer! How are you doing?" Dr. Johnson asked. "I'm doing really well. I managed to eat most of my breakfast this morning," I answered proudly. "Congratulations! You're making great progress. How have your insomnia and nightmares been?" he inquired. "I've been having a better time sleeping. I have about one or two nightmares per night, but I guess that's a slight improvement," I stated.  "It is.  Nightmares can't necessarily be controlled, but the therapy can help decrease the likelihood of having them.  How has your mood been?" Dr. Johnson questioned.  "I've been fairly happy the past few days.  I was a bit depressed and uptight after my last therapy session.  I had to talk about memories of my parents so I can try to desensitize them," I told him.  "How did you react to the situation after the session was over?" Dr. Johnson asked.  I thought about the question.  "I took some deep breaths and read a book to make me feel better," I answered.  "You handled it well.  Another thing you can consider doing when you feel depressed or anxious is talking to someone about it.  Studies show that it is healthier than keeping your feelings to yourself," he informed.  "I'll try that next time," I promised.  My session ended and I took a nap before lunch.

As I was about to leave for lunch, there was a knock on my door.  "Come in," I called.  Danny walked into the room with his hands in his pockets.  "I just got the all clear to leave," he stated.  "That was quick.  Are you finished packing?" I asked.  "I just finished.  I wanted to say goodbye to you right before I leave so I don't have much time to think about how much I'll miss you before my parents get here," he told me. "Aw. You belong at home. I'll miss you so much," I sniffled putting my arms around his neck. "I'll miss you too. I wish you the best of luck," Danny replied embracing my waist. This moment could have lasted forever. I let go because he had to leave. I couldn't bear to watch him go.

I ended up finding some friends to eat lunch with, but it wasn't quite the same without Danny. There is something about him that makes me smile.  Sonia sent me off to my social worker session which was surprising because it wasn't for another ten minutes.  Mrs. Roberts greeted me with a smile as I entered her office.  "Thanks for coming a little early Jennifer!  I wanted to tell you a bit how this session is going to run because we haven't done one like this yet.  If all goes well, it should you permission to leave.  Your fellow cast members of Whose Line Is It Anyway will be at the session kind of like a group therapy, but it will be centered around you.  I encourage you to talk as freely as you would as if they weren't there," she said. 

We walked to the group therapy room since it is bigger than Mrs. Roberts' office. I was feeling kind of nervous about this session. I took a few deep breaths to calm down. Colin, Ryan, Wayne, Greg, Jeff, Jonathan, Chip, Drew, and Robin walked into the room and each gave me a brief hug before sitting down. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice. As many of you know, this is the final step before Jennifer is released from the hospital.  We have yet to address the reason behind this hospital stay," Mrs. Roberts began.  She handed me an envelope.  I opened it and was immediately horrified.  It was one of the hate mail letters. "What I would like you to do, Jennifer, is to read it aloud.  I will have your cast members discuss their thoughts on the letter and have your feelings on it after they do," Mrs. Roberts instructed.  I opened the letter and began to read it out loud.

Dear Jennifer,

I would like to congratulate you on reaching a new low.  Your acting skills continue to diminish especially on Whose Line Is It Anyway where you have to make up your own lines.  You are clearly looking for attention.  Look what you did with taking your own parents to court.  You have way too much time on your hands to come up with a story that sounds so tragic.  I can see through your lies.  I know they didn't try to kill you.  They are probably the nicest people on earth.  You are the horrible person.  You are a person who has everything handed to them and you act like you deserve it.  You might consider losing weight and taking some acting classes if you want to succeed as a celebrity.  To save yourself from embarrassment, just kill yourself.  You'll thank me later.

I lowered the letter into my lap with shaking hands.  I didn't dare look around the room. I could feel everyone's blood boiling. Mrs. Roberts opened the floor for comments. "I don't know how anyone could ever be this cruel," Chip began. "It's not true. None of it is," Greg shook his head. "When you hear a bunch of lies long enough, you begin to believe them," I said quietly fighting back tears. "Sweetheart, please don't think for one second that you're the person in the letter. You're worth more than gold," Robin replied with his voice cracking through tears. My eyes burned with tears threatening to escape. "I just don't understand how they can think you made everything up. They couldn't even imagine what you've been through," Colin spoke up. "They wouldn't last a day in your shoes. They're such a sick person for saying those horrible insults and threatening you like that," Ryan remarked clenching his fists. "How did you react when you first read the letter?" Mrs. Roberts asked. "I was really hurt by it. I try not to let stuff like this bother me, but having someone say that I'm living a lie. Something brought me over the edge that day. I thought that the world would be a better place if I was dead. I know that isn't true now," I answered. "What could you do next time you receive harsh criticism?" she inquired. "Probably the easiest thing to do would be to not let it bother me and ignore it. I could talk to someone about it if was really making me feel bad. I know the guys have offered many times to talk with them if I needed to so I know they're more than willing to talk to me. I really should stop pretending to have it all together when I don't," I admitted. "Those are great ideas. It's important to know that we can't control what others think about us, but we can change how we react to criticism. Continuing to do what you love will make life a lot happier. Laughter is the best medicine. You have come a long way and I'm proud to announce that your treatment is complete," Mrs. Roberts said smiling. The cast cheered and hugged me. I packed up everything in my room. "Could we maybe have everyone come over for a party?" I asked dad. "Of course," he answered. "Everyone come over in two hours. We're having a party," I told the guys. Colin and I drove home.

As soon as we got home, Colin and I went right to work on preparing food for the party.  We decided on an Italian theme.  I prepared some homemade pizzas and breadsticks while Colin made chicken bruschetta and a salad.  I had plenty of time to spare before the party so I baked some chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies, and various types of muffins.  "We have enough food to feed an army," Colin laughed.  "With everyone coming, it really is an army," I smiled.  The cast arrived.  They were so surprised that we managed to make so much food in two hours.  "This is lovely," Jeff complimented.  "Thank you Jeff," I replied.  Colin set out silverware, plates, napkins, glasses, and beverages on the table.  All of us filled our plates with food and gathered around the TV.  We watched a few Christmas movies before it was time for cookies and hot chocolate with marshmallows.  The fireplace was lit.  Soft music played in the background.  I sat between Jeff and Ryan.  The hot chocolate made me sleepy and I quickly found myself snuggling up Jeff.  He smiled at me.  It's amazing how comfortable silence can be sometimes when you're with people you love. 

Everyone left around ten o'clock.  "I have to say this was a mighty fine party considering we had less than two hours to prepared," I told Colin.  "It was.  I can't believe how we got so much food ready in that amount of time," he said.  "It turned out great.  I was actually able to eat a whole plate of food and have dessert later," I replied proudly.  "That's great!  I'm so happy that you're doing better.  Home isn't the same without you here," Colin confessed.  "Aw thanks!  I missed you too," I smiled jumping into his arms.  We laughed at each other and went to bed.

Hey guys!  I hope you enjoyed this chapter.  I am really excited about being able to write a lot more while I'm on break.  I have a few ideas for the next chapter, but any suggestions would be appreciated.  I can't thank you all enough for all the great feedback and support you have given me with this story.

Lots of love,

Jennifer