Special kind of Mentally Ill

3

  When she woke up her cheeks were red, and my jeans were imprinted into the side of her face.
  "I'm starving," She sat up.
  "Well let's get some fast food." I suggested.
  "Okay," her eyes were adjusting to waking up. Her hair was a mess. I could barley keep my eyes on the road. We went through "Lovin' Burgers," and ate in my car. I stared at her. When we finished eating she asked me if she could get dropped off so she could get ready for the field fire. I agreed to drop her off and pick her up in a few hours. I then went home myself. When I got home my mother was cooking and everyone was off doing their own thing. I walked in the front door and my mother called me to the kitchen.
  "Sweetheart, where have you been? It's almost 5:30!" She exclaimed.
  "I went to eat with Jackie." I stated.
  "Okay, what are your plans tonight?" She asked me. I didn't want to talk to her.
  "Field fire with Jackie." I responded walking away.
  "Lenny! Lenny!" I heard as I walked into my room. When I got to my room Henry was in there with a friend. They were going through my stuff.
  "Get the hell out!" I yelled as I walked in. Henry and his friend turned away and ran out the door. I slammed it. I then made sure they didn't take out the box from under my bed. They didn't. I had gotten there just in time.  My father came up to my room.
  "Why did you yell at Henry? He's crying to your mother now." Said my father.
  "He was in my room. He doesn't need to be in here." I replied.
  "You need to be more considerate of your siblings. You seem so uptight lately."
  "I'm not uptight, I'm nothing. I have to go to get Jackie now." I walked past my father and ran down the stairs out the door. I got into my truck and went off. I then got Jackie, and we went to the fire. When we arrived I took her to my friends. Lynette was there leaning against Brice's truck. No one spoke when I came over. I came close to Gunner, who was sitting on the tailgate.
  "Why is no one talking?" I whispered to him.
"You brought Jackie. Dude, you can't lead Lynette on again. She's hurt." He stated. I looked at Lynette. She quietly talked to the girls.
  "I need to go talk to someone. I'll be back." Jackie said walking off.
  "Why did you bring her? I thought you guys were over?" Lynette busted out as soon as she left.
  "We aren't, we were just fighting that's all." I lied. 
  "You're such a jerk." Said Maggie. The girls started to go off on me. I tuned them out as I watched Jackie. She went over to a group of people. There was Tanner, Jenson, Doug, and Dill. All guys. She approached them and they all hugged her. Her face had a smile on it and she was talking and laughing. I noticed Doug's arm around her back. It made me furious. I walked over to the group.
  "Why are you touching her?" I asked Doug calmly.
  "Oh, I was just being friendly." He answered. I had rage burning in my eyes.
  "It's okay Lenny." Jackie moved by my side.
  "Is it?" I questioned her.
  "Man, you are one hottie," Doug chuckled. He was purposely making me angry. 
  "Doug," she gave him wide eyes.
  "Excuse you?" I got close to him. Jackie got in between.
  "Lenny, really, he's my friend." She looked up at me. Her hands were on my chest.
  "Oh, I guess that kiss meant nothing then?" Doug lied. He was antagonizing.
  "That never even happened, he's just trying to get at you." Jackie started to panic. "Let's go," she took my wrist and lead me off. We stopped before we reached my friends.
  "He's just my friend." She told me. 
  "He's a threat to me." I admitted.
  "No, I don't like him."
  "I'll kill him Jackie, you know I will."
  "Please don't," she begged.  I shook my head.
  "No promises." I said. The night grew old and everyone had to get going. Jackie went home with a friend, Nina. I then waited for Doug in his truck. I only had a pocket knife and some ratty gloves that had been in my truck.
  I waited in his back seat. When he got in I put this rope that was in his car around his throat. His eyes widened and he was choking.
  "I told you not to touch her." I said as I cut his jugular. He struggled and then he was dead. His head fell to his wheel and blood poured from his lifeless body. I got out and left. I went home and slept, like nothing had happened. In the morning I woke up to see my family surrounding the TV.
  "Doug Lewis died!" Kit exclaimed. I already knew that.
  "Wow," I acted shocked. Kit was looking bigger than ever. Just then there was a knock at the door. I opened it to see Jackie. Tears were streamed down her face. She barged in and stared at the news.
  "No!" She fell to her knees with her fingers running through her hair. I was confused. I helped Jackie up and led her to my bedroom.
"How could you? When I told you not to." She sobbed.
"He was trying to take you!" I exclaimed.
"You're paranoid." She stated.
"No, I'm not. I'm not!" I yelled.
"You don't need to yell, my heads pounding." She sat on my bed. Her face was covered in red blotches and it was pale. Her eyes were puffy and purple. She looked awful.
"Why does he matter so much?" I asked her.
"He was a friend. A good friend." She replied. I gave her wide eyes.
"Not like that,"'she said rubbing her eyes.
"It's over now, there's nothing we can do." I stated.
"I need to go home. I feel awful." She said getting up. She then fell over. She was passed out. I held her head and began to panic. I yelled for help and my family bolted up the stairs.
"Help!!" I screamed. My mother barged through the door with my father.
"Okay, call '911,' Kit!" My mother yelled. She ran to the bathroom and got a damp cloth. She laid the cloth over her head.
"She'll be okay," my mother sat across from me, on Jackie's other side. Jackie woke up just before the emergency services arrived.
"What is going on?" She was confused.
"You fainted. You're going to be fine." Said my mother.
"Okay, I'm okay. I need to go home." Jackie sat up.
"No, you're going to the hospital." I said.
"I don't need that, I'm fine. Ow!" She held her forehead.
"See, you need to go." I motioned.
"It's just a headache, I've been crying." She argued. A paramedic came in and put her on the stretcher. She argued and claimed she didn't need to go. I went with her in the ambulance. The paramedics hooked her up with an IV. I held her hand.
"I'm really angry with you." She said. She could barley open her eyes. She was in pain.
"You'll get over it."
"This, I might get over this." She was insinuating she wouldn't get over Doug's death. We sat in silence until we got there. She was admitted and my mother called her family when we had left. They arrived. I was in the corner of the room, giving her family space.
"You don't need to be here son," said her father quietly.
"I want to be,"
"Thank you," her mother came over. The doctor came in and we stood off to the side.
"I'm going to run a few tests. I think I'd like an MRI." The doctor stated. A few minutes later she was wheeled away. I stood in the room with her parents.
"She really loves you," said her mother.
"I really love her." I responded.
"I think you need to go," her father stated.
"Honey!" Her mother exclaimed.
"I think he should go, this is a lot on Jackie. She has been different ever since she met him."
"In a good way! She's happier." Her mother claimed. Soon Jackie was back. We were all quiet.
"What?" Jackie questioned. Her mother came over to her and held her hand and stroked her hair.
"Nothing," she smiled. The doctor came in.
"I received the results," he told us. "We saw a tumor in Jackie's brain. It's big, and seems to be growing fast. We can go in and remove as much as possible." The doctor informed. Her mother started to cry and her father held her.
"Okay, we will do as much as we can to help her." Said her father.
"Alright, well the surgery will be tomorrow. Around 2 pm. We'll go in and remove as much as we can. It's located in the frontal lobe. We can't guarantee it will work."
"What are the risks?" Asked her mother.
"With any surgery there are many risks. She can come out with no issues and be tumor free, but if we can't remove the whole thing it could grow. This could be a big ordeal. After we remove it we will test it for cancer. If it is cancer she'll need chemo and more extensive surgeries." The doctor explained.
"Could she die?" Her mother cried.
"With any surgery it's possible, but we don't think it will happen."
"Thank you Doctor," said her father. The doctor then left. Her mother sobbed, staring at her ill daughter.
"Mom, I'll be fine." Her voice was quiet.
"Oh honey," her mother cried. I wasn't sure how to feel. I loved her. I couldn't feel without her.
"Your mother and I will go get coffee from the cafeteria." Her father guided her mother out.
"I'll be okay," she smiled up at me as I approached her.
"Jackie," I held her hand and sat next to her.
"Don't worry about me."
"I can't not,"
"Well you know, if I die, just know I love you." She smiled.
"You won't die." Her parents came back. The day had fallen into night and it was time for me to leave. I went to my car, I couldn't leave. I slept in my car until the morning. In the morning around 7 am I went back to her room. Her parents hadn't arrived yet. She was still sleeping. She looked peaceful, and fragile. She was so pale, and I could tell she was sick. I couldn't understand how she got sick so fast. I felt like it was my fault. It was my punishment for the things I had done. She woke up to see me next to her.
"Hey," she smiled.
"Hi," I grinned.
"Today's the day." She stated.
"And you'll be okay." I held her hand.
"You guys are so depressing. I know I'll be okay." Her eyes rolled in the back of her head and she began to twitch.
"Help! Someone help!" I ran into the hall. A nurse came in and then a doctor. They put medicine through her IV and soon she was done.
"She was seizing, get Doctor Monroe." The other doctor motioned. Soon Doctor Monroe came in. When he came in her parents arrived.
"Is everything okay?" Her mother asked.
"Jackie had a seizure. I think the best thing to do would be to start the surgery sooner. The tumor could be causing infection in the brain. If that's the case we have little time to remove it." Her mother was so scared.
"Okay, do the surgery." Her father ordered. A few moments later, a team was in to prep her. As she went down we all followed.
"Honey, I love you." Her mother kissed her head. She was so terrified.
"You'll make it." Her father then kissed her head. They backed away so I could say what I had to say.
"I'll see you when you're done." I smiled. I then kissed her cold lips. She was gone seconds later.