[COMPLETED | RE-WRITE OF ORIGINAL !!!]
aka the one in which Tyler's failed suicide attempt lands him in rehab where he meets Josh; an unreadable boy who changes his hair colour everyday, and maybe, just maybe, he's exactly what Tyler needs.
cover a...
tw: minor character death, grief, bloody knuckles (its not gross or explicitly described).
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Dr. Kemp was late to the following therapy session leaving Tyler to almost fall asleep, head propped on his fist. He was startled upright by the door opening.
Dr. Kemp's face looked solemn as though she'd just lost three years of sleep in the past ten minutes. Tyler looked at her with concern as she sat opposite him.
"I have something important to talk to you about today." She began but it was like the words were stuck in her throat. "I'm trying to be sensitive because these kinds of things are risky to people in your situation and I want you to know that we're going to talk this out. I don't want you being set back by this, you're doing so good Tyler." Her hands were steady but her breathing wasn't. Tyler gripped the armrests on his chair tighter.
"It's about Ruby." Tyler's breath caught at the familiar name. "Last night she..." There were tears forming in Dr. Kemp's eyes. "I'm so sorry to have to tell you this but you need- you deserve to know... She took her own life Tyler, she's gone."
The ringing in Tyler's ears grew deafening, his heart sunk like lead into his stomach.
"You're lying." He spat, knuckles white around the arms of his chair.
"I'm not. Tyler. I'm so sorry." Dr. Kemp discretely wiped a tear that escaped her eye.
Tyler let out a strangled cry as he remembered the first moment he'd seen her; the first time she had shown him around; the way she would crack a joke when things got a bit too awkward; or how she would laugh when Tyler goofed around to try and cheer everyone up.
"I'm gonna miss you, Ty-guy." The words echoed through his head.
He sunk to his knees as he saw messy auburn locks shoved loosely in a ponytail, sad green eyes, and a cheeky smirk.
There was a beat and then he saw nothing. The memories fell away like sand through a sieve, all gone and meaningless now.
Dr Kemp wrapped herself around Tyler's crumpled form, rocking him gently from side to side as she trying to calm him down, to bring him back from the edge of oblivion.
"We're going to talk this out okay, you're going to get through this Tyler, let me help you." She said and Tyler just clung onto her tighter.
"Look after Joshie for me? Bye Ty-Guy."
He felt the ghost of her lips on his cheek, watched again with a heavy heart as she walked away from him, swallowed by light, fading into nothingness.
His therapy session was longer than usual, and it left him drained. When he left the room his face was red and blotchy but the overwhelming grief had left in a way that meant he felt nothing, just a hollowness that at this point he was grateful for.
