Don't Leave Us (Book Three in the Don't Leave Series) (Watty Awards 2014)

Chapter Three: I Wish That I Could Wake Up With Amnesia

Chpater 3

{TRIGGER WARNING}

"What wrong with her?" Mitch asks, worry speading across his expression. Tyler looks to me then Mitch before speaking.

"She wants another baby," he looks to Mitch, "and she wants Mitch to be the father." Mitch's eyes widen.

"M-me?" he stammers. I could feel the anger boiling up inside of me. 

"No," I state. Tyler and Mitch both look at me.

"Why?" Tyler asks.

"She's too young. Mitch...Mitch is like a brother to me. I can't let him ruin my daughter twice," I say sternly before I give the baby back to Mitch and go into the kitchen. Reegan stood with her back against the counter top, gripping onto it with both hands. She looks up at me and smiles. I look at her with disgust.

"Now you want another baby?" I yell at her. Her smile drops as she loosens her grip on the counter. 

"Dad-"

"DON'T YOU DARE 'DAD' ME! I AM VERY MAD AT YOU, YOUNG LADY. GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE. TAKE YOUR DAMN BABY AND LEAVE," I scream. Reegan's eyes start watering as she runs into the living room. I could hear her sobs muffled by shushing from Mitch and whimpers from the baby. A few moments later, I could hear the door open and slam shut, indicating that they left. 

I cover my mouth with my hand as I start to cry, squeezing my eyes shut and clutching the counter with my other hand. Tyler walks in, looking at me with a sadden expression as I shake from crying.

"Jerome," he whispers, holding out his arms. I walk into them, wrapping my arms around him as he does the same to me. I cry into his shoulder as he rubs my back in soothing circles. 

"I let her go..." I whisper through sobs. Tyler shushes me and squeezes me tighter. Moments later, Chris enters the kitchen, looking at us. Tyler opens his arms to her and she accepts, not knowing what I was crying about. 

"Romey, what's wrong?" she asks, stroking my hair with one hand. I explain how Reegan wanted another baby and how I hurt her. Chris made a sadden noise and hugged me as I cried harder. 

"I'm such a horrible father," I cry, my shoulder shaking with every breath I took. Chris and Tyler comfort me for a while longer, rubbing my back and reassuring me that she would come back. Tyler ordered pizza and Chris went to the store to get ice cream, so I sat in my room on my black duvet and held my face in my hands.

My arms started to itch under my sweater. I remove it and graze my eyes over the scars.

"Mmmm..." I hum, lightly tracing my fingers over them. My heart started to pound as I kept thinking of the blood dotting my arms and dripping to the floor. I bounced off my bed and ran to the bathroom, searching for the silver piece of metal. When I finally found it, I sit on the toilet, my body shaking. 

I place it on my arm and press down, dragging it across my skin. I do this until most of my arm was covered in blood. I start on my other arm when Tyler and Chris start calling my name. 

They could find me dead for all I care.

I kept dragging the metal across my skin, feeling my nerves dance with the blood. It felt so...good. So nice to feel the pain. 

"JEROME!" Tyler yells out my name, searching around the house. He finally reaches the bathroom, staring at my corrupted arms. I look at him with fear in my expression. I hadn't realized I was crying until now, feeling the salty tears falling down my face. 

"Help me..." I whisper as I sobbed, "oh God please help me." Tyler starts to panic slightly, running out of the room to get Chris. 

"JEROME!" Chris screams as she runs in. She stops and falls to her knees, her hands covering her mouth. 

"Help..." I whisper as I cried. They quickly scramble to find supplies to help me bind my wounds. They wash them as quickly as possible before wrapping bandages over them.

"Jerome, why would you do this to yourselve?" Tyler asks, tears welling in his eyes. I shake my head as I start crying again. They both envelope me into their arms, holding onto me as I cried. 

This wasn't how it was supposed to be..