Strength |✔️

seventeen

the song above really describes the setting for this chapter! I have a feeling you guys are going to like it ALOT, so feel free to listen to it while reading chapter seventeen :) ______________________________________________________________________________

Neil

"Alisha! Wake up!"

I try to nudge her awake. Faith is nervously biting her nails beside me, since she doesn't have her cigarette to take her stress out. Faith and I immediately knew that Alisha would be here, since we both know her so well. When we arrived at the clinic, I immediately shot through the door, since there was no one at the front desk, I took that opportunity to go through the rest of the clinic to find Alisha, which happened approximately five minutes ago.

I heard two women groaning and mumbling to themselves. I peered into one of the doors and saw that they were talking to Alisha, while she was laying in bed. Alisha!

And then they saw us and asked if we knew her. Faith and I both nodded our heads. I saw Alisha and saw that her eyes were closed, but they were still frantically moving underneath and her mouth kept opening up and down as if she were saying things, but nothing came out of it. Then, the doctor and the other lady, who kept making googly eyes at me and giggling at every little thing I said, explained what had happened to Alisha, and that she was going through a psychotic episode.

I asked them how long the episode was going to last, but they said it ranges from five minutes to about a month, and that Alisha had been going through it for about two days. She was hospitalized here and they said that she kept mumbling "Mom" and crying every ten minutes.

And here we are now. Alisha immediately starts to hyperventilate and grabs the covers of her bed and screams at the top of her lungs. I grab Alisha and pull her to my body, to stop her from the screaming and the panicking. The doctor, or Doctor Evans, grabs out a needle, but I put a hand out, as if I'm saying "I got this."

Seconds later, she calms down and breaths into my chest, mumbling things. I feel tears on my shirt, but it's okay. I whisper into her ear, "It's me, Neil. You're going to be okay, Alisha."

She mumbles something that is unrecognizable and releases from me. Her sweet grey eyes are now frantic and confused. She looks at herself and gasps and looks at her surroundings. "Hospital? Doctor Evans? Faith?" She looks at me. "Neil? What am I doing here?"

Doctor Evans speaks. "Ms. Dave, you checked into this clinic a couple of days ago. You were having a meltdown, so I decided to sedate you while you were going through your psychotic episode," she explains calmly. I like how doctors are just so damn calm during the worst situations to be calm in. "You just woke up from one, due to your boyfriend."

"Oh, he's not my boyfriend-" Alisha starts to say in a slow tone.

Faith immediately interrupts. "Neil is always there for Ali, which is so cute." I see Alisha glare at Faith, but Faith just smirks and continues talking. "I'm just glad that Ali has woken up, so she can be ready for my birthday party tomorrow."

I raise my eyebrows. I didn't know Faith's birthday party was tomorrow. Well of course, she's always throwing parties, but never her birthday party. Alisha smiles slowly and says, "Well, I can go now."

Doctor Evans claps her hands together and says, "Great! You guys can continue talking and catch up." She walks out the door with the other lady, who seems a little obese. She winks at me and mouths, "Call me." When she leaves the door, Faith starts cracking up and Alisha laughs. I roll my eyes.

It starts to get a little awkward afterwards, so Faith speaks up and says, "So, my birthday is tomorrow."

Alisha chuckles and says, "How come you didn't tell me?"