The Story of Us

26 - Lance

wow guys. I'm sorry for being gone so long. Thank you for everyone still interested. I promise it's getting to the juicy stuff in this chapter!!!

"Mr. McClain?" I look up at the sound of my name, seeing a nurse who I've yet to meet standing in the doorway of the lounge. I stand from my chair and place my book on my seat, following the nurse out of the room. 

She leads me past the doors leading to the girls' bedrooms, and past the office doors where we have our daily checkups. Basically just interviews on how we slept, are eating, and if we need new meds. Kinda tedious. 

We arrive in front of a door marked Marks. Heh. Marked marks. ANYWAY. 

The door opens and I step in, seeing my parents sitting on a couch. One of the therapists is sitting in an oversized arm chair, and there's a smaller couch across from my parents and a desk in the corner of the room. I hear the door close and my doctor sits behind the desk, opening an enormous binder with my name written on the spine. 

"So, Lance," Dr. Johnson starts, "Would you say you've had any suicidal thoughts recently?" 

I shake my head. "No, I've been feeling a lot better," 

She hums and writes something down. "Okay. Now, if you were to leave the hospital, would you have suicidal thoughts? A relapse into your eating disorder? More cutting?" 

I think for a minute, trying to imagine myself in those situations. Yeah, I still hate my body. But there are ways to lose weight that aren't through vomiting. And I don't want to start cutting again. Or kill myself, actually. "Nope," 

My therapist cuts in, "How would you feel about discharging this Saturday?" She offers. My mouth falls open at the thought. 

"...leave?" I ask. 

She nods. "Yeah, leave. You'd go into a post-hospitalization program here, where you would come in and do activities and therapy during the day, and go home around the time you would at school," 

I look at my parents. Mami is smiling with tears in her eyes. She just misses me at home, I'm sure. Misses me talking to my little siblings and teasing Ivan and all those things. Misses me dancing in the kitchen and ignoring the burning food. Misses me helping with the animals and protecting her from our rooster, who has a grudge against the human race. 

And Dad, he looks so desperate to have his son back with him. Back weeding the gardens and talking to him about people at school. Back picking out presents for the girls and holding things while he builds. He misses his son. 

I take a deep breath and look at Sandra (the therapist). 

"I'd love to,"