Falling into darkness

Jason's POV

I walked into the house around midnight. I saw my parents sitting in the living room. Mom with tears in her eyes and Dad with slumped shoulders.  I went and sat with them.

"I spoke with Amy's doctor, she might need psychiatric counseling. She is barely talking. I booked an appointment for tomorrow. It's been 2weeks since she came back from hospital. " said my mom.

"I don't know  what to do, I promised Rob on his death bed that I would always protect Amy and look after her as if my own, but the way she is dealing with her parents' death, I'm worried about her. She looks pale and even lost weight" this time  my dad spoke with a lump in his throat. It's not easy to deal with the death of your best friend.

My parents are worried for Amy. Even I'm worried for her. What can I do to make her normal.

"Mom, I will come with you tomorrow. I could help you ."  This is the least I can do, my heart aches to see Amy like that.

The Amy I know was once bright, bubbly, and ambitious. She had dreams, and wants. Her smile would brighten up the whole room.

But after the fateful day, Smiles ceased to happen, or if they did, they looked so dead. There wasn't any shine in her eyes when she smiled. It was as if she was always somewhere else.

She didn't talk much anymore. She gradually became more reserved, distancing herself from others. Her body radiated the exact opposite of confidence in its aura.

She preferred to be alone, isolating herself in her room. She didn't talk to Ryan or Sophie anymore. She didn't want anything anymore. The shine in her eyes never returned.

All my life I wanted to make her sad, tried to irritate her, make her cry, wipe that smile off her face. When she got her favorite music band's signed poster in her room, i splashed black paint on it.

When she is reading a good book, I used to sneak in without her noticing and tear the last chapters. I loved to prank her. I don't know how many times I pushed her or pulled her hair.

I always felt happy wiping that smile off her face, but now when I look at her blank face, empty smiles I feel at tug at my heart. It pained to see her detached from the world. I know it's not easy to cope up with the fact that you  lost your parents and became an orphan at 14. I would try my level best bring back the old Amy, I thought feeling determined.

Next day, Amy got ready for the doctor's appointment. But once reaching the car, she seemed reluctant to get into the car.

Her body started shaking, breathing hitched and she started sweating profusely. She is getting anxious. I immediately went holding her by her shoulders. "You have to get in Amy, dont worry I'm with you"

"Please Jason I dont want to." She pleaded looking at me.

I sighed looking at her. She looked so fragile.

"Mom call the doctor home" I told looking at mom

I took her to her room.

I can see the tears forming in her eyes, but she wouldn't let them fall down and her lips trembled as she tried to stop crying, but small whimper escaped her lips.

I immediately sat beside her on the bed and placed my hand around her shoulder. "Don't stop the tears kitty, why are you stopping yourself from crying?"

"I'm not" she replied sniffling her tears.

The doctor came looked after her. He changed the bandage around her head to plaster. Then he called mom to talk in private. I went with mom to the the living room.

"Mrs.Brown  I would suggest you to send her to school, she should get back to her daily life to forget her parent's death."

I sat with Mom Dad and Ryan at the dining and waiting for the dinner to be served.

"Peter, doctor told to send Amy to school. Can you go and talk to her about going back to school."

"I will try, but we can't force her Kristina. That child already went through alot" replied my dad.

I saw housekeeper Martha walking with a tray, probably food for Amy, as she never steps out of that room.

"I will have my dinner later" saying I walked out of the dining area.

"Martha, let me take that to Amy"

"No dear, she won't have her food or medicines. I have to cajole her a lot to have few bites"

"Its okay let me take it today." I asked holding the tray.

Martha doesn't leave the tray, but after I give her a pointed look, she gives it to me sighing.

I knock at the door, but there is no answer then I slowly open it and enter the room seeing its unlocked. I saw her sitting in a chair in the balcony attached to her bedroom.

I place the tray on the table to go to the balcony.

"What you are really acting like a princess now, and you even made me, The Great Jason Brown bring food for you"

She looks at me startled by my presence. "Come on now, stop acting so mighty, come and have dinner with us." I pulled her hand.

"I'm not feeling hungry Jason" she removed her hand from my grip.

"Now will you come downstairs or do you want me to lift you and take you downstairs?

"Just leave me alone Jason, Go away"

I place my hand under her knees and the other around her back and lift her effortlessly, she immediately placed her hands around my neck in reflex.

"Put me down." She ordered me.

I ignored her and walked down to the dining and made her sit down on the chair.

She looks at me with an angry face.

"Now stop looking like a Dracula and Eat."

Martha immediately comes with a bowl of soup for Amy.

"What are you feeding this girl Martha? She looks like a skeleton. Get her proper food. I need her to be strong, I want my punching bag back." Throughout the dinner Ryan tried to joke around and talk with Amy, but she just nodded her head in response to him.

After eating little bit of pasta and chicken and said she finished her dinner and went to the garden.

I went behind her, and noticed her sitting in the swing amidst all the tulips. "What are you doing counting the stars?" I asked plopping myself next to her on the swing.

She looked me in the eye, shaking her head. She looked so pissed right now.

"Why can't you give me some alone time"

"That's what I gave you for a whole month, remember? But now I'm getting so bored without troubling you"

"You know what? You are an asshole"

"I know"

She stood up irritated from the swing and walked back to her room and I followed her.

"What do you want Jason?" she looked so frustrated now.

"Nothing" I said.

"Get out,I want to sleep" saying she went to bed and got under the covers. "Do whatever you want. I'm off to sleep"

I went and laid on the bed on her side, hands folded under my head and gazing at the ceiling

"Get out of my bed Jason."

"Shut up and sleep, if you utter another word, I'm going to throw you into the pool and the water temperature at this time is not to your liking" I warned her.

She didn't speak after that, she turned her back to me, holding the covers tight to her chest.

After a while I felt her body trembling and noticed that she was crying. I placed my hand on her shoulder.  "Shh its okay" I told her in a calm voice.

She turned her face to look at me with her doe shaped eyes filled with tears and her lips trembling.

I pulled her body close to me hugging from behind as she lay sobbing in my arms. All I did was just hug her and say it's okay to cry. She could hold the heartbreak no longer and her grief poured out in a flood of uncontrollable tears. Her body wracked with onslaught of sobs

After an hour or so I felt her calm down , she tugged my sweatshirt  sleeve a little and wiped her eyes and nose with it.

"Eww, gross, get off me you dirty pig" I pushed her.

"You are the one holding me" she replied her voice hoarse with all the crying.

"Are you feeling fine?" I asked her.

"Hm" she replied

"I'm in my room, if you need anything." saying I turned back to walk to my room.

"Jason thanks" I heard her say

"Come to school from tomorrow, okay? You are missing all your classes"

"Okay"

Amy decided to get back to school. I'm waiting in the car. While Ryan is shouting in the living room to hurry up. She came running in her shirt and denims, her hair held in a tight pony and her left hand still in a cast.

"Ryan, I feel like going by bus today. If you want, you can go by car with driver."

"Why?" This boy is so dumb. I signalled Amy with my eyes.

"Oh even I would love to. Amy, let's go by bus today, we always wanted to go to school by bus with Sophie right, but your parents nev" he stopped mid-sentence.

Now I really want to smack him.

I looked at Amy, she is trying hard to not let the tears escape her eyes.

"Do you want to go to school by bus,or we could skip school today, we could do whatever you want to, we can watch movies, go out shopping  or even play a few video games, because there is no way you are going to win against me with that one  hand of yours." I asked giving a lopsided smile to Amy.

She stomped my legs. "Its okay, let's go, I already missed so many classes" saying she wiped her tears.