River!!!!!!
His teasing smile fades.
Are you currently on medication? Were those the pills on the sink?
“I haven’t taken anything. I thought about it last night, yes. There is a remedy that works quickly for depression, but I solve it differently.”
We both know how. Damn. My stomach clenches, but he smiles at me, and that smile completely confuses my concern and my love.
“Tucks, I’ve got this under control. Okay, sometimes I’m useless. But sometimes, I can work all night long, write songs, play guitar, and do something else. I love it. It’s not sick; it’s brilliant.”
Are you sick or not?
“Not so sick that I need treatment. Yes, of course, everyone seems to think so, but look at me. Do I seem to you like I belong in a psych ward?” He raises both hands to his sides and turns around. The self-confident smile on his lips is Hollywood-like and sexy as hell. He’s driving me completely crazy, and I’m afraid he knows it.
No. I shake my head.Do you hear voices?
“That’s what they asked at the hospital, too. Tucks, never answer yes to that. If you answer yes, you end up on the lockup list with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and for a very long time.” He looks at me, grinning crookedly. “No, I don’t hear any voices, not even yours.”
I punch him in the shoulder, but he catches my hand and kisses my knuckles. “I am okay. We’re going to Vegas now, and you’re going to see your mom.”
I look past him. I don’t want to go to my mom. I don’t even know if I can make a sound in front of her. I’d much rather find out what’s going on with River and if he’s telling the truth. I want him to be healthy. I want to be with him forever.
Could we even have a future if he is sick? I never thought further than the end of summer.
“Hey, Tucks... look at me. What’s up?”
“Riv.” The word bursts from my lips, foreign and rough. I can’t say anything more, so I wrap my arms around him and bury my face in his shirt, breathing in his wonderful smell. I never want to part from him again, no matter what that means for now and what it means for the future. Even if I have to flee with him through all fifty states so that his father, Chester, and his friends don’t find him.
I reluctantly break away from him. I tug at his shirt like a child. “Riv,” I whisper.
“What?” he whispers back, his tone suddenly sounding dark and tempting.
Is that all, or is there something else you’re not telling me?
He takes the cell phone from me.Okay, there’s one more thing. I told you my dad wanted to have me committed.
I nod. It’s calming when he types.
I admitted myself at the end of May. And you can leave anytime when you admit yourself.
I didn’t know that.
Few people do.
We look at each other.
And are you really okay?
He nods.
They certainly wouldn’t have let him go if he’d been a danger to himself or others.
Why don’t you tell your dad all this, like you told me?
“My father has connections and is powerful. He’s the Medical Director at Rose Garden. I’m afraid he knows a lot of doctors who would keep me there for him, even without good reason.”
That’s cruel. How could he do such a thing?
