I guess you can see that I took a little break from the whole writing thing. I apologize, but now I'm getting back in the habit, but it's not like it's a promise…

Chapter 10

"Ms. Keely Teslow?" a woman with long blonde hair pulled up in a raggedy bun said, a clipboard in her right hand. Keely looked up at her and then looked at Phil with worried eyes.

"Go on," he whispered in her ear. Her eyes glazed with tears, she kissed Phil on the lips and bravely stood up and followed the woman into the room.

It was a calm-natured, cozy little room. Dark auburn walls, a little fountain on a small mahogany table, and a tan-colored sofa. A trash can lay beside the coffee table, almost as if it were waiting for her.

"If you'll just relax here on the couch, Michelle will be here any second. She's in the restroom," the woman said. Keely nodded and tried her best to smile.

The woman left the room. Keely sat there and admired all of the beautiful paintings on the wall, mostly all island or coastline scenery. She heard the door open and her heart began to race, and without looking back she felt like she had to puke.

"Hello, Keely! My name's Michelle," she said, holding out her hand. Keely put on a fake smile and shook it ungratefully.

"So where do you go to school, Keely?"

"H.G. Wells," Keely said.

"My son used to go there," she said. Keely grinned.

God, shut up, she thought. "That's cool. What was his name?"

"Brandon Lilliana. A lot of people don't know him."

"Yeah, you could say that," Keely said. She was beginning to feel more comfortable with Michelle as the minutes went by, and for that, she was grateful.

"Well the first thing we're going to do is ink blots. Are you familiar with those?" Michelle asked her.

"Well I've seen them on TV, but I don't know if that's any different from real life…"

"Nope, it's exactly the same. All I'm going to do is show you some pictures and you need to tell me the first thing that comes to your mind." Keely nodded her head.

The first thing she held up was a big blot that looked somewhat like a polar bear.

"Death," Keely replied.

She rattled on and on… Blood… death… suicide…knives. Keely could only imagine what Michelle was thinking.

"Okay, I think we've had enough with the ink blots. Now I'm going to move on to questions. But it's very important that you're honest with me, okay? We'll never get anywhere if you lie."

Keely nodded and said, "I know."

"Alright then… And remember that all of this information is confidential. I'm not allowed to tell anybody anything that you say by federal law. " Michelle turned around and grabbed her clipboard off of her desk. "Have you felt physically weak, tingly, or numb in the past few weeks to a month?"

"Sort of," Keely said. "It wasn't bad at first, but it gets worse as times go by and when I get sad."

"Are you saying that every time you get sad it gets worse?" Keely nodded. "And how often are you sad?"

"…A lot more often than I should be."

"Have you ever had thoughts of suicide?"

Keely gulped and her heart started to race. "Yes." Michelle took no special note. She just narrowed her eyes to her clipboard and made several marks on it. Keely couldn't help but feel curious as to what lay behind it.

She continued asking questions, and Keely's answers differed from what she thought Michelle was probably expecting.

After about an hour, the visit was finally over. Michelle could tell from the first time she saw Keely that she was probably a nervous wreck.

"There. Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" Michelle teased.

Keely smiled as she got up and said "No, it really wasn't."

"Well, if you don't mind waiting in the other room, Keely, I need to speak with your mother," Michelle said as they walked out into the waiting room she was previously in. "Don't worry; remember what I said about everything being confidential? I wasn't lying. I just need to tell your mother something," she said cheerfully. Keely said nothing as they walked out into the waiting room where Phil and her mother sat.

"Hello, are you Mandy Teslow?" Michelle asked.

"Yes I am, nice to meet you," Mandy replied, following Michelle into the back room. When they left, Phil spoke up.

"So… how'd it go?" he asked.

"It went great. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. She was really friendly."

"What did she make you do?"

"I looked at ink blots first and then she asked me questions."

"Did you answer them truthfully?" he asked her interrogatingly.

"Yes, father," she said sarcastically. Phil rolled his eyes and poked her in the side.

They talked for a few more minutes when they heard sniffling coming from behind the door that led to the room Keely was seen in by the psychiatrist. Mandy emerged from the hallway, walking quickly towards Keely. She motioned for her to come with her, and Phil followed.

"Mom… What's wrong…?" Keely asked, concerned. Phil looked at Mandy and then back at Keely and gave her a peculiar look.

But Mandy gave no reply to her daughter.

End of Chapter 10