The next morning Campbell woke up in a slightly-less morose state than he had the day before; They had adjusted his meds again which, while he was loath to admit it, really did help, and he felt like he had enough energy to put Operation Words, Words, Words into action.

Which was lucky, because the therapist had only given him three more days. Well, two and a half; she was checking back at 1 pm on Thursday.

The morning routine chafed at him; breakfast then meds then group therapy then rest time then lunch then free time. He spent all morning looking for Bethy as he was herded from one activity to the other, but never caught sight of her and was forced to conclude that she was still in her room, whether by choice or otherwise…

When afternoon free time finally arrived, Campbell indeed found his friend in her room; he entered without so much as a preamble and plopped himself down beside the huddled lump on the bed.

"Hey, Sleepyhead," he chuckled, ruffling the tangle of blond hair that emerged from the blankets. "Time to get up; we've got lots to get done before dinner!"

The girl sighed, having been roused to a sitting position by the commotion, and then flopped back on the pillow, arm over her eyes as if trying to protect herself from Campbell's enthusiasm.

"Hey, listen," Campbell was suddenly stern as he learned over Bethy, and she moved her arm to look him in the eye. "If you don't start talking soon they're actually going to take you away. It may sound like just a lot of hot air but, believe me, their bark is just as bad as their bite.

I think I have an idea you'll like no no don't worry; it's not some crap like talking about your feelings or anything stupid like that," he added when Bethy started and made a move to back out of his reach. Campbell took a deep breath, reminding himself not to overwhelm her. "You just have to trust me, okay?"

Her forehead furrowed and she buried her face in her knees. Campbell waited impatiently, knowing that she was thinking and that sometimes people liked space for that.

An agonizing number of seconds ticked by, and it took all of Campbell's willpower not to say anything; he could feel time running out with every beat of his heart. He was just about to break the deafening silence, just about to ruin his surprise in a last-ditch effort to save her, when she raised her head back up and met his gaze.

There was a new strength in her eyes and a fresh determination in the nod of her head; Campbell beamed, shaking the hair out of his eyes, as she climbed out of bed.

I don't know why you people keep following this story because I'm such an awful updater but I'm glad you're here!