“You’re cutting your legs, Amanda!”
“Go away!”
“You’re scaring me.”
“I said go, and I mean it.” She stared at Tyler with a look of fear in her eyes. Her lip quivered, making the words come out of her mouth. She didn’t want to be so harsh, but she had no choice.
Tyler turned away. He was scared for his sister. He didn’t know why anyone would want to deliberately cut themselves. “Dad?” he called out into the living room.
“What, Ty?” he answered.
“Tyler, no!” Amanda whispered strictly.
“Come here. Hurry.”
Steve rushed down the hallway to the bathroom door. Amanda tried to clean up fast, but she was too late.
“Oh my god, Amanda,” he gasped. “What did you do?”
“Leave me alone.” She crossed her arms and turned her face away. The blood ran down into the tub, trickling down the drain.
“Why did you do that?!”
“I said leave me alone.”
“No, I’m not gonna leave you alone.” He looked at Tyler and said, “Get me a washcloth.”
Tyler did as told, and went out into the living room to the phone. He picked it up and dialed 1-4-1-1.
“What city please?” the operator said.
“Providence.”
“What’s the name?”
“I need the number for a Doctor Sydney Hansen.”
“Thank-you.”
He waited for a second, and the number was read out to him. He copied it down on a piece of paper, hung up the receiver, and picked it up again to dial Syd’s number.
“Hansen residence.”
“Hello?”
“Hi.”
“Is Dr. Hansen there?”
“Syd or Jim?”
“Syd.”
“Yeah, hold on.” You could hear Joanie sit the phone down on the counter. “Syd?” she called out. “You have a phone call.”
The phone was picked up. “Yes, this is Syd Hansen.”
“Um, hi. I’m Tyler Wilkinson. My sister, Amanda, stayed with you for a while when she lived in Providence.”
“Oh, yes. Hi.”
“Hi. Uh, she’s not doing so good. I just walked in on her in the bathroom, and her legs were covered with blood, and she had a razor in her hand.”
“Oh my god,” Syd replied. She covered her mouth with her free hand and started to shake.
Tyler paused. He didn’t want to sound like a little kid and cry, so he swallowed the lump in his throat. “She needs help. Could you come to see her?”
“Yes. I’ll take the next flight out. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Thank-you. We live at 2226 Wilks Rd. It’s directly off of Music Square West.”
“Okay. I’ll be there soon.”
Syd hung up the phone and opened the back door.
“Who was that?” Joanie asked.
“Amanda’s brother. She’s in trouble.” Syd walked out of the door, and Joanie followed.
“Well, what’s wrong with her?”
“She’s cutting herself,” Syd replied.
“Oh my hell. Why?! I thought she was doing good.”
“Well, obviously, she’s not, Joanie. I have to go to Tennessee.” She walked into the guesthouse and threw everything she could into a duffel bag.
“Amanda. What is wrong with you?” Steve asked, wiping the blood from her legs with a warm cloth. She didn’t budge. “This silent treatment isn’t gonna work.” He noticed the scars among the fresh cuts, but he didn’t say anything about them. He felt a tightening in his stomach, but he couldn‘t let Amanda see him upset. “We came home after you because we didn’t want you here alone. Tyler’s scared to death because he doesn’t know what’s wrong with you. Can you imagine what it was like finding you like that?”
“He should have knocked first.”
“It’s a good thing he didn’t.”
