“Jeez. You’d think that with all the money you pay for the ticket, you could at least get a little more room in here,” Lynda said, looking disgusted at the person who sat beside her. Noticing her daughter was on edge, she cut to the chase. “She’ll be fine, Syd.”
“Mom, I’m so scared.” She rested her head on Lynda’s shoulder. “I don’t want her to hurt herself.”
“She’s been doing it for a long time. It’s the way she copes with life.”
“She could find a better way.”
“She doesn’t think she can. Trust me, Syd.”
Syd started to cry.
“Shhhh, darling,” Lynda said. “Don’t get so worked up. You’ve got to be strong for her.”
Syd woke up as the plane landed.
“Where to, Miss?” the cabby asked.
“Uh,” Syd dug the piece of paper out of her coat pocket. “2226 Wilks Road.”
“Sure thing.”
The cab stopped in front of a one story brick home with wagon wheels placed on both sides of the driveway. Syd smiled at the sight. But, she was still stressed out about Amanda. Walking up the sidewalk was a bit nerve-racking for Syd. She had no clue how she would handle seeing Amanda.
The doorbell rang. Within moments, Steve answered it with a worried look on his face. “Hello?”
“Hi, I’m Dr. Syd Hansen. Um, I believe Tyler called me,” Syd said.
“Hey, Dad. I got it.” Tyler opened the door wider and stepped into view. “Hi, Dr. Hansen. Thank-you so much for coming.”
“No problem. Where’s Amanda?” Syd asked. “She’s back in her room. She won’t talk to any of us. She’s just lying there in her bed,” Steve replied.
“Well, maybe I can help.”
Tyler lead the way to the back of the house. Her door was shut, and no noise came from within the room. “Good luck, doctor.”
Syd smiled and knocked on the door cautiously. “Amanda? It’s Syd. Can I come in?” No answer came, so she opened the door anyway. Syd’s heart sank when she saw her. Amanda’s nose was red, her cheeks stained with tears. She just stared out into space, not looking at one thing in particular. “How ya doin’ Champ?” No answer. “Okay. If you don’t want to talk, that’s fine. I’ll just sit here until you’re ready.” Syd pulled up a chair from the desk and made herself comfortable.
“Why did they call you?” she muttered.
“I’m guessing it was because they are worried about you. Maybe they thought I could help.”
“Well, I don't need any help. You can go home now.”
“Amanda.” Syd was shocked. “What’s gotten into you? We used to be so close.”
“Yeah, well not anymore.”
“I know you can’t mean that.”
“I do.”
“Well, okay then. I still need to examine your legs though. Sit up for me.” Syd helped Amanda pull back the covers, but Amanda didn’t sit up. Syd took what she could get and decided not to argue. When Syd saw the damage, she held back the urge to gag and closed her eyes and sighed. She had heard about this in medical school, but she’d never experienced a case such as this one. “That hurts a lot, doesn’t it?”
“No.” She pulled the covers up around her neck.
“You cut yourself, hoping to make the memories of Josh go away, don’t you? Amanda, the past is over. The future is all that is important now. You can’t go through your life hurting yourself like this.”
“Spare me the sermon, will you?” Amanda snapped.
“I want to understand why you are doing this to yourself. You have to talk to me.”
Amanda glared at Syd angrily. “You don’t care.”
“Why are you being like that, Amanda? Of course I care.”
“Being like what?”
Syd looked at Amanda and didn’t have to comment on that at all. Amanda turned her eyes away.
“Sweetheart, I do care an awful lot about you. No matter how alone you feel, I am always here. So is your dad and your brother. We all care about you. And it hurts us to know that you’re cutting yourself. You need to move on. I know it will be hard, but I know you can do it.” Amanda made no reaction. “Okay. Fine. I’ll leave you alone. But, I will be back.”
Syd got up and walked out the door, closing it behind her. She made her way down the hall and entered the living room where she found Tyler and Steve sitting on the couch. Noticing the doctor’s entrance, they stood up respectfully and waited for news.
“Is she okay?” Tyler asked nervously.
Syd didn’t want to answer and just started explaining. “Mr. Wilkinson, your daughter is what is known as a SI -- a self injurer. These people bring harm to themselves in hopes to accomplish something.”
“Well, why is Amanda doing it?” Steve questioned.
“People who engage in self injury often have severe emotional problems. However, they are not all mentally unstable. They cut, or bruise, or burn themselves for many different reasons. There are too many cases just to label as one type. Each case needs to be treated in a special manner. I will do everything I can to find out why Amanda began cutting, and I want to help her. I must warn you, this situation will be difficult to overcome. Amanda needs full emotional support.”
“No problem. Thank-you for coming, Dr. Hansen.”
“There’s no need to thank me,” Dr. Hansen insisted.
