7. Punching bag

Jason's POV

I walked into the house around midnight. I saw my parents sitting in the living room. Mom with tears in her eyes and Dad with slumped shoulders. I can guess what they are talking about.

Everyone is worried about Amy. She is not talking with anyone, always sitting alone in her room lost in her thoughts. I went and sat with them.

"I spoke with Amy's doctor, she might need psychiatric counseling. She is barely talking. I have booked an appointment for tomorrow. It's been 2weeks since she came back from the hospital. " said my mom.

"I don't know what to do, I promised Rob on his death bed that I would always protect Amy and look after her as if my own, but the way she is dealing with her parents' death, I'm worried about her. She looks pale and looks like she even lost weight" Dad replied in a thick voice.

It's not easy to deal with the death of your best friend who is always next to you since childhood.

My parents are worried about Amy. Even I'm worried about her. What can I do to make her normal?

"Mom, I will come with you tomorrow. I could help you in taking her for the doctor's appointment."  This is the least I can do, my heart aches to see Amy like that.

The Amy I know was bright, bubbly, and ambitious. She had dreams and wants. Her smile would brighten up the whole room.

But after the fateful day, Smiles ceased to happen, or if they did, they looked so dead. There wasn't any shine in her eyes when she smiled. It was as if she was always somewhere else stuck in an abyss.

She didn't talk much anymore. She gradually became more reserved, distancing herself from others. Her body radiated the exact opposite of confidence in its aura.

She preferred to be alone, isolating herself in her room. She didn't talk to Ryan or Sophie anymore. She didn't want anything anymore. The shine in her eyes never returned.

All my life I wanted to make her sad, tried to irritate her, make her cry, wipe that smile off her face. I remember making her cry her guts out when I doodled the faces on her signed One Direction poster.

When she is reading a good book, I used to sneak in without her noticing and tear the last chapters. I loved to prank her. I don't know how many times I pushed her or pulled her hair or how many times she was rushed to the ER because of me.

I always felt happy wiping that smile off her face, but now when I look at her blank face, empty smiles I feel a tug at my heart. It was painful to see her detached from the world.

I know it's not easy to cope up with the fact that you lost your parents and became an orphan at 14. I would try my best to bring back the old Amy.

The next day, Amy got ready for the doctor's appointment. But once reaching the car, she seemed reluctant to get into the car. I noticed pain and fear in her eyes.

Her body started shaking and her breathing hitched and she started sweating profusely. She is getting anxious. I immediately went holding her by her shoulders.

"You have to get in Amy, don't worry I'm with you."

"Please Jason I don't want to." She begged me holding my t-shirt in her small fists.

I sighed looking at her and pulled her into a hug. She looked so fragile and weak. I don't want to add more stress to her by forcing her into the car.

"Mom, call the doctor home."

I looked back at the trembling girl in my arms and walked back inside to her room as mom tried placing a call to the doctor.

Once in her room, I placed her in the center of the bed. I can see the tears forming in her eyes, but she wouldn't let them fall and her lips trembled as she tried to stop crying, but a small whimper escaped her lips.

I immediately sat beside her on the bed and placed my hand around her shoulder. "Don't stop the tears kitty, why are you stopping yourself from crying? It is okay to cry."

"I'm not" she replied sniffling back her tears adamantly.

The doctor came and looked after her. After talking with her he came out of the room, then he called mom to talk in private. I went with mom to the living room.

"Mrs. Brown I would suggest you send her to school, she should get back to her daily life to forget her parent's death. If she stays like this alone then it is very hard for her to forget about it."

I sat with Mom, Dad, and Ryan at the dining and waiting for the dinner to be served.

"Peter, the doctor told me to send Amy to school. Can you go and talk to her about going back to school."

"I will try, but we can't force her Kristina. That child already went through a lot."

I saw housekeeper Martha walking with a tray, probably food for Amy, as she never steps out of that room.

"I will have my dinner later" saying I strode out of the dining area to the steps.

"Martha, let me take that to Amy" saying I tried to take the tray from Martha's hands.

"No dear, she won't have her food or medicines. I have to coax her a lot to have a few bites and take her medicine."

"It's okay let me take it today," I managed to take the tray in my hands. Martha tried to snatch the tray back but after I gave her a pointed look.

"You can't trouble her now Jason.'' She sighed and left for the kitchen.

What does he take me for? I love Amy like everyone but I have a different way of showing it.

I knocked on the door, but there is no answer, then I slowly opened it and entered the room. I saw her sitting in a chair on the balcony attached to her bedroom.

I placed the tray on the table to go to the balcony.

"What? Are you acting like a princess now, and you even made me, The Great Jason Brown bring food for you"

She looked at me startled by my presence. "Come on now, stop acting so mighty, come and have dinner with us." I grabbed her hand and pulled her with me.

"I'm not feeling hungry Jason" she removed her hand from my grip and turned her gaze back to the trees in the garden.

"Now will you come downstairs or do you want me to lift you and take you downstairs? I'm telling you... I don't mind it at all."

"Just leave me alone, Go away" she let out irritated.

I placed my hand under her knees and the other around her back and lifted her effortlessly, she immediately placed her hands around my neck in reflex.

"Put me down." She barked at me with her eyes glazed with fire.

I ignored her and walked down to the dining and made her sit down on the chair beside Ryan.

She looks at me with an angry face.

"Now stop looking at me and Eat."

Martha immediately comes with a bowl of soup for Amy.

"What are you feeding the girl Martha? She looks like a skeleton. Get her proper food. I need her to be strong, I want my punching bag back."

Martha took the soup from Me and served her the same dinner like us. Mom looked at me and smiled at me.

Throughout the dinner, Ryan tried to joke around and talk with Amy, but she just nodded her head in acknowledgment to him.

After eating a little bit of pasta and chicken. She mumbled that she finished her dinner and went to the garden.

I went behind her and noticed her sitting in the swing amidst all the tulips. "What are you doing counting the stars?" I asked dropping myself next to her on the swing.

She looked me in the eye, shaking her head. She looked so pissed right now.

"Why can't you give me some alone time. I'm really not in the mood to fight with you now."

"That's what I gave you for a whole month, remember? But now I'm getting so bored without troubling you. My life seems like it lost its meaning without irritating you."

"You know what? You are an asshole." she snarled at me.

"I know" I replied cockily.

I can't help but grin at her. At last some other emotion in her face... instead of that sad and lost look.

She stood up irritated from the swing and walked back to her room and I followed her.

"What do you want Jason?" she looked so frustrated now.

"Nothing, "

"Get out, I want to sleep," said she went to bed and got under the covers.

"Do whatever you want. I'm off to sleep"

I pulled a chair near her and looked at her face.. eyes shut tight and breathing heavily.

"Get out of my room Jason." She growled from under the covers after a few minutes.

"Shut up and sleep, if you utter another word, I'm going to throw you into the pool and the water temperature at this time is not to your liking" I warned her.

She didn't speak after that, she turned her back to me, holding the covers tight to her chest.

After a while, I felt her body trembling and noticed that she was crying. I placed my hand on her shoulder. "Shh, it's okay. You can cry. Don't stop the tears. " I told her in a calm voice.

She turned her face to look at me with her doe-shaped eyes filled with tears and her lips trembling. She sat back on the bed with her knees pressed to her chest.

All I did was sit next to her and pat her hair and say it's okay to cry. She could hold the heartbreak no longer and her grief poured out in a flood of uncontrollable tears. Her body was wracked with an onslaught of sobs. I placed an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer.

After an hour or so I felt her calm down, she tugged my sweatshirt sleeve a little and wiped her eyes and nose with it.

"Eww, gross, get off me you dirty pig" I pushed her away chuckling.

"You are the one holding me" she replied her voice hoarse with all the crying but with a smile on her red face.

"Are you feeling fine?"

"Hm" she replied

"I'm in my room if you need anything," said I turned back to walk to my room.

"Jason, I don't want to stay alone." I heard her say when I reached the door.

"You want me to keep you company?"

She scooted on her bed giving me space. I settled next to her with my arms crossed beneath my head.

"Come to school from tomorrow, okay? You are missing all your classes" I half asked- half commanded her.

"Okay," she nodded.

I woke up to the light entering Amy's bedroom through the glass windows. I saw her fast asleep, tucked in my arms and snoring softly with her mouth slightly opened. I detangled myself without disturbing her and went back to my room.

She decided to get counseling at home and miraculously after three sessions she agreed to start back her school.

                     *************

I'm waiting in the car. While Ryan is shouting in the living room to hurry up. She came running in her shirt and denim dungaree, her curly hair held in a tight pony while her left hand was still in a cast. She stopped in her tracks seeing the car. Her face grew pale at the sight of the vehicle.

She got into the car only once while getting discharged from the hospital. She turned paranoid with the sight of a car and doctors injected her some medicine and soon she drifted to sleep and we brought her unconscious self home in the car.

"Ryan, I feel like going by bus today. If you want, you can go by car with the driver." I told him winking.

"Why?" Ryan asked with a confused face.

This boy is so dumb. I signaled Amy with my eyes.

"Oh!! Even I would love to. Amy, let's go by bus today, we always wanted to go to school by bus with Sophie right, but your parents never..." he stopped mid-sentence.

Now I really want to smack him on the upside of his head.

I looked at Amy, she is trying hard to not let the tears escape her eyes.

"Do you want to go to school by bus, or we could skip school today, we could do whatever you want to, we can watch movies, go out shopping, or even play a few video games because there is no way you are going to win against me with that one hand of yours," I asked giving a lopsided smile and pointing to her left hand in a cast.

She stomped my legs. "It's okay, let's go, I already missed so many classes" saying she wiped her tears.

                             *******