Me, Myself and Ike by K. L. Denman

Author:K. L. Denman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, JUV000000
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Published: 2009-10-01T04:00:00+00:00

NINE

Mom gets me after dinner. She asks me to help with the dishes, and when she thinks I don’t suspect anything, she starts talking. “I’m glad you’re feeling better now. Did you sleep most of the day?”

“Uh. Maybe.”

“Maybe?” She arches a brow and looks at me. “I tried calling a couple of times this afternoon and didn’t get an answer.”

Figures. She was setting me up. “Oh. Yeah. Guess I did sleep for a while.”

She nods. “That’s good. By the way, I got an appointment for you with the doctor.”

“What? Why?”

“Well, Kit, I just think it might be a good idea for you to have a checkup.”

“A checkup?”

“Yes. Please don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

She sighs. “Never mind. Your appointment is for next Tuesday, after school. I’ve arranged to leave work early so I can go with you. Then maybe we can go out for coffee or something. Just the two of us. Okay?”

Not okay. The buzz in my head is back, and this time it’s warning me about her. She’s up to something. “I don’t need to see a doctor. I’m fine.”

“I hope so, Kit. But I’ve been thinking…” Her voice trails off and I can feel her looking at me, like she’s being careful, trying not to slip up. I watch her from the corner of my eye and wait.

“It’s just that I was talking to a friend of mine, and her daughter suffers from depression. And I was thinking that maybe you might…”

“You think I’m depressed? As if.”

“But, Kit, you’re not yourself. And perhaps some counseling or even medication would help. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

So that’s it. She wants to drug me.

She goes on. “I don’t know for sure, but it can’t hurt to at least talk to the doctor, right?”

“Wrong.”

“Kit, please.”

“You think I’m crazy?”

“No. Of course not. That’s not what I’m saying at all. It’s just that you seem so unsettled. Sort of… disconnected. I’ve done some reading, and depression is very common in teenagers. Why should you suffer if there’s help available?”

“I don’t need your help.”

She stops then and rests her elbows on the counter, her head in her hands. Takes a deep breath. Another. Then she drops her hands, straightens and turns toward me. “For me then, Kit?” she asks softly. “Just go, for my peace of mind? Please?”

I feel confused. I know she’s plotting something and I can’t trust her. But I can’t say no to her either. She’s the one who needs to see the doctor. Maybe I should tell her I’ll go, and when we get there, I can explain to him. But next Tuesday? When is that? I try to remember what day it is now.

“Isn’t today Tuesday?” I ask.

She blinks. “Yes. But I couldn’t get an appointment outside school hours until next Tuesday.”

It’s simple. I’ll tell her I’ll go, get her off my case. By next Tuesday, I won’t be here. I nod. “Okay.”

She smiles and her whole face changes. The lines across her brow slip down and curve around her mouth.

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