Better Man

"They're sending me to a fucking shrink?" I asked Brian, as he stood there just as confused as I was.

"The Doctor isn't convinced this wasn't self-harm," He shrugged. "I tried to explain you were just cutting vegetables,"

"Do they honestly think if this was self-harm I'd cut my fucking finger?" I sighed. "If I was depressed I'd cut my fucking thigh, at least no one would see it there,"

"Don't talk like that," Brian pleaded. "The Shrink might just take one look at you and agree you're fine,"

"That or he'll decide I need serious help, assuming I'm in fucking denial," Brian took my un-injured hand and looked at the bandage.

"Is it hurting?"

"A little, not much though," I said through a yawn. "Did Doctor Rimarez say when we can go?"

"He's making the appointment for you, then we can go," As if on que Doctor Rimarez came through the door smiling, fakely.

"Well you're free to go, your appointment is tommorow at eleven o'clock," Brian thanked him as I just left the room, too angry to thank the Doctor. Brian drove us both home, we left the boy's at Zacky's as it was two a.m and they didn't need to be awoken. But I'd decided I'd go out to Zack's in the morning to help out, anyway.

Not wanting to argue with Brian again, over anything, I just got changed into some pajama's and went to bed. Before I went to sleep, I felt his lips brush over my cheek and him say he was sorry which made my heart skip a beat.

"Hey, Anna," Zacky whispered, as he was holding Aedan. I got a sideways hug and a kiss on the side of my face, before I felt Scotty's arms wrap around my legs.

"Mummy, I didn't wet the bed!" He grinned, madly. "Uncle Zacky gave me a lollypop for school cause he was proud of me,"

"That's great, Scotty," I put my hand on my sons head, and played with his hair for a second. "Were you a good boy for Uncle Zacky and Gena?"

"I think I was. Was I Uncle Zacky?"

"You certainly were," My brother smiled. "I think your breakfast is ready, Kiddo,"

Scotty sped off to the kitchen, and Zacky led me to the back room where he had been drinking a coffee and feeding Aedan a bottle or formula before he'd gone back to sleep. I explained what had happened at the hospital, from the stitches down my entire finger to the Doctor making me see a shrink.

"What does Syn think of it?"

"He hasn't really said much about it, which is kinda confusing,"

"How?"

"How what?"

"How's it confusing?"

"Well, what if he thinks that was me self harming?" Zacky giggled, and passed me Aedan who'd started to shift a little as he woke up. "Maybe I am a loon or something?"

"You've always been a loonatic, Anna, it's just who you are,"

"I'm sure that's supposed to be comforting,"

"It is,"

Zacky drove Scotty to school, and I took Aedan home to Brian before going into town for my appointment with the doctor. The building it was in was fairly modern, it had three or four different Doctor's in there, each in different departments and rather large posters on the walls letting you know different dates for injections that will be avaliable for free. Not taking much notice of where I was walking I went striaght into a teenaged girl, who just smiled awkwardly and walked around me.

I took myself to the receptionist who smiled and asked me to take a seat, where I read a Readers Digest.

"Anna Hanar?