Sorrow

She stood in the doorway and prayed to wake from this nightmare.
Her sister sat against the wall of her room, pushed tightly into a corner. The quiet crying that had awakened her still rising up from the huddled form of her sister.

“Daria.” Quinn said as she moved into the room, closing the door gently as to not wake up their parents.

“Go away.” Daria cried not looking away from the wall.

Quinn moved forward and knelled next to her elder sister trying to take in everything she was seeing. Both sisters were dressed in their bedclothes but Daria seemed to be turning her body away from Quinn’s view.

“What’s wrong?” Quinn asked her voice cracking as she reached out and brushed her sister’s hair back from her face.

“What do you care?” Daria tossed back, again turning away, pushing into the corner.

She didn’t turn fast enough and Quinn saw the blood and the knife.

“No.” Quinn whispered.

“Go to bed Quinn.” Daria said turning just her head and allowing the misery written on her face to fill Quinn’s eyes. “Tomorrow morning you’ll have the life you always wanted.”

“No.” Quinn said shaking her head.

She grabbed the older girl’s shoulders, turned her, and stared down at the blood that soaked the front of Daria’s clothes, the blade still in her arm.

“Please, stop.” Quinn begged as her life crashed around her.

The hand around the knife tightened waiting for her to try to pull it away but it didn’t continue the cut.

“Please don’t take my sister away. I need her, oh god Daria don’t leave me.” Quinn begged pulling her closer and hugging her tightly.

“Don’t you mean cousin?” Daria said darkly.

“I’m sorry, please I’ll do anything you want. I’ll leave, I’ll stay, anything please don’t do this.” Quinn sobbed against her.

“I can’t do this again. Start all over again with no friends and I won’t even have family there. I don’t want to be alone again.” Daria replied her own face as wet as Quinn’s.

“Then don’t. Do anything but don’t die. I love you.” Quinn pulled back slightly and stared in to her eyes.

“I don’t know what I want.” Daria said.

“Please stay here with me, don’t go.” Quinn begged.

“They’ll send me away.” Daria said looking down at her arm and the still growing puddle of her life blood.

“I won’t let them, I won’t let anyone take you away from me.” Quinn promised and it was clear she meant every word.

“I can be your sister.” Daria asked.

“Yes, please. Let me help you.” Quinn swore gently as the knife pulled free from flesh and her sister handed it to her.

“Thank you.” Quinn said and kissed her sister on the forehead as she tossed the knife to the other side of the room and pulled a sheet from the bed and started tying it around the wound.

“I won’t let anything happen.” Quinn said as she focused on stopping the bleeding.

“I’m scared.” Daria cried out holding onto to Quinn.

“So am I. It’s going to be ok.” Quinn said as she realized the cut was to deep for her to stop the bleeding.

“Listen to me, you have to trust me. We have to get you to the hospital so that means waking up Mom and Dad.” Quinn said.

“You said.” Daria started looking terrified.

“I won’t let them take you away. I just need to think for a second. We’re smarter than they are.” Quinn said looking around. She spotted the half filled glass on the nightstand and quickly smashed it against the bed frame and scooped up the large piece and rubbed it into the puddle covering it completely.

“We were talking and you fell off the bed.” Quinn said to her quickly and moved to stand back up.

“About what?” Daria asked.
“I thought I was pregnant.” Quinn smirked remembering something that would come in handy.

Daria nodded her head and Quinn moved out of the room after picking up the knife and tossing it in her room. She pounded on her parents door until it opened and her father stood looking upset.
“Quinn do you have any idea what time it is?” Jake demanded.

“Daria fell off her bed and cut her arm and I can’t get the bleeding to stop.” Quinn said sounding as desperate as she felt.

“What move!” Jake said and pushed past her and ran into his firstborn’s room. Helen was quickly on his heels and Quinn ducked back into her room and grabbed the needed prop before following her parents downstairs and out the front door.

She climbed into the back with her father and Daria who was starting to turn pale, she reached out and grabbed the undamaged arm and held tightly. Daria locked eyes with her and only fear could be read there.

“It’s going to be ok.” Quinn promised.

“Quinn, what happened?” Helen demanded from the driver’s seat. “Did she try…”

“No, we were talking and she slipped off the bed and knocked over a glass and cut her arm. I tried to stop her from pulling the glass out but it was to late.” Quinn answered without breaking her sister’s gaze.

“Hold on kiddo.” Jake said one hand wrapped tightly around the wound and the other holding his daughter to him.

“What were you talking about this late at night?” Helen asked, the lawyer clearly having picked up an inconsistency.

“Well, um.” Quinn played trying not to smile at her parent’s predicable nature.

“Quinn, now.” Helen said coldly.

She pull out the home pregnancy test Sandi had left in her room and tossed it into the front seat next to her mother.

“I’m not.” Quinn answered.

“Oh my god.” Jake said.

“Daria said I should tell you but wait until after the results to do it.” Quinn tried not to burst out laughing.
“Quinn, we are going to have a long talk tomorrow.” Helen sighed.

“When it came back negative, I was bouncing on her bed and knocked her off. It’s all my fault.” Quinn said still staring into Daria’s eyes. “I’m sorry.”

Daria shook her head gently and squeezed her hand.

“Accidents happen, but if you had come to us first then everyone could have been asleep.” Helen sighed louder.

“I don’t care about Quinn being worried she was pregnant right now. All I care about, is my daughter suicidal?” Jake said roughly.

“No.” Quinn answered.

“I don’t want to die.” Daria said weakly.

“Good girl.” Jake said as he saw the lights as Helen pulled into the emergency room.

“Sister.” Quinn whispered as they climbed out of the car and she walked next to her father as he carried Daria into the ER.