The Major Lift. Rewrite one.

A New Family.

"Do you think she was trying to off herself?" Blake asked from his place in one of the plastic chairs that lined one of the walls. He looked at Chris who stood by leaning on the wall beside a watercooler. They had been shown to a quiet room off the main hallway of the emergency department in Mercy General Hospital after they'd arrived and had been told to wait there for news of their new friend. They'd been there for over two hours. Chris had her arms folded across her body and was staring into the space between the corkboard on the opposite wall and the hanging ceiling, not really seeing it. They were both still wet from having stood in the rain for however long it took to coax Aurora away from the water. Blakes hair was coiling in tame tresses that ferried droplets of water into his lap. His hoodie was drying in patches and his face held traces of horror that were thinly veiled by exhaustion. In response to Blakes question, Chris really didn't know what to say, only nodding darkly.
"Yes, I think that is how it looks," she muttered, choosing her words carefully.
"Why?" He asked, flicking his eyes at Chris and making his hair shake more drops of water free of its clutches.
"We're you ever closeted, Blake?" Chris asked, turning to look at him properly for the first time in the two and a half hours they'd been wating there.
"Can't say I ever was. Then again, it isn't like I ever needed to be. When my parents met my ex, they were chuffed and relieved that they finally had some explanation for ... uhh ... some things" Blake spoke as his eyes shrank slightly into his head, as though remembering events from another life.
"Dylan still writing then?" Chris asked, momentarily distracted. Blake nodded, his eyes softening for a second. He swallowed and shook his head again, as if to shake the memory away.
"Do you think Aurora is?" He asked, looking back at Chris with worried eyes.
"I think so, or rather she was to all who mattered until today. She was telling me while standing on that bridge. She was saying 'I'm out Chris' but she didn't seem able to elaborate. I think given the context that either means 'I've been outed against my will and my world is falling apart' or 'I've had it with this life and now I'm going to end it' given what's happened to her arm ... then I do think she did. It would make sense. And if I also factor in that she might have lived in a homophobic environment before now, probably for most of her life, then I can't really blame her. Can I?" Chris was murmuring, getting off the wall and beginning to pace before Blake.
"You might be right" Blake murmured, bowing his head and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I can't really fathom how homophobic someone has to be to kick out their own kid though. Or anyone really" he added, shaking his head darkly.
"I hope I'm wrong ... Man! How do I help her? How do I support her through this? This right here, it's rock bottom. Will I even be helpful? I was trying to talk her into joining the band, or at least auditioning before. I had no idea of any of the shit she was dealing with! And oh sweet Jesus! With that family situation, being terrified to be you for years and now having the limit shattered with a spoon, I can't even imagine!" Chris' voice was becoming more shrill as she spoke, making Blake squirm in his chair.
"Dude! Listen to yourself! Weren't you right there when she thought she was alone? As I recall from you telling me about it, the other day she needed someone and you were there. When she came to see us in the studio, you went out of your way to ask about her wellbeing. When she was on that bridge, it wasn't me who brought her down, it was you. So far, I think you've been the person she trusts. She was prepared to help us out with a loop even after giving away her work, big ol' red flag if you ask me. That says the desire for even one person to listen and support her is greater than the desire to off herself. Looks like she might never have had that person. You have been that person! For the past week! So just keep going" Blake was saying while scrubbing his face with his calloused hands. Chris' pacing slowed as she took in what her best friend was saying. She remembered when she first met Aurora. The skill she displayed was wildly disproportional to her confidence in it. She thought of the scars she'd seen and her initial judgment of them above the person who wore them. She remembered Auroras guarded response to the prospect of embracing her talent by playing with them in the band. She remembered the palpability of Auroras inner conflict and pain on the three occasions she'd seen her so far, escalating each time until the result was a kind of suicidally nihilistic crescendo. She wanted to talk to her, to show her that she was there and ready to hold her together while she fell apart. She wanted to run into wherever Aurora was even then being treated for her wound and whatever else was going on and hug her, to tell her that if Chris was going to be pushed away, it would take more than all this. Whatever she was experiencing, Chris wasn't going anywhere, whether she joined the band or not.