Beauty Is Only Skin Deep

The changing tides

CHAPTER 8

I start moaning as I wake up the next morning to see that my mother is at my bedside. "Hey honey I'm so sorry I'm going to start taking better care of myself and you girls, we are going to get healthy, but you need to be strong and know that I do love you and I want what is best for you. You mean so much to me I know I don't express it a lot, but I don't know any other way to be." "Mom I love you, and all I have ever wanted from you was love acceptance and support you don't always have to understand me and the things that I deal with as long as you are there for me, always through thick and thin, that is all that I want." "I will always be there for you honey; I would not want it any other way. Maybe we can see your therapist together get some family therapy." "I would like that mom. "Good morning Kelly and Mrs.Mastrangelo how are you feeling this morning Kelly?" asks Addison, the caseworker."I'm feeling a little bit better than last night." I had said. "I'd like to take you out of the restraints and take the IV out and get some food in you does that sound like a plan?" asks Addison. "Yes, I would like to try to eat something and get the restraints off me." "Ok I will send Jenny in to do that for you, Mrs.Mastrangelo I would like to talk to you in my office." "Yes, of course, I will be back in a few minutes honey." Says mom, she leans in to kiss me on the forehead. Five minutes later Jenny comes in. "Hi, Kelly how are you doing this morning? Better I hope." She said as she started UN shackling the bed restraints. "That feels better," I said. "Here comes your breakfast." A meal tray was brought in for me, I had a multigrain bagel with natural peanut butter on it, and a fruit cup, and a bottle of water. I eat half of my bagel and all of my fruit. "You did good eating this morning Kelly it's not a hundred percent, but it was something remember even when you don't feel like eating at least try to eat a little bit because it's better than nothing at all. Ok." Jenny had said. "Ok," I say. "Mrs.Mastrangelo we tracked Kelly's progress all week, and she did pretty ok she participated in the groups a little bit her therapy sessions were going well, she gained a little bit of weight it seems as though her incident last night happened after your husband left. Is there anything that he would have said to her to get her to behave the way that she did?" asks Addison. "My soon to be ex-husband told her that we are getting divorced." "I'm sorry to hear that, and I'm sorry that she did not exactly take the news well we will discuss with her the importance of her recovery. It is vital that she knows when she needs to talk to her therapist or any of the group leaders or nurses when Kelly is feeling something we need to be able to deal with the things that make her have an eating disorder so that she can come through the other side a changed person. Even though family involvement is important in any recovery we ask that you focus on her and what is going to make her better instead of worse, do you understand Mrs.Mastrangelo?" "Yes I understand completely, and please call me Roberta."