” he says, voice cracking.
“ Not anymore, ” she replies so softly her voice is almost lost in the air. “ With me around you have no life. Even our kids are afraid of me. ”
“ They ’ re young, they don ’ t understand. ”
“ You ’ re better off without me, ” she says, taking another step backwards.
“ No Rosie please I ’ m begging you, don ’ t. ”
“ I ’ m doing this for all of you. You ’ ve been lumbered with me long enough. ”
“ No, ” he cries as she takes another step.
In blind panic he reaches out, grabs her by the arm and yanks her away from the edge with such force she falls over, causing her to scream. Two men who are walking nearby misinterpret the scene and rush over.
“ Let her go, ” snarls one of the men.
They rugby-tackle JD to the ground.
“ Get off me you idiots, ” he yells, desperately trying to free himself. Over the shoulder of one of the men pinning him down he sees Rosie pick herself up and walk back to the edge of the cliff.
“ Rosie, no. ”
Lashing out with his fists he catches one of the men square in the face, knocking him sideways and kicks the other in the groin, crumpling him up into a heap. Jumping to his feet JD dives at Rosie and grabs her hand just as one of her feet meets empty air.
“ Let me go, ” she shrieks, writhing furiously in his grip.
He drags her back onto solid ground. “ If you go I go too. ”
She stops fighting and stares up at him wide-eyed. “ You don ’ t mean that. ”
“ I do. Without you I have nothing. ”
Her mouth opens and closes. She has no words.
They are both distracted by the sound of a car engine and they see a blue Saab climbing its way up the hill, an ambulance bringing up the rear.
“ You ’ re parents are coming, ” he says. “ Better make up your mind. ”
“ You ’ re not serious, ” she exclaims, frantically trying to pull her hand away but his grip is like iron.
He takes a step closer to the edge and looks down, fighting against the wave of dizziness the sheer drop brings on.
“ I am, ” he tells her determinedly.
Rosie ’ s eyes fill with tears. “ Please let me go and get on with your life. ”
“ You are my life. ”
The car and ambulance pull up nearby and Rosie ’ s parents jump out and stare at the scene with horror.
“ You ’ re not going to let them see you throw yourself off a cliff are you? ” he says gently. Seeing her waver he presses home his advantage. “ Stop this now, please. ”
Her shoulders slump with defeat. “ I will. On one condition. ”
“ Anything. ”
“ You put me back in the hospital. ”
He shakes his head negatively. “ No. You ’ re coming home with me. ”
“ I appreciate what you ’ ve been trying to do but it ’ s not working. ”
“ It is. You ’ re rational now. ”
“ Rational? ” she repeats incredulously. “ I just tried to throw myself off a cliff. What are you going to do, spend the rest of your life pandering to my delusions? ”
“ If I have to. ”
A sob rips from her throat and she touches his face tenderly. “ I love you so much JD but that ’ s no life for you. Put me back in the hospital, forget all about me and get on with your life with our children. Please. Do it for me. ”
He takes in a deep shuddering breath and presses the palm of her hand to his lips. “ I can ’ t be without you. ”
“ You have to. “ I ’ m a … , ” she pauses to gather her strength to speak the words that still horrify her even now, two years after her diagnosis, “… paranoid schizophrenic and if you don ’ t do as I ask I swear I will end it all here and now. For all of us. ”
She snatches her hand from his and takes a step back, so one foot is in mid air. Her mother ’ s scream carries up the hill towards them but Rosie forces
“ Not anymore, ” she replies so softly her voice is almost lost in the air. “ With me around you have no life. Even our kids are afraid of me. ”
“ They ’ re young, they don ’ t understand. ”
“ You ’ re better off without me, ” she says, taking another step backwards.
“ No Rosie please I ’ m begging you, don ’ t. ”
“ I ’ m doing this for all of you. You ’ ve been lumbered with me long enough. ”
“ No, ” he cries as she takes another step.
In blind panic he reaches out, grabs her by the arm and yanks her away from the edge with such force she falls over, causing her to scream. Two men who are walking nearby misinterpret the scene and rush over.
“ Let her go, ” snarls one of the men.
They rugby-tackle JD to the ground.
“ Get off me you idiots, ” he yells, desperately trying to free himself. Over the shoulder of one of the men pinning him down he sees Rosie pick herself up and walk back to the edge of the cliff.
“ Rosie, no. ”
Lashing out with his fists he catches one of the men square in the face, knocking him sideways and kicks the other in the groin, crumpling him up into a heap. Jumping to his feet JD dives at Rosie and grabs her hand just as one of her feet meets empty air.
“ Let me go, ” she shrieks, writhing furiously in his grip.
He drags her back onto solid ground. “ If you go I go too. ”
She stops fighting and stares up at him wide-eyed. “ You don ’ t mean that. ”
“ I do. Without you I have nothing. ”
Her mouth opens and closes. She has no words.
They are both distracted by the sound of a car engine and they see a blue Saab climbing its way up the hill, an ambulance bringing up the rear.
“ You ’ re parents are coming, ” he says. “ Better make up your mind. ”
“ You ’ re not serious, ” she exclaims, frantically trying to pull her hand away but his grip is like iron.
He takes a step closer to the edge and looks down, fighting against the wave of dizziness the sheer drop brings on.
“ I am, ” he tells her determinedly.
Rosie ’ s eyes fill with tears. “ Please let me go and get on with your life. ”
“ You are my life. ”
The car and ambulance pull up nearby and Rosie ’ s parents jump out and stare at the scene with horror.
“ You ’ re not going to let them see you throw yourself off a cliff are you? ” he says gently. Seeing her waver he presses home his advantage. “ Stop this now, please. ”
Her shoulders slump with defeat. “ I will. On one condition. ”
“ Anything. ”
“ You put me back in the hospital. ”
He shakes his head negatively. “ No. You ’ re coming home with me. ”
“ I appreciate what you ’ ve been trying to do but it ’ s not working. ”
“ It is. You ’ re rational now. ”
“ Rational? ” she repeats incredulously. “ I just tried to throw myself off a cliff. What are you going to do, spend the rest of your life pandering to my delusions? ”
“ If I have to. ”
A sob rips from her throat and she touches his face tenderly. “ I love you so much JD but that ’ s no life for you. Put me back in the hospital, forget all about me and get on with your life with our children. Please. Do it for me. ”
He takes in a deep shuddering breath and presses the palm of her hand to his lips. “ I can ’ t be without you. ”
“ You have to. “ I ’ m a … , ” she pauses to gather her strength to speak the words that still horrify her even now, two years after her diagnosis, “… paranoid schizophrenic and if you don ’ t do as I ask I swear I will end it all here and now. For all of us. ”
She snatches her hand from his and takes a step back, so one foot is in mid air. Her mother ’ s scream carries up the hill towards them but Rosie forces
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