@isthatjet // continued from here
A suicide attempt had come up only once in Matt’s career as an officer. The girl was fifteen, running away from home. She spent the night at a friend’s, locked herself in a bathroom with a gun (stolen from her dad’s garage) clutched in her trembling hand. The 9-1-1 call was placed on September 24, 11:46 a.m. Matt would never forget that date.
He was the first on the scene. Heart racing, palms sweaty, he raced through every bit of training when dealing with a suicide attempt. Nothing would prepare him for when he reached that door, knocked and heard the choked sobs of the girl on the other side. So Matt let his mind go blank, let himself rely on instinct. After hours of talking, getting to know one another, and even some quivering laughs, he eventually coaxed her out of the bathroom and to a hospital. But no happy ending came with her story.
Five months later, the girl put a bullet through her head.
Matt suffered from the guilt. Deep down, he knew it wasn’t his fault. Her decision was made, though that didn’t stop the nightmares, the fleeting thoughts of ‘I could’ve done more.’ That part was true. Had he concentrated hard enough, he could’ve dug further into her mind, planted an idea, made her see her decision would cost her everything. But what did that make him...?
History had a funny way of repeating itself. Here he was again, on the edge of life or death, staring a man who could not hold on any longer. Matt’s stomach twisted and turned, his mind buzzing.
“Think about what you’re doing.” The words left him without a second thought. A mindless statement. Something he was supposed to say. Matt expected the other’s response. It was only natural - this man had made his decision. But that didn’t mean he had to lose his life for it.
“Look---” Matt began, searching through the man’s thoughts for a name. “Chris? It’s Chris, right? I don’t know you and you don’t know me, but know this - you can trust me. Chris, what do you do? For a living?”
