A Multitude of Mercies

We all sat for a minute or two, catching our breath and our thoughts. It was always the same feeling. The same sense of helplessness and bewilderment. The same anger and confusion, the same painful regret that went along with Laura's illness. No matter how many times we'd seen her lose her mind, it was always bitter and painful to have to see it again. To have to look right at her and know that she wasn't really there, that her mind was going to be gone for a time, and that the girl left behind never acted like Laura. What we had was the girl we all dreaded, the girl who would shove Laura aside and do and say things that Laura would pay for later in bouts of depression and regret. Schizophrenia didn't steal from you just once, it did it over and over again.