Suicide Watch

SUICIDE WATCH

By Kelley York

Published by Kelley York

Smashwords Edition 1.0

Copyright 2012 Kelley A. York

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Go Away. I'm all right.

– H. G. Wells

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Acknowledgments

About the Author

June

CHAPTER 1

Last Christmas Eve, I watched a girl throw herself off the Woodshire Bridge.

I didn't know her. I'd never seen her around town or anything.

(Though it's not like I get out much.)

She was a stranger I happened to see during my early morning jog, a mile and a half from home.

Not raining, but cold and wet. I stopped at the end of the bridge beneath the shadows of dew-dripping trees, and watched. She didn't notice me. Or maybe she noticed and simply didn't care. By that point, I'm not sure she cared about much of anything. She had on a plaid jacket and black pants, her blonde hair tangled, whipping around her face as she slung her legs over the guard rail. The ledge on the other side wasn't even wide enough for her feet, so she clung to the railing behind her and stared down into the abyss.

At first glance, I had no idea what she was doing. The idea seemed too bizarre, too out there. But I'd heard of people jumping off the bridge. It was prime suicide territory. A newer, wider, sturdier bridge was built closer to the main roads, leaving the Woodshire Bridge pretty abandoned. I've heard how the drop is so high that a body shatters on impact with the water. Even if that didn't kill you, you wouldn't be in any shape to swim and the river would swallow you up. The idea terrified me, but the jumping girl wasn't afraid. From where I stood, I could see her face, and she was so...

Peaceful.

As her hands started to uncurl from the rail, I stepped forward to call after her, to say...I don't know.

Something. Anything.

"Hey!"

My voice wavered, but there was no way she couldn't have heard me.

She stopped, one hand still on the rail, the other hanging free, and looked at me. She didn't say a word, but waited to see what I wanted as though I'd flagged her down on the street to ask for directions.