The Asylum (Seer + Savvy)

It seemed like such an average day at the Goodwill asylum. The sun was shining bright outside the hospital walls and everything seemed right in the world except for the odd crazy hobo walking down the street in dark grey rags ripped and tattered from good knew what events. Every so often there would be someone on the street with that defeated look in their eyes and mumbled incoherent verbs and adjectives or were just human parrots. Inside the walls of the white and sanitized building a variety of people rested in their cages with most everything stripped from them.

The walls were bleached white and not a single mark and line was out of place; something their OCD patients would appreciate. The floor of every level was made of white marble to complete the glossy affect of the prison. The hospital entertained three hallways and two floors. Upon on the first floor rested the psychiatrist offices where each primed and perfect doctor did their work on their patients. Files were neatly stacked on their deep maroon desk and nice cushion chair in front of a brand new pc laptop that held cameras and information on their patients. On the ground level floor, there were broken hallways. The first chamber consisted of the reception desk where a primed and perky woman was sitting at her computer as her fingers flied across the key board. Two guards and bars separated it from the first floor of patients.

Inside those rooms less severe cases rested. Their cells were just as white as everything else to represent the purity of their intentions in the facility. Three of the walls were cement will the fourth was made out of four inch glass. A door would be the only way in and out for the doctors and nurses to enter. Like all cells in the hospital, it contained a special lock that no one could open without a doctor or nurse present. Two more guards and cell wall separated another corridor with the intermediate patients. They were the more threatening of the group. Then last but not least, the last corridor was separated by two steal walls. Inside were small isolation rooms much like a prison isolation room. No windows. No glass. Just steal locked with steal. Inside were the most dangerous to themselves and everyone else. Most had white jackets around them and screams could be heard through that room. Besides that inhuman detail, all seemed fine.

In her office on the first floor, Rebecca Byrd checked her reflection one more time in the mirror on the wall. It was her first official day on the job, and she wanted to make a good impression. Her straight blonde hair was put up in a high ponytail that flopped two and fro between her shoulder blades as she walked. She had dressed professionally. She wore her best blouse; black with small embroidered purple flowers. She wore a straight black skirt that hung to her knees. Her hose were black, as were the high heeled shoes that clicked obviously on the tile floors. She liked the way that her outfit clashed with the clean whiteness of the place. If she had to look at only white for the next few years of her life, she might go insane as well. For that purpose, she had a small but very green bonsai plant sitting on her mahogany desk.

Files in hand, she went to visit her first patient. She swiped her card in front of the scanner to unlock the door to the interview room. Her patient was already seated at the long metal desk. She took a seat, careful to arrange her skirt properly as she did so. She adjusted her wire-rimmed glasses, and glanced once more at the file. Schizophrenia; a hard case for her first one. Since there was no absolute cure yet, it was necessary to talk to a patient before administering any treatment. She also wanted to make sure that no one was misdiagnosed.

"My name is Dr. Rebecca Byrd," she told the patient with a friendly smile on her face. His file revealed his name, but she thought it would be more friendly to let him introduce himself. She didn't bother to extend her hand to shake; he was handcuffed to the chair. Whether it was for her safety or his, she couldn't say.

"How are we feeling today?"

Cole Drake was sitting in one of the doctor office and he wasn’t happy. The color scheme was different and a little friendlier but it did not comfort him in the slightest. He was handcuffed to one of the chairs next to the desk and his ankles were tied to the chair’s legs. His bleach blond hair was a mess around his face and accented his deep blue eyes. His skin was pale enough to almost match the color of the white clothing he was forced to wear. Bandages were wrapped around his forehead, his throat, and his arms where vivid crimson stains had splashed across the cloth. Red was the only color on him. Even his eyes were red from the crying he had been doing earlier about the whole event.

He heard the door open and barely lifted his head to glance to it. He was exhausted. He hadn’t slept much the night before and he didn’t even know why he was in this hospital. Where was his mother? His step father? His brother? The only thing he could really remember was screaming. He had blocked it from his mind. He didn’t want to think about what had happened but this doctor was probably going to question, poke, and prod. He would cooperate with her and then he would be able to go home. That was it. He just wanted to go. He didn’t want to be here.

At her question he gave her a nice glare. He was in no mood for fake pretences. He tried to move, but the restraints on him didn’t help his cause. He leaned back into the chair and tried to sink into the cushions and away from the doctor. The nurses he had met last night weren’t really fun to be around since they did a nice job of slamming him into the ground and onto the floor when he had fought back before they finally decided to inject him with a weird syringe of silver looking liquid that had ended the fight. He hadn’t been able to move for a while before he was induced into medicated sleep that wasn’t in the least bit refreshing.

“Isn’t it obvious?” he said dryly.

Rebecca couldn't help but agree with him. It was kind of a stupid question, but it was a recomended beginning statement. The bandages that covered him worried her. Her file hadn't mentioned such injuries. She would have to find out if they were created prior to or after admission. An accurate file could go miles on her casework

"Do you know why you're here, Mr. Drake?" she asked kindly. Many patients were often confused on their first visit. Or so she had read.

"I need you to tell me what you can remember from the last few days. Specifically, are there any times when your mind went fuzzy, or you have trouble remembering? Perhaps you heard people talking to you, but you couldn't figure out where they were?"

It was never easy to tell someone that they were believed to be insane. The best way was to let them figure out on their own that something was wrong. That way, at least for a little bit, they would be corporative. She felt sorry for the boy; he looked tired. After this, she would have to check on his living quarters. It was necessary to make sure that he was a comfertable as possible during his stay here.

“Yes I know where I am. Please don’t call me Mr. Drake. That is my father’s name. Not mine,” he asked and leaned his head back against the chair and starred up at the blank ceiling for a while. He closed his eyes and listened to the doctor ask her piece. She had a point though… he didn’t remember some things that had happened the night before. And her voice was soothing… he suddenly felt a little at ease in this unfamiliar and scary environment. He kept silent at first thinking of possible ways to answer her questions and where to start speaking in the first place. Should he just tell her the whole story or just sit here and wait for her to ask questions?

He cleared his throat before he began, “Well everything was following routine. Nothing was strange or odd. I would go to school, talk to friends, check on my brother, do homework, chores, those kind of things. Just normal. A few days ago my dad’s friend came by the house and told us that my father had gone MI but then they…” he swallowed hard, ‘they said they found him. They found him in a mine field.” He paused a moment to recollect himself and a few tears escaped from his eyes. He tried to wipe them, but the handcuffs on his hands stopped him. Once he was stable again, he continued the story.

“Things obviously were a little different after that. I was depressed because he was dead, but that is normal when you were close to someone that you had been expecting to see. Other than that, it was pretty normal. I was a little mad that my mom didn’t seem to care that he was dead. I know they were divorced, but she didn’t really cry or anything. Anyway, nothing much else happened. Then yesterday the day started out normal. I got up, showered, got ready, snagged breakfast and drove to school. I had a late day because of clubs.

“I went home around… five. I think it was around five. It was getting dark outside. There was an accident on the rode so I had to take a detour. I got home later and I was going to my room. I heard…” he stopped for a moment. He blinked furiously trying to remember things as visions and images flowed through his mind. “No! Wait. I forgot something. I was driving and I had glanced away from the rode for a second and then when I turned back, there…” he stopped again as if recollecting his thoughts. “There was a little boy in the middle of the rode. I stepped on the breaks and swerved out of the way. I nearly crashed, but I managed to stop myself on the shoulder with only a scratch. I came out of the car and turned to the little boy. I think he was ten. I know he was around my brother’s age.

“I went to him and asked if he was okay. He didn’t say anything to me at first. He was cut and bruised up and things. And then… I don’t remember. I can’t remember what happened to the kid and how I got home, but I made it home somehow. Things were fuzzy then. I remember going to my… brother’s room. Yeah. My brother’s room. My mom was there and she was trying to stab my brother. I don’t know why. She never did anything like that. I tried to pull her away, but she turned the knife on me. Then my step-father came in and pushed me away. I hit a glass show case and it broke. I fell in the glass spray and then I woke up being dragged in here,” he explained to her. Little did he know that there was a video tape of everything that explained a different story waiting on the doctor’s desk.

Rebecca listened to his story with sympathy. Her feminine compassion kicked in when he began to cry. She saw him try to wipe his eyes. She wished that there was some way to remove the cuffs, but she didn’t have the key. She nodded in the appropriate places, but didn’t speak right away after his story was finished. She needed time to process. The car accident had been reported in his file, but there was no mention of a boy. That could be a symptom of the disease; hallucinations. And then there was his account of what had happened the night before. She had, of course, seen the tape. It had shown her a disturbing scene, but not the one that he had described.

Cole had stumbled into the house, seemingly disoriented and bleeding slightly from the crash. His first stop had been the kitchen, where he obtained the knife. He had walked into his brother’s room. . . The rest of the story was pretty accurate. He had wrestled with his step-father, and crashed into a glass show case. Ah, of course. That was where the cuts came from. She scribbled it in her notepad so as not to forget. She sighed, and took her glasses off of her face. She looked at him with deep, concerned eyes.

“Cole dear, I need you to think carefully. Your mother didn’t try to hurt your brother.” She couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to loose control of your actions. It frightened her, which was one of the reasons that she had taken this job. She wanted to help people that couldn’t help themselves.

Cole blinked a few times trying to catch on to what she was saying and shook his head ever so slightly miss understanding at first. “No, I know. My mom isn’t that kind of person. I don’t know why she would ever try to—“ then it clicked. His eyes widened in the horror of what she was implying about him. He wasn’t crazy. No. It wasn’t possible. He wasn’t crazy! Never had been! His body began to tremble ever so slightly from the emotions and thoughts that were racing through him. She was lying. She was just saying these things to keep him there. She wanted a patient. Yeah, that’s it.

“No. No! I am not crazy! I didn’t do anything! I am not like that! I am not that depressed! I am depressed, but that doesn’t mean I am crazy! You are just trying to keep me here. I understand you need patients but I am not crazy! I didn’t do anything!” he tugged at the handcuffs and tried to get out of it. He needed to get out. No. He didn’t do anything. He was innocent. He was no insane. Fear was beginning to bubble up inside of him and his breathing was becoming shallow. His heart rate had jumped from the adrenaline spike that had rushed through his veins and arteries. He shook his head again to disagree with her. This wasn’t happening. This was just a dream.

“Let me go! I want to go home!” he said to her and his eyes began to fill with tears once more. What a weakling he must look to her. She was fake. They were all fake. They were going to medicate him and then he would loose his mind. He didn’t want that. He had a life to live! He had things he wanted to do! He could do nothing if he was stuck in a mental asylum. Once word got out about this, he was going to loose all his friends. His credentials would be lost. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be happening. He gave up fighting against the restraints and slumped in to the chair trembling and let the tears fall silently.


Rebecca quickly moved over to the other side of the desk. That was technically against the rules, but it wasn’t like they were being taped. Not in her private interview room. She had made sure of that. She placed her hand on his, trying to sooth him.

“It will be alright, Cole,” she said in a calm and compassionate voice. I promise, I only want to help you. I get paid whether or not I have patients. What happened last night, I know that was not normal for you. You’re a good kid. We’ll work this out together, okay?”

He had stopped trashing in his bindings, and was now sitting in the chair like a dead body. He seemed to be completely drained of energy. She couldn’t see much of his face, so it was difficult to read his reaction. She could guess though. He was scared, and he felt alone and confused. She had known this part of the job would be hard, but she hadn’t expected such an emotional case on her first one.

Cole looked up at her with his blue hues that portrayed the dismay and torment within him. He wasn’t crazy. He couldn’t have done anything. He loved his mother even if he was angry with her about not caring about his father. He would never try to hurt her. He loved his brother to. He never wished to harm anyone. It just didn’t make sense to him. The doctor beside him wasn’t make sense either. How would she help him? By giving him medication that would keep him in a medicated gaze? He didn’t want that either. He tried to pull away from her but he could not move an inch within the chair.

“No its not alright! I am not crazy and I don’t want any of your medication!” he growled. He hadn’t taken a single pill since he was born. He was absolutely medicine free and he wanted to stay that way. Herbal remedies were sufficient to cure him from any illness and didn’t cause horrendous side affects. “How are you planning on working anything out? It doesn’t make sense! Use logic for crying out loud! There is no possible way for it! I am not suicidal or homicidal!” he would have continued in that fashion, but something caught in the corner of his eye. He glanced away from her and kept his eyes locked on something much more debilitating that the doctor.

His eyes widened in dismay and terror and he tried to make himself smaller in his seat. Before him stood a man wearing nothing but dirty rags the color of grey that might have been a pearly white were they clean. His face was unshaven and his glassy eyes had a haunting look tinged with madness. He gave Cole an evil grin revealing rotting teeth. He took a step forward towards Cole and extended his hands out to him as if to touch him. Cole shook his head vigorously in panic as he tried to edgy away.

“N-no! Stay back! Get away from me!” he pleaded with the man that was now standing beside the doctor. Cole’s breathing was labored again and his heart rate was over the top. His body trembled and squirmed the man’s gaze. “Go away! What do you want from me?!” he cried.

Rebecca was about to explain her therapy choices, when the boy began to tremble. She frowned, unable to detect the cause of his stress. His eyes had taken on a far-away look, as if he was watching something through a screen. It was when he began to scream that she really got worried. She looked all around the room, making sure that no one had entered against her orders. But just as she expected, the room was empty save for them two. She could see the nurses outside begin to get antsy, but she shook her head to discourage them from entering. She wanted to handle this without the medication he seemed so afraid of.

“Cole. Cole! I need you to listen to me.” She took his head in her hands, trying to get him to look at her rather than whatever hallucination had him so upset. His eyes seemed to be locked on the invisible terror, though.
“I need you to concentrate. There’s no one here but us. Listen to my voice. Concentrate only on me.” She stared him in the eye.
“Calm down, and breath. You can do this Cole, you said it yourself, you’re not crazy. Focus.”

He heard Rebecca and felt her touch on his face, but he couldn’t look away. The thing was too close. Tears filled his eyes as the man reached down for him. He squeezed his eyes shut hoping that the monster would disappear once he lifted his eyelids again. He was suddenly so cold. He was sweating from the anxiety, but he was freezing. He heard Rebecca call to him and try to sooth him. He listened to her but kept his eyes shut.

“I am n-not crazy… I am not crazy…” he whispered before he chanced to look up again. He looked at Rebecca and tried to convince himself that she was the only one in the room with him. The shadow next to her couldn’t be ignored however. His eyes strayed back to the ghastly man and his body started to tremble again. Why wouldn’t that thing go away? What did he want from him? Who was he?

The man touched his forehead and Cole screamed from the touch. It sent searing pain through his temples and it was so cold it burned. Cole’s body convulsed and his eyes rolled back into his head momentarily. Then it stopped. His body lay limp in the chair and his breathing was shallow. His head rolled to the side and his eyes had taken a colder and more haunted look. The man’s grin played across his face. He spoke to her, but it wasn’t his voice.

“Why don’t you let me go Girly?” he said gruffly as if he had aged years. “I have things to do and you can’t stop me.”

She saw Cole trying to focus on her, and she cooed encouraging words at him. He looked back into the corner though, that same look of terror clouded his eyes. Without warning, he screamed and began to convulse in the chair. The handcuffs rattled against the metal arms of the chair as he struggled. This was not going as she had planned. The boy slumped in his chair, his head lolling from side to side. With a strange grin on his face, he began to talk to her. His voice wasn’t the same however. It sent a chill down her spine. She felt all compassion for her patient leave her, which was strange. It was almost as if she was talking to a completely different person. And in a way, she supposed she was. Was she talking to his delusion, now?

“You know I can’t do that,” she said coolly. “And besides, judging from the handcuffs around your wrists, I’d say that I can keep you here quiet efficiently.” She moved back to her side of the table, not wanting to be too close to this strange not-Cole.
“Now then, why don’t you tell me just what it is you want here.” If this was Cole’s delusion, then figuring out its motives was the best way to help him. Perhaps if she could figure out what caused his hallucinations, she could make them go away.

The twisted grin on his face quickly turned upside down at her disregard of compliance. His eyes flickered green and narrowed on her dangerously. His hands curled into fists and furry clouded his eyes. He yanked at the restraints as hard as he could and tossed and turned into the seat. “Let me go you bitch,” he snarled and pulled once more. One of the handcuffs yanked free. With that arm now liberated from confinement Cole reached for the other restraint and yanked at it hard. He started laughing.

“I have been here for twenty years. Locked up in these God forsaken walls. I am came back now. I am going to get my revenge on you doctors” he said, spitting the out the word doctor as if it were some vile poison. “The doctor that tried to ‘break’ me doesn’t work here anymore. I’ll start by resigning you from office.” A low growl of a laugh escaped his lips and the second handcuff came free and dangled on his bandaged wrist. Blood was beginning to seep more heavily and stained the cloth. Cole reached for the ropes around his legs. “And then you know what I’m a gonna due Missy? I am going to free this boy into the heavens! It is the least I can do for repayment.” He started to laugh crazily again before he coughed.

He wiped his mouth and looked up at Rebecca with the feverish eyes of a predator.

Rebecca had to use every ounce of control she had to keep herself from trembling. This was not the same boy she had been talking to. She was sure of that, now. And she was beginning to think that it might not be a delusion either. It was presenting itself strangely. Her mind flashed back to when she was a child.

She had been only five years old, so her memory was hazy, but she could remember enough. It had been a boy about her same age. They had been playing together in the sandbox when he suddenly snapped. He had tried to kill her with a plastic shovel. She didn’t remember much after that, other than the pain. She had woken up in a clean white room, not unlike the one she was sitting in now. That one though, had been made to heal physical wounds rather than psychological ones. She had drifted in and out of consciousness, but she had heard her parents speaking. Some of the words she hadn’t know then, but she did now. They said that they boy had been possessed. A priest had been called to perform an exorcism.

As an adult, Rebecca didn’t really believe in such things. But Cole was behaving so much like that little boy had been. . . She shook her head. Surely that was impossible, right? But either way, she couldn’t let what ever was influencing Cole - be it demon or disease - hurt him. That was her job. She stood up calmly, and walked over to the thrashing boy. Possessed or not, she was still bigger than him, even if not by much. She put her hands gently but firmly on his wrists, forcing him to stop untying his legs. She could hardly believe she was about to do this. At least no one was around to see if she was wrong.

“You will not harm this boy,” she whispered. “Whatever you say, whatever you try to do, I will stop you. If you think I’m some pansy bookworm who will run and hide from a few bad words, you’ve got another thing coming. Now,” she had to think for a moment. If this was a possession, it was probably a former patient here. It shouldn’t surprise her that this place would have bad spirits. After all, they used to practice shock treatment, and other such unethical things. “You will leave my patient. Go back to your wall, or go to hell. I couldn’t care less which.”

She was a little afraid to anger it too much, but if things got too out of hand, she could always call for the nurses. Although she hated to, it would be effective. Even a spirit could do nothing if the host body was unable to move.

Cole glared up at her and his lips curled back. He kept eye contact with Rebecca and tried to break free of her hands and strain. Cole’s body couldn’t take much more of this. His body was already exhausted from his early ordeal. He leaned forward towards Rebecca. He was a scant inch from her face and tilted his head and gave her an ugly scowl. Then another grin plastered across his face and he chuckled and shook his head as if he knew something she didn’t.

“You know eh? But they don’t. I will be back and you won’t get off so easily next time. Whose gonna believe ya? No one. You’re just as alone as this boy.” He spit in her face before he slumped back into the chair and Cole’s eyes began to flutter as if he were having a seizure again. Within seconds, his body went limp again and he was breathing heavily. His eyes were still a little glazed from exhaustion. He moved his head and looked up at Rebecca confused. He looked around wildly but the man was gone. What had happened? Had he passed out? Why was she over him? How did he get loose?

“W-What?” he asked. He couldn’t get anything else out of his trembling mouth. A nurse knocked on the door before entering the room. She was in on a secret conspiracy headed by Cole’s step-father. She gave a sweet smile to Rebecca before she turned her attention to the panting boy in the chair. A syringe was resting in her white gloved hand. She gave a frown, but said nothing of it at first. She walked forward to stand beside the chair. Cole coward away from her. He wouldn’t be able to fight her off in his state.

“I just received information from Cole’s step-father, Domanick, that Cole had been diagnosed with multiple-personalities disorder. This is the medication for him. May I apply it?” she asked and turned back towards Cole. Cole was shaking his head and tried to move out of the way.

“No! Please…” he begged. He didn’t want to loose his senses. He already didn’t know what was going on around him.

Rebecca frowned, and stood up. Since she no longer needed to restrain Cole, she instead grabbed the nurse’s wrist. Although her grip was gentle, it still effectively stopped the syringe just inches from the boy’s quivering skin.
“Hold on just a minute now,” she said in a controlled voice. “I am his psychiatrist. The only one authorized to diagnose him is me. So I have to say no, you may not administer that medicine.” With that, she snatched the needle from the nurse’s hand. The nurse glared at her, and yanked her hand away. She quickly checked herself, and pasted that friendly smile back on her face.
“I’m just following orders, ma’am. Now then, if you’ll let me do my job?”

Rebecca shook her head.
“Not if it will interfere with my job,” she said decisively. “I conclude that this boy is suffering from severe exhaustion brought on from stress in his personal life. Therefore, my professional treatment will be to place him under my protective custody for further examination.” She smiled sweetly at the nurse.
“That will be all. You are free to leave now.”

Cole looked up at Rebecca in total surprise. He had expected her to just let the nurse administer the drug and be done with it. He didn’t know she was even allowed to do that. A brief smile spread across his lips that he gave Rebecca before he hugged himself and leaned his head on the chair’s arm. Would she let him go home to? He wanted to know what had happened to his mother and brother. He didn’t think he could handle finding out that one of them was dead. He had lost too much already.

The nurse that had entered looked furious but she did nothing. She forced the smile on her lips to stay and tried to keep her dignity. “He was diagnosed by his original psychiatrist before he was admitted here. This medication was given by him. He has many different personalities and some of them can be dangerous. It is wise that he obtains this medication Doctor,” she said, trying to be polite once more. Domanick wouldn’t be pleased if she failed this task.

Cole sprang up in his seat and looked up at the nurse dismayed. His eyes widened at the revelation. His step-father was trying to get rid of him! He hated the man originally, but he hadn’t even had the notion to conjure the hate he was feeling now from this lie. What he was going to say would confirm however, that he had Schizophrenia, but he couldn’t let this slide on by him either. He shook his head again and turned to Rebecca with his pleading eyes.

“No! He is trying to get rid of me! Maybe even kill me! Don’t make me take that medication!”

“Nonsense! He loves you Cole. See Doctor? He is ill and needs treatment.”

Rebecca shook her head, and threw the syringe in the waste can by the door.
“Of course I will take his previous psychiatrist’s diagnoses into consideration. However, I am his current psychiatrist, and I do believe it to be incorrect. That being the case, I cannot allow medication to be administered that might have adverse effects on my patient.”
She placed a hand on Cole’s shoulder, wishing the boy had kept silent. Although he did provide her with a little information. The file had listed his step-father as a well-liked and powerful man. If word got out that he had an insane son, it could ruin his reputation. She began to look at this nurse in a new light. If she was truly part of such a horrible scheme, she could not be trusted. Of course, it was also possible that Cole was being paranoid. But, better to be safe than sorry.

“As I said, mental exhaustion. I will take him under my care for now. I do not believe medication to be necessary.” She pulled Cole a little closer to her, supporting and restraining him at the same time.
“Don’t worry, Cole. I’m on your side here. I just need you to trust me to take care of things, okay?” She whispered it into his ear so that the nurse would not overhear. No matter how hard she tried, her efforts would be wasted if Cole did something to make her diagnoses seem wrong. She would also have to be careful not to let his step-father change his psychiatrist to one more. . . Understanding. She would bring it to court, if she had to. She couldn’t say what made her want to fight so much for this boy. Perhaps it was simply loyalty to her first patient.

The nurse glared at Rebecca but did not contradict her. It was not her place to force something on the doctor. She honestly believed Cole was mental, and what she had seen only proved the diagnostic correct. She had seen cases when Cole seemed like a completely different person. Ah well. Rebecca would just have to figure that out herself during her investigation. “Fine. What section will you be putting him in? I advise moderate since he did show up kicking and screaming and trying to hit everyone. Of course, I am fine with any decision you make Doctor.”

Cole’s body tensed when Rebecca wrapped her arms around him. He didn’t much like it when people touched him lately. Every time someone did, he would experience something or black out. Thankfully, that didn’t happen here, but he still couldn’t help but be tense. He didn’t know if he should trust her or not. How could he trust someone who thought hew as crazy? He listened to her whisper and tried to take consolation in that but he didn’t know what to do. He leaned into her and slowly allowed himself to close his eyes. He was tired and he didn’t think he would be able to keep himself awake much longer anyway.

Rebecca sighed. Today was not going well at all. At least Cole seemed to have calmed down a little. Either that, or he just gave out from exhaustion. Either way, he had slumped up against her and stopped moving. That would make things a little easier.
“I don’t think you heard me right, nurse. He will be put under my personal care. Due to his deteriorating state, I feel that he needs 24 hour supervision. I am licensed to practice out of my home, and that is exactly what I plan to do.”

She hoped that she was making the right decision. Since it was still her first case, such a daring move could be rejected. And above that, her medical decisions might not be agreed with by her colleges. After all, multiple personality disorder did fit his symptoms. But her gut was telling her that something else was wrong. And although that was not a scientific way to diagnose, it had never led her wrong in the past.
“Is there anything else I can help you with, nurse?”

The nurse’s eyes widened in surprise. Take him home? She couldn’t take the patient home! Well… she could, but so many things could go wrong! He was so unstable. He had just been brought in the day before. He needed to be monitored by her, the nurses and the other doctors that were in practice in the facility. She couldn’t just up and leave with a patient that could pose a danger to himself, her, and anyone else around them! That could be disastrous! What if he got out and started killing people in one of his fits? It was too dangerous.

“Please Doctor, reconsider this! Cole is unstable! You can monitor him just as well here as in your own home with less risk to you, him and others! Outside these walls could be stimuli that can get him to act up. You might wake up in the middle of the night and find him cutting his throat! You don’t have the monitoring capability at your home for this kind of things! The other doctors will not let you take him out of this environment. At least stay her for a few days before you decide to take him home. You haven’t practiced on a patient before.”

Cole had begun to drift when the nurse contradicted Rebecca’s actions. Half way through it, he was asleep. His body had relaxed and he leaned comfortably on Rebecca at peace. He had drifted so quickly from his exhaustion and thankfully for him and his situation, he wasn’t having a nightmare that would cause him to wake up screaming. If that had been the case, things would have become so much more complicated. In his relaxed and sleeping state, he looked like any other person. He didn’t’ look like he could pose anyone harm.

Rebecca sighed. She had known it would only be so long before her lack of experience was brought up. While the nurse might have a point, she wasn’t about to give up now.
“With all due respect, you have never been in my house, and therefore have no idea what my capacity is for caring for Cole. As his doctor I assure you, I would not act in any way that could do him harm. My facilities are as advanced as these, but with a more relaxed feeling which I feel will be beneficial to the patient. Above that, I have reason to believe that there could be stimuli within this hospital that are aggravating the boy’s condition. And while the other doctor’s may contradict me, you may not.”

Of course, she couldn’t say that her reasons included that an evil spirit might be possessing Cole. Such a statement would simply land her in a cell next to him. On a medical standpoint though, her reasoning was sound. While the other doctors might disagree, she doubted that any of them would openly forbid it. At least, she hoped.

She wasn’t sure exactly what to do now. She needed to complete the paperwork for his transfer, but she couldn’t do much with him asleep in her arms.

The nurse gasped and covered her mouth with one hand. She hadn’t meant to insult her. She had a point, and she already regretted her words. Ah well. There was nothing she could do about it now. What had been said, was already done with. She swallowed hard and gave her a nod. “I am sorry. Forgive me. You are right. Is there anything you would like me to do? I could bring you the papers or ask for a meeting with the others. I have been assigned to Cole as his nurse, so if there is anything at all that I need to do, please tell me. I am more than happy to aid you with my abilities in this situation.” She didn’t look at the doctor, but kept her eyes on the boy. There was something… strange about him. She couldn’t put her finger on it. He didn’t look insane, but then again, none of them did.

Being a light sleeper, Cole was quickly awakened when he tried to move and his head fell. He startled himself and looked around at first bewildered. He couldn’t seem to recognize where he was at first until the memories of what had happened moments earlier flashed in his mind’s eye. He looked up at Rebecca whose arms were so warm and comforting. He gave a small smile before he detached himself from her and looked at the nurse who was still in the doorway. He wondered how much time had passed since he was a sleep. He rubbed his eyes and gave a small yawn.

Rebecca nodded. Perhaps this nurse wasn’t as bad as she had originally thought. If she ever needed help with Cole, maybe she could trust this woman to live with her. . . Maybe.
“Yes, I’d like it very much if you could bring me paperwork regarding his transfer. I’d like to hold off on a meeting, for now. If they call one, I will attend, but other than that I’d like to avoid one. Thank you, that should be all.”

She turned next to Cole. She gave him a kind smile.
“Are you feeling better?” she asked. He looked slightly better after his short nap. At the very least, he was more able to stand on his own. She sighed, and sat back down in her chair. She motioned for Cole to do the same. She made no move to reattach the handcuffs. She sincerely hoped that they wouldn’t need them.

The nurse nodded and left the room. She went over to her computer and quickly brought up the files. She sifted through them before she found the application she was looking for and had it print out of the printer. Once it was out, she picked up the warm pieces of paper and went back to Rebecca. She knocked on the door and entered and placed the papers on her desk. “There they are,” she said giving another smile and glanced at Cole before she left the room once more and waited for the decisions to be made.

Cole got comfortable in his chair and rubbed his wrists; thrilled that he didn’t have them on anymore. He wondered what had caused his release. “Well… I am not great. I didn’t sleep very long did I? I don’t know how long I was. You were talking about a transfer when I woke up. What is going on? Am I being transferred to another hospital? Another doctor?” Fear gripped at his heart. He didn’t want to be handed off to someone else he didn’t know. For the most part, Rebecca seemed like a nice gal. He didn’t want things to change.

Rebecca thanked the nurse and looked over the files. Everything seemed to be here. Now she just needed to fill them out. She looked over at Cole.
“No, don’t worry. You weren’t asleep for that long. I’m transferring you to be under my care solely. That way I can take better care of you. Will that be okay?” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Perhaps she should have asked him before she began making plans. After all, she wouldn’t move him if he didn’t want to be.

As she waited for him to respond, she picked up her pen. Her hand moved in a blur over the page as she began to fill out the forms, just in case he decided to come. She wasn’t very worried about it. Judging from the way he reacted to most of the people around here, she was hoping he would find her as - at the very least - the lesser of two evils.

Cole’s head tilted to the side like a dog would at the simple smell of food coming out of the oven. He raised his eyebrow and studied Rebecca. Why was she so willing to take him to her house? He didn’t usually just go to someone’s house and live with them. They could do things to him and no would know unless he escaped. More than likely he wouldn’t be able to. He just wanted to go back to his own home. Why couldn’t he just go? He didn’t want to be questioned like some lab rat getting ready for a dissection. He swallowed hard and looked away from her even though she wasn’t looking at him.

He didn’t want to stay here either. What if that man came back? He didn’t know what he wanted and he didn’t want to find out. He didn’t even know what happened to him after the encounter. Besides, all this white was getting to him. The color alone would drive him crazy or the isolation. He didn’t want to talk to the others in the asylum-prison. Some of them might really be insane. What if some of them were like him? He didn’t want to think about it right now. He had enough to worry about.

“Oh. I guess I could come live with you. Will I have to wear this though? Would I have a house arrest bracelet to make sure I wont run away?” he asked. He wanted to know what he was getting into. He would have a bracelet of some sort if he stayed in the asylum he figured so would it be the same at her house? If anything, it wouldn’t be so… empty.

Rebecca signed her name on the last page of the paper work. She looked back up with a smile.
“I won’t lie to you Cole, you’d probably have to wear an ankle bracelet. In the beginning, at least. Other than that, you will have free reign of the house. You’ll also be able to go outside for a few hours a day, with my supervision. I don’t want to seem untrusting. You seem like a good kid Cole, which is why I’m going out on a limb for you here. Hopefully, we’ll be able to work this all out and get you home before too long. I just need to make sure that I know the best way to help you.” Remembering his reaction to the nurses needle, she felt it was necessary to add a bit more.
“Although they’ve been proven effective in some cases, I’d like to try treating you without medication at first.”

She leaned back in her chair, thinking. She needed to file this paper work soon so that she could transfer him before the night. She didn’t want to leave him alone in this room, however. Without company, it was likely that his psychosis would return. In habit, she tapped her pen against her chin. Perhaps she could call that nurse back in to take care of the paper work.

“Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself, Cole?

Cole nodded and fidgeted with the edge of his sleeves which were slightly pink from the ordeal earlier when the man had taken over his body. “Okay. Just as long as I can see the light of day,” he jested. He hated being locked up inside a room or a house. He was an outdoorsy person and he wanted to keep it that way. He was a social maniac and he didn’t like isolation. He didn’t cope well with it all. He knew he had become a little more reserved, but he still detested the notion of living out of a room without moving. “And thanks. I hate medication. I think we will get along fine if you don’t bring in a pill or two or a syringe.”

He intertwined his fingers and starred at her desk. He tried to move his leg but that was still tied to the chair. “Umm… about me… about me… I don’t know what to tell you. I… am an outdoorsy person. I like camping, rock climbing, and sports in general. I joined the track team, I have a band of brothers at school, I work out, do good in school. Thinking of joining the reserve. I had girlfriends but that didn’t last long. No I am not gay or bi. Umm… What exactly do you want to know?” he asked her. He didn’t know what it was exactly that she wanted him to tell her.

She shook her head.
“Nothing in particular. I just thought if we are going to live together, we should get to know each other a little.” She smiled at him, and called for the nurse.
“I don’t know if we’ll be able to go hiking or mountain climbing any time soon. I have a gym of sorts at home, so you shouldn’t get too bored.”

She really wanted to ask him more about last night. In particular, if the young boy he’d seen had said anything to him. But now was not the time. He was physically and mentally exhausted, and she didn’t want to add to his stress. Once she got him settled in, and he was beginning to feel comfortable. Then she would be able to start trying to understand what was going on. She glanced around the room. She still had a sour spot in her stomach after . . . Whatever that had been. She wanted to get Cole out of this hospital and into her care as soon as possible. Where was that nurse?

Cole sighed and bit his lip. It did sound better than living in the asylum. He would be kind of lonely maybe, but he did have the doctor to keep him company. He wondered if she would be like a friend or if it would be obvious she was saying things or doing things to get a response out of him. The gym sounded nice to. He had always wanted a personal gym. He had a nice body so he shouldn’t be ashamed of going out in the public, but he hated having all those people stare, sizing him up and comparing him to themselves.

“I guess we have a deal. Do you have any pets? I like pets. I wanted a dog but my mom never really allowed it because she was allergic to them and their hair. I planned on getting one when I moved out. Well… actually not quite. I was going to get my undergrad and then move out and go somewhere else. If I had an option, I would get an apartment next to my university and get my masters and things and then get a dog. Oh jeeze that was a random conversation.” He covered his face with his hand and rubbed sleep away from his eyes. He wondered why he just went off and started talking about his future plans. None of that would be happening now. He was ‘insane’ even if he wasn’t. Universities would take note of it.

Rebecca laughed, but not in an unkind way.
“You know,” she said, leaning back comfortably in her chair, “I’ve always wanted a dog too. I just thought I would be too busy with cases to take care of one. We’ll have to look into getting one, deal?”
She smiled as the nurse entered the room, and she handed her the papers.

“Please make sure these get filed properly. I plan on leaving in one hour.” She turned back to Cole. She scratched her head idly. When she kept her hair in a ponytail for too long, it began to itch.
“What are you going to major in?” she asked him politely. She felt that it was important for people to have dreams. And if talking about them helped him to trust her more, then that was even better.

Cole looked at her in a new light. She was going to get a dog as one of their deals? That was odd. She was getting a dog on his account. He shrugged it off and gave her a small smile. He watched the nurse come in and take the papers. She nodded at the instructions and quickly vanished out the door and into the hallway once more. He combed his hand through his hair and sighed. He tried to move his leg again but was reminded that his leg was tied to it. It was beginning to annoy him.

“Can I untie my ankles? Seriously. I am not going to bolt out the door. You have surveillance cameras, and people in the hall way that can easily obstruct my path and cause me to be caught that much more easily. Besides, once you guys catch me, you’ll but me in a straight jacket. I don’t exactly want that to happen. As for the majoring, I had planned to major in computer science. You know, all those programming and codes and things,” he stated and sat up more in his chair.

Rebecca nodded.
“Of course, I’m sorry I didn’t offer to untie you sooner. Feel free to take them off.” She regarded him silently as he took untied his legs. He really seemed like a normal boy right now. She could hardly believe that just a while ago he had been yelling about killing people. Of course, that might have not been him. She shook her head. This was all so confusing. She wished that there was a simple way to figure out for sure what was going on. For now though, she could only watch and wait.

“So, computer science, huh? Sounds difficult. I was never very good with computers.” She laughed at herself. It was true enough. The last time she had tried to touch a computer for more than recording documents, it had practically blown up. She wished that the paper work would hurry up and finish. It was very awkward to continue talking in this cold, white room. It would be much better once they got back to her house.

Cole leaped at the chance and quickly snapped off the bands around his ankles. Once they were free, he curled up on the chair. He got himself comfortable and lay his head down. He closed his eyes and gave a sigh. “It’s fun. I like to change codes around and see how the computer works. I took my teacher’s computer apart. He freaked out on me since he is a sequence and confluent person and doesn’t understand us technical people. He told him to relax and I put it back together again. I fixed the problem he was having and everything….” After he told her his little story, his own voice induced a cozy little sleep

After the hour was up and they were released from the hospital, Cole continued to sleep in the car. The other doctors inside the building made sure he had the ‘house arrest’ bracelet on his ankle before they headed out. They didn’t offer anything else. So with only the asylum clothing on, he was carried into her car where he was resting comfortably and actually getting some restful sleep. He didn’t realize it but he was dreaming. The previous night was quite vivid in his mind’s eye and he was thrashing in his sleep and whimpering. He muttered words, but none of it was comprehendible.

Rebecca couldn’t help but smile at how quickly the boy fell asleep. He must be exhausted. And with good reason. It must have been a long day for him. She carried him out to the car alone. No doctor would show enough support even to help her with that. It was annoying, how little these people would do sometimes. As she drove, she looked over at Cole. He sat peacefully in her passenger seat, leaning against the window.
She smiled, and turned her attention back to the road. She began thinking as she drove. They would need to go shopping, that was sure. She only had clothes for herself at home. And then there was the matter of the puppy. She giggled quietly in anticipation.

Cole began to whimper and toss in the seat next to her, and she glanced over at him, worried. She didn’t know if she should wake him or not. He seemed to be in minor distress, but he also needed his sleep. Her decision became moot as she pulled into her driveway.
“Wake up, Cole,” she said gently. “We’re here.” She led him inside, slightly proud to show off her house. Her parents were fairly well off, and they had given her this personalized house as a graduation present. Although she hated accepting such a grand present, she did love the house.

It stood on a good ten acres of forested land. Near the back of the property was a small lake with clear water. The itself was not too large. It had four bedrooms and three baths. What was really impressive however, was how they had furnished the inside. They knew their daughter well, and they had made the house fit her perfectly. Every piece of furniture was differently and brightly colored, creating a mesmerizing rainbow effect. The carpet in each room was died in a gradient, leading into the next room perfectly. She opened the car door, ready to help Cole out of the car if he needed it.

Screams. He could hear screams.

That was what brought his attention to the front of the car. A little boy was standing in the middle of the road. He was bloody and shaking. He had gasped and swerved out of the way. He didn’t know if he hit the boy or not. He slammed into the shoulder fence and nearly fell off the cliff. He stayed in his car at first, too shaken to get out. He remembered the boy and the scream. He shakily turned around to peer through the window of the car that was now shattered. He had a feeling he had at least a flat tire too.

The boy was still standing there until he blinked. Then the boy was closer to the car and starring right at him. He was petrified to the spot. He hadn’t seen the boy move. Slowly and cautiously, he opened his car door and got out. He was a little dizzy and disoriented probably from the crash he had just endured. His concern however was for the boy who was starring up at him with wide fearful and sorrowful eyes. He crouched down beside the boy and reached out to touch him. The boy flinched and vanished only to appear a short distance away.

“Wait! I want to help you. What’s wrong? I can take you to the hospital” he had encouraged. The boy remained quite at first. Then he appeared before Cole once more. Cole should have been afraid of this vanishing act but his wits were scattered thanks to the crash. He was only concerned for the boy before him. He reached out again but this time the boy didn’t run. Cole rested his hands on the boy’s shoulder and looked him over. He was cut up and scared with blood draped on him like a red veil.

“What happened to you?” he asked.

“You said you would help me.”

“Yes, I am going to but I need to know what happened.”

“You will help me. She did this to me. She took me away. I want my mommy but she wasn’t my mommy.”

“What are you talking about? Who is she? Who isn’t your mom?”

“She was my mommy but she didn’t want me. I want to get back! I should be there with her!” The light flashed around them Cole couldn’t seem turn away from the boy. His hands seemed alight with a white fire and burned. He cried out and tried to pull away but his hands were glued to the child. Then scenes flickered behind his close eyelids and he couldn’t make sense of it.

Cole startled awake when Rebecca tapped him and told him they were at the house. He stared at her bewildered a moment and squinted through his eyes. He was with Rebecca. It wasn’t night. There was no boy. He calmed himself down and unbuckled the seat belt. He got out of the car and went into the house. There was so much color! He couldn’t help but smile at it. Each room was so personalized and it was wonderful. “Do you have a green room? I heard that green calms you down and keeps you mellow.”

Rebecca smiled at his reaction. She had been hoping he would like it.
“As a matter of fact, I do.” she said happily. She led him to the back of the house where one of the empty bedrooms lay. Everything in the room was colored a different shade of green. The room was made even brighter by the large picture window that over looked her forest-like backyard.
“If you like it, this could be your room,” she said calmly. It was nice to see that he seemed to be comfortable so far.
“It has its own bathroom in the back right corner. Does it suit you?” She smiled.

Her own room was a bright yellow that lay just next door to his. The carpet in the hall showed the blending between the two colors. She pointed in its direction.
“I’d be just in the next room, if you need anything.” She motioned in the other direction, where the hall gradated towards blue. “The T.V room and kitchen are that way. The gym is in the basement. It’ll be the red one.” She laughed slightly.
“Any questions?”

“Oh cool! This room is awesome! I just might do this in my apartment or dorm room when I go to the college I want to do my grad in. I love the shades. It is already soothing me. Thanks. I really do like this room. The view outside is awesome to. Man, you have it made in this house. I just might do this in my own house, ‘cept I will just make it alternate between blue and green. Those are my favorites and they are such soothing colors. Wow, I sound like an angry person. Anyway, thanks for taking me in. This is so much better than the asylum.” Cole fell onto the bed and gazed up at the ceiling.

“I don’t have any questions right now. Do you have any questions for me? I mean, you are my psychologist and I want it to get over with. I like the house, but I do want to go home. Go back to my life where it left off. I have a life to live, not just ‘exist’ between walls if you know what I mean.” He flipped over onto his stomach and looked up at her. “Might as well start the session.” He waited patiently for her to start asking questions and say ‘how do you feel about that?’ That is all he knew about psychiatry.

Rebecca sat down in a forest green chair in the corner of the room and sighed.
“I had hoped to wait until you got settled in, but if you really want to do this now. . .” She settled into the chair a little deeper. “Then my wish is your command.”
“Let’s begin by you telling me about the boy in the road. Most importantly, what was he doing when you last saw him.”

She pulled out a pencil and note pad from her purse. She carried them around with her at all times. After all, you never knew when you would come across something important that you had to remember. As she waited for him to think of his answer, she let down her hair. Since they were in a more relaxed area now, she wanted to feel less professional as well. She sighed as she shook around to loosen her golden waves. It did feel good to let it down. She turned her attention back to Cole. It looked like he might be ready to speak soon.

Cole groaned. Why was she so interested in the boy? They weren’t related so why would he matter. He lay quietly for a while and rested his head on his arms and closed his eyes trying to remember. The dream he had been having in the car slowly came back to him. He gave a shudder at the memory of it. He didn’t want to remember. There was something bad at the end of the memory. He didn’t want to remember. It was painful. His body tensed and the air around him seemed to compress. It was hard to breath. He knew he had to tell her but he didn’t want to remember.

“… I was driving home like I said. A detour. It was cold out so I looked away from the road to start my heater. I heard a scream which jolted me and I looked up. There… was a little boy standing in the middle of the road. I swerved so I didn’t hit him. I crashed into the railing or fence of the shoulder. I looked out the window and the boy was there. He was closer though. I didn’t know he moved. I got out and went to him…. He was hurt. Bleeding. I knelt down beside him and asked him what was wrong.” He shook his head. If he continued she would think he insane. The boy couldn’t have vanished and then appeared. That was to far fetched.

Rebecca wrote down the important parts of his speech. She found it interesting that the boy had been injured even though Cole hadn’t hit him. It almost seemed to point to her. . . Less scientific theory. But she would ignore that for now. Cole had begun to tense up, and he seemed worried about something. She leaned forward, concerned. He seemed to be holding himself together, though.
“Don’t worry Cole, you’re doing fine. Just a little more and we can stop, okay? What happened when you went up and talked to the boy?”

Cole swallowed. His throat was suddenly dry and he was cold. Cold just like when he was with the boy. “… I knelt down beside him and reached out to him. He disappeared… then came back a little way away. I told him that I wasn’t going to hurt him. That I wanted to help. He appeared in front of me again. I touched him and I asked him what had happened to him.” He paused again trying to remember what was said. He closed his eyes and recited it as if it were a speech he had given many times before.
“What happened to you?” he asked.

“You said you would help me.”

“Yes, I am going to but I need to know what happened.”

“You will help me. She did this to me. She took me away. I want my mommy but she wasn’t my mommy.”

“What are you talking about? Who is she? Who isn’t your mom?”

“She was my mommy but she didn’t want me. I want to get back! I should be there with her!” He stopped again. He was shaking and he had sat up during his telling of it. He hugged himself and his breathing was coming faster. He didn’t want to tell her. He didn’t want to remember. His eyes were closed and he was rocking back and forth. He shook his head and the images were flashing through his mind again. His lungs seemed to squeeze shut and tears were streaming from his eyes as the memories filled his head.

“N-no. No! I couldn’t have… no… no… it was a dream. It didn’t happen… no… I didn’t.. I couldn’t have.. no…” He curled up tighter and sobbed. The memories were put into place.

He had walked home. The car wouldn’t work but he didn’t even try it. He walked home and got into the house. He walked by everyone and went to his brother’s room. He was sleeping. So warm and cuddly. He hated it. He was jealous. He was sad. He lifted the knife he had gotten from the kitchen and hovered over his baby brother.

“Wake up. Wake up,” he had said. When his brother’s eyes opened, he saw his reflection and the horror play across his face. “You took everything from me. I should be sleeping where you are sleeping. Mommy was mine.” He dropped his hand and procceded to cut and maime his brother. He screamed. Their mother entered the room and pulled him back. He pushed her away and started to cut himself. She got in the way so he cut her. His step-father had entered the room and pushed him away…

“No! no! no….” he sobbed. He was shaking horribly. “I killed him… I killed him…. No… no… why… It isn’t fair! I didn’t want to… I loved him…” he sobbed.

Rebecca sat up suddenly as things took a turn for the worse. The boy had settled into a defensive position, and he hardly seemed aware that he was still talking. She moved to the bed, and sat down next to him. She wrapped her arms around him protectively. This was wrong. She shouldn’t be getting so attached to a patient. After all, anything could happen with such an unstable mind. But despite her reasoning, she still felt a deep pain as the boy sent there crying.
She pulled him closer and stroked his now sweat-soaked hair. She hushed him, whispering soothing words.

Perhaps she had pushed too hard too soon. The shock of last night and waking up in the hospital was too fresh. She was angry at herself. Even an amateur like herself should know better than to push information from a young mind that was still so unstable. But he had seemed so normal and ready to help. . . She scolded herself silently. She would be more careful next time. She would make sure that he was ready, rather than just thinking he was.

“It’ll be okay, Cole. Everything will be okay. Calm down. No one’s dead. I’m here for you. You didn‘t kill anyone. Shhh. It‘s okay.” She rocked back and forth with him, simulating the calming effect of a baby’s cradle. “I’m here. Nothing’s going to hurt you while I’m here.” She could feel her own chest tighten as the boy’s unstoppable sobs ripped her apart.

Cole curled up tighter when she wrapped her arms around him. He didn’t want to be touched. He suddenly felt claustrophobic. He didn’t have any air but he kept gasping for it. At last the rhythm of the rocking calmed him a little and he unraveled himself. He clung to Rebecca’s shirt and continued to cry. Why was this happening? Why had he said those things? Why did he try and kill his brother?

“I didn’t want to… I didn’t… w-why did I do it? I didn’t want to do that.” For the first time, he was really scared. Maybe he was insane. He didn’t know why he had done what he had and why he couldn’t initially remember it. He loved his family. Why was he doing this? He sobbed into her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her neck and took little consolation from her touch and whispered words. He didn’t know how long it would last.

“M-maybe I am crazy…” he muttered more to himself. Those words were enough to send tears flowing from his eyes again. He wanted to see his brother. Was he really alive like Rebecca said he was? How was he ever going to say sorry? He would never trust him again. They had been so close… He wasn’t jealous of his brother. Why did he say those things? How did he even get home?

Rebecca looked up at the ceiling. She shifted slightly on the bed as he clung to her. She buried her nose into his hair as she fought off the tears that were forming in her own eyes.
“It’ll be okay, Cole. It’ll be okay. Everything’s okay.” She took a shaky breath. “I need you to come back to me now, okay Cole? We’re here, we’re in my house. Nothing can hurt you, and you haven’t hurt anyone.” She put her hand under his chin, and tilted his face up to hers.
“Look at me, Cole. It’s okay.” She looked into his eyes, searching for tell-tale signs of delusion. She didn’t see anything abnormal though. Just fear and confusion.
“Are you here? Are you with me?” She stroked his hair comfortingly, as she would a small child. No matter what, she would help this boy.

Cole heard Rebecca speaking to him and tried to use her voice to calm himself. But he couldn’t. His brother’s face haunted his mind. He had been so scared… he had been screaming and crying. He begged and pleaded for Cole to stop. He hadn’t. His grip on Rebecca tightened and muffled his cry in her shoulder. Maybe he deserved living in the asylum with its four white and blank walls. He deserved punishment for the horror he had done. How could he forgive himself from that act?

“I-It’s not okay! I t-tried to k-kill him!” he hiccupped sobbed. She felt her hand under his chin and try to turn him towards her. He resisted half-heartedly but in the end gave in and let her lift his face. He looked away until she made him look her in the eyes. He did as he was told and swallowed hard. His eyes were red once more and tears streaked his cheeks. “I-I am with you. But I did try to kill him. I don’t know why. I didn’t want to…” Tears swelled in his blue pools. He closed his eyes and wiped away the tears that were forming.

Rebecca continued to stroke his hair and murmur soothing words.
“I’m not going to lie to you Cole, there is something going on. Whatever it is though, its not your fault. Understand? And I’m going to do my best to make everything alright again. Okay?”
She smiled at him reassuringly.
“We’ll figure this out together, okay?”

As she comforted him, her mind raced. It was good that he was able to remember things now, but he had given her much to think about. The boy that he had seen in the street worried her most. And the fact that it was only after he touched the boy that he began to act out of character. It made her think back to earlier that day, when he had had an episode in the asylum. He had been yelling about seeing someone. When he was calm and comfortable again - maybe in a few days - she would have to bring that up. If there was a connection. . . It might give her a clue as to what was really going on.

He nodded to her and lay his head on her chest. His ear was superior to her heart and he listened to her soothing life beating and blood pumping. It was oddly relaxing. He relaxed more and he wasn’t clinging to her shirt anymore. He suddenly felt content. Maybe she really was on his side. He was still unnerved about what he had done, but maybe with her, everything would be clear again. Everything would be normal. He closed his eyes and nuzzled her warmth that seemed to penetrate his core.

Faces started to revolve around in his head. His brother was starring down at him in horror and pain. Then the boy’s face revolved in his eyes. He was oddly familiar. It felt as if he knew who the boy was. He squinted his eyes at nothing and tried to get his mind to focus on it. Almost impossible. The boy’s words crawled and withered but he was lost to the world. He eyes fluttered close and he slipped into unconsciousness.

Rebecca was about to explain her therapy choices, when the boy began to tremble. She frowned, unable to detect the cause of his stress. His eyes had taken on a far-away look, as if he was watching something through a screen. It was when he began to scream that she really got worried. She looked all around the room, making sure that no one had entered against her orders. But just as she expected, the room was empty save for them two. She could see the nurses outside begin to get antsy, but she shook her head to discourage them from entering. She wanted to handle this without the medication he seemed so afraid of.

“Cole. Cole! I need you to listen to me.” She took his head in her hands, trying to get him to look at her rather than whatever hallucination had him so upset. His eyes seemed to be locked on the invisible terror, though.
“I need you to concentrate. There’s no one here but us. Listen to my voice. Concentrate only on me.” She stared him in the eye.
“Calm down, and breath. You can do this Cole, you said it yourself, you’re not crazy. Focus.”

He heard Rebecca and felt her touch on his face, but he couldn’t look away. The thing was too close. Tears filled his eyes as the man reached down for him. He squeezed his eyes shut hoping that the monster would disappear once he lifted his eyelids again. He was suddenly so cold. He was sweating from the anxiety, but he was freezing. He heard Rebecca call to him and try to sooth him. He listened to her but kept his eyes shut.

“I am n-not crazy… I am not crazy…” he whispered before he chanced to look up again. He looked at Rebecca and tried to convince himself that she was the only one in the room with him. The shadow next to her couldn’t be ignored however. His eyes strayed back to the ghastly man and his body started to tremble again. Why wouldn’t that thing go away? What did he want from him? Who was he?

The man touched his forehead and Cole screamed from the touch. It sent searing pain through his temples and it was so cold it burned. Cole’s body convulsed and his eyes rolled back into his head momentarily. Then it stopped. His body lay limp in the chair and his breathing was shallow. His head rolled to the side and his eyes had taken a colder and more haunted look. The man’s grin played across his face. He spoke to her, but it wasn’t his voice.

“Why don’t you let me go Girly?” he said gruffly as if he had aged years. “I have things to do and you can’t stop me.”

She saw Cole trying to focus on her, and she cooed encouraging words at him. He looked back into the corner though, that same look of terror clouded his eyes. Without warning, he screamed and began to convulse in the chair. The handcuffs rattled against the metal arms of the chair as he struggled. This was not going as she had planned. The boy slumped in his chair, his head lolling from side to side. With a strange grin on his face, he began to talk to her. His voice wasn’t the same however. It sent a chill down her spine. She felt all compassion for her patient leave her, which was strange. It was almost as if she was talking to a completely different person. And in a way, she supposed she was. Was she talking to his delusion, now?

“You know I can’t do that,” she said coolly. “And besides, judging from the handcuffs around your wrists, I’d say that I can keep you here quiet efficiently.” She moved back to her side of the table, not wanting to be too close to this strange not-Cole.
“Now then, why don’t you tell me just what it is you want here.” If this was Cole’s delusion, then figuring out its motives was the best way to help him. Perhaps if she could figure out what caused his hallucinations, she could make them go away.

The twisted grin on his face quickly turned upside down at her disregard of compliance. His eyes flickered green and narrowed on her dangerously. His hands curled into fists and furry clouded his eyes. He yanked at the restraints as hard as he could and tossed and turned into the seat. “Let me go you bitch,” he snarled and pulled once more. One of the handcuffs yanked free. With that arm now liberated from confinement Cole reached for the other restraint and yanked at it hard. He started laughing.

“I have been here for twenty years. Locked up in these God forsaken walls. I am came back now. I am going to get my revenge on you doctors” he said, spitting the out the word doctor as if it were some vile poison. “The doctor that tried to ‘break’ me doesn’t work here anymore. I’ll start by resigning you from office.” A low growl of a laugh escaped his lips and the second handcuff came free and dangled on his bandaged wrist. Blood was beginning to seep more heavily and stained the cloth. Cole reached for the ropes around his legs. “And then you know what I’m a gonna due Missy? I am going to free this boy into the heavens! It is the least I can do for repayment.” He started to laugh crazily again before he coughed.

He wiped his mouth and looked up at Rebecca with the feverish eyes of a predator.

Rebecca had to use every ounce of control she had to keep herself from trembling. This was not the same boy she had been talking to. She was sure of that, now. And she was beginning to think that it might not be a delusion either. It was presenting itself strangely. Her mind flashed back to when she was a child.

She had been only five years old, so her memory was hazy, but she could remember enough. It had been a boy about her same age. They had been playing together in the sandbox when he suddenly snapped. He had tried to kill her with a plastic shovel. She didn’t remember much after that, other than the pain. She had woken up in a clean white room, not unlike the one she was sitting in now. That one though, had been made to heal physical wounds rather than psychological ones. She had drifted in and out of consciousness, but she had heard her parents speaking. Some of the words she hadn’t know then, but she did now. They said that they boy had been possessed. A priest had been called to perform an exorcism.

As an adult, Rebecca didn’t really believe in such things. But Cole was behaving so much like that little boy had been. . . She shook her head. Surely that was impossible, right? But either way, she couldn’t let what ever was influencing Cole - be it demon or disease - hurt him. That was her job. She stood up calmly, and walked over to the thrashing boy. Possessed or not, she was still bigger than him, even if not by much. She put her hands gently but firmly on his wrists, forcing him to stop untying his legs. She could hardly believe she was about to do this. At least no one was around to see if she was wrong.

“You will not harm this boy,” she whispered. “Whatever you say, whatever you try to do, I will stop you. If you think I’m some pansy bookworm who will run and hide from a few bad words, you’ve got another thing coming. Now,” she had to think for a moment. If this was a possession, it was probably a former patient here. It shouldn’t surprise her that this place would have bad spirits. After all, they used to practice shock treatment, and other such unethical things. “You will leave my patient. Go back to your wall, or go to hell. I couldn’t care less which.”

She was a little afraid to anger it too much, but if things got too out of hand, she could always call for the nurses. Although she hated to, it would be effective. Even a spirit could do nothing if the host body was unable to move.

Cole glared up at her and his lips curled back. He kept eye contact with Rebecca and tried to break free of her hands and strain. Cole’s body couldn’t take much more of this. His body was already exhausted from his early ordeal. He leaned forward towards Rebecca. He was a scant inch from her face and tilted his head and gave her an ugly scowl. Then another grin plastered across his face and he chuckled and shook his head as if he knew something she didn’t.

“You know eh? But they don’t. I will be back and you won’t get off so easily next time. Whose gonna believe ya? No one. You’re just as alone as this boy.” He spit in her face before he slumped back into the chair and Cole’s eyes began to flutter as if he were having a seizure again. Within seconds, his body went limp again and he was breathing heavily. His eyes were still a little glazed from exhaustion. He moved his head and looked up at Rebecca confused. He looked around wildly but the man was gone. What had happened? Had he passed out? Why was she over him? How did he get loose?

“W-What?” he asked. He couldn’t get anything else out of his trembling mouth. A nurse knocked on the door before entering the room. She was in on a secret conspiracy headed by Cole’s step-father. She gave a sweet smile to Rebecca before she turned her attention to the panting boy in the chair. A syringe was resting in her white gloved hand. She gave a frown, but said nothing of it at first. She walked forward to stand beside the chair. Cole coward away from her. He wouldn’t be able to fight her off in his state.

“I just received information from Cole’s step-father, Domanick, that Cole had been diagnosed with multiple-personalities disorder. This is the medication for him. May I apply it?” she asked and turned back towards Cole. Cole was shaking his head and tried to move out of the way.

“No! Please…” he begged. He didn’t want to loose his senses. He already didn’t know what was going on around him.

Rebecca frowned, and stood up. Since she no longer needed to restrain Cole, she instead grabbed the nurse’s wrist. Although her grip was gentle, it still effectively stopped the syringe just inches from the boy’s quivering skin.
“Hold on just a minute now,” she said in a controlled voice. “I am his psychiatrist. The only one authorized to diagnose him is me. So I have to say no, you may not administer that medicine.” With that, she snatched the needle from the nurse’s hand. The nurse glared at her, and yanked her hand away. She quickly checked herself, and pasted that friendly smile back on her face.
“I’m just following orders, ma’am. Now then, if you’ll let me do my job?”

Rebecca shook her head.
“Not if it will interfere with my job,” she said decisively. “I conclude that this boy is suffering from severe exhaustion brought on from stress in his personal life. Therefore, my professional treatment will be to place him under my protective custody for further examination.” She smiled sweetly at the nurse.
“That will be all. You are free to leave now.”

Cole looked up at Rebecca in total surprise. He had expected her to just let the nurse administer the drug and be done with it. He didn’t know she was even allowed to do that. A brief smile spread across his lips that he gave Rebecca before he hugged himself and leaned his head on the chair’s arm. Would she let him go home to? He wanted to know what had happened to his mother and brother. He didn’t think he could handle finding out that one of them was dead. He had lost too much already.

The nurse that had entered looked furious but she did nothing. She forced the smile on her lips to stay and tried to keep her dignity. “He was diagnosed by his original psychiatrist before he was admitted here. This medication was given by him. He has many different personalities and some of them can be dangerous. It is wise that he obtains this medication Doctor,” she said, trying to be polite once more. Domanick wouldn’t be pleased if she failed this task.

Cole sprang up in his seat and looked up at the nurse dismayed. His eyes widened at the revelation. His step-father was trying to get rid of him! He hated the man originally, but he hadn’t even had the notion to conjure the hate he was feeling now from this lie. What he was going to say would confirm however, that he had Schizophrenia, but he couldn’t let this slide on by him either. He shook his head again and turned to Rebecca with his pleading eyes.

“No! He is trying to get rid of me! Maybe even kill me! Don’t make me take that medication!”

“Nonsense! He loves you Cole. See Doctor? He is ill and needs treatment.”

Rebecca shook her head, and threw the syringe in the waste can by the door.
“Of course I will take his previous psychiatrist’s diagnoses into consideration. However, I am his current psychiatrist, and I do believe it to be incorrect. That being the case, I cannot allow medication to be administered that might have adverse effects on my patient.”
She placed a hand on Cole’s shoulder, wishing the boy had kept silent. Although he did provide her with a little information. The file had listed his step-father as a well-liked and powerful man. If word got out that he had an insane son, it could ruin his reputation. She began to look at this nurse in a new light. If she was truly part of such a horrible scheme, she could not be trusted. Of course, it was also possible that Cole was being paranoid. But, better to be safe than sorry.

“As I said, mental exhaustion. I will take him under my care for now. I do not believe medication to be necessary.” She pulled Cole a little closer to her, supporting and restraining him at the same time.
“Don’t worry, Cole. I’m on your side here. I just need you to trust me to take care of things, okay?” She whispered it into his ear so that the nurse would not overhear. No matter how hard she tried, her efforts would be wasted if Cole did something to make her diagnoses seem wrong. She would also have to be careful not to let his step-father change his psychiatrist to one more. . . Understanding. She would bring it to court, if she had to. She couldn’t say what made her want to fight so much for this boy. Perhaps it was simply loyalty to her first patient.

The nurse glared at Rebecca but did not contradict her. It was not her place to force something on the doctor. She honestly believed Cole was mental, and what she had seen only proved the diagnostic correct. She had seen cases when Cole seemed like a completely different person. Ah well. Rebecca would just have to figure that out herself during her investigation. “Fine. What section will you be putting him in? I advise moderate since he did show up kicking and screaming and trying to hit everyone. Of course, I am fine with any decision you make Doctor.”

Cole’s body tensed when Rebecca wrapped her arms around him. He didn’t much like it when people touched him lately. Every time someone did, he would experience something or black out. Thankfully, that didn’t happen here, but he still couldn’t help but be tense. He didn’t know if he should trust her or not. How could he trust someone who thought hew as crazy? He listened to her whisper and tried to take consolation in that but he didn’t know what to do. He leaned into her and slowly allowed himself to close his eyes. He was tired and he didn’t think he would be able to keep himself awake much longer anyway.

Rebecca sighed. Today was not going well at all. At least Cole seemed to have calmed down a little. Either that, or he just gave out from exhaustion. Either way, he had slumped up against her and stopped moving. That would make things a little easier.
“I don’t think you heard me right, nurse. He will be put under my personal care. Due to his deteriorating state, I feel that he needs 24 hour supervision. I am licensed to practice out of my home, and that is exactly what I plan to do.”

She hoped that she was making the right decision. Since it was still her first case, such a daring move could be rejected. And above that, her medical decisions might not be agreed with by her colleges. After all, multiple personality disorder did fit his symptoms. But her gut was telling her that something else was wrong. And although that was not a scientific way to diagnose, it had never led her wrong in the past.
“Is there anything else I can help you with, nurse?”

The nurse’s eyes widened in surprise. Take him home? She couldn’t take the patient home! Well… she could, but so many things could go wrong! He was so unstable. He had just been brought in the day before. He needed to be monitored by her, the nurses and the other doctors that were in practice in the facility. She couldn’t just up and leave with a patient that could pose a danger to himself, her, and anyone else around them! That could be disastrous! What if he got out and started killing people in one of his fits? It was too dangerous.

“Please Doctor, reconsider this! Cole is unstable! You can monitor him just as well here as in your own home with less risk to you, him and others! Outside these walls could be stimuli that can get him to act up. You might wake up in the middle of the night and find him cutting his throat! You don’t have the monitoring capability at your home for this kind of things! The other doctors will not let you take him out of this environment. At least stay her for a few days before you decide to take him home. You haven’t practiced on a patient before.”

Cole had begun to drift when the nurse contradicted Rebecca’s actions. Half way through it, he was asleep. His body had relaxed and he leaned comfortably on Rebecca at peace. He had drifted so quickly from his exhaustion and thankfully for him and his situation, he wasn’t having a nightmare that would cause him to wake up screaming. If that had been the case, things would have become so much more complicated. In his relaxed and sleeping state, he looked like any other person. He didn’t’ look like he could pose anyone harm.

Rebecca sighed. She had known it would only be so long before her lack of experience was brought up. While the nurse might have a point, she wasn’t about to give up now.
“With all due respect, you have never been in my house, and therefore have no idea what my capacity is for caring for Cole. As his doctor I assure you, I would not act in any way that could do him harm. My facilities are as advanced as these, but with a more relaxed feeling which I feel will be beneficial to the patient. Above that, I have reason to believe that there could be stimuli within this hospital that are aggravating the boy’s condition. And while the other doctor’s may contradict me, you may not.”

Of course, she couldn’t say that her reasons included that an evil spirit might be possessing Cole. Such a statement would simply land her in a cell next to him. On a medical standpoint though, her reasoning was sound. While the other doctors might disagree, she doubted that any of them would openly forbid it. At least, she hoped.

She wasn’t sure exactly what to do now. She needed to complete the paperwork for his transfer, but she couldn’t do much with him asleep in her arms.

The nurse gasped and covered her mouth with one hand. She hadn’t meant to insult her. She had a point, and she already regretted her words. Ah well. There was nothing she could do about it now. What had been said, was already done with. She swallowed hard and gave her a nod. “I am sorry. Forgive me. You are right. Is there anything you would like me to do? I could bring you the papers or ask for a meeting with the others. I have been assigned to Cole as his nurse, so if there is anything at all that I need to do, please tell me. I am more than happy to aid you with my abilities in this situation.” She didn’t look at the doctor, but kept her eyes on the boy. There was something… strange about him. She couldn’t put her finger on it. He didn’t look insane, but then again, none of them did.

Being a light sleeper, Cole was quickly awakened when he tried to move and his head fell. He startled himself and looked around at first bewildered. He couldn’t seem to recognize where he was at first until the memories of what had happened moments earlier flashed in his mind’s eye. He looked up at Rebecca whose arms were so warm and comforting. He gave a small smile before he detached himself from her and looked at the nurse who was still in the doorway. He wondered how much time had passed since he was a sleep. He rubbed his eyes and gave a small yawn.

Rebecca nodded. Perhaps this nurse wasn’t as bad as she had originally thought. If she ever needed help with Cole, maybe she could trust this woman to live with her. . . Maybe.
“Yes, I’d like it very much if you could bring me paperwork regarding his transfer. I’d like to hold off on a meeting, for now. If they call one, I will attend, but other than that I’d like to avoid one. Thank you, that should be all.”

She turned next to Cole. She gave him a kind smile.
“Are you feeling better?” she asked. He looked slightly better after his short nap. At the very least, he was more able to stand on his own. She sighed, and sat back down in her chair. She motioned for Cole to do the same. She made no move to reattach the handcuffs. She sincerely hoped that they wouldn’t need them.

The nurse nodded and left the room. She went over to her computer and quickly brought up the files. She sifted through them before she found the application she was looking for and had it print out of the printer. Once it was out, she picked up the warm pieces of paper and went back to Rebecca. She knocked on the door and entered and placed the papers on her desk. “There they are,” she said giving another smile and glanced at Cole before she left the room once more and waited for the decisions to be made.

Cole got comfortable in his chair and rubbed his wrists; thrilled that he didn’t have them on anymore. He wondered what had caused his release. “Well… I am not great. I didn’t sleep very long did I? I don’t know how long I was. You were talking about a transfer when I woke up. What is going on? Am I being transferred to another hospital? Another doctor?” Fear gripped at his heart. He didn’t want to be handed off to someone else he didn’t know. For the most part, Rebecca seemed like a nice gal. He didn’t want things to change.

Rebecca thanked the nurse and looked over the files. Everything seemed to be here. Now she just needed to fill them out. She looked over at Cole.
“No, don’t worry. You weren’t asleep for that long. I’m transferring you to be under my care solely. That way I can take better care of you. Will that be okay?” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Perhaps she should have asked him before she began making plans. After all, she wouldn’t move him if he didn’t want to be.

As she waited for him to respond, she picked up her pen. Her hand moved in a blur over the page as she began to fill out the forms, just in case he decided to come. She wasn’t very worried about it. Judging from the way he reacted to most of the people around here, she was hoping he would find her as - at the very least - the lesser of two evils.

Cole’s head tilted to the side like a dog would at the simple smell of food coming out of the oven. He raised his eyebrow and studied Rebecca. Why was she so willing to take him to her house? He didn’t usually just go to someone’s house and live with them. They could do things to him and no would know unless he escaped. More than likely he wouldn’t be able to. He just wanted to go back to his own home. Why couldn’t he just go? He didn’t want to be questioned like some lab rat getting ready for a dissection. He swallowed hard and looked away from her even though she wasn’t looking at him.

He didn’t want to stay here either. What if that man came back? He didn’t know what he wanted and he didn’t want to find out. He didn’t even know what happened to him after the encounter. Besides, all this white was getting to him. The color alone would drive him crazy or the isolation. He didn’t want to talk to the others in the asylum-prison. Some of them might really be insane. What if some of them were like him? He didn’t want to think about it right now. He had enough to worry about.

“Oh. I guess I could come live with you. Will I have to wear this though? Would I have a house arrest bracelet to make sure I wont run away?” he asked. He wanted to know what he was getting into. He would have a bracelet of some sort if he stayed in the asylum he figured so would it be the same at her house? If anything, it wouldn’t be so… empty.

Rebecca signed her name on the last page of the paper work. She looked back up with a smile.
“I won’t lie to you Cole, you’d probably have to wear an ankle bracelet. In the beginning, at least. Other than that, you will have free reign of the house. You’ll also be able to go outside for a few hours a day, with my supervision. I don’t want to seem untrusting. You seem like a good kid Cole, which is why I’m going out on a limb for you here. Hopefully, we’ll be able to work this all out and get you home before too long. I just need to make sure that I know the best way to help you.” Remembering his reaction to the nurses needle, she felt it was necessary to add a bit more.
“Although they’ve been proven effective in some cases, I’d like to try treating you without medication at first.”

She leaned back in her chair, thinking. She needed to file this paper work soon so that she could transfer him before the night. She didn’t want to leave him alone in this room, however. Without company, it was likely that his psychosis would return. In habit, she tapped her pen against her chin. Perhaps she could call that nurse back in to take care of the paper work.

“Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself, Cole?

Cole nodded and fidgeted with the edge of his sleeves which were slightly pink from the ordeal earlier when the man had taken over his body. “Okay. Just as long as I can see the light of day,” he jested. He hated being locked up inside a room or a house. He was an outdoorsy person and he wanted to keep it that way. He was a social maniac and he didn’t like isolation. He didn’t cope well with it all. He knew he had become a little more reserved, but he still detested the notion of living out of a room without moving. “And thanks. I hate medication. I think we will get along fine if you don’t bring in a pill or two or a syringe.”

He intertwined his fingers and starred at her desk. He tried to move his leg but that was still tied to the chair. “Umm… about me… about me… I don’t know what to tell you. I… am an outdoorsy person. I like camping, rock climbing, and sports in general. I joined the track team, I have a band of brothers at school, I work out, do good in school. Thinking of joining the reserve. I had girlfriends but that didn’t last long. No I am not gay or bi. Umm… What exactly do you want to know?” he asked her. He didn’t know what it was exactly that she wanted him to tell her.

She shook her head.
“Nothing in particular. I just thought if we are going to live together, we should get to know each other a little.” She smiled at him, and called for the nurse.
“I don’t know if we’ll be able to go hiking or mountain climbing any time soon. I have a gym of sorts at home, so you shouldn’t get too bored.”

She really wanted to ask him more about last night. In particular, if the young boy he’d seen had said anything to him. But now was not the time. He was physically and mentally exhausted, and she didn’t want to add to his stress. Once she got him settled in, and he was beginning to feel comfortable. Then she would be able to start trying to understand what was going on. She glanced around the room. She still had a sour spot in her stomach after . . . Whatever that had been. She wanted to get Cole out of this hospital and into her care as soon as possible. Where was that nurse?

Cole sighed and bit his lip. It did sound better than living in the asylum. He would be kind of lonely maybe, but he did have the doctor to keep him company. He wondered if she would be like a friend or if it would be obvious she was saying things or doing things to get a response out of him. The gym sounded nice to. He had always wanted a personal gym. He had a nice body so he shouldn’t be ashamed of going out in the public, but he hated having all those people stare, sizing him up and comparing him to themselves.

“I guess we have a deal. Do you have any pets? I like pets. I wanted a dog but my mom never really allowed it because she was allergic to them and their hair. I planned on getting one when I moved out. Well… actually not quite. I was going to get my undergrad and then move out and go somewhere else. If I had an option, I would get an apartment next to my university and get my masters and things and then get a dog. Oh jeeze that was a random conversation.” He covered his face with his hand and rubbed sleep away from his eyes. He wondered why he just went off and started talking about his future plans. None of that would be happening now. He was ‘insane’ even if he wasn’t. Universities would take note of it.

Rebecca laughed, but not in an unkind way.
“You know,” she said, leaning back comfortably in her chair, “I’ve always wanted a dog too. I just thought I would be too busy with cases to take care of one. We’ll have to look into getting one, deal?”
She smiled as the nurse entered the room, and she handed her the papers.

“Please make sure these get filed properly. I plan on leaving in one hour.” She turned back to Cole. She scratched her head idly. When she kept her hair in a ponytail for too long, it began to itch.
“What are you going to major in?” she asked him politely. She felt that it was important for people to have dreams. And if talking about them helped him to trust her more, then that was even better.

Cole looked at her in a new light. She was going to get a dog as one of their deals? That was odd. She was getting a dog on his account. He shrugged it off and gave her a small smile. He watched the nurse come in and take the papers. She nodded at the instructions and quickly vanished out the door and into the hallway once more. He combed his hand through his hair and sighed. He tried to move his leg again but was reminded that his leg was tied to it. It was beginning to annoy him.

“Can I untie my ankles? Seriously. I am not going to bolt out the door. You have surveillance cameras, and people in the hall way that can easily obstruct my path and cause me to be caught that much more easily. Besides, once you guys catch me, you’ll but me in a straight jacket. I don’t exactly want that to happen. As for the majoring, I had planned to major in computer science. You know, all those programming and codes and things,” he stated and sat up more in his chair.

Rebecca nodded.
“Of course, I’m sorry I didn’t offer to untie you sooner. Feel free to take them off.” She regarded him silently as he took untied his legs. He really seemed like a normal boy right now. She could hardly believe that just a while ago he had been yelling about killing people. Of course, that might have not been him. She shook her head. This was all so confusing. She wished that there was a simple way to figure out for sure what was going on. For now though, she could only watch and wait.

“So, computer science, huh? Sounds difficult. I was never very good with computers.” She laughed at herself. It was true enough. The last time she had tried to touch a computer for more than recording documents, it had practically blown up. She wished that the paper work would hurry up and finish. It was very awkward to continue talking in this cold, white room. It would be much better once they got back to her house.

Cole leaped at the chance and quickly snapped off the bands around his ankles. Once they were free, he curled up on the chair. He got himself comfortable and lay his head down. He closed his eyes and gave a sigh. “It’s fun. I like to change codes around and see how the computer works. I took my teacher’s computer apart. He freaked out on me since he is a sequence and confluent person and doesn’t understand us technical people. He told him to relax and I put it back together again. I fixed the problem he was having and everything….” After he told her his little story, his own voice induced a cozy little sleep

After the hour was up and they were released from the hospital, Cole continued to sleep in the car. The other doctors inside the building made sure he had the ‘house arrest’ bracelet on his ankle before they headed out. They didn’t offer anything else. So with only the asylum clothing on, he was carried into her car where he was resting comfortably and actually getting some restful sleep. He didn’t realize it but he was dreaming. The previous night was quite vivid in his mind’s eye and he was thrashing in his sleep and whimpering. He muttered words, but none of it was comprehendible.

Rebecca couldn’t help but smile at how quickly the boy fell asleep. He must be exhausted. And with good reason. It must have been a long day for him. She carried him out to the car alone. No doctor would show enough support even to help her with that. It was annoying, how little these people would do sometimes. As she drove, she looked over at Cole. He sat peacefully in her passenger seat, leaning against the window.
She smiled, and turned her attention back to the road. She began thinking as she drove. They would need to go shopping, that was sure. She only had clothes for herself at home. And then there was the matter of the puppy. She giggled quietly in anticipation.

Cole began to whimper and toss in the seat next to her, and she glanced over at him, worried. She didn’t know if she should wake him or not. He seemed to be in minor distress, but he also needed his sleep. Her decision became moot as she pulled into her driveway.
“Wake up, Cole,” she said gently. “We’re here.” She led him inside, slightly proud to show off her house. Her parents were fairly well off, and they had given her this personalized house as a graduation present. Although she hated accepting such a grand present, she did love the house.

It stood on a good ten acres of forested land. Near the back of the property was a small lake with clear water. The itself was not too large. It had four bedrooms and three baths. What was really impressive however, was how they had furnished the inside. They knew their daughter well, and they had made the house fit her perfectly. Every piece of furniture was differently and brightly colored, creating a mesmerizing rainbow effect. The carpet in each room was died in a gradient, leading into the next room perfectly. She opened the car door, ready to help Cole out of the car if he needed it.

Screams. He could hear screams.

That was what brought his attention to the front of the car. A little boy was standing in the middle of the road. He was bloody and shaking. He had gasped and swerved out of the way. He didn’t know if he hit the boy or not. He slammed into the shoulder fence and nearly fell off the cliff. He stayed in his car at first, too shaken to get out. He remembered the boy and the scream. He shakily turned around to peer through the window of the car that was now shattered. He had a feeling he had at least a flat tire too.

The boy was still standing there until he blinked. Then the boy was closer to the car and starring right at him. He was petrified to the spot. He hadn’t seen the boy move. Slowly and cautiously, he opened his car door and got out. He was a little dizzy and disoriented probably from the crash he had just endured. His concern however was for the boy who was starring up at him with wide fearful and sorrowful eyes. He crouched down beside the boy and reached out to touch him. The boy flinched and vanished only to appear a short distance away.

“Wait! I want to help you. What’s wrong? I can take you to the hospital” he had encouraged. The boy remained quite at first. Then he appeared before Cole once more. Cole should have been afraid of this vanishing act but his wits were scattered thanks to the crash. He was only concerned for the boy before him. He reached out again but this time the boy didn’t run. Cole rested his hands on the boy’s shoulder and looked him over. He was cut up and scared with blood draped on him like a red veil.

“What happened to you?” he asked.

“You said you would help me.”

“Yes, I am going to but I need to know what happened.”

“You will help me. She did this to me. She took me away. I want my mommy but she wasn’t my mommy.”

“What are you talking about? Who is she? Who isn’t your mom?”

“She was my mommy but she didn’t want me. I want to get back! I should be there with her!” The light flashed around them Cole couldn’t seem turn away from the boy. His hands seemed alight with a white fire and burned. He cried out and tried to pull away but his hands were glued to the child. Then scenes flickered behind his close eyelids and he couldn’t make sense of it.

Cole startled awake when Rebecca tapped him and told him they were at the house. He stared at her bewildered a moment and squinted through his eyes. He was with Rebecca. It wasn’t night. There was no boy. He calmed himself down and unbuckled the seat belt. He got out of the car and went into the house. There was so much color! He couldn’t help but smile at it. Each room was so personalized and it was wonderful. “Do you have a green room? I heard that green calms you down and keeps you mellow.”

Rebecca smiled at his reaction. She had been hoping he would like it.
“As a matter of fact, I do.” she said happily. She led him to the back of the house where one of the empty bedrooms lay. Everything in the room was colored a different shade of green. The room was made even brighter by the large picture window that over looked her forest-like backyard.
“If you like it, this could be your room,” she said calmly. It was nice to see that he seemed to be comfortable so far.
“It has its own bathroom in the back right corner. Does it suit you?” She smiled.

Her own room was a bright yellow that lay just next door to his. The carpet in the hall showed the blending between the two colors. She pointed in its direction.
“I’d be just in the next room, if you need anything.” She motioned in the other direction, where the hall gradated towards blue. “The T.V room and kitchen are that way. The gym is in the basement. It’ll be the red one.” She laughed slightly.
“Any questions?”

“Oh cool! This room is awesome! I just might do this in my apartment or dorm room when I go to the college I want to do my grad in. I love the shades. It is already soothing me. Thanks. I really do like this room. The view outside is awesome to. Man, you have it made in this house. I just might do this in my own house, ‘cept I will just make it alternate between blue and green. Those are my favorites and they are such soothing colors. Wow, I sound like an angry person. Anyway, thanks for taking me in. This is so much better than the asylum.” Cole fell onto the bed and gazed up at the ceiling.

“I don’t have any questions right now. Do you have any questions for me? I mean, you are my psychologist and I want it to get over with. I like the house, but I do want to go home. Go back to my life where it left off. I have a life to live, not just ‘exist’ between walls if you know what I mean.” He flipped over onto his stomach and looked up at her. “Might as well start the session.” He waited patiently for her to start asking questions and say ‘how do you feel about that?’ That is all he knew about psychiatry.

Rebecca sat down in a forest green chair in the corner of the room and sighed.
“I had hoped to wait until you got settled in, but if you really want to do this now. . .” She settled into the chair a little deeper. “Then my wish is your command.”
“Let’s begin by you telling me about the boy in the road. Most importantly, what was he doing when you last saw him.”

She pulled out a pencil and note pad from her purse. She carried them around with her at all times. After all, you never knew when you would come across something important that you had to remember. As she waited for him to think of his answer, she let down her hair. Since they were in a more relaxed area now, she wanted to feel less professional as well. She sighed as she shook around to loosen her golden waves. It did feel good to let it down. She turned her attention back to Cole. It looked like he might be ready to speak soon.

Cole groaned. Why was she so interested in the boy? They weren’t related so why would he matter. He lay quietly for a while and rested his head on his arms and closed his eyes trying to remember. The dream he had been having in the car slowly came back to him. He gave a shudder at the memory of it. He didn’t want to remember. There was something bad at the end of the memory. He didn’t want to remember. It was painful. His body tensed and the air around him seemed to compress. It was hard to breath. He knew he had to tell her but he didn’t want to remember.

“… I was driving home like I said. A detour. It was cold out so I looked away from the road to start my heater. I heard a scream which jolted me and I looked up. There… was a little boy standing in the middle of the road. I swerved so I didn’t hit him. I crashed into the railing or fence of the shoulder. I looked out the window and the boy was there. He was closer though. I didn’t know he moved. I got out and went to him…. He was hurt. Bleeding. I knelt down beside him and asked him what was wrong.” He shook his head. If he continued she would think he insane. The boy couldn’t have vanished and then appeared. That was to far fetched.

Rebecca wrote down the important parts of his speech. She found it interesting that the boy had been injured even though Cole hadn’t hit him. It almost seemed to point to her. . . Less scientific theory. But she would ignore that for now. Cole had begun to tense up, and he seemed worried about something. She leaned forward, concerned. He seemed to be holding himself together, though.
“Don’t worry Cole, you’re doing fine. Just a little more and we can stop, okay? What happened when you went up and talked to the boy?”

Cole swallowed. His throat was suddenly dry and he was cold. Cold just like when he was with the boy. “… I knelt down beside him and reached out to him. He disappeared… then came back a little way away. I told him that I wasn’t going to hurt him. That I wanted to help. He appeared in front of me again. I touched him and I asked him what had happened to him.” He paused again trying to remember what was said. He closed his eyes and recited it as if it were a speech he had given many times before.
“What happened to you?” he asked.

“You said you would help me.”

“Yes, I am going to but I need to know what happened.”

“You will help me. She did this to me. She took me away. I want my mommy but she wasn’t my mommy.”

“What are you talking about? Who is she? Who isn’t your mom?”

“She was my mommy but she didn’t want me. I want to get back! I should be there with her!” He stopped again. He was shaking and he had sat up during his telling of it. He hugged himself and his breathing was coming faster. He didn’t want to tell her. He didn’t want to remember. His eyes were closed and he was rocking back and forth. He shook his head and the images were flashing through his mind again. His lungs seemed to squeeze shut and tears were streaming from his eyes as the memories filled his head.

“N-no. No! I couldn’t have… no… no… it was a dream. It didn’t happen… no… I didn’t.. I couldn’t have.. no…” He curled up tighter and sobbed. The memories were put into place.

He had walked home. The car wouldn’t work but he didn’t even try it. He walked home and got into the house. He walked by everyone and went to his brother’s room. He was sleeping. So warm and cuddly. He hated it. He was jealous. He was sad. He lifted the knife he had gotten from the kitchen and hovered over his baby brother.

“Wake up. Wake up,” he had said. When his brother’s eyes opened, he saw his reflection and the horror play across his face. “You took everything from me. I should be sleeping where you are sleeping. Mommy was mine.” He dropped his hand and procceded to cut and maime his brother. He screamed. Their mother entered the room and pulled him back. He pushed her away and started to cut himself. She got in the way so he cut her. His step-father had entered the room and pushed him away…

“No! no! no….” he sobbed. He was shaking horribly. “I killed him… I killed him…. No… no… why… It isn’t fair! I didn’t want to… I loved him…” he sobbed.

Rebecca sat up suddenly as things took a turn for the worse. The boy had settled into a defensive position, and he hardly seemed aware that he was still talking. She moved to the bed, and sat down next to him. She wrapped her arms around him protectively. This was wrong. She shouldn’t be getting so attached to a patient. After all, anything could happen with such an unstable mind. But despite her reasoning, she still felt a deep pain as the boy sent there crying.
She pulled him closer and stroked his now sweat-soaked hair. She hushed him, whispering soothing words.

Perhaps she had pushed too hard too soon. The shock of last night and waking up in the hospital was too fresh. She was angry at herself. Even an amateur like herself should know better than to push information from a young mind that was still so unstable. But he had seemed so normal and ready to help. . . She scolded herself silently. She would be more careful next time. She would make sure that he was ready, rather than just thinking he was.

“It’ll be okay, Cole. Everything will be okay. Calm down. No one’s dead. I’m here for you. You didn‘t kill anyone. Shhh. It‘s okay.” She rocked back and forth with him, simulating the calming effect of a baby’s cradle. “I’m here. Nothing’s going to hurt you while I’m here.” She could feel her own chest tighten as the boy’s unstoppable sobs ripped her apart.

Cole curled up tighter when she wrapped her arms around him. He didn’t want to be touched. He suddenly felt claustrophobic. He didn’t have any air but he kept gasping for it. At last the rhythm of the rocking calmed him a little and he unraveled himself. He clung to Rebecca’s shirt and continued to cry. Why was this happening? Why had he said those things? Why did he try and kill his brother?

“I didn’t want to… I didn’t… w-why did I do it? I didn’t want to do that.” For the first time, he was really scared. Maybe he was insane. He didn’t know why he had done what he had and why he couldn’t initially remember it. He loved his family. Why was he doing this? He sobbed into her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her neck and took little consolation from her touch and whispered words. He didn’t know how long it would last.

“M-maybe I am crazy…” he muttered more to himself. Those words were enough to send tears flowing from his eyes again. He wanted to see his brother. Was he really alive like Rebecca said he was? How was he ever going to say sorry? He would never trust him again. They had been so close… He wasn’t jealous of his brother. Why did he say those things? How did he even get home?

Rebecca looked up at the ceiling. She shifted slightly on the bed as he clung to her. She buried her nose into his hair as she fought off the tears that were forming in her own eyes.
“It’ll be okay, Cole. It’ll be okay. Everything’s okay.” She took a shaky breath. “I need you to come back to me now, okay Cole? We’re here, we’re in my house. Nothing can hurt you, and you haven’t hurt anyone.” She put her hand under his chin, and tilted his face up to hers.
“Look at me, Cole. It’s okay.” She looked into his eyes, searching for tell-tale signs of delusion. She didn’t see anything abnormal though. Just fear and confusion.
“Are you here? Are you with me?” She stroked his hair comfortingly, as she would a small child. No matter what, she would help this boy.

Cole heard Rebecca speaking to him and tried to use her voice to calm himself. But he couldn’t. His brother’s face haunted his mind. He had been so scared… he had been screaming and crying. He begged and pleaded for Cole to stop. He hadn’t. His grip on Rebecca tightened and muffled his cry in her shoulder. Maybe he deserved living in the asylum with its four white and blank walls. He deserved punishment for the horror he had done. How could he forgive himself from that act?

“I-It’s not okay! I t-tried to k-kill him!” he hiccupped sobbed. She felt her hand under his chin and try to turn him towards her. He resisted half-heartedly but in the end gave in and let her lift his face. He looked away until she made him look her in the eyes. He did as he was told and swallowed hard. His eyes were red once more and tears streaked his cheeks. “I-I am with you. But I did try to kill him. I don’t know why. I didn’t want to…” Tears swelled in his blue pools. He closed his eyes and wiped away the tears that were forming.

Rebecca continued to stroke his hair and murmur soothing words.
“I’m not going to lie to you Cole, there is something going on. Whatever it is though, its not your fault. Understand? And I’m going to do my best to make everything alright again. Okay?”
She smiled at him reassuringly.
“We’ll figure this out together, okay?”

As she comforted him, her mind raced. It was good that he was able to remember things now, but he had given her much to think about. The boy that he had seen in the street worried her most. And the fact that it was only after he touched the boy that he began to act out of character. It made her think back to earlier that day, when he had had an episode in the asylum. He had been yelling about seeing someone. When he was calm and comfortable again - maybe in a few days - she would have to bring that up. If there was a connection. . . It might give her a clue as to what was really going on.

He nodded to her and lay his head on her chest. His ear was superior to her heart and he listened to her soothing life beating and blood pumping. It was oddly relaxing. He relaxed more and he wasn’t clinging to her shirt anymore. He suddenly felt content. Maybe she really was on his side. He was still unnerved about what he had done, but maybe with her, everything would be clear again. Everything would be normal. He closed his eyes and nuzzled her warmth that seemed to penetrate his core.

Faces started to revolve around in his head. His brother was starring down at him in horror and pain. Then the boy’s face revolved in his eyes. He was oddly familiar. It felt as if he knew who the boy was. He squinted his eyes at nothing and tried to get his mind to focus on it. Almost impossible. The boy’s words crawled and withered but he was lost to the world. He eyes fluttered close and he slipped into unconsciousness.

Rebecca smiled down at the boy. Judging by his sudden evenness of breath and the sudden pressure of his body against hers she guessed that he had fallen asleep. She laid him down gently, and covered him with a light green sheet. She tip-toed out of the room. She would let him sleep for now - he deserved it. The short nap on the way here had not been enough to make up for the night before. She left the door to his room open, just in case he should need her. She wanted to be able to hear if he started to toss and turn again. They would make slow progress if he couldn't get sleep.

She went into her own room and sat down in her favorite chair in a corner. She picked up the book that was lying next to it, and flipped it open to the page that she left off on. Her favorite fantasy characters jumped out at her from the page. She could already feel herself relaxing. After all, just because she was a psychiatrist didn't mean she had to only read boring books. And she found that the best way for her to forget about her problems was to escape temperarily to another realm. And besides, sometimes she did her best thinking when she was trying not to.

She felt that this boy that Cole had seen might be a clue. He seemed to react to it the same way that he had reacted to whatever he saw in the cell. She would have to question him about that later. But not anytime soon. It was imperative to let him rest first. They would make no progress if he was constantly too stressed to talk properly.

Sometime during the night, Rebecca had fallen asleep. She hadn't even gotten to bed. She woke up in the morning to sounds coming from the kitchen. She sat up quickly, causing the open book to fall from where it had rested on her chest. For a moment, she thought someone had broken into her house. And then she began remembering yesterday. So. The person in the kitchen was most likely her new charge. She stood up with a yawn, and cringed. Her muscles had cramped up from sleeping in the small chair all night. She rubbed her neck and back, and groaned. She considered going to shower before seeing Cole, but she decided against it. Although she didn't want him to see her in the same clothes she wore yesterday, she felt like it was her duty to check on him. She also wanted to make sure he found his way around the kitchen alright. It was hard to adjust to a new house.

She walked sleepily towards the kitchen, but woke up a bit when she heard a loud crash ringing from the kitchen. She darted into the room, wanting to make sure that Cole was alright. She rounded the corner, and found Cole cowering behind the island in the middle of the room. She rushed up to him, and crouched down beside her.

"Cole. Cole!" She put a hand on his shoulder. He was trembling. "Cole, I need you to tell me what's wrong." He seemed to be looking at one spot in the kitchen in particular. She stared in the same direction, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't see anything.
"What do you see Cole? What's there?"

Rebecca was worried. He was obviously having another episode. He had begun clutching his head, screaming about something. She took him by the shoulders, not letting him flinch away this time. He had begun to calm down, but now he was talking to the air. What was he saying about his brother? Her mind raced. If he was seeing someone like his brother. . . could it be the same boy he had seen before his crash? She shook her head. This was such a strange case.
"Cole, I need you to tell me exactly what you see. Work with me Cole. Who are you talking to?"

The boy was still trembling, but he seemed now more confused than afraid.
"I think you made a mistake... We aren't brothers." the words left his lips quickly. He still had not answered her question.
"Who's there, Cole? Who do you see?"

Cole's eyes widened at whatever the thing's response had been to his comment. He was shaking again. The most important thing was to figure out if this was a hallucination or an actual apparition. How, though? That was the riddle. It was ridiculously difficult to figure out just what to do. She couldn't let whatever it was hurt him, but she didn't know how else she could be sure. She would have to figure something else out, though. There was no way she was going to let anything happen to Cole.

Rebecca watched the whole scene play out with interest. It certainly seemed as though he was touching a physical thing, although she still couldn't see anyone. The boy from the accident. . . what connection did he have with Cole? Cole had said that the boy thought they were brothers. She decided to do research later. Perhaps she could find a clue in past children murder cases. After all, most ghosts. . . oh Lord, was she seriously considering that this was a real ghost? . . . most ghosts wouldn't stick around if they had a peaceful death.

"Okay. You can stay." Rebecca raised her eyebrows. Did this mean that this apparition would be around for a while? At least it didn't seem to be frightening Cole anymore. The boy seemed to be calmer, as if he was trying to comfort someone else by his own serenity.

"Cole, what can you tell me about the boy? What does he look like? Do you know his name?" Such things might be helpful in finding out just what it was that was disturbing Cole's normal life. Was it truly a spirit, or was it simply a hallucination like her colleagues had tried to tell her? She waited patiently for Cole to answer her. After all, she was trying to get him to keep two conversations at once. She almost felt like she was interrupting something personal.

Rebecca quickly pulled out her memo pad and began furiously scribbling notes. She wanted to make sure to remember every detail of this experience for later evaluation. Her eyes widened. Cole had scooted over slightly. Although she couldn't see the boy, she could see something that sent shivers running down her back. She had been right after all. Cole wasn't crazy. His shirt was wrinkling up against gravity, as if tiny hands were clutching at it. No amount of insanity could cause cloth t move so unnaturally. Although she was glad for Cole, she was admittedly freaked out. She had tried to keep an open mind, but part of her had never really believed this whole spirit theory. Now it was hard to deny it.

She resisted the urge to back away from this unknown and unseen being. If she was going to protect Cole, it was imperative that she understand everything she could. Besides, this was a great opportunity to research in an undeveloped field. She took a deep breath to steady her voice.

"Could you ask Demetre to come touch me?" she asked quietly. "I'd like for him to come give me a hug." She smiled. Her heartbeat quickened as she waited to see what would happen. Would she be able to feel this spirit? She couldn't tell if she was excited, or scared out of her wits. In all honesty, it was probably a little bit of both.

Rebecca noticed Cole staring at the notepad, and hastily put it up. Now was not the time to explain that she had been taking notes on the boy's appearance and age. Such a detailed description would come in handy when she began doing her research. So she sat there, motionless, as she waited for the boy to touch her. After a few seconds past, she looked over at Cole, confused. He had winced. She sighed. There was only so many things that could mean.

She frowned.
"I'm sorry Demetre. I didn't mean to make this hard for you. Don't worry about it, okay?" she gave a warm smile in the direction that she hoped Demetre was sitting. This did make it difficult, though. She needed to figure out just why Cole could see these things, if they were real, and why she couldn't.

She sighed. She would also have to do research on whatever had possessed. . . for she was sure now that it was a possession. . . Cole in the hospital. It would have to be someone who died unsatisfied in that room. . . but there could be hundreds of possibilities. Oh well. She would figure all this out, somehow. For now, she needed to take care of Cole.
"What happened?" she whispered to him.

Rebecca stood up as Cole did. It just figured, that she would have no way to prove that what Cole was seeing was real. She sighed, and dusted off the bottoms of her pants. She stretched, popping her back as she did so. She assumed by how Cole was acting that he could no longer see the boy. She walked up to him, and put her hand on his shoulder.
"How are you feeling Cole? Do you think you can talk about it?"

She bent down to pick up the skillet he had dropped, and quickly mopped up the mess the uncooked eggs had made.
"I'll make you breakfast, okay? If you feel like it." She got out another pan, and a few more eggs. "How do you like your eggs, Cole?" she asked with a smile on her face. As she waited for his response, she went ahead and got out her favorite things to go with eggs; onions and cheese.

She began making a mental checklist of all she had to do. First and foremost, she had to make sure that Cole felt comfortable talking to her. She would have to make sure he knew that she was on his side, and that she would never judge him. And then there was all the research she had to do. If she could find out exactly who it was that Cole was seeing, she might be able to figure out how to make it go away. Whether the way to do that was through priestly methods, or trying to make the soul feel at peace. This wasn't exactly what she had expected when she decided to become a psychiatrist.

Rebecca couldn't help but grin. He was being sweet. Of course, there was no way she could ignore what he wanted. She wanted him to feel at home as well as to get better.
"Alright, how about this, Cole? We'll switch off. You can make breakfast tomorrow, and then it's my turn again. Does that sound good?"

She began humming to herself as she scrambled the eggs. She wasn't sure if he wanted anything in them, so she cooked some mushrooms and onions off to the side. That way, if he wanted them then he could put them in himself. She put the finished eggs onto two plates, heaped a big pile of onions onto hers, and sat them down on the table. She next poured them some milk and juice.
"I hope you like orange juice. If not, then we'll buy some more today. I was planning on taking you clothes shopping anyway."

She sat down at the table, just across from him.
"And don't worry about your job. While it's true that they probably did let you go, I'm sure you'll be able to find another. Once we get this all worked out, I'll make sure of it. A doctor's recommendation goes a long way."
She dug into her eggs hungrily. With a start, she remembered that she was no longer eating alone. She slowed down, forcing herself to behave in a more mannerly way.

Rebecca laughed.
"Eat as much as you want. I hate having left overs, any way." She sat down across from Cole, her smile slowly melting into a worried frown. Although he had said he couldn't wait to eat, he was barely touching his food. It wasn't hard to guess what had so quickly fouled his mood. No doubt the mention of his family had just reminded him that he couldn't see them because he was stuck here with her. She shrugged off the unreasonable sadness that though caused her. Cole was just a patient, after all. He would go back to his family and happily forget her once this was all over with.

In response to his question, she put a smile back on her face.
"I'm not sure that 'house arrest' is the best term," she said lightly. "You're ankle bracelet's receiver is attached to me, rather than my house." She lifted her pant leg to show a device almost identical to Cole's. "So, you can go anywhere, as long as you don't get too far away from me. Of course, I have a back up that is attached to the house, in case I ever need to leave you here alone. That shouldn't ever be necessary, though."

She went back to eating her food in silence. Cole's happiness and safety was her sole concern at the moment, but he seemed neither happy nor particularly safe. After all, he was being visited by these beings that she couldn't feel or see. This young boy seemed to mean no harm, but what if another less innocent one showed up, as had happened in the visiting cell back at the hospital? She shook her head. There was nothing she could do about that at the moment. She would just have to figure it out as they went.

Rebecca noted Cole's strange behavior, but didn't comment on it. He would talk about it when he was ready, if he wanted to. He seemed to react poorly to the conditions of his staying at the house, but there was nothing she could do about that. Even if he didn't like it, it had to be better than the asylum, right? She finished eating, and picked up the plates.

"Anything in the house is yours to use," she replied with a smile. "I really do want you to feel at home here." She began to wash the dishes without thinking. She always did the dishes right after a meal, that way they didn't pile up on her. She had a bad habit of procrastinating if she didn't do something right away.

"Just let me know when you're done, okay? I'd still like to go shopping at some point." She made a mental note to check the fridge before they left. It would be helpful if they could pick up groceries why they were out.