Chapter FOUR: Just Who You Are

Will Trisha and Ruthie make amends? Does Tara's Doctor allow her to return to her regular schedule? Nightmares among other exciting new addition to the story...

Racing down the long pathway, I saw my shadow fade into its surrounding darkness. I felt the eerie sensation of its warm breath haunting the back of my neck. No matter how hard I tried, I wasn’t gaining any distance from this mythical creature.  

As I opened my mouth to scream, my voice was lost in the essence of the darkness surrounding me. My heart was pounding away like that of an innocent furry creature’s thump, thump, thumping of its ever so delicate paws landing on the hard ground.

Just as I was sure I was going to draw my last breath, I felt something cold and clammy firmly grasp my arm.  It pulled me into a hidden opening in the cold concrete wall. I felt calm, yet petrified at the same time… for now, I was one with this… this being.

I found my voice with its blood curtailing scream I drew from the depths of my bosom.  As I gasped for a breath… any breath, I felt my body begin to shake in the most uncontrollable convulsions… when suddenly…

“SALLY!” 

I was covered in a cold sweat when I awoke from this horrible nightmare.  I was SO lucky that Lauren heard me cry out in my sleep.  Had she not, I don’t know where that dream would have taken me.

“What’s all that racket?”  Tara growled as she pulled the covers from over her head.  “Can’t we ever have a morning where we wake with peace and quiet?!”

Wow, she really showed her grouchy side there!  I could see the sun hadn’t quite reached the horizon as I gazed out the bedroom window.  I wondered what time it was, so I quickly ran to the hallway to peek at the clock on the wall. I was shocked to see it was barely 5 in the morning. I thought after the pool last night, we would have slept straight through till 8.   I should have known though.  The birds outside had only just begun chirping.

I tried to lay back down as Lauren had.  She and Tara were already snoring.  I don’t fall asleep to well to the sound of snores, so I decided to get up and do some sneaking around.  No better time than the present to be a sneaker.

I was mostly curious about the basement.  I mean, we did see part of it on our tour, but not the part that mattered.  We never actually got to see inside the ‘padded cells’.

From what I understood, the cells weren’t actually padded.  Sims just referred to them in that manner because that’s where the staff sent the really, really crazy ones.

I began my ‘sneak about’ toward the basement stairs.  Only one problem.  Tara had to sneak Dr. Trenton’s keys from his office last night in order for us to go swimming.  I was almost sure the basement doors would be locked.  Surprisingly, when I tried the handle, the door was already ajar.  I was so relieved! 

I quickly entered the basement and started my short walk down the hallway of glass.  Never did I expect to see rooms made of what looked to be bulletproof (or shatterproof) glass.  There were two sides just as there were for the resident’s rooms.  One side for women, the other for men.  I went to the women’s side.  I was too scared of what I might find on the men’s side.

There were 4 rooms on the left, and one in the back on the right.  Each room had a single bed and room divider that evidently hid the potty and sink. I hoped I never got locked in here because I could clearly see the bathroom area! Near the door was a small dining table with a chair.  They were medium size rooms, but quaint.  They looked more inviting than the ones I’d seen in movies.

Before I made it to the end of this very short corridor, I heard a familiar sound.  I could hear the cutest giggles.  It sounded that of a small child laughing.  I could only picture one child in mind when I heard it.  Sure enough, when I made it to the glass room on the right, I saw the cute little girl who never talks.  I was surprised when I first looked in at her.  There she was, happy as a lark, throwing paint all over the place.  What a MESS, but she was having SO much fun!

“Hi, sweetie.”  I smiled through the glass “This looks like a lot of fun.”

She stopped and looked at me.  She had the cutest and most mischievous look over her face.  No sooner did she look at me, she went right back to throwing paint all over the floor.  It was almost like a rainbow escapade with all the prime colors being flung everywhere.

As I watched her, a horrible thought crossed my mind.  What if the janitor walked in and saw her doing this?  Sure, last night ended well, but what if he lost it when he discovered this?

“Honey?” I voiced my concern, “Don’t you think you should clean this up?  I’d hate to see you get in trouble.”

She looked up for a moment.  She had a look of confusion in her eyes.  She almost looked ready to cry.  I felt horrible!  I just wanted to go up to her, hold her in my arms and hug her tears away.  I tried to open one of the big glass doors, but they wouldn’t budge.  I was close to panic.  I looked down at the floor to see if maybe there was a lock on the outside bottom of the door, but there wasn’t.  As I looked back up, the strangest thing happened.  Right there, as in if she’d never been playing in the first place, she was mopping up the mess!  HOW?  It was like she pulled the mop out of nowhere!  I wondered if she had had the mop stashed under her bed.  Surely not, but what else could explain… a mop… when there wasn’t one to start with?

I also couldn’t believe she was locked in this cell.  WHO in their right mind would put a tiny, sweet young child under lock and key like this?  What could she have possibly done to deserve being locked up?  Not only that, but there was no one down here with her.  I would go insane if I was the young child.  I’d be terrified.  I would probably end up screaming until someone let me out!  I was determined to give the person in charge of her a large portion of my mind.

“Sweetie,” I started, “I’m going to see if I can’t get to the bottom of this.  You shouldn’t even be in here!  I’m going to try and get them to let you out, ok baby girl?”

She wiped away the few tears that had slid down her rosy cheeks.  With that, I walked away.  As I was closing in on the door to the stairs, I saw something I hadn’t see when I first came down here.  I saw two gigantic spider webs!  I also saw two huge spiders in those webs. The only spiders I had ever seen that large and hairy were tarantulas! How strange!

As I was walking up the basement stairs, I made a decision. I would walk from office to office looking for someone… anyone who I could speak with about the little girl.  It JUST wasn’t right that she was locked away in that glass of a cell!

First I headed upstairs to Dr. Trenton’s office… he was nowhere in sight.  I then headed back down to the ground floor to check Miss Drakes and Dr. Melancholy’s offices… again, no one in sight. I couldn’t even find the Janitor.  He probably went back to bed after the pool incident. 

I glanced at the clock in the hallway and realized it was still early, being it was only 7:20. Since our first day here, we’ve never left our room before 8 in the morning.  It was at that moment I made a choice to leave the grounds for the morning and go on a walk.  Other than my trip to the hospital with Tara, I hadn’t left the Haven.

Oh, what a beautiful morning it was!  Being locked indoors for a week can really do a number on a Sims.  Soon as I reached the unlocked front door, I took off jogging.  I went from being a runner on a daily basis to doing hardly anything but sitting.  I almost felt like a convict or hostage escaping a ruthless capture.  It felt like a run for freedom.

The touch of the cool morning breeze lightly kissing my hair as I slowed down to a jog.  It felt so wonderful.  As I reached the end of the building, the outdoors seemed to suddenly turn into a realm of new possibilities.  I was almost starting to feel like a young child who used her imagination to escape a world full of dos and don’ts. 

 

Soon as I noticed the park behind the Asylum, I was eager to explore.  All the beautiful shades of green displayed pure nature in its rawest form.  I walked through the park’s entry gate and saw a world of nature that was keeping this park alive.  The flowers alone delighted my nose with its many different lavish scents.  There must have been a hundred different types of butterflies slowly flapping their wings in an effort to flow from one flower to another.

There was a tiny playground in the middle of the park.  It was surrounded by a small selection of topiary.  The elephant look-a-like almost seemed inviting.  As I walked closer to get a better look, this topiary was strangely familiar.

There was so much beauty to appreciate. I looked around the park again and drew in a deep breath.  Once again, I inhaled the many delightful aromas. I closed my eyes, scrunching my nose as it began to tickle.  Suddenly I let out an enormous “ACHOO”.  After wiping my eyes, I noticed another path heading in the opposite direction of the Haven.  Oh, the joy I felt at that very moment, knowing my adventure had only just begun.

I took off down this newly discovered path.  I felt the warmth of the sun on my shoulders as I slowly jogged into this new venture.  I had no idea what time it was, nor did I really care.  The further I traveled, the more I heard birds singing their morning songs.

I stopped to take a breath after my hefty jog.  Panting for air, I looked around at my surroundings.  When I saw the concrete brick wall, a sudden fear crept up on me.  It was so intense, I began to shake.  I had to take a few deep breaths just to calm myself.  As my eyes scaled the length of this wall, I noticed an archway leading inside.  I wondered if it was another park... or maybe part of the one I just left.  After pondering what to do next, I pushed away my fears aside and decided to explore deeper beyond this wall.

Beauty mixed with despair surrounded me in this enclosed garden.  Along with a forest of brightly colored flowers, there was also a few decaying trees with bark laying at their feet.  The sudden emotions I felt overwhelmed my mind and body.  On one hand, the beauty of this place had me captivated in its clutches… yet on the other, there was something entirely creepy beckoning on me.  I stood there for a moment, almost frozen in time. 

I had to shake my head hard to zone back in on reality.  I was just beginning to feel more like my normal giddy self when I noticed something very strange. I was scaling the length of a man-made stream in the middle of the garden when my eyes lay upon another topiary.  It was almost an exact replica of the elephant in the first park.  The familiarity struck me again, but with this topiary, it was SO much stronger.

Suddenly, I felt woozy.  At the same time, my stomach began to rumble.  I knew at that point I needed to head back to the Haven for breakfast before I swayed myself right to the ground.

I left this park and retraced my steps back through to the first one.  Upon arriving, I smelled the most tantalizing scent.  When I looked around to investigate, I could see smoke coming from one of the barbeque grills in the park.  Right next to the grill was a wooden picnic table.  On that picnic table was a plate full of hamburgers.  I was in shock, as there was not one Sim in sight.  The smell made my stomach growl fiercely.  I couldn’t take it anymore!  I had to somehow give in to my hunger.  I honestly didn’t feel I’d make it another step to the Asylum.

I thought to myself, maybe if I sit down and just smell one of the hamburgers for a little while, it will give my stomach the courage to wait until I’ve arrived back at the Haven.  I grabbed a paper plate that was stacked beneath the plate of hamburgers, placing one on it. 

 

I began to draw in every delicious savory smoked scent possible.  I don’t know what I was thinking, but now there was no way I was leaving this park without having just one bite!  Oh my goodness if only my self-control would kick in, then maybe I wouldn’t make an absolute fool out of myself!  I tried so hard not to pick the hamburger up, but absurdity was creeping its way in and there was no stopping my wandering hands.

Before I knew what I was doing, the hamburger found its way into my mouth in one gigantic bite after bite.  The more I chewed, the more I wanted to bite.  I couldn’t stop myself.  I had lost any chance of self-control, giving in to its most delightful grilled flavor.

My hands were now covered in the grease pushed out of the burger with each bite.  I had nowhere to wipe my hands.  I wondered why someone would go through all the trouble of barbequing these wonderful burgers, without bringing napkins.  Hmm… maybe that’s why they weren’t here.  Maybe they left the park to go back to their home to pick some up.

With that thought, I figured I should get up and get back to the Haven before whoever this belonged to came back.  On my walk back, I saw a restroom.  What perfect timing was that?  Now I could go wash this mess off of my hands and face. 

 

I took my time walking back.  It was too peaceful and beautiful outside to rush back.  I knew it would be a while before I had a chance to smell fresh air, hear the birds and see the occasional ‘normal’ Sim walking by.  I couldn’t wait until Lauren was finally cured of her ailment and we could leave this place to get our lives back on track.

When I finally arrived back at the Asylum, no one was at the entrance.  I was grateful for that.  Goodness knows how one of the staff members may have reacted had they seen I had left.  Honestly, I really shouldn’t have worried about it, since I’m not actually a patient here. I couldn’t figure out how they made it so easy for me to exit and enter the front doors.  I couldn’t even imagine what would happen if one of the actual residents walked out!

As I walked into the living area, I heard a lot of chatter going on.  Sure enough, just about everyone from the Haven was busy eating their breakfast in conversation.  I kind of wished I hadn’t eaten that hamburger after all.  The bacon and eggs smelled delicious.  Sadly, my stomach was too stuffed to fit in any more grub. 

Before I sat down, I noticed Tiffy was sitting in the back across the table from Ruthie.  They actually seemed to be getting along for a change.  Very strange.

“It was crazy during breakfast this morning.”  Lauren tried yelling over all the gab going on “I think some of the kitchen staff were out sick, so they asked me to help out.”

“Wow.  It looks like everyone made it for breakfast this morning too.”  I yelled back “I’ve never heard it so busy in here!”

“Yeah, Miss Drakes told me to just serve everyone in the kitchen.  It was a catastrophe though!”

“So what’s up with Tiffy and Ruthie?  Usually, when I see them, they’re either at each other’s throats or looking ready to murder one another?”

“Oh haha.  When Miss Drakes asked me to help the cook, she also asked Tiffy and Ruthie to help set up the tables.  It’s funny how they work so well together but can’t get along in a normal setting for anything.  I’ll give them a few hours and they’ll probably be back at each other’s throats.”

“Ok, well that kind of makes sense Lauren.  Maybe they are best friend material and they just need some good ol’ friendship counseling.”

“You may have a point there Sally.”

“Well, I’m glad you were asked to help with breakfast.  I bet it made you feel quite important.”

“Ah, well yeah.  I guess you could say it did.”  Lauren smiled “Hey, I have another counseling session with Dr. Trenton soon.  Are you coming with?”

“Oh, wow another one this week?  I thought the usual counseling sessions were once a week if even that.”

“Sally remember, we are in an Insane Asylum.  They do things differently here.  Each one has its own set of rules, silly.”

“Ok, I had no idea.  I’ve never been to one before, but are you sure you don’t mind me coming along… I mean after the first session, I just assumed you didn’t want me there anymore.”

“Sally, you are my best friend.  You already made a point about Tiffy and Ruthie being best friend material and needing friendship counseling.  If we can’t get to the point where we can deal with life together, then where has our friendship gone?”

“Alright, Lauren.  I would love to go with you.  I want to help you get better… whatever it takes.”

With that, we got up and joined Tara in the living area.

“Well, it took you long enough to join me.” Tara laughed

“You could have come back to the table and joined us.”

“I thought about it, but you looked so deep in conversation, I didn’t want to bother you.”

“Tara, you’re never a bother to us… ever.  We both enjoy your company.”

“Yeah, Tara.”  I agreed

“Nurse Dorothy stopped to talk to me while you were at the table.  I wouldn’t have been able to get out of that conversation to join you.”

“Oh, really? What’d she want?”

“Well Lauren, It looks like our slacking off may finally come to an end.  She told me she set up a follow-up visit with the Doctor at the hospital.  She needs it in writing that I’m doing better before she has me return to my normal routine.”

“Aww, that kind of sucks Tara.  It was fun taking care of you.”

Tara and Lauren laughed.  I kind of enjoyed that our friendship had grown and welcomed in a third party.  I never really understood the saying ‘two is company, three is a crowd’.  Lauren and I both had enough love to go around.

It was getting close to Lauren’s appointment time.  I wanted to get one thing off my chest before we left.

“Lauren?”

“Yes, Sally?”

“Earlier this morning when you and Tara had gone back to sleep, I couldn’t sleep so I decided to wander around.”

“Well, that explains why you weren’t in the room when I woke.”

“Yeah, I should have left you a note.  I’m sorry about that.  Anyway, I was able to get all the way down into the basement to check out the padded rooms.”

“Oh my!” Lauren laughed “I hope I never have to see it!”

“Funny Lauren.  Anyway, I went on the women’s side and found that little girl locked in one of the cells.  I felt so bad for her.  She ended up crying.  Just thinking about it, I want to cry for her now.  I feel like she may be down there by accident.  Can you help me talk to the Doctor at your appointment?”

“How sad Sally.  Sure, I’ll talk to him for you. Now you can calm down.  I feel like Dr. Trenton wouldn’t want any child locked down there.”

“Thank you so much, Lauren.”

“Well girl,” Lauren started, “It’s only a few minutes before my appointment.  We’d better get going.”

“Oh, hey!” Tara stopped us as we were about to leave “Don’t forget, I have my Drs. Appointment at 2.  Thought I’d let you know before you leave, just in case you want to tag along.”

“Ok, Tara.  But I don’t think I’ll be allowed to go.  Sally can go with you instead.”

Tara looked at us with a strange expression as we walked toward the stairs.

“What’s her problem?” 

“I have no idea, Sally.  Let’s just get to Dr. Trenton’s office, Ok?”

“Alright.”

Lauren rushed up the stairs and all the way to his door.  I could barely keep up with her.  I bet she just couldn’t wait to see his handsome face.

“Well, there you are.”  Dr. Trenton grinned “I see you brought your friend again.  Sally right?  Why don’t the two of you have a seat and let’s get started.”

This time Lauren took the purple couch.  I took the teal one.  I hoped everything would run smoothly so we could enjoy lunch.  I decided to just be here today with Lauren for support.  I didn’t want to do any talking or anything.  I worried if I did, I might unknowingly say something that could set her off.

“Lauren,” The Doctor started as he twiddled his thumbs, “I heard you’ve been helping take care of one of my favorite residents here, Tara.  How’s that coming along?”

“It’s actually coming along well.” Lauren cleared her throat as she rubbed both her hands nervously down her pant legs

“That’s wonderful.  Now, I arrived right after the incident between Tiffy, Ruthie, and Tara.  I actually didn’t see it.  Did I hear right, that somehow you were involved?  Is this true?”

What the heck? Why would anyone say that?

“Uhm.  No Mr., I mean Dr. Trenton.  Now she did kick me from under the table just a little while before she left for the living area, but that was like 10 minutes before the actual incident.”

“Ok then.” He seemed satisfied with Lauren’s answer

Soon as he said that, he got on his computer and started typing.

“Hello there Miss Sally,” He made my heart jump as he got up and headed toward me “Have you have any incidents with Ruthie hun?”

OH my gosh!  The way he was looking at me when he was almost right in front of me made my heart beat out of my chest.  I honestly thought he was going to sit next to Lauren, but before I knew it he was plopping down right next to me.  I prayed he wasn’t going to spend the rest of the session talking with me.

“No sir,” I almost stumbled over my words, “She’s pretty much stayed clear of me.”

“Ok, that’s good.”

Wow, he smelled so good!  I was trying so hard for him not to notice my interest, but with that musky sweet scent, it was almost impossible.

“You know,” He continued, “They say best friends and lovers know more about their companions than the person themselves.”

I looked to Lauren for help, but she was blankly staring ahead as if we weren’t even in the room.

“Ok, I guess I can see that being true.” I answered

“Sally, would you say that Lauren is an outgoing individual, or that she’s shy?”

“That’s a given!” I laughed “I mean, just look at her over there tuning us out.”

OH great! That went well. There I went, not thinking before I spoke.  I waited for her response, but she just kept staring straight ahead.  I looked to see what she was staring at, but the only thing in front of her was a window.  There wasn’t really anything going on outside other than a dog running around.  There was absolutely no Sims in sight.

“So,” he started again, “Would you say it makes sense that I get to know her through you then?”

I didn’t really know how to respond to that.  I almost felt like he was trying any excuse just to talk to me and only me.  I began to feel woozy.  I had to get ahold of myself or I was going to faint in response to his striking self!

“Uhm… well,” that time I DID stumble over my words, “I suppose, but honestly, I don’t think I know as much about her as you give me credit for.”

Good save!

“Let me be the judge of that!”

I looked at Lauren yet again, and still, she just stared straight ahead.  No hint that she even heard what he was saying to me.  That had me worried.

“I’ll tell you what Sally.  If you could just talk to me a little bit longer, I’m almost sure Lauren would be ok with it.”

It was like he read my mind.  Honestly though, how could he not know what was on my mind after our last session? 

“I guess it’ll be ok.” I gave in

I actually liked hanging out with Dr. Trenton.  I guess it was understandable that I was leery of how Lauren would feel about me taking over her session again.

“So,” the Doctor paused, “after the beating Lauren gave her fellow schoolmate at the playground, what came of it?”

Wow, I couldn’t believe he was going to talk about the very thing that upset Lauren in the first place!  Was he looking for a fight? 

He must have sensed my hesitation, as he lay his hand gently on my knee.  That only added to my comfortability level.  I quickly pulled my knee out of his reach.  That’s when he got up and moved back to his desk…

…and I moved next to Lauren, where I felt safer.  I nudged Lauren, hoping she would catch on.

“OH!” Lauren gasped in shock, and I tried not to laugh “Mr. Uhm… Dr. Trenton?”

“Well, welcome back Lauren!” He smiled at her “Yes?”

“Uh… well… I’ve been needing to discuss something with you.”

“Ok, what is it?”

“Well, I guess Sally didn’t know how to confront you about this, but she discovered something earlier.”  She stopped for a moment to think

“Ok?”

“Well… Uhm… I guess she decided to go on a walkabout earlier this morning when she couldn’t sleep.”

“Yes, walks are good.”

She just kept beating around the bush.

 “Dr. Trenton,” I interrupted, “I guess what she’s trying to say is that I happened to go below… you know, where the time-out rooms are, down in the basement?”

“Ok Sally, I know what you’re referring to.”

“Well, it just so happens I discovered a child down there. She couldn’t have been more than 8.  She was in the last cell, which was locked.”

“Ah, ok.  That would be Sarah, right?”

“Uhm… well, I don’t know her name.  I’ve seen her several times since we’ve been here, but she doesn’t talk… at all.”

“Ok, and what would you like me to do about it?”

I couldn’t believe he even had to ask me that.

“Well, I don’t feel it’s right that a girl so young be locked in on that level all by herself.  She must be so scared.”

“Well, Sally thank you for being honest with me.  I’ll look into it.  In the meantime, might I suggest you not go past the ground floor?”

“Thank you, Dr. Trenton.” I smiled in relief “Yes, I know my boundaries, but could you just make sure she gets let out, please?”

The Doctor reassured me he would take care of the situation.

My stomach was growling so loud when the session was finally over.  I felt like we really didn’t get anywhere, other than addressing the little girl who now had a name.  I guess that was a huge accomplishment though.  Poor thing.  Had I froze up like Lauren and not told him, God knows what would have happened to the poor girl.”

After a quick lunch, Lauren went to the group session.  I headed to the Doctor’s office with Tara and Nurse Dorothy.  We were running a little late but made it with 5 minutes to spare. Dorothy signed Tara in, as the nurse told us to have a seat.

“I’ll be right with you Miss McGregor.”  Nurse Stewart smiled “I just need to get you checked in.”

She handed Nurse Dorothy a clipboard with some paperwork for her to fill out and sign.  I couldn’t help but to wonder why we were at the hospital instead of the Doctor’s office.

“I’m scared Dorothy.” Tara looked a little shaky

“Awe sweetie, you’re going to be just fine.  This is only a quick checkup to make sure you are healing well.  They’ll probably call you back for X-rays, and then you’ll get your stitches out.” 

“Oh my gosh!  Is that going to hurt?” Tara’s eyes got real big

“You can’t feel the X-ray, and the stitches are easy peasy.  Don’t worry your pretty little head.  I’ll be with you the whole time.”

“I’ll be there too Tara.” I offered

She still looked nervous.

For some reason it felt like an hour passed before was called back for her X-ray.  Dorothy and I stayed behind in the waiting room because they didn’t allow anyone other than the patient in that area.  Before long Ms. Stewart finally called us back to the room.

“Now that wasn’t so bad Tara, was it?” Nurse Dorothy asked

“Nah, I’m more scared of the stitches being removed.  How do I know they’re not going to hurt if I’ve never been through it?”

“Ok Miss McGregor,” Nurse Stewart walked in “Let’s get you up on the exam table so I can take a look at your stitches.”

“Is it going to hurt?”

“Sweetie, I’ve never had anyone complain before.  I promise it won’t hurt.  You’ll feel some tugging, but that’s about all.”

The nurse pulled her band-aid off and rubbed some betadine on the wound.  With a couple snips and a few pulls from the tweezers, she had all her stitches out.

“Is that it?” Tara said

“Yes ma’am that’s it!  Just sit tight and Dr. Myers should be here in a moment to check you out and go over the X-rays with you both.”

“You did great sweetie!” Nurse Dorothy patted her on the back

“Great job!” I chimed in

“Welcome back Miss Tara!”  Dr. Myers walked in with a big smile

He was very energetic.  I liked him!

“Hi, Dr. Myers.” Tara didn’t sound so thrilled

“How have you been feeling dear?”

“Oh, I’m feeling much better.  My friend Lauren has been taking good care of me.”

“That’s great!  Let me see how you’re healing up.”

After having Tara tilt her head to the side, the Doctor took a close look.

“Well, I’ll be.  That’s the fastest healing laceration I’ve ever seen!  This happened what, 3 days ago?”

“I believe so.”

“Well, someone has definitely been taking good care of you then.  There’s not much else you need to do other than stay away from crazy residents my dear.” He smirked

I couldn’t figure out if he was really joking around, serious, or seriously joking.

“So Mrs. Totobask,” He looked at Nurse Dorothy, “How are things at the home?  Have you come up with a plan to make sure nothing like this happens again?”

Nurse Dorothy didn’t look very happy with his remark.

“We are handling things just fine on our own.” She snapped

“Ok, I kept this little incident on the down low this time.  If it happens again, I will need to contact social services.”

Nurse Dorothy looked like she was about to blow her top.  Up until now, she had been nothing but caring and sweet.  I felt bad for her.

 “Ok sweet girl,” The Doctor turned his attention to Tara, “I need to check your vision to make sure it hasn’t be compromised.”

Tara got up and walked over to the eye chart.

“Tara, I need you to read line 5 out loud please.”

“That’s easy.  It’s P, E, C, F, D”

“Beautiful, how about line 7.”

“F, E, L, O, P, Z, D.”

“Great, Line 9 please.”

“L, E, F…”

“Ok Tara, that’s good enough for me. Great job.  You scored A+!”

Tara looked happy to hear that. 

“Mrs. Totobask, I need to show you these X-Rays. I have a minor concern.  Do you see here?”  Dr. Myers took his pen from his pocket, pointing at the neck area “I am seeing a mild Cervical Herniated Disc in the C3 and C4 area.”

“Oh my goodness.” Nurse Dorothy brought her hand to her mouth

“It’s not much to be alarmed about, as it is still very minor.  We do however need to keep an eye on it.  I believe this may have been the result of the injury.  You will need to contact Tara’s parent or guardian to discuss further treatment.  I hope you’ve filed an incident report with the Asylums accident insurance.”

I had no idea what C3 and C4 were, nor did I know any of the legal mumbo jumbo they were discussing.  None of it sounded good though.

Everyone was exhausted by the time we got back to the Haven.  I almost fell asleep on our trip back.  Before long dinner was being served and I was more than ready to eat.  Tonight it was tuna casserole and garden salad.  I couldn’t wait to dig in.

“How did it go at the Doctor’s Tara?” Lauren asked

“I was terrified.  The Doctor’s assistant had to remove my stitches.  Luckily, it didn’t hurt.”

“So did the Doctor give you the ok to get back on your schedule here, or am I going to continue playing nurse a bit longer?” I had a feeling Lauren was hoping for the later

“It looks like you’re off the hook on this one.  He gave me the A-Okay.”

“Good to know, but I’m kind of sad I won’t be taking care of you anymore.”  Lauren had those sad puppy-dog eyes

“And how was group?” Tara asked

“Not bad for my second time there.” Lauren smiled “But it was lonely without you girls.  At least this time Gretchen didn’t call me out in front of the group.”

“That’s good.  I know how shy you can be.  What was the topic today?”

“It was about how to keep from losing our temper.  I think it was Gretchen’s way of trying to convince certain residents not to put other’s safety at risk.  Honestly, I don’t think it worked for Ruthie.  At the end of group, she had that similar look in her eyes that she had the day she hurt you.”

“Lauren, sadly I don’t think Ruthie can be ‘cured’ from what ails her.  She’s been through far too much in her life.”

“Yeah, I agree with you there.”

After dinner and another group meeting, we all went to bed early.  We had a big day tomorrow.  Tomorrow would be our first real weekend here.

 

(Thank you for reading, please stay tuned for Chapter 5 of Imaginings)

Author's Note

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this chapter of Imaginings, I welcome any and all constructive criticism! :)