MADMAN'S HAVEN

54

Monday, February 10th

I knew I was going to spend the whole weekend completely sleepless due to the information I was given about the meeting Harriet attended.

My head was spinning the thoughts. My heart beating with hope. My skin shivering with happiness. Where would this lead? What would Brandon say? Would he even manage to go through another medical assessment?

I knew by now that Dorothy fought for him, nearly as much as I did, which happened to surprise me at first. I always thought she was so harsh, so capable of things I could never handle, so strict and rudely proper with the way she handled her job. But that was the reason she could keep it up. She had to be that way to earn respect, and when it was given to her, she offered it back.

After the mayhem scarcely two weeks ago, it seemed she got some kind of perception. She had watched Brandon in his hospital bed, appearing to be human, capable of being cut open, capable of being weak. And it was after that "thank you, chief," I believe her eyes opened to the fullest, and she realized that he had changed.

I knew Dorothy had a lot of power. I had seen it myself what she could do. Even the fat police commissioner shrunk as she spoke to him. But there was one thing I was still afraid of, and that was the part where Dorothy would no longer be involved with what would happen to Brandon.

There was a chance that he would be moved back to prison if the doctors handling his psychiatric assessment found his mind state stable enough. After all I knew that happened to him several times before. A decision like that could be made just from behaving in a certain way for a while, and now he was in for something a lot deeper.

If the assessment would be approved, there would be specialist doctors interpenetrating his mind to conclude his mental condition, and the thought of that frightened me a bit. I wasn't ready to let Brandon into somebody else's hands...

I was seated in front of her, in the same brown, comfortable armchair I had been sitting in so many times before.

My right foot tapped the floor secretly from the distress and my jaw clenched in attempt of looking less nervous. I couldn't show Dorothy I was already aware of what she was going to talk to me about, but it was hard since the nervousness now feasted on my insides.

"I have been following up on Brandon's file lately, and I have come to notice there have been several changes in his behaviour and way of acting during your sessions," Dorothy opened up the conversation carefully and examined my expressions as I gathered her words.

"That is right, yes," I responded.

"This does not happen very often with patients like Mr. Barlowe. I call it atypical development, and when it appears, it is often a sign that something in the previous treatment has been very wrong. After what I read about Brandon, and after meeting the patient myself, I applied for a revised forensic psychiatric assessment. The commission will begin next week, and the both of us will be involved, not least you as you are his treater,"

I felt like I was going to throw up. The decision was made. This was happening for real. The nervousness thundered inside me, and all I could do was let the hope conquer the deep concern. Thankfully Dorothy made me feel safe with her words. She explained everything so properly about the process, and it made me glad that the both of us would be heavily involved in the assessment. That made me feel more in control of what was going to happen to him.

"I have also decided to move him down to Ward 3 since he is not outrageous or considered a threat against the other patients any longer. What are your thoughts on that?"

I couldn't believe Dorothy asked for my opinion on this. She really wanted to show me that she was pleased with the way I managed to handle the criminally insane inmate and convert him into the person nobody believed he could ever be again.

"That sounds fair. Since we are now aware of his reasons, and since Joseph Acker is no longer alive, I believe Brandon's future is brighter than ever," I remarked professionally.

Dorothy's posture exposed her proudness, and she nodded politely before she asked me to sign the document regarding his transfer to a new section of the institution.

"Very well then. The transfer is planned for this Friday, that's when his room will be ready. You can inform the patient already today, I believe it is necessary to prepare for changes like this,"

"I will, Ms. Schwartz. Thank you for granting him this chance. I believe it is for the better," I stated as I rose from the chair. The woman looked at me one last time and pursed her lips.

"So I hope," She remarked.

I walked out of her office and started thinking right away about how I was going to tell Brandon about this. I knew he was going to be happy about the transfer, but I had no idea how he was going to react when I told him about the assessment. I knew I had to figure something out quickly since it would take only about three minutes to get to his room.

I smoked a cigarette along the way. Allowed the tobacco to bring forward the courage and creativity in me. I knew there was no way in hell Brandon would hurt me, but still some part of me was nervous since I didn't like the way it was so hard for him to be emotional.

I stepped into his cellar, decided not to spare any time since he would expose my inner chaos within a beat anyway.

"I brought some good news," I admitted as I greeted him in a warm hug. He kissed my forehead and cupped my face in his hands.

"Are we going out again?" He winked.

"No, Brandon. You are being transferred to another ward,"

I tried my best to hold back the smile to wait for his reaction, but I didn't really expect him to jump out of joy, so I allowed myself to feel happy about it.

"What do you mean?" He asked, not entirely sure what else to say.

"You are being put in Ward 3. Ms. Schwartz made the decision today, you are being moved this Friday," I explained. Brandon kissed me again, and then again and again. I could tell that he was thrilled, he didn't know at all how to act. He still couldn't expose his emotions fully, and I respected that.

"I never thought that would happen, Beverly. Why?" He almost stuttered on his words.

"You are no longer considered a threat around here," I explained, and his eyes widened bigger than ever.

"I'm not what?"

"You heard me, Brandon. It is true," I smiled again, and received yet another soft kiss.

"You are even getting a new psychiatric assessment. The hospital council believes your previous one is inadequate, they think your diagnosis is mistaken,"

Brandon's lips parted and suddenly he took a step away from me.

"What?" He breathed, and I was instantly unsure how to interpret him. He looked around the room with gleaming eyes, then he stopped right at me again. I noticed his pupils being big black, and I could only hope it was for the better.

"They don't think I am a monster?" Once again he stuttered, almost afraid of what my answer would be. I knew Brandon's definition of the title monster was the word psychopath, and even if the supervisors of the hospital still thought his actions were barbaric and unforgivable, they at least now thought he was human.

"No, Brandon. They don't,"

Brandon took a step closer to me again, but this time he grabbed his arms around me in a swift move to lift me up in his arms. A whine of surprise vanished my mouth as I tied my legs around his waist and suddenly his humid lips crushed into mine again.

"What have you done to me?" He purred, this time allowing a true smile to form his face.

"You allowed yourself to change, Brandon. And you only have yourself to thank for that," I spoke into his big pupils still darting my whole face.

"You brought back the human in me," He whispered back.

"You allowed me to,"