Safe Haven | Demi Lovato

2

Demi

After about ten minutes, I peeked inside and Wilmer waved me in.

"So I'd like to talk to you alone first, Mr. Valderrama. Then I'll have a one-on-one with Mia. After, we'll meet with the dietician and a few other doctors to discuss a treatment plan. Okay?" Wilmer nodded, but Mia just stared at the floor, her eyes tinged red. "Okay Mia." I said softly, "Why don't you step outside with Emily and she'll show you to your room."

I paged the nurse and Emily opened the door, "I was just coming in... Jessica R is having a... tough time, in the cafeteria. She refuses to speak to anyone but you."

I took a deep breath, "Okay." I glanced at Wilmer and Mia, "Will you excuse me for a couple of minutes? Emily can show both of you to Mia's room to get settled."

Wilmer nodded and we all walked out, them following Emily down the hallway while I practically ran to the cafeteria. Before I even turned down the right hallway, I could hear Jessica, one of my sensitive patients, screaming at the other staff members. As soon as I opened the door everyone looked at me with obvious relief, Jessica whipped around and threw her arms around my waist.

"It's poisonous!" She wailed, "They're trying to kill me!"

I sighed and rubbed her back, "No one is trying to hurt you Jessica. I won't allow it. The food isn't poisoned, you need to eat it. The food is good for you." Jess just stared crying again, and I motioned for the nurse to get me an ensure bottle. "Jess, remember what I told you last week, about the bottles?"

She slowly nodded, "That if it cracks, it can't be bad stuff."

I nodded and took the ensure that the nurse was holding out, her eyes wide as she watched Jessica, "Exactly... Now look at this honey, the bottle is gonna crack when you open it so you can drink it."

"Okay."

Jess nodded and I slowly twisted the cap, both of us hearing it crack as the seal broke. Her body instantly relaxed and she tok the nutrient rich drink, putting her lips to it and gulping it down.

"There you go." I murmured, rubbing her back until she had calmed down and the bottle was empty, "That wasn't so bad, right? No one here wants to hurt you. We're trying to help you sweetie."

Jessica wiped her face and gave me a small smile, "Okay."

"Let's get you back to your room. Nurse Jackie is gonna go with you, okay?" Her hands slowly let go of me and she shuffled out of the cafeteria. I looked around at the other staff members, "You guys can get back to work now!"

Another doctor walked up to me once I turned around, "So do you want to take away phone calls, or her off-campus visit next week?"

I gave him a confused look, "What? Neither."

His badge read 'Stevens' and he was new, young, unfamiliar. "Policy states if patients choose ensure over solid foods they will face certain consequences."

Around me, the eavesdropping staff chuckled and held their breath. It was no secret that I advocated for my patients and taking away contact with their families was an absolute last resort. My confused expression shifted into a protective glare, "We're not taking away privileges, there an extenuating circumstances."

I went to walk away but he grabbed my arm and I heard a couple snickers, "Now he's done it."

"I'm afraid I disagree Dr. Lovato."

I took a deep breath and shot him dazzling smiled as I took my arm back, "Well Dr.Stevens, as her doctor, I will make that decision. And the decision will be to how I see fit. If you must know, Jessica is Schizophrenic, and she had vivid hallucinations of the staff here poisoning her so she refuses to eat anything but sealed food that is opened in front of her. She is not an eating disorder patient so that policy does not apply to her because of, as I mentioned before, extenuating circumstances. She is perfectly fine with eating, however her mind is toying with her. So no, Dr. Stevens, she will not be receiving punishment for not wanting to be poisoned. Have a nice day." I turned on my heel and walked out, smirking to myself as I heard the muted howls of laughter through the closed door.

I headed back to my office to check what room Mia was being put into and froze when I saw it, E42. That was my room when I had come here at eighteen years old. I immediately knew that Mia would be one of those patients to leave a huge impact on me.

I walked into the room and was surprised to see Mia, alone, sitting in the middle of the bed.

"Hey, where's Emily and your dad?" I said, leaning against the doorframe.

She wiped her nose with the edge of her sleeve, "I don't know. Emily said something about paperwork. I didn't want to go."

I walked in further, looking around the familiar room, "Do you mind?" I asked, motioning towards the corner of the bed. She shook her head so I perched on the edge, "How are you holding up?"

Mia hugged her knees to her chest, "You don't have to do that you know."

I furrowed my brow, "Do what?"

She sighed, "Pretend to care about me or ask how I'm holding up just because it's your job... I'm fine."

I smiled and glanced up at the ceiling, "Mia I'm not pretending, or doing this for my job, and I'm definitely not pitying you. I know exactly how you feel-"

"Bullshit." She scoffed.

"No it's not bullshit, I came to this place when I was eighteen. This facility saved my life. It taught me life lessons that I still implement today. It showed me that I could be whatever I wanted to be. So I got back into school, and got my degree, then my doctorates. Med school was tough, but here I am. I don't pity you, because I've been you, and I know that you can overcome this. You are not your disease. I'm not pretending to care about you. I genuinely want to help you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Comment and Vote!

Twitter: Lovatic_Chica

-Rachel