The Infinity Trilogy

Chapter 2

She started looking uncomfortable as she spoke.  In fact, all of them did.  They weren’t looking at me anymore, but at different spots in the room. 

“What?” I asked for what seemed like the millionth time.  “What’s going on or happened that you refuse to talk to me about?”

I was getting really annoyed that they seemed to be hiding something from me.  Maybe it had something to do with what they were talking about when I woke up.  The words ‘institution’ and ‘loony bin’ went through my mind again and I stared up at them with wide eyes.

“You’re sending me to Rutherford, aren’t you?” I asked. 

Rutherford Institution was the mental hospital a few counties over, the one where Dr. Hill worked.  I’d heard stories about some of the patients in there.  There was one man who killed one of the nurses when he had a breakdown.  He snapped her neck and then held her body in his arms, talking to her like she was a baby.  It was a mental hospital for the more extreme cases. 

Mom winced.  “It’s not like we want to…”

“So you are?” I asked, tears filling my eyes.  “But nothing’s wrong with me!  I’ve never done anything wrong?  Why are you doing this?  Don’t you love me?”

“Honey!” Mom gasped.  “How could you think that?  Of course, we love you!”  She wrapped her arms around me.  “And you didn’t let me finish my sentence.  It’s not like we want to, but if it’s not your fever that caused your hallucination then you might have to go.”

I pulled away and looked at her.  “Hold on,” I said, furrowing my eyebrows.  “Fever?”

She nodded.  “You’ve got a fever of a little over a hundred.  They’ve been giving you medicine and doing everything to try and bring it down, but nothing’s working.”

“So what do they think is wrong?  Am I sick or something?”

“They said that you don’t have any viruses or anything,” Dad said, coming around to stand beside where Mom was sitting on the bed.  “They’ve been running tests since you’ve been here, but they haven’t found the cause yet.”

I was hoping that they would find out what was wrong with me and give me something to help.  Then I wouldn’t have to go to Rutherford and be with the crazy people. 

I was not crazy. 

“And if it’s not the fever causing it…” I started.  My eyes were filling with tears again.  “Then I have to go.”

“Oh, sweetie, we wouldn’t if we didn’t think it would be good for you…”

“So you’re not even going to tell me that no matter what, you’re not going to send me there?” I asked.  “I might have some disease that causes me to have hallucinations, but you’re not going to say that we’ll get through this as a family?  Do you want me to leave and go to a mental institution to be with the other crazy people?”

She looked at me with a shocked expression on her face.  “What?  No!  Why would you say that?” she asked.  “Of course, we want you with us!  But if going there is what gets you better…”

“If it’s a mental disease, I’m not going to be getting any better!” I said, my voice rising.  I’ve never yelled at my mom.  “It’s going to be with me for my entire life and we won’t be able to cure it!”

“Lola Cassandra Dawson!” Dad said loudly.  His voice boomed through the room.  “That is enough!  Don’t you dare talk to your mother like that!”