Mental

Chapter Twenty-Nine|Miss Jackson

Dan

"Uh, Daniel Howell?"

Dan looked up from his paperwork to make eye contact with a nurse he'd never seen before. She was obviously not from this unit because she didn't know who he was already, and she was wearing pink scrubs.

"Yes?" he asked.

The nurse stood up straighter in the doorframe, "You have been requested by the chief, sir."

Dan's eyebrows furrowed, "The chief doctor? In the main unit?" What would they want with me?

"Yes, sir." The nurse says.

"Why?"

"I don't know, sir."

Dan sets down his paperwork and stands up awkwardly, "Um, okay."

The nurse turns around, and Dan follows her out of the looney bin, and into the emergency care building. Last time Dan was in here...no, he wasn't going to think about that.

When they make it to the Chief's office the nurse nods at Dan, and walks away. Dan knocks first, and when he hears a low 'come in', he enters.

The chief was a woman. She was African American with long curly hair, and light brown eyes. Some say she looked tough, others say that goes away one you meet her. Dan had only talked to her a few times. Once to get the job, once he started, and once after Pj's death.

She looked at Dan with a disappointed look as he made his way to the seat in front of her.

"Hello, Dr. Jackson," he greeted kindly.

The chief sighed, "Daniel James Howell...always such a perfect boy. I never would have thought I'd have to fire you."

Dan's eyes widened, "Wait, what?" He was shocked. Fire him? He's never been fired in his life. Especially, for a job he was over qualified for. This hospital had practically begged him here. He couldn't leave. He had Phil here.

Dr. Jackson cleared her throat, "I know that you must be very surprised right now. We asked you to leave the most prestigious medical care center in the country to come here. Firing you would be a huge loss to our system, but you have broken the law here on Cynthia Hall grounds."

Dan could barely breathe, "W-what?"

"You were, and probably still are, involved in an intimate relationship with one of your patients. This action of yours means we have to have a federal case over this, that costs us money. When the trial is all over, which it will be soon, we are sending you off to the medical center, Oraugh Bentley," Dr. Jackson explained.

She was trying to stay completely professional, Dan could tell. But if you looked into her eyes, you saw the sympathy she had for him, and the regret of having to let him go.

But she could see the fear and sadness in his eyes as well, so she started to speak again, "Don't worry, Doctor Howell, Oraugh Bentley is a nice medical care center, and they were more than willing to take you. The reason we sent you there is because it's close enough to your current address to be manageable, and still far enough away from Phil Lester."

Dan wasn't too worried about going to Oraugh Bentley. It was indeed a generally nice facility. He'd make a little less money because he was being dumped there instead of asked to come, but he also knew he'd still probably be considered valuable to their psychiatric research.

He was only scared about leaving Phil. If he leaves Cynthia Hall there was a chance he'd never see him again. Dan did not want to take that chance. He did not want to be far away from Phil Lester.