White Walls and Routines

Untitled Part 1

He sits in the back corner of the room.  Knees to his chest, arms wrapped around his legs, staring at the shut door. He weeps softly into his knees. The door opens, the creaking echoing loudly through the silence. A nurse flicks on the light to the room and sharp hiss escapes the boy's  mouth. "Oliver? Where are you? You're not in your bed like you should be." He raises his scrawny arm up in the air, revealing his hiding spot. The nurse smiles, but the boy doesn't notice. He rubs his cheek against his knee, feel. Get up and hit the showers. Breakfast is here in twenty, so make it quick." 

Ollie stands up from his corner; carefully walking down the hallways to the hospital showers. He dislikes walking, as there socks the staff gave him are uncomfortable to him. The rubber pads are loud on the wood floor and their ridges obstruct the smooth feeling of his socks to the floor.

A nurse follows him, watching him so he doesn't hurt himself. The nurse opens the door for him and smiles. He He carelessly drops his items on a small metal ledge jutting out slightly from a cream brick wall covered in mirrors. He strips down, shivering in the heavily air conditioned room. Ollie steps into the shower stall and cleans himself quickly. He steps out, drying himself with the small white towels the hospital provides the patients. He puts on his baggy t-shirt, sleep pants and hospital socks. 

He leaves the bathroom and nods at the nurse standing outside waiting for him. The nurse points down to the common room for breakfast. Oliver steps inside and takes a seat, fiddling with his fingers. The door to the common room opens slowly behind him and a doctor walks in. "Good, you're in here already. Open your mouth." He obeys, taking the paper cup from the doctor and letting the pills spill into his mouth. He swallows them with a swig of juice. A tray of food is set in front of the teen and he eats the food slowly, cautiously. The doctor smiles, watching him, "Good kid. Stand up and follow me."

He looks around, studying the common room once more. He follows the doctor into a large conference room with soft chairs set up in a large circle spanning the room. There's more people there, who appear his own age. He sits in the same chair that he alway does. "Okay, let's go through each of our names and why we're here, kids," says a cheerful nurse. She is way to cheerful at this hour for the teen's likings. Tears well up in fear of having to introduce himself like he has everyday. 

Why was he fearful? There was nothing threatening, there was nothing and no one that could be used to harm him. These kids were just like him. These kids were in similar shoes as he was in, they feel the same emotions as he did. He knew that he was safe; he knew all the people in this place were safe. Still, something as simple as introducing himself like he had done every morning for the last week left him anxious and gasping for air. 

Voices from the circle become closer and closer until the cute skinny girl sitting in the chair next to him finishes her sentence. He tells himself to get this intro over with and he won't have to talk for another twenty minutes. The teenaged boy takes a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Hello, my name is Oliver, and I'm here for depression and suicidal ideation."