Family Ties (Rewritten)

Punishment

Vincent:

My therapist stared at me through his thick, black glasses, mercilessly tapping his fountain pen against his clipboard. His eyebrows arched ever so often as both of us sat there in complete silence.

This was how we spent the majority of our sessions, because I was not interested in telling him anything about my feelings for Emily. What was the point in wasting my breath? Even if I was still in love with her, I would never see her again.  Sharing my fantasy of escaping this place to reunite with her would only get my ass sent to solitary confinement, something that Greer threatened me with often.

That's why I held my tongue. I hated the idea of being locked in a padded cell, my arms bound by a straight jacket, while being alone with my thoughts.

"Vincent," My therapist said, "You will never heal from your past if you don't open up about it."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Don't you want to move on from it?"

"I'll never move on from what happened, and you are one stupid bastard if you think I could."

"There's no need to be hostile."

"I'm not being hostile. I'm simply choosing not to bore you with the details of my horrid past."

"Let's talk about your father."

"No."

"He hurt you deeply, didn't he?"

"I'm not talking about this."

"You didn't deserve to be abused."

"I am not fucking talking about this."

"What about your mother? Let's talk about-"

"Goddamn it! Shut the fuck up, you stupid-"

The door to his office flung open before I could say another word, and Dr. Greer stepped inside, with Earl trailing right behind him. What the hell? Were they standing out there the entire time?

"Everything okay in here?"  Dr. Greer asked, his eyes shifting back and forth from me to my therapist.

I waved my hand towards him.  "We're fine, Elliot."

"That's DOCTOR GREER to you, asshole."

My therapist stood from his seat.  "I hardly think that's appropriate language, Doctor Greer."

"What are you going to do, Phil?  Report me?"

"Well, no-"

"Then shut the hell up and let me handle this." He walked over to me and yanked me off of the chair by my arm. "Earl, grab his other arm."

Earl did as he was told with apprehension in his dull eyes. He knew the doctor was mistreating me, but he couldn't risk saying anything and losing his job.  I overheard him telling another orderly that he had a wife and four kids to think about.

They dragged me back to my room, and Dr. Greer used my bed restraints to bind me.  "Take a hike, Earl."  He ordered, "I want to spend a few minutes alone with my disruptive patient."

Earl shook his head and walked out of the room.

As soon as the door was closed behind him, the good doctor wrapped his hand around my throat.  "What do you think you will gain from being a rebellious freak?"  His grip tightened more with each word that left his lips, causing me to gasp for air.  "I will keep you restrained to this bed, if that's what it takes.  You'll sleep in your own filth."