Kenneth
Making my way to my office, I suddenly hear screams coming from behind me. Concerned and slightly curious, I turn around to see Rosie dragged by two guards. The warden is right behind them.
My patient has tears streaming down from her eyes and onto her cheeks. Her hair is a tangled mess, and she's cursing up a storm. It seems the staff could care less.
I stop in my steps, frozen as the group catches up to me. Rose begs, "Dr. Baker! Help me, please! I need you."
"Wait, what's going on?" I follow behind them. No one listens. "Excuse me!?"
Catherine scowls back at me. "This is absolutely NONE of your business, doctor."
"Actually, Rosalind is my patient. Therefore, I deserve to know what's happening with her," I snap back. My response makes her halt her travels. The guards continue to drag Rosie to god-knows-where.
After hearing what the warden did to Darren, I have no remorse for her anymore. I've tried to give her the benefit of the doubt in the past. Now I know who she truly is, a vile, self-centered monster.
"You have quite the nerve talking back to someone who gave you this job in the first place," she bites.
Fine, I'll play your games.
"You're right. I'm sorry, Cathy. I didn't mean to lash out like that," I deceivingly apologize. "But don't you think that I should know what's going on here? I want to help."
"If you must know, Rosie tried to take the coward's way out."
"That can't be true," I mutter.
"These things are prevalent in mental institutions. We can't do much about it," she shrugs. How is she so calm about this?
"Where are they taking her then?"
"To solitary confinement. So she'll have no way to harm herself," Cathy clarifies. "If you feel it is necessary, you may speak to her there."
I tag along with the warden. She guides me to the solitary wing. I've never been down this corridor until now. It's much darker than the standard patient hallways. Something about this area gives me chills.
Speaking of dark, I know that Catherine is hiding something in that greedy brain of hers. Every time I'm around her, I get this icky feeling inside of me. There's much more than just Darren's tragedy that's being kept secret. I know there's more dirt on her, but I can't figure out what. One way or another, I will find out.
Eventually, we reach one of the cells labeled with 156 on the door. Catherine unlocks then pushes up the metal guard blocking the door. When it opens, Rosie is hiding in the corner of the room. She's wearing a white straitjacket to restrain her from any sort of self-harm. I can't stand to see her this way.
The ceilings are quite high, and every inch of the room is padded with a soft, white material. Rosie will be isolated and left with her thoughts. This cell could make anyone go insane. If I were stuck in here for a week, I'd be driven up the walls. It's a dangerous thing to be left with your mind.
"She can't harm you, so I'll be shutting the door. The guards will be right outside if you need anything," the warden says, almost robotically.
When she exits the room, I plop myself down onto the floor a few feet away from Rosie. The young girl is shaking; her chin rests on her knees. I sigh, "Rosie..."
At first, she avoids contact with me. I don't even know what to say in a situation like hers. I should know. I'm a psychologist, after all. It's still difficult to deal with.
"Dr. Baker?" she finally speaks, her eyes are red.
"Yes, love?"
"Is it too much to ask for you to hold me?" she sniffs.
"U-Uh-"
"Nevermind," Rosie takes back her request. "I shouldn't have asked that."
"N-No, it's okay! It just caught me off-guard."
"My mother used to hold me whenever I got upset. I miss the comfort of her arms around me. I haven't felt loved in a long time." She pauses for a moment, lost in thought. "And now, I've screwed it all up. I'm here, stuck in a crappy mental facility."
I try to ease her pain, "Rosie, you didn't mess anything up, okay? This is a temporary setback. You're the strongest patient here."
"I'm never gonna get better, am I?" she whimpers.
"Of course you will, but it's not something that occurs overnight. Healing takes time, especially if it's of the mind. You just need to have patience."
"Thank you for helping me." Her facial expression is frail.
Yesterday I promised Darren that I would get him out of here. Have I figured out how? Not quite yet, but I have faith I can do it. I think Rosie could get out as well. She deserves to be back with her family. This is no place for a teenager.
"I think I could get you out of here," I say. "But you have to tell me what you meant the other day. You said that I helped you more than the previous psychologist? Why is that?"
"I shouldn't say these things." Her face turns sour as she shakes her head.
"Why not?" I wonder. "You shouldn't keep valuable information from me. I'm here to support you."
"I could get into huge trouble," she claims.
I persuade her, "No one will know besides me. It'll help get you away from this place."
"I can't tell you why or how, but there are some super messed up things happening here, Dr. Baker. If you check patient 317's file, it'll give you a name. Talk to them, and you'll get the truth. I can't say more," Rosie instructs.
"How do you know all this?"
"Because patient 317 was my best friend..."
"Thank you so much for telling me this." I get up off the ground. "And, I promise that, no matter what, I'll get you out of here."
"You swear?"
"I swear."
***
When I arrive at Edward's office, the door is wide open, begging me to come inside. I pop my head in. "Hey, Eddie!"
"Hi Ken," he prompts me to enter. "What's up?"
"Well, actually, I have to discuss something important with you," I respond, shutting the door behind me.
Edward rests on the edge of his desk with his legs stretched out in front of him. "Whenever you're ready."
With a deep breath, I question, "Who's patient 317?"
His face switches from welcoming to shocked. "Where did you hear about this?"
"That information will remain anonymous."
"I can't disclose anything either."
"So, you know?" My eyebrow lifts in curiosity.
"Everyone who has been working here before you knows," Edward tells me. "We were told never to let a single soul know, or there would be... consequences."
"What kind of consequences?" I pry, desperately searching for more clues.
"You know I can't tell you that either."
"Edward, what the hell are you so afraid of?" I cackle.
The fact that I'm the one employee in the asylum that doesn't know the past, bothers me. It's entirely unfair to be so clueless.
"It's not what I'm afraid of..." my friend trails off.
"Then what is it?"
"It's who I'm afraid of."
"Catherine?"
"I didn't say that."
"It's what you're implying," I point out. "There's always been something about her that I didn't like. What is she hiding, Eddie?"
Edward doesn't answer. Instead, he walks behind his desk and digs through one of the drawers. After a few seconds of searching, he pulls out a manila folder then hands it to me. The file has the number 317 on the front of it.
My coworker shoves his hands into the pocket of his trousers. "This will give you all of the answers that you have questions to. If you tell anyone I gave you this, something bad will happen to you. As much as I know you'll want to, you can't even tell Darren."
"Are you threatening me?" I scoff.
"No, Kenneth, but if she finds out that you know about patient 317, then you'll be dead. I'm not kidding."
"I'm sorry I attacked you." I pout.
"I understand that you're curious and confused. It's okay. You have good intentions, Ken. But I'm trying to protect everyone here. That file could do a lot of damage. There's a lot of powerful and vital information in there," Edward discloses to me.
I begin to rethink my actions, "Now that you say that, maybe I shouldn't take it."
Everything he has told me about this folder shakes me to my core. It sounds as though it contains many sensitive details that could either make or break my plan.
Even if I don't know exactly what's in it, I know for sure that it's something very sinister, something confidential. I'm frightened either way.
"At first, I wasn't so sure, but I think you should find out the truth."
'If you say so."
"And, maybe, we can go for a coffee tomorrow to discuss all of this outside of work," Edward suggests.
"That'd be nice," I agree.
"Trust me. You'll need to talk with someone after reading it."
I send him a nod then head towards the entrance of his office. As my hand begins to turn the knob, my friend intercepts, "Ken?"
"Yeah?"
"Make sure you hide that inside your coat. Wouldn't wanna get caught," he warns.
"Right."
With his last words, I slip the folder into my uniform then button it up. I race to my own office as fast as possible, my mind running a hundred miles per second. It's a chaotic mess up there.
Holmes Chapel Asylum, what the hell are you hiding?