Daniel had been a model patient from the moment he walked into the hospital. He didn't get upset when some of the things he packed were taken away for security risks. He trusted they would be returned when released, and while losing some things was a pain he was basically testing the hospital policy to see where the lines were drawn as subtly as he possibly could. Daniel had no intention of causing trouble, as his primary goal was to be a model patient, get off with good behavior, and move into his grandmother's house with his mom. To Doctor Bailey's surprise, Daniel wasn't shy about seeking treatment as he sat in on several group meetings without being asked and was never late for a single appointment with Bailey as well. Yet the doctor was suspicious of what he was being told, as if something were being held back. During their meeting on the fifth day of Daniel's voluntary admission, the doctor tired to change things up.
"Did your mother visit today?" he calmly asked.
"You know she did," Daniel replied, "She does everyday."
"Do you get along with your mother?" Bailey inquired.
"About as much as a kid can get along with a parent," Daniel said, looking back at the doctor. "She's my parent, not my friend. Sometimes she's going to make choices that are not popular, and I just have to live with them and move on."
"That's a very mature approach." Bailey observed, "Do you plan to become a parent one day yourself?"
"I'm not sure," Daniel replied, "The planet is rather overpopulated already. It's not like the species depends on my ability to procreate."
"Again, a very mature reply." Bailey repeated.
"Are you sure about that?" Daniel countered, "All I basically said was I wasn't sure what I wanted."
"People are scared of the unknown," Bailey replied, "So sometimes admitting that you don't know can be quite courageous."
"Whatever," Daniel called out as he folded his arms, realizing that the doctor was noticing something.
"I'm sorry," Bailey said, noticing the change of tone, "Did I say something that upset you?"
"No," Daniel replied, "I'm just not used to have what I say being analyzed."
"I suppose not," The doctor agreed, "How are you finding it here in the hospital?"
"It's alright for a hospital," Daniel replied, "Food isn't that good."
"It's healthy," The doctor countered.
"I rest my case," the young man confirmed, "Too many greens for a kid my age, I have a reputation to uphold as a rebellious young man."
"Is that so?" the doctor said, smiling back at him.
"I didn't shoot someone to elevate my rep," the boy replied, "I did so because I was presented with a situation that could have been harmful to myself and to others that I happen to care about. Wouldn't you do the same thing if you mother or other people you care about were confronted by violent men?"
"You could have called the police," The doctor suggested.
"I could have," Daniel said, "If I wanted them to clean up the mess after these men beat me within an inch of my life. I have the right to defend myself."
"Yes, you do." Doctor Bailey agreed, "As long as those actions are reasonable."
"I believe they were," Daniel said, "Both my mother and I were in immediate danger, both times."
"So why didn't you kill your second attacker?" Bailey asked.
"Because I knew, well hoped, the police were on their way." Daniel answered, "Don't get me wrong, I would have killed that man if he left me with no other alternative. At that moment I was just using the gun to fend him off or at least stall until the police arrived. I knew someone must have called when Jack was banging at the door as loud as he was."
"This means you lacked the intent to kill," Bailey observed, "Was that the same for your step-father?"
"It was," Daniel said, "That's why I clipped his leg first. I wanted to give him a chance to walk away, metaphorically of course."
The doctor sat there and paused for moment, as he finally noticed it too. The thing the captain had noticed during Daniel's interview with the detective. The articulate vocabulary was quite astonishing for a child so young. It was something he was noting during their talks, and this was another example.
"Daniel," the doctor started, "Do you know what a metaphor is?"
"Yes," Daniel replied, "Why would use the word if I hadn't?"
"Then tell me," the doctor challenged, "What is a metaphor?"
Daniel looked back at him and took a deep breath. "It's a figure of speech in which a phrase or work is applied to an action or object that is not literally applicable."
"Wow," the doctor said, thinking about it. "Where did you learn that?"
"Websters," Daniel replied, "I looked it up."
"Do you look up a lot of words?" The doctor asked.
"My mother has a big dictionary on her bookshelf." Daniel explained, "When I get bored I sometimes look up words and meanings to pass the time."
"That's not common for a child your age," The doctor added.
"I didn't realize I was supposed to be common," Daniel countered, "Are you going to judge me for not conforming to authority like a good little lemming?"
"I suppose not," the doctor replied, "But when you use words like that, it's hard for people not to notice you standing out."
"I will not censor myself to comfort other people's ignorance." Daniel continued, "People can think whatever they want, while I move on with my life and leave them behind in my dust."
"Well said," the doctor said, "Most people should avoid following the group and venture out along their own path."
"You mean take the road less traveled by?" Daniel suggested.
The doctor sat there and said nothing, taking notes and doing his best to not let his jaw drop.
"Come on," Daniel said, smiling. "You're not going to freak out just because I quoted Robert Frost, are you?"
"You're only ten years old," Doctor Bailey said, "You should be watching cartoons and playing outside with friends on the jungle gym. Does your mother read poetry?"
"No," Daniel replied, "But there's this big building, full of books. There are smaller versions of them in our schools too. They have poetry, oodles of it."
"Touché," the doctor finally conceded, unwilling to let this kind of verbal sparring go one forever.
"Can I go?" Daniel then said, "It's almost lunch time."
"Sure, this is a good place to stop." The doctor agreed, "Have a good day."
Daniel felt he had pushed his luck too much that hour and made a strategic retreat, moving on with his day and distancing himself from a doctor that was getting too curious for his liking. Daniel even skipped that day's group meeting and just kept to himself in his room, reading a book. He picked up a classic piece of literature, but not one too advanced as he didn't want to arouse further attention. When he noticed the boy wasn't in group that day, Doctor Bailey wandered to Daniel's room to check in on him to see what was up.
"Didn't see you in group today," Bailey said, stepping into the boy's room. "What are you reading?"
"Probably something I'm not supposed to read at my age," Daniel quibbled back.
"Probably," the doctor said as he looked at the spine of the book he was reading, "The Count of Monte Cristo. That's a very fascinating read."
"It's a decent novel," Daniel said closing it up, "A classic revenge story."
"Do you think that's a worthy cause?" the doctor asked.
"Do you mean to ask if I believe in an eye for an eye?" Daniel countered, "The answer is no, I think revenge is a silly partaking. But I do believe in karma: that If you bad things, then eventually some bad things will happen to you. In other words, what goes around will come around."
"Fascinating," Doctor Bailey said, taking a seat. "Daniel, are you holding back?"
"Holding what back?" Daniel asked.
"I get the feeling you're not giving me the whole story," Bailey explained, "That you're not letting me in completely."
"That may be," Daniel replied, "but don't you think I might be afraid to do that? Afraid that if I really share everything that my stay might become something more permanent and far less voluntary."
"Are there any other bodies we need to be aware of?" the doctor asked.
"No, nothing like that." Daniel said, trying not to laugh. "It's just something weird, like out of a corny, clichéd science fiction novel weird."
"I can't help you if you don't tell me everything." Bailey told the boy, "I'm not here to commit you. I just want to make sure no one else gets hurt."
"I gave all the guns to Detective Davis," Daniel told him, "Well, the ones I knew about. There's no telling what else David packed in there. He was a tad paranoid about the government taking away all his guns."
"Fair enough," the doctor conceded, "This secret you're carrying isn't healthy. Who are you protecting by not talking about it?"
"Myself," Daniel answered, "I have no idea what's going on or how the hell I got here. No clue what so ever."
"How you got here," Doctor Bailey repeated, "You mean the hospital?"
"No, I know how I got here." Daniel said, feeling flustered. "I just wish I could explain it without looking like a complete loon."
"Don't we all," Bailey said, smiling back at him. "I'm not going to drag it out of you kicking and screaming. You'll share with me when you're ready. The only time I'll push further is if I feel someone might be in harm's way."
"And since that's not likely," Daniel concluded, "I would appreciate some space."
The doctor took the hint and left him alone, giving him the requested space. He had made some significant progress and knew it was wise to walk away while he was ahead. It was hard for Bailey to do so since he was so close, but Daniel wasn't going to budge any further. He would have to wait for the boy to come to him before discussing it again. But that wouldn't stop strange things from happening. Daniel didn't like the food that was served that night for supper, and while he wasn't allowed to leave the cafeteria until a specified time, he began to get bored without his book. It was that moment when he spotted something on the other side of the room: a small piano that looked as old as the hospital it resided in. Daniel got up from his table and slowly walked up to the small standing instrument. He lifted the bar to reveal keys that hadn't been touched in some time. Daniel sat down at the table and brushing his fingers over the keys without playing anything yet. Moments later, Daniel positioned his hands and started to play. It was a soft melody, but not something that anyone could immediately recognize. He sat there for at least five minutes, playing the piano and the other patients eating didn't seem to mind as it was a lovely song that wasn't loud or in your face. It was a lenient, easy going piece that seemed to compliment their meal which was why Daniel had chosen to play it. While the people eating didn't mind the piano being used to add mood to their meals, one of the orderlies came over and stood beside the piano with a look on his face.
"Cut it out?" Daniel guessed.
"If you don't mind," the man replied.
"No problem," Daniel said as he closed the thing up and walked away.
The next morning when Daniel met with Doctor Bailey, the good doctor had fresh ammo to work with as his performance at dinner had reached him. He sat there with a grin on his face, like cat that had captured the canary.
"Hey," Daniel said, "How was your night?"
"Non-eventful," the doctor replied, "Yours?"
"About the same," Daniel answered.
"Not what I heard," the doctor disagreed, "Tell me Daniel, what were you playing on the piano last night?"
"Someone told you?" Daniel asked.
"Yes, and no." The doctor replied, "There are cameras in the cafeteria, so I was able to watch and listen to you play. That was very lovely. What was it?"
Daniel paused for a moment and then sighed. "Frederic Chopin."
"I know," the doctor confirmed, "One of my favorites actually. Thank you for not trying to lie about that."
"You're a doctor," Daniel countered, "and based on your rather impressive sense of style, one could surmise that you have taste in music as well. So I didn't think it would be wise to lie about what I was playing."
"So, you've lied to me before?" Doctor Bailey asked.
"Not exactly," Daniel defended himself, "Unless you're one of those stiff asses that considers willful omission to be lying."
"I do not," Doctor Bailey said, laughing. "I don't expect to have this kind of conversation with a kid! I talk to kids all the time, and this doesn't feel like that."
"Well, I'm sorry." Daniel said, getting hostile for the first time with him. "Would you feel better if I started sniffing a marker and crying for my momma?"
"No, I wouldn't." the doctor said, "What wasn't meant to be taken as a insult, rather than a compliment about your maturity."
"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself." Daniel said, a cold barb.
"Seriously," the doctor replied, "How old are you?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?" Daniel said, asking him with a straight face as if there was some other answer to give him.
"Yes, I would." Doctor Bailey replied.
"If I tell you the truth," Daniel asked, "No freaking out."
"I promise not to freak out," the doctor said, curious why he even asked.
"And as long as no one else is going to be hurt," Daniel continued, "this stays between us... the whole patient confidentiality. Right?"
"Yes," Doctor Bailey confirmed, "As long as it's not going to harm anyone else, including yourself, I will keep our discussions between us."
"Okay," Daniel said as he stood up and started to pace, "Okay."
"Daniel," Doctor Bailey started as he could tell this question was worrying the young man a great deal. "How old are you?"
Daniel stopped pacing and looked back at the doctor. "I'm forty-five."