~ Pandora Hearts Hospital ~
Chapter 1: Hospital.
August 5th, 2013.
Monday.
Since 1973, The Pandora Hearts Hospital has been one of the premiere providers of mental health and chemical dependency treatment to Atlanta and the Southeast.
He huffs and rubs his eyes free from sleep.
We offer a safe and nurturing environment for children, adolescents, adults and senior adults to find hope and healing from emotional, psychiatric and addictive diseases.
He scratches his head and carefully slides out of his pure white bed, and plants his bare feet on the cold tiled floor beneath and shivers.
The Pandora Hearts Hospital system includes a 246-bed inpatient acute-care facility, partial-hospitalization and intensive outpatient program.
He combs through his unruly blonde locks with his hand as he shakily walks to the barred windows of the hospital's in-patient dorm building, and sighs under his breath when he notices that the day was bright with the sun shining and not a single cloud could be seen.
But as soon as his eyes fell upon the building just across from the hospital's in-patient dorm building he was already dreading his stay, and he didn't even go walking across the dorm building, walk all along the sidewalk, and go into the Hospital itself.
At Pandora, we recognize that emotional, behavioural, and chemical dependency problems can affect all areas of a person's life. So our individualized treatment programs are tailored to address each person's unique problems and needs.
He shakes his shoulders and walks his way to the foot of his bed, as he then starts digging through his duffle bag to find his clothes, his day was already starting, but it couldn't have been more tiresome and taxing.
Each patient's treatment team will assist them in finding and using the tools they need to be able to build a healthier, more positive life.
'What a horrible day this is going to be…' He thought, sighing yet again as he began getting dressed.
A Masters Level Counselor will offer a free evaluation to determine the most appropriate level of care for the patient. If hospitalization is required, the patient and his/her family will work with a multi-disciplinary team to develop an individualized treatment plan.
"Hello?" Came a voice at the door as a gentle knock was then heard after.
He turns his blonde head towards the door and with a raised eyebrow, he buttons up his shirt and straightens out his collar. "Yes?" he replies.
"Oz Vessalius? It's exactly 7:33. It is almost time to take your vitals." Came the reply of the nurse on the other side of his door.
He rolls his eyes and pulls on his lace-less shoes. "I'm coming!" He shouts back, smile heard inside his voice, but not seen on his expression.
Care is provided by psychiatrists, registered nurses, counselors, social workers, activity therapists, mental health specialists, addiction counselors, educational specialists and other professionals will be available at all times.
Another knock on the door was heard. "Oz! Better hurry if you want to keep on schedule on your very first day!" Came the sing-song voice of the nurse.
Oz merely sighs under his breath and sits down on his bed with a heavy thump and a single bounce.
Throughout the treatment experience, we work together with our patients and their families to encourage the best possible outcome and ongoing plan for success, and we all hope for the best in the lives of our recovering patients, and his/her families.
The short blonde teen silently stares down at his black high-top shoes and peers closely at both of his untied shoes; despondency clear in both his bright emerald eyes as his golden coloured strands of hair fall gently over his right eye, briefly blocking out his view of his black Converse shoes, which were firmly planted on the beige tiled floor below.
At The Pandora Hearts Hospital's "Out Reach Program" we work together to provide better care and the tools necessary to help the patient recover and increase their self-esteem, help them realize their responsibilities they need to take for their behaviours, and help them realize that they do not need to turn to drugs or alcohol for their problems. We unite to do right.
Oz had memorized the entire hospital brochure offered out to him just the night before, and he couldn't have felt more estranged and abandoned than at that moment now.
Huffing the wayward blonde bang away from his eye, he quietly slides off of his twin-sized bed and glides his back against the pure white bed sheets and bends over to plant one knee on the tiled floor from inside his own in-patient bedroom to straighten out his shoe.
His shoes could now slide easily off his feet—more so than they already would have—even when his shoelaces were tied securely on.
"Oz Vessalius? It's exactly 7:40 A.M, five more minutes and it'll be time to take your vitals at the front gates of the hospital." The nurse—who Oz later found out that her name is Sharon Rainsworth—states pleasantly by the front door of his light beige coloured bedroom as she confidently drums her knuckles against the door for the third time early that morning.
"I'm coming Sharon!" Oz calls from his bedside as he then quickly fixes up his bright blonde hair, straightens out his white button down dress shirt, fixes up the black suspenders hanging down from both is hips, and then tightens his black coloured belt and loops the belt around his small waistline as he securely locks it into place on the third hole close to the bottom. He runs his fingers over the small silver studs decorated all across the front of the belt and wrinkles his brow in confusion.
'I lost weight again…I used to fit these pants perfectly…' Oz notes inside his head as he then pouts down at his lace-less Converse high-top sneakers. 'Why did they take away my shoelaces?' He thought dubiously, before shrugging and walks towards his door.
As Oz exited out of his beige coloured in-patient bedroom, and follows along behind the strawberry blonde nurse, named Sharon Rainsworth, who had already started walking ahead of him and down the hallway without another word of greeting.
He shrugs and focuses his attention purely on his surroundings, nothing out of the ordinary was going on inside The Pandora Hearts Hospital's "In-Patient Dorm Building", everything looked exactly where they should be, and as Oz continued to walk along and down the hallways, he couldn't help but notice that every window he happened to pass by, was barred and looked to be locked.
He frowns a bit at this and looks ahead to the hallway. 'What if there's a fire and the only way out is through the windows?' Oz thought, shaking his head at the thought.
As they headed nearer to the front door of the in-patient dorm building, Oz couldn't help but get the strange feeling that they were being followed, turning his head to look over his shoulder, he couldn't find anything out of the ordinary, and certainly he saw no one following them.
"Oz?"
Oz turns back around and realizes he stopped in the middle of the doorway as Sharon continued to hold the door open for him with a confused expression written on her face. With an apologetic smile thrown in Sharon's direction, Oz continued on through the door.
And once Oz stepped out of the threshold of the doorway, he couldn't help but smile brightly at the warmth he received from the sun, and instantly, he spun in a circle with his arms out stretched.
"Ahh~ such a beautiful day!" Oz states, grinning widely as he turns to look over at Sharon, who stands with a hand blocking out the sun's rays from hitting her face. "Don't you think it's a wonderful day Sharon? It suites your beautiful straw-berry blonde hair perfectly!" He compliments unabashedly with a small smile.
Sharon only giggles into her hand as she nods her head. "It is a beautiful day out. I wouldn't mind spending some time out in the sunlight today with the other patients. They might enjoy this fresh air as well." She states with a small smile.
As they continued down the cobble stone sidewalk, Oz runs his hands over the silver chains situated on either side of the sidewalk. He couldn't help but wonder what the point was in keeping chains enclosed on the sidewalk, because surely no one would get lost and lose their way to the hospital.
'But then again, it is a big place…But still, the hospital is just right across from the in-patient dorm building! You can easily see it looking out of a window!' Oz thought in confusion as he continued to look all around the hospital grounds.
Technically, it wasn't exactly a hospital, per se, although they do have nurses and doctors, they weren't the kind of doctors and nurses that could treat serious or life threatening wounds, crack bones back together, or sew together a human being, they only treated the serious mental health troubles inside a person's mind, but a medical staff could be located further into the building, one call, and they would be there quick.
As they both headed nearer to the hospital, Oz couldn't help but look around one last time at his surroundings, the whole expanse of the hospital grounds had such a calm atmosphere and wide beautiful stretch of flower beds over to the front gates located where the patients had to go and get their daily medication and vitamins, he couldn't help but think that now that he himself was a patient at The Pandora Hearts Hospital, that his life would surely be lived fully on routines and humiliation from this point on.
"Oz…? Are you alright?" Came the troubled sounding voice of Sharon Rainsworth, who Oz finally noticed was facing him completely, and holding out the vitamins he was requested to take, out towards him with a concerned look to her otherwise warm and happy expression.
Oz smiled nervously and shook his head of his previous thoughts, trying to regain his main state of mind as a way to not worry the kind—and surprisingly young—nurse. "My mind was somewhere else, I guess." He shrugged casually. "I'm back though." Oz smiled reassuringly as he took the small cup offered out towards him, picked up the two small little tablets inside the even tinier cup, between his fingers and thumb and popped them into his mouth with a grin.
Sharon grins back at the smile she receives and with a swift turn on her heel, starts unlocking the front gates to the therapy ward by placing her I.D card in the gates security slot—her card that was placed perfectly on the outside of her light pink nurse's uniform—and punches in the security code shortly after swiping the I.D card through.
Just as Sharon had turned her back to Oz, he quickly spits the vitamins out and into his hand and stuffs the vitamins into the front pocket of his black cargo knee-length pants without hesitation.
Once the front gate to the Therapy ward was opened, Sharon turns back around and gestures for Oz to follow her once again, which he nods at and starts obediently following along behind Sharon without a word of objection.
"We didn't exactly get to give you a tour of our therapy facilities yesterday, did we?" Sharon asks from over her shoulder, her heels clicking and echoing all the way down the hallway as she hurriedly takes small steps.
Oz shakes his head. "No, but I guess that was to be expected when my Father practically demanded that I be sent here against my will last night, and quickly demanded that I stay here for the rest of my life." He states happily, smiling pleasantly at Sharon's concerned expression.
"Oz…" Sharon then trails off nervously and shakes her head a second after.
Oz tilts his head in confusion as he raises his arms and places them behind his head as he laces his fingers together. "What's wrong Sharon?" He asks, his own voice filled with concern.
Sharon looks back over her shoulder and beams the boy a bright smile, "Nothing, I was just going to tell you that because you're new here, I'm giving you a tour of the hospital today and then therapy will begin tomorrow." She easily lies as she smiles happily over her shoulder.
Oz quickly nods his head in anticipation and skips to her side in the hall. "Great! I don't want to get lost tomorrow…" he replies sheepishly.
Sharon giggles and begins her quick briefing of the facilities.
"Well you saw the front gate back there, that's where the patients go when it's time to take their scheduled medications and vitamins, which is held every day at 7:45 A.M, then straight down this hallway is the way to the cafeteria, now just to warn you the cafeteria is small, but everyone feels more secured and safe because of its size, and you always get the right amount food that you need at breakfast, Breakfast is served at 7:45 to 8:15 A.M. No patients are allowed second helpings of food, you will soon find out the reason why," She states, smiling over her shoulder before continuing on. "Now, if you take a right down this hallway beside the cafeteria doors," She then gestures beside them as she takes a sharp right turn down the same hallway she had just gestured towards and Oz stumbled over his own feet to catch up with her. "You will be heading straight to the Recreational Room, which holds most of the Group Therapy sessions, which starts after Lunch at 1:15 to 2:00 P.M; it's also a place where people go to hang out during their spare time, which varies from each patient's daily schedule." She smiles over her shoulder towards Oz.
"This is the Recreational Room," She gestures to the light blue door beside her, before going over to the door just across from the rec room, "This way Mr. Vessalius~" She says in a sing-song voice as she heads through the swinging double doors and holds one door open for Oz to enter through.
Which he does as he quickly rushes forward and walks down another brightly lit hallway, easily taking Sharon's side inside the hall, Oz glanced at the barred windows on the left hand side of the hallway, then to the hand-made paintings on the wall beside him to his right, then finally he realized that the paintings were done by the patients themselves, most of the paintings were crudely coloured and drawn, but a few of them were actually very beautiful, as though a true artist had painted it.
"This large door here is where the showers are, the boy's get their own showers, each of the showers stalls are individual so no one has to share, and of course, the girls get their own shower room as well" She announces, pointing to the large double doors beside her, "They get to shower right after they finish gym, every patient gets to shower at 1:00 to 1:15 P.M." She states, before she starts heading down the hallway again. "Down this hallway is where the gym is located, we all get to enjoy a bit of fun sometimes Oz." Sharon states deviously, winking with a small giggle thrown over to Oz. "We nurses get a choice whether or not to join the group activities, but we mostly always indulge ourselves with a bit of fun." She smiles. "This is the gym." She announces, pushing the double doors open with her arm and peeks inside. "No one is inside here at the moment, but gym starts at around 12:30 to 1:00 P.M." She smiles, then goes back to the tour.
"Group Therapy then starts at 1:15 to 2:00 P.M right after the patients are done taking their showers and medications." She declares. "Snack time is right after Group Therapy, snack time starts at 2:00 to 2:15 P.M." She announces, before turning her head over her shoulder. "What day is it today Oz?" She suddenly asks, turning to look over to Oz, who stood to her right in the hallway.
Oz looks up to the ceiling in thought with a finger pressed to his chin, before he smiles back down at her. "Today is Monday." He replies confidently.
She only nods her head. "Alright, then yesterday on Sunday was CBT, but now that its Monday today, we begin Expressive Therapy, which is held at 2:15 to 3:00 P.M. Expressive Therapy is when the patients come together, and talk about what had happened in their past, and if no one has enough courage to speak freely, then they get a bit of time to themselves and listen to another group of recovering patients talk about their lives, and about their pasts, as they give the current patients, a little bit of advice." She smiles warmly at this. "Expressive Therapy is just one small step to recovery. Depending on what type of problems each patient is going through." She nods her strawberry blonde head and peeks a curiously over to the unusually silent Oz. "Are you alright?" She asks in concern once again.
Oz smiles brightly and nods his bright blonde head fast. "I'm fine! I was just thinking about the schedule…Sure seems like a lot of hard work to keep a hospital in check and on time a lot." He states, mostly to himself as he goes over the current schedule inside his head, already getting confused with all the different time regiments and the many hallways they have yet to go over, feeling just a tad bit overwhelmed by the fact that he would have to spend most—if not all—of his days inside this very hospital, until he's "cured" as his dad stated begrudgingly.
Sharon smiles and nods her head eagerly. "My Grandmother is the one that owns this hospital, I begged her for a job as a nurse here." She giggles.
Oz stiffens and turns to look incredulously over to the giggling nurse. "You WANTED to be a nurse here? I didn't think people would want to be a nurse at a…" He lowers his voice and pulls a hand to block out one side of his mouth. "A mental hospital..." He whispers, shifting his eyes to and fro within the hallway.
Sharon merely waves this away with her hand and a small smile. "I've always wanted to help people Oz, even when I was a little girl and I didn't know any better…" Her smile then turns warm as she stares down to the floor in nostalgia, "And I ever since the first day I met him…" A wistful look comes to her smiling expression and a light blush dusts across her cheeks.
Oz smiles coyly and bumps his hip next to hers. "Who's the lucky guy Sharon?" He teases mischievously.
She squeals at the young blondes comment and smacks him in the arm with a playful slap. "I have eyes for no one Mr. Vessalius! Now, follow me!" she rushes forward, a darker blush forming across her nervous looking face as she tries desperately to keep her face hidden within her long strawberry blonde locks.
Oz chuckles under his breath and catches up after her. "So, what's next?"
"Well," She clears her throat and composes herself. "After Expressive Therapy, we let the patients head back into their own rooms for a while, or if they want, we let them roam around the therapy grounds out back, where they can write inside their Journals freely, and it is completely up to them what it is they want to write about. We have no say in what they should and should not write about." She smiles over to Oz. "They get to write in their journals from 3:00 to 3:30." She looks back to the hall. "So you don't always have to stay in your room Oz, patients are free to do whatever they want on their spare time." She declares.
Oz smiles at this announcement and eagerly claps his hands together, "Is there a library in this hospital?" He asks excitedly, he really wanted to read his favourite novel series called "The Holy Knight." Again, he had missed most of their recent books he knew he was surely far behind on the series already.
Sharon nods her head with a pleasant smile. "My Grandmother always wanted a library in a hospital, so we just built one about a year ago. Patients are allowed to enter the Library, but if they are caught skipping out on Therapy sessions just to go to the library, or if they are missing from one of their therapy activities, they WILL be punished." She smiles brightly over to Oz at this statement. "So don't get caught wandering around the hallways Oz, as punishment, we nurses are allowed to make the patients sit through another group therapy session, or do the dishes piled in the back of the cafeteria."
Oz shivers at the thought. "I would hate to get stuck doing the dishes…I'll make sure never to skip out on any therapy sessions you guys hold." He reassures her, putting up his hands in surrender.
He really would rather sit through a boring group therapy session, than get stuck doing a pile of unclean and filthy dishes. Chores just weren't for him, he'd rather be the one tricking people into doing the dished for him then the one cleaning them.
Sharon giggles evilly and carries on. "The hospital grounds are secured and barred all around the outside perimeter; we have various security guards working double shifts and roaming the hospital grounds. Unfortunately, because we are so under staffed this year, the security guards are doing a lot more work than usual…I feel so bad for them." She sighs, then shakes her head and wipes off the sad expression and replaces it with a small smile. "But I know one security guard who is happy to be working double shifts here." She states happily, smiling over to Oz. "His name is Gilbert Nightray, he's always happy to help around the hospital and he doesn't mind all the extra work at all, as long as he gets the extra pay though." She rolls her eyes and folds her arms over her chest. "Men and their money, that's all they care about in life nowadays, how much they got in there wallets." She pouts and cocks her hip to the side in distaste.
Oz laughs loudly and pats her lightly on her slender shoulder blade. "Don't worry Sharon! I bet you'll find a guy that would give up all the money in the world just to have you at his side." He reassures her as he starts walking down the hallway with her under his arm.
Trying hard to uplift the young nurse's spirits.
Which works not long after as she starts grinning from ear to ear. "I do hope your right Mr. Vessalius!" She states determinedly as she throws her fist up in the air beside the young blonde teenager. "I vow from this day on that I WILL find a guy that cares a lot about other people's feelings than how much money they get in their paycheques!" She declares to no one in particular either then herself as she sighs dramatically and pulls Oz by the arm. "If only that person can come along sooner." She giggles as she starts pulling Oz by the sleeve of his white dress shirt. "I still got a lot of places to show you around inside the hospital, so we better get a move on." She states exasperatedly.
'I don't think Oz belongs here, he just seems so…Normal…The way he seems to carry himself and acts, is just what any teenager would act…Why exactly would his own father register him inside our therapy ward? What did Oz do, or say to his father…?' Sharon thought, questions after questions only piling on inside her mind that she had to practically shake them out of her head before finally carrying on with her briefing of the hospital schedule.
"After the patients get to write in their journals, expressive therapy starts once again, from 3:30 to 4:30 P.M, and from there they head to the cafeteria for dinner, which starts at 4:30 to 5:00 P.M." She smiles over to Oz, to see him brightly smiling out towards the window beside them.
"What kind of food do you guys serve here? Anything good?" Oz asks warily, already dreading that the cook inside the hospital will only serve gruel or something along the lines of what he normally got back in his high-school.
And ever since he managed to get out of that place his father called "school", he always had a great dislike for cafeteria foods.
Sharon smiles and pats him on the shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry, the cooks are famous for their baked chicken and excellent taco's here, they love serving the patients all their famous home-made recipes and other delicious dishes! Some of the cooks here used to work in five-star restaurants before they applied here in the hospital." She states with a long dreamy sigh. "Ask for their César salad, I swear, it's heaven on earth Oz." she states dreamily.
Oz rubs his empty stomach with his hand and hums in appreciation. "Sounds delicious! When do I get to try some of their food?" He asks eagerly, licking his lips in anticipation. "I'm hun—"
What Oz was going for was "I'm hungry!" but that was before he got cut off by Sharon.
Who gasps loudly as she stops right in the middle of the stairwell they were just going down and faces Oz with a shocked and horrified expression on her face looking as though she just saw a ghost inside the hallway.
Oz—now feeling incredibly scared stiff—sneaks a peek in front of her, to see if Sharon actually did see a ghost.
"I completely forgot that they already started breakfast!" she practically shouts out.
Oz shoulders sag in relief as he exhales out a shaky breath.
"You must be starving! I'm so sorry Oz, I just get caught up in explaining the schedules and how the hospital works that I get carried away and—" She started to ramble.
"—S-Sharon!" Oz grabs her shoulders lightly and gives them a light shake with a small smile spreading across his pale face. "Don't worry! I completely forgot that I was hungry until you mentioned food just now!" He chuckles. "I'm fine Sharon." He reassures her. "I'm not dying of starvation or anything." He chuckles rolling his eyes.
Sharon shakes her head and clasps both her hands onto Oz's shoulders and steers him around and back from where they came from.
"Still, I'm sorry for being so forgetful, so how about I escort you back to the cafeteria—to see if they have anything left over from breakfast this morning—and give you one of my home-made schedules, Hm?" She hums, smiling apologetically over to Oz as she digs in her black and pink coloured purse that was hanging from her shoulder to her hip when they first began the tour around the hospital therapy ward and bustles around inside her bag all the while biting her lip in concentration.
"This is a schedule I made when I first became a nurse here, because I didn't have the slightest clue on where to go or what to do for my first week here," Sharon admits, huffing her light blonde bang away from her eyes as she continues to search for the home-made schedule inside her purse. "My Grandmother always wanted to put up a time schedule and display it for everyone to see, and she always wanted to hand them out to every patient that come here with their families….But lately she has always been swamped with work." She explains as she finally pulls out a folded up piece of paper from within her purse and hands it out towards Oz with a bright smile. "Now just to remind you, I made this myself from memory, so if I got a few things mixed up, or if I didn't include some of the patient activities, then come see me, and I'll have a new one for you." She announces with a grin.
Oz grins in appreciation and nods his head as he takes the paper offered out towards him from Sharon's small hands. "Thank you so much for your help Sharon, I'll make sure to keep this schedule close by me at all times, and I promise I won't lose it either!" He declares heroically as he puts the schedule sheet into his pants back pocket and pats down his knee-length black shorts.
Sharon nods her head and takes a fast left turn down the hallway. "Well, I'll take you to the cafeteria hall now, and I'll also ask if the cooks have any left-overs from this morning. If not, I'll just ask if they can whip up something fast for you." She says with a determined nod of her head.
Oz chuckles at the nurses determined expression and claps his hands enthusiastically. "I can't wait to try out their pancakes!"
And that was my first chapter to my NEW story :)
Some people are gonna hate me though ._. because I have two stories on Fanfic already...And sadly...I lost inspiration to both of them! D: If only someone was nice enough to encourage me on the stories, but even if they did...I don't think I have it in me to continue...But I'm not giving up hope on those two stories! :D So don't worry people who follow me and shit!
Anywhoo...
I hope you guys liked this story :) Review, comment, send me a PM, whatever! Just enjoy the story :)
Also...
I hope Oz isn't OOC ._. tell me if he is or not and I'll fix him up :) I only have 12 chapters on this story and I'm still going. So that being said, the updating and uploading new chapters will be a tad bit slow. Sorry to disappoint.