March 4, 2007
Charlemagne Chamberlain
First Case at Blackthorne Sanitarium
Conversation with Dr. Sadler
The flames… they're everywhere… everything's burning… I can see her… the goddess, she's so beautiful. Like the sun rising in the spring. Oh the warmth and love and joy… pleasure, that a better description… pleasure. Just being in her presence makes me feel… alive… The light is almost blinding…
Why am I here!? What's happening!? The light, it burns, IT BURNS!!! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!
*click*
The projector is stopped. The middle aged man slowly turns to the young woman on his right. She was pretty, with long, dark hair up in a bun and smooth, tanned, brown skin. She had high cheek bones and dark eyes that were almost back. She wore a navy blue skirt that matched her jacket she wore over her white blouse. While her suit gave off an impression that was a stern woman, her face was young.
The middle aged man wore a simple black suit over a white button up shirt. His hair was graying. His nose looked like it had been broken once or twice, and his hands were beginning to show signs of aging. His face was clean shaven; there was not a trace of five o'clock shadow. He was rather thin for this height, five eleven, six foot tall maybe, but he couldn't have weighted more than one hundred and seventy pounds. There was a slight hint of tobacco on him.
"Well Miss Chamberlain, I hope this is enough insight in your patient here. I understand this will be your first patient. You came highly recommended from your professors and research colleagues at New York."
"I'm glad to hear that doctor Sadler," the dark haired woman replied. " I know that some of your staff were unhappy with my lack of experience but I do have three years of social service work experience and three years of volunteer wor-"
"Yes, yes. All very good Miss Chamberlain," Dr. Sadler cut in, " but to be honest there are something's that college just can not prepare you for. Now I'm not saying that you are unqualified, I am simply concerned on how well you can handle your patient."
"Well tell me more about my patient then, I can't do my job if I don't know what it is. And please call me Charlemagne Dr. Sadler."
It was a little straight forward, but she didn't want to be considered as the "help." Besides she was hoping to appear more friendly and personal. So far all I've done is come off as a naïve college student, she thought to herself.
"Very well mis- Charlemagne. Since you are so eager to get straight to the point," Dr. Sadler seemed a little put out. " Your patient is Rebecca Summers. She was… referred to us by the Alchemilla hospital in Silent Hill. She has a long history of schizophrenia. She has, in the past, exhibited all three types; mostly she remains in a catatonic state which slowly progresses into paranoia and violent outbursts."
"That's… awful" Stating the obvious aren't you Char? She wasn't too sure how to respond to this information. Secretly, Charlemagne was wondering if her choice of profession was the right one. How am I going to help this girl? She couldn't answer her own question.
"That's to say the least my dear. She has severe phobia of water and dark places. Often she has displayed and obsession with fire and light. Most troubling is her anti-social personality disorder, with is only increased by her acute social anxiety disorder…"
Dr. Sadler huffed a little, his eyes slowly moving away from Charlemagne. There was something about this case that got to him. Some thing personal? Charlemagne thought.
"Are you telling me that this girl has little to no chance of rejoining society?" It was always a possibility for confined patients at these types of institutes. What happened to this girl? Curiosity was starting to take root in Charlemagne. But other questions were a priority in this matter
"Or for that matter that she may not recover?"
"Miss Chamberlain, this girl is deeply troubled; I doubt that she will ever leave this place…"
Charlemagne opened her mouth to remind him to call her by her given name, but she thought better of it. It wasn't important. Besides, Dr. Sadler seemed to become very interested in the vase of flowers on the book shelf on the left. There was something in his eyes, was it compassion? Sympathy perhaps, whatever it was, this girl seem to bother him.
"Dr. Sadler… is there any particular cause for her psychological break down… I've never really heard of a patient suffering from multiple psychological disorders to this degree… "
"Miss Chamberlain, why don't you have visit with Rebecca while I pull the case files. I suggest that you be on your guard, she is unpredictable." Dr. Sadler reached took down a vase of flowers from the book shelf. "Oh and take these daffodils with you, they seem to please her… perhaps she will be more responsive if you give them to her… "
"You don't sound too sure Dr. Sadler…" Thinking it was one thing to voice her opinion out loud gave Charlemagne a slight shiver down her spine. This could end badly for me she thought. But she wasn't about to fold on the job.
The older gentlemen seemed to retreat into his own thoughts for a moment, and then he responded. "You can never be one hundred percent sure with some one as troubled as Rebecca."