Shout-Outs: Nelapl, MartyMc49, KatariJisbon, peanutbuttercookie, DaboGirl, scandinaviencold, KrrdmN, Guest, macisgate, Guest, Guest and blueyedmentalistfan
Rated: T
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
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Chapter 2
"You're not like a typical rehab patient," Patrick said, following her out of the dining common.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Lisbon answered. "I need therapy just as much as any girl in here does."
"Oh, really? You don't look like any of the typical cases here," he replied. "You're not too skinny like the anorexics and bulimics. And you're definitely too healthy looking to be a drug or alcohol addict. So, what are you doing here? Are you writing a hard-hitting exposé about rehab centers? No. You're not the journalist type."
"Will you please just leave me alone?" Lisbon asked.
"What are you hiding?"
"I am not hiding anything!" Lisbon retorted irritated with the infuriating man who had latched onto her. She whirled around and looked at him. "What are you hiding?"
"Excuse me?"
"Two years ago, you were one of the most well-known psychics in the world. Opera endorsed you and then one day, you just disappeared. Something had to happen? Are you a drug abuser? Or a sex addict like Walter Mashburn?"
Patrick looked disgusted. "I am nothing like that. The only kind of drugs I've ever touched is the stuff the doctor prescribed for me or Tylenol for headaches and I'd even prefer not take that. It's awful for your liver, you know."
"So, what are you doing here then? Are you exhausted like the tabloids are saying Lorelei is?"
"No," Patrick answered. "But we were talking about you, not me."
"I'm a drug and alcohol addict with poor body image," Lisbon replied all but giving him the middle finger and walking off. She hadn't counted on anybody making her case difficult and Bosco hadn't briefed her on what to do if somebody figured out she wasn't what she said she was.
"You know when you're trying to con somebody the way to make it believable is by telling one truth and two lies."
Lisbon glared at him. "Well, what do you know anyways?"
"I was a con man once," Patrick answered. "That's basically what psychics do. They con people for money."
"So, I can see you're into the whole sharing thing," Lisbon said.
"Just being honest."
"Well, go and be honest somewhere else. I don't want to talk to you right now."
"I'm going to figure out why you're here," Patrick informed her.
"Yeah, good luck with that!" Lisbon retorted.
"Remember, I was one of the best psychics in the world," Patrick reminded her. "You said so yourself."
"Um, no, I said you were world-renowned. There's a difference," Lisbon answered. "I never went to any of your shows or watched you on TV. I wouldn't know if you were a better psychic than Madame Zola."
"Well, you're only one person. . ." Patrick started but was promptly interrupted by Dr. Harper.
"Patrick, aren't you going to be late for your one-on-one with Dr. Miller?" She asked, interjecting into their argument.
"I was just going," Patrick answered, looking at Lisbon. "Lovely chatting with you. I look forward to conversing with you some more."
"Wow," Dr. Harper said when he had disappeared.
"Wow what?" Lisbon asked.
"That's the first time I think he's talked to anybody like that since he's come here," Dr. Harper told her. "He's usually a lot more reserved."
Lisbon snorted. "Him? Reserved? I hardly believe it. He certainly likes to give his opinion freely."
Dr. Harper laughed, she hoped that Agent Teresa Lisbon would prove to be exactly the kind of challenge Patrick needed to finally get out of himself and move on with his life. As much as everybody at Idlewild enjoyed having him around, they were ready to be rid of him.
"Well, try and be kind to him," Dr. Harper said, sobering quickly. "He's had a hard couple of years."
"Obviously," Lisbon answered. "What's his story, anyways?"
"For the sake of the case?" Dr. Harper asked. "You definitely don't have to worry about him. Yes, he lied to people to make money but Patrick Jane wouldn't hurt a fly, unless he was protecting somebody that he cared about. In fact, I don't think any of my patients are capable of murder. They all care about each other too much to do that."
"Maybe somebody cared too much, decided to put a patient out of their misery?" Lisbon suggested.
"Maybe somebody on my staff did it but I won't ever believe any of the inpatients here did it," Dr. Harper said firmly.
"Okay," Lisbon answered. "So, what's going on with Patrick?"
Dr. Harper eased up considerably and smiled a little bit, the tension between her eyes disappearing ever so slightly. "I think you're just going to have to ask him for yourself, detective. It isn't my place to tell my patients stories."
"Fine."
"Let me know if you need anything," Dr. Harper said. "You have free reign here, just try to be conspicuous. We don't want anybody to be suspicious of you, okay?"
"No, of course not," Lisbon answered, tugging the sleeve of her sweatshirt over her hand and smiling at the doctor.
After her conversation with Dr. Harper, Lisbon went outside. Lorelei was sitting on a bench and smoking a cigarette and unwrapping a package of bubble gum. The socialite smiled at her and waved her over.
Lisbon joined her and sat down.
"Do you smoke?" Lorelei asked, offering her a cigarette.
"Um. . . not really," Lisbon said honestly. "I mean, I did once. I puked my guts out."
"It helps with the withdrawals from other things," Lorelei told her as she puffed away on it. "So, how did you finally decide to get clean?"
The question took Lisbon aback; it was one of the things that she hadn't discussed with Bosco. She thought for a minute and released a deep breath, borrowing from her father's story. "I was high one night and I wound up hurting my brother so bad he needed to go to the ER. That's when I decided to get clean. Because I didn't really want to hurt the people I love. Or myself even."
"Wow," Lorelei exhaled. "I woke up in my own vomit and none of my friends were around to help me out. I decided I needed to start taking care of myself since nobody was going to take care of me."
"Alcohol?"
"I was drunk out of my mind," Lorelei admitted. "That's the part they don't tell you in the tabloids. They want to glamorize everything and it really isn't glamorous."
"Tell me about it," Lisbon agreed because she had to.
"Was it alcohol with you?" Lorelei asked tentatively.
"Yeah," Lisbon said. "And prescription drugs. Not a very good combination."
Lorelei nodded her head in agreement. "I've been there. It's fun while it lasts but after it goes away, you feel terrible. And you swear never to do it again but that night, it's the same old story. You put your club clothes on and go out seeking the next thrill even though it'll end the same way."
Lisbon suddenly felt sick to her stomach and for the first time, she felt like she was really seeing the girl who looked up at her from the glossy pages of People and US Weekly. She wanted to scream at any of the other teenage girls who aspired to be like Lorelei Martins to run away as fast as they could. She was sure the heiress would do the same thing.
Lorelei looked so dejected; she decided to change the subject.
"Hey Lorelei, could you tell me about the girl who was murdered here?"
Lorelei discarded her used cigarette and lit another way. "Kristina Frye. She was a total schizo. They were talking about moving her to a long-term facility because they couldn't treat her here anymore. The next day she wound up dead. I'm surprised you know about it, they were trying to keep it hush-hush."
"Well, you know how things like that have a way of getting out," Lisbon answered.
"True," Lorelei said. "Did you know her? She was a psychic like Patrick used to be. Except on a smaller scale. Her business was located in Sacramento. You know what they say about playing with spirits, well, it finally caught up with her. She actually got to the point where she thought she was talking to them. It was a real mess."
"I see," Lisbon replied.
"She was my roommate," Lorelei told her. "She needed, like, a dozen pills before she could even get to sleep. It was very disconcerting. No matter how annoying it was, it was sad that she died. I actually liked her a lot. She was the only one who didn't treat me like a celebrity, probably because she was too far gone to realize who I was. But it was still nice."
"I'm sorry," Lisbon said hollowly.
Lorelei shrugged and switched gears. "So, I hear you're going to be my new roommate."
"Yes."
Lorelei grinned. "I hope you don't snore! Or talk in your sleep."
"Well, nobody's ever told me that I do either of those things," Lisbon assured her.
"Good! I gotta go," Lorelei told her. "I have a meeting with my therapist. The one-on-ones are such dull things; they're my least favorite part of this whole rehab thing. I don't really think they help that much, but it's required. I'll see you around Teresa."
"Okay, 'bye Lorelei!" Lisbon answered, watching as she stuffed her cigarettes into her pocket and disappeared.
"I see you were talking to our resident basket case," Walter said as he took Lorelei's place. "Did you learn anything enlightening?"
Lisbon was startled and then she recovered quickly when she realized the billionaire was talking about Lorelei and not anything else. "No," she answered.
"We slept together," Walter divulged. "We both came the same day and we met at the airport, I had my taxi driver take a detour. I bet you didn't know she was a slut, the tabloids conveniently forget to mention that part about her personality."
Lisbon narrowed her eyes at him. "You're repulsive. Forbes and Time conveniently forget to mention that about your personality. Now if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere else I have to be."
"Oh? And where's that?" Walter asked.
"Anywhere you aren't!" Lisbon replied.
She went back inside and decided to go to her room and unpack her suitcase before she started her investigation. But she had just gotten back into the hospital when was stopped by an older gentleman.
"I'm Brett Stiles," he said. "I'm your counselor; do you have a few minutes to talk with me, Miss Bosco?"
"Um. . ." Lisbon trailed off. "I guess so."
"Good," Dr. Stiles said. "If you'd just follow me, we can talk privately in my office."
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"So, Agent Lisbon, they gave us your actual file so we could know more about you and I have to say you have a tragic past."
Lisbon bristled. "Hey, I don't need you to analyze me. I'm here to do a job and that's all."
"I know," Dr. Stiles said kindly. "But this is part of making it more believable. And I just thought if we could talk about things that were really going on in your life."
"Yeah, well, I'm fine. I was already cleared by the SFPD's shrink. I don't think I need to talk about it anymore."
"Oh Teresa, dear, you are always going to have to talk about it though. It's a part of who you are, you know. You'll have to tell any bosses about your past, your future lovers, and your children. All of them will have to know about how your past shaped you. Especially the people you choose to love."
Lisbon stood up. "Well, I'm already engaged. So, that's one bullet I missed."
"You should tell him," Stiles answered. "What kind of intimacy can you ever have if you don't?"
Lisbon stood up. "Well, you know what; you're not my real shrink. So, I don't have to listen to you. Now, if you'd excuse me, I am wasting valuable time talking to you when there's a murderer still walking around these corridors and I intend to catch them."
TBC. . .
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Author's Note:
Real life is crazy again. There is so much going on; I hardly had time to write this week. I baby-sat and helped my mother with the house. And then I got bit again by something, so I'm on allergy medication and it's making me sleepy. I tried to have this chapter ready for last night but the kids I'm baby-sitting this summer showed up to go see Inside Out with my sisters and I, so I wound up watching ANT Farm and making Father's Day cards. So, yeah, there's this week's excuses.
I am sorry for the delay. I promise the story will be case-centered even though I am not that great with casefics. One last thing, I do not know a lot about sexual addiction, so I may not be portraying it in the right way. But I do think Walter Mashburn would be cocky regardless of what is going on in his life. Please tell me what you thought!
Until Next Time!
Love,
Holly, 6/20/2015_
