Authors Note: I honestly tried to update this story faster but every time I started writing this chapter I couldn't finish. I'd type five words then I'd completely give up. So I finally forced myself to finish this chapter.
Buffy sat at a white round table in medium sized office. Joyce sat to her left and Dawn at her right, across from her was a tall thin woman with long curly red hair and blue eyes. A name tag on her right shoulder read 'Tammy'.
Joyce handed Tammy a paper she was asked to fill out. Tammy skimmed over the paper then began talking. "Well, I think we're all done here. Buffy will stay here for three days for observation. Unless we feel she needs to be kept here longer. The average teenager stays for three days, sometimes longer and rarely ever shorter. If you have any questions please ask me now."
Joyce nodded her head and spoke in a shaky upset voice, "Buffy can call home whenever she wants?"
"No. She can only call between 7pm to 9pm on Weekdays and 5pm to 9pm on weekends."
"I see. Can I call her anytime or do the same rules apply?"
"We prefer you call during those hours. If there is an emergency, you can call whenever."
A few minutes later Joyce, Dawn, Tammy and Buffy stood outside of the office saying their goodbyes.
Joyce gave Buffy a hug but Buffy shoved her away.
"How could you take me here? I'm not crazy! I don't belong here. You want to get rid of me so you send me here?" A tear ran down her cheek and Joyce's heart ached.
Joyce started to wonder if the doctor was right to leave her here. She felt like holding Buffy in her arms and telling her she could go home. But she knew Buffy had to stay here. Buffy needed to get help. Buffy was dealing with some things that she couldn't fix.
She started questioning whether or not she was a good parent. Shouldn't she have known sooner? Did Buffy not trust her enough to let her know something was going on? Did Buffy try to tell her but she pushed her away? She couldn't help thinking she could have prevented this from happening.
She also wondered if Buffy would ever forgive her for this and realize this is the only way she can help her. She felt as if any minute she would collapse to the ground and breakdown.
But she had to be strong. For Dawn. Dawn is also her daughter. She couldn't imagine what Dawn must be going through.
Witnessing all the fighting and abuse. Being kidnapped. Watching her sister be locked away in a mental hospital for cutting herself. Who knows how much this is hurting her.
Tammy walked Buffy over to the adolescent floor. There was a steel door with a number and keypad lock. Tammy punched in a 6 digit number then took out a key.
A few seconds later the door opened, Tammy and Buffy entered a small hallway with two doors on either side. And another steel door in front of them. This door had a number lock, key lock and ID lock.
After Tammy opened the door she turned towards Buffy.
"It's for the safety of the kids here. They can't escape and anyone who isn't permitted in this part of the building can't enter."
Buffy nodded her head and entered the room.
It was a big square room. Blue carpeting and off-white walls. There was one door next to the entrance that said 'Private' on it. And further down there were two rooms next to each other. The doors were wide open. Both rooms were all blue and each had one bed in it. It looked like there were cuffs to restraint whoever was on the bed. On the wall above the doors the words 'Time Out Room' was written.
After Buffy and Tammy passed those two doors there was a closet on their right. To the left there were three big comfy chairs sitting in front of a TV. Next to that was a group of five tables with six chairs to each table. A small refrigerator was sitting behind the tables.
A nursing station was near the tables. Four women and two men were behind the counter to the nurse's station.
On the opposite side of the nurses station was another TV and Two chairs, one couch. Two teenage boys were sitting in their own chair, talking.
On the other side of the room, five rooms were next to each other. And closet separated those five rooms with another five rooms.
Some of the doors were open and some shut. Buffy looked at one of the rooms that was open. Two beds were on opposite sides of the room and a desk is next to each bed.
Tammy pointed to a room next to the refrigerator.
"That's the rest room. When you're not in your room you use the restroom out here."
Buffy nodded her head then Tammy led her to a room behind one of the chairs a boy was sitting in. She opened the door and walked inside.
The room had yellow walls and no carpeting. The floors were made of white tiles. A group of chairs were in a circle.
There were three chairs against the wall of the right side of the room. A table with 6 chairs was at the left side of the room.
Buffy sat at one the tables when a man walked over to her with a folder in his hand. He sat next to her and opened the folder.
He pulled out a paper with a drawing of a person from the front view and another one from the back.
"Hi Buffy. I'm Greg. I have to ask you a few questions then give you a few papers to fill out."
Buffy nodded her head.
"First I need to ask you if you've ever been here before?"
"No."
"Have you ever been in a treatment facility?"
"No."
"Have you been ever been physically or sexually abused?"
Buffy looked down and her heart started racing.
She shook her head. "N-no."
"Okay. Now I need to ask you to show me your cuts so I can draw them on this paper."
He showed her the paper with the drawing of a person.
"We have to mark down each cut you have and draw it on this person so we know where you have cuts and scars. This is just in case you cut yourself here. Everyday you will be checked to see if there are any new cuts on your body."
Although Buffy didn't like the idea of someone looking at her body everyday she nodded her head.
Buffy showed him every cut and scar she has on her body. He drew the cuts on the person on the paper exactly where the cuts on Buffy's body were. After he was finished he pulled out a packet and placed in front of Buffy.
"This is something you do in your free time. There will be questions about yourself and self strategies to help you from cutting yourself. You should do a few pages a day because around dinner time you are asked to show your packet to one of the staff. You can not leave here until each page is filled out."
Buffy nodded her head and he pulled out a few more papers.
"Here is a list of the schedule around here." He placed a yellow paper in front of her.
"Around 5am a doctor will come into your room to check your vitals and ask you a few questions. That is only for the first day. After that your vitals will be checked by a staff member at 8am. Everyone wakes up at 7:30am to do their hygiene. Hygiene is washing your face, brushing your teeth and doing any other personal things to keep yourself clean. At 8:30am everyone eats breakfast. Boys and girls are not allowed to sit together. You can only sit at a table with other females. After that is group. You will be assigned a group. There are three different groups. The first one is for children 14 and younger. The other two are 14 to 18 year olds. The people you are with in group will change often. Every day you are with a different group of kids. Two or three of them will most likely be the same. After group is free time in your room. You have to stay in your room. You cannot come out. If you have a question for one of the staff members you have to stand in the door way and wait for them to call on you. After free time is activity time. You either go to the gym downstairs or stay up here and do an activity with your group. It could be art or even watching TV. After that is lunch. After lunch you have another free time. That is when the afternoon staff comes in. You have another group. More free time. Dinner. After dinner you and your roommate are to stay in your rooms until you each take a shower. There is one bathroom in each room. The bathrooms are always locked. Only staff members can unlock them when you need to take a shower. After you and your roommate are finished, you come out here and watch TV. While you watch TV everyone is called one at a time for their meds. Since you're not on any medication you won't be called. However, when you meet the doctor tomorrow morning he may prescribe you some medication. After everyone is finished with their meds you can get desert.
At 10pm the kids 13 and younger go to bed. At 10:30pm the kids 14-15 go to bed. And at 11:00pm the kids 16-18 go to bed."
Buffy nodded her head even though she was a little confused.
"Do you have any questions about the schedule?"
Buffy shook her head.
"Alright. Right now everyone is at group. It's almost free time then dinner. Free time is an hour long. So, why don't I get you a room and when everyone gets back you can meet your new room mate. I think I'm going to put you with Ryeshia. Ryeshia is 16 years old and she arrived her late last night."
A few minutes later Buffy was sitting on her bed. A teenage girl who she assumed was Ryeshia came into the room.
"You just get here?"
Buffy nodded her head.
For the entire hour Buffy and Ryeshia were talking. They got along great and had a lot in common. Ryeshia came here because she got into a fight with her mom and trashed their house. She threw tables and chairs around the house. And she broke a few things.
At dinner Buffy was introduced to everyone. She couldn't believe the people that were in here. They all seemed so normal and friendly. Each person had their own reason for being here.
Buffy realized everyone has problems, even people who seem really normal. The popular kids, the jocks...everyone.
The only person who seemed a little off was a girl named Shana. She didn't talk much; Buffy figured it was because she was shy. Something about her didn't seem right. Buffy didn't know what it was but something was definitely wrong with her.
After everyone was finished with their showers they went to the TV and took a seat.
Everyone had to go to the TV with the three big chairs around it. Two girls and one boy took the chairs and everyone else had to use a chair from the tables.
They watched, 'Like Mike'.
After the movie was over, Buffy, Ryeshia, Ashley, Stephanie, Bryan, Tyler and Austin took a seat at a table and started talking and playing cards.
Shana sat at a table by herself with her head down and looked very depressed.
Buffy laid in her bed, unable to sleep.
She wondered what tomorrow would be like.
Authors note: This chapter isn't that great and it was supposed to be much longer. It was also supposed to be more descriptive. The second part of this chapter is just going to be the next chapter now since I didn't feel like typing anymore. I will TRY to post the next chapter either tonight or tomorrow.
