Chapter Ten

"Dipper, why don't you tell me about your life in Gravity Falls?" Doctor Warren asked. He and Dipper were already halfway through their hour session and so far, the psychiatrist hadn't gotten a thing out of the boy.

"What about it?" Dipper asked.

"You were staying with your great uncle, yes?" Dipper nodded. "Tell me a bit of what he's like."

"Grunkle Stan is a grumpy old man who turned his house into a tourist trap," Dipper said with a shrug.

"Anything else?" Doctor Warren asked. Dipper only shrugged again. "Did you do anything fun there?" the psychiatrist asked.

"Yeah; I hung out with Mabel and…" Dipper trailed off. If he said anything about his mystery hunts or the journal, he would surely be in for it.

"What did you do with Mabel?" the doctor asked.

"We just hung out at the Mystery Shack and we had a few friends," Dipper said. He left out the majority of the details, but it was enough to get Doctor Warren off his case about Gravity Falls. Not something else, though.

"What about reading your journal? Did you do that?" Doctor Warren could see Dipper visibly tense at the mentioning of the journal. He was glad Mrs. Pines brought it up to him. "What upset you about what I said?" Doctor Warren asked.

"Nothing," Dipper fibbed.

"Then tell me about this journal," the doctor instructed.

"It's just some mystery journal I found in the woods in Gravity Falls," Dipper explained. He didn't see the harm in explaining what the journal was. "It had stuff about…demons and paranormal investigation stuff in it."

"Demons?" Doctor Warren asked. "Do you believe in demons, Dipper?"

"I mean, everyone has something they believe in," Dipper deflected.

"But do you?" Doctor Warren asked. Dipper shrugged. "Was that who hurt you? A demon?" Dipper gave Doctor Warren a long stare. "Thank you, Dipper."

"I didn't say anything," Dipper said.

"You didn't have to."

"Dipper!" Mabel called as she ran through the hallway to get to Dipper's room.

"Hey," Dipper said when Mabel jumped on top of his bed, ruining the puzzle he had been working on. Dipper didn't mind, just glad to see his twin.

"Mom's taking me shopping for school clothes tomorrow," Mabel said. "I wish you were going with. We always do this together."

"Doctor Warren said I'll be tutored here," Dipper said. "Besides, all I wear here are pajamas, so I doubt I'll need school clothes. It'll be like home schooling."

"I still wish we were going together," Mabel responded.

"Well, maybe I'll get out of here soon," Dipper said. "Besides, we'll definitely be going to our first day of high school together." I hope, Dipper added internally.

"Yeah we will," Mabel said with a smile.

Ariel watched her children from outside her son's room. When Doctor Warren came to her, she immediately asked, "Did you find anything yet?"

It had already been almost two weeks since Dipper was admitted and nothing was found yet. There was only one weekend until school would start, only for one twin this time.

"Actually, he did lead me to something," Doctor Warren said. "I mentioned the journal to him that you spoke to me about and I believe he may have a type of psychosis with the paranormal creatures in it."

"What do you mean?" Ariel asked.

"I believe he may be suffering from Schizophrenia, using the paranormal contents of the journal to fuel him. He visibly tensed when I mentioned the journal, and I believe he believes a demon was the cause of his suicide attempt," Doctor Warren explained.

"Has he been sleeping?" Ariel asked, bringing the subject away from the suicide attempt.

"No," Doctor Warren answered. "We've been giving him the medication you received to put him to sleep, but he usually refuses them."

"He looks tired," Ariel commented.

"We've been hoping he would take his medicine at some point, but he hasn't relented yet," said the psychiatrist. "If we treat him with anti-psychotics to fight the Schizophrenia, I believe it would help his fear of sleeping," Doctor Warren said.

"A fear?" Ariel asked.

"He grows physically tense and fearful when we announce lights out," Doctor Warren clarified.

"And what happens if he's not schizophrenic?" Ariel asked. "What if there's another problem?"

"Then we try again," Doctor Warren answered.

"I hope you're right about this. I'll sign off on whatever you need to get him better."

"Okay, Dipper, this is your new medicine," Doctor Warren explained, holding a small pill in front of the boy.

Dipper had been visibly upset that entire day because it had been his first birthday spent away from Mabel. Sure, they had visited, but they couldn't spend all day and night there. The psychiatrist was trying not to further upset the boy.

"I don't need it," Dipper protested, though as he said it, Bill was placing a top hat onto Doctor Warren's head.

"Dipper," the doctor began. "I know you don't want to talk to me, but whatever you see and whatever scares you to go to sleep, this medication will stop it."

Dipper knew it sounded too good to be true. Bill was too powerful.

"Bill isn't more powerful than this," Doctor Warren added.

Did I say that out loud? Dipper internally questioned when Doctor Warren spoke.

"This will help you, Dipper," Doctor Warren said. "It'll put an end to Bill."

Without a second thought, Dipper took the medication into his mouth and swallowed it.

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