Valentin sat in the car as Aleks pulled into the institution parking lot. It wasn't very big, but then again, there weren't many people coming in and out either. "Where are we...?" Vali asked as he looked out the window. "We're at the hospital..." Aleksander replied hating the fact that he had to lie to his charge just to get him here. "The parking lot is a little small for a hospital..." Vali said, eyeing the lot, expensive looking cars parked here and there among less expensive ones.
"Well, it's a different kind of hospital, Vali." Aleks sighed feeling like he was trying to convince a little child not to worry of something horrible. Aleksander got out of the car and started to walk into the building, Valentin not far behind. "Hello, I've set up an appointment with a Dr. Beilschmidt, is he in?" the Bulgarian asked once reaching the receptionist's desk, drumming his fingers on the surface. "One moment please." she replied and picked up the phone receiver, calling the doctor.
Within a few moments, Gilbert walked through the double doors into the lobby. "Ah, hallo. I'm glad to see you made it here okay." he smiled, clapping his hands together as if he were satisfied with their arrival. "Why don't we go ahead and go into my office?" Gilbert offered with a sweeping gesture to another door on the opposite side of the secretary's desk. Aleks nodded, going along with the doctor, Valentin just following along like an obedient puppy. "So, doctor, what is it you're gonna do to help me?" Vali asked as he looked around the hallway that lead to Gilbert's office.
"I'm going to do what I do best. Don't worry, you're in good hands now, Herr Nicolae." Gilbert smiled as he opened the door to his office, the two other males filing in. "Alright, so, Herr Balakov, are you sure you're ready to let go and do this?" the doctor asked Aleksander, taking a small stack of papers and a pen in his hand. Aleks nodded. "It's what will help him." Valentin eyed his friend and then the doctor, "What are you two talking about...? What's going on?" he asked wearily. Aleksander sat his charge down, "Valentin...I lied to you...this isn't a normal physical health hospital. It's a mental institution."
Valentin's heart dropped. "What...? But...no...no, why, Aleks?" He almost couldn't get it out, his chest felt heavy. "Why would you do this to me?" he repeated with tears in his eyes. "I'm not crazy!" Valentin shot up from the leather chair, fists clenched at his sides. "I'm not crazy!" he shouted loudly. "Why?! Why can't anyone believe me...?" at this point, Valentin started to sob, sinking to his knees in front of his friend. Aleksander knelt down beside him and pulled him into a hug. "You need help Valentin...Dr. Beilschmidt will help you..." he tried to soothe.
"This can't be happening...this can't be happening..." Valentin sobbed into Aleksander's shoulder. "Not again...not again please not again!" the Romanian begged and pleaded, terrified that his experiences during his time in the Romanian institution were about to repeat themselves. He'd rather live with Adria the way his already did than to go back to that...not that it would be too much of a difference, but enough of one that Valentin would jump at the option. "Listen Valentin," Gilbert stepped in, "I'm not sure what it is you've already experienced, but this is not a bad place. I practically run it, I know what I'm doing. I don't hurt my patients, I only do what I can to help them so that they can at least live a decent life."
Vali only shook his head furiously, "No! You don't understand! You weren't there! Neither of you were there! If I'm crazy at all it's their fault! Their fault not mine! Adria is real!" he shouted through tears. Gilbert decided that there was no use in waiting,, "Adria is a hallucination created by your mind Valentin. He is not real-"
"He is!" Valentin screamed, interrupting the doctor. "You have schizophrenia!" Gilbert shouted back, losing his professionalism. Everything was quiet, even Valentin's sobbing and whimpers ceased. "Wh-what...?" he asked in nothing above a whisper. Gilbert took a breath to collect himself and begun again. "You have schizophrenia, Valentin. Herr Nicolae, the reason you've been seeing Adria is because you have a serious case of schizophrenia." Valentin sniffled loudly, "B-but the bruises...the things he's done to me...he sent me to the hospital!" he argued, wiping his nose on this sleeve. "Those things...you've done to yourself. Your mind was taken over by Adria at those moments so you committed those acts upon yourself."
Valentin was quiet for a moment. "I don't believe you..." he said, looking down at the dark carpet. Valentin stood up, wiping his eyes. "I'm going home." was all he said and headed to the door. "Herr Nicolae..." Gil tried. Valentin shot him the deadliest glare he's ever seen in all of his years of work, the red eyes only making the look seem more murderous and insane. Gilbert slipped his hand under his desk and pressed a button. As Valentin turned back to the door, an orderly opened it and stuck him with a needle. Vali only had time to look at his arm in surprised confusion before he collapsed to the ground and passed out.
Gilbert hated doing that to his patients, but in this case he felt that if he didn't, Valentin might have done something he couldn't control. The doctor sighed and rubbed his forehead. Aleksander stood up and sniffled, turning back to the doctor. "It was for his own good." Gilbert explained. Aleks only nodded and reached for the pen and papers to sign his last friend over to the doctor and the institution.
When Valentin woke up he was no longer in Dr. Beilschmidt's office, but in a, tan and brown room. The colors were warm but the walls were plain. There was a chair in the corner, a simple wooden one with a green plaid cushion tied to it and a neatly made bed, the one in which Valentin was laying was the only other furniture in the room. Valentin sat up, head swimming. "What just happened...where am I?" he asked himself, once again looking around the bare room.
There was a knock at the door and Dr. Gilbert Beilschmidt walked in. "I see you're awake." Valentin glared at him, "Where am I?" he growled. Gilbert stood at the foot of the bed, placing his hands on the polished wooden frame, "You're in your own personal room here at the institution." Valentin scoffed, "What?! Why am I still here?!" he demanded, getting louder with every word. "Because, you need help or you will destroy yourself." Gil replied calmly, looking at his new patient with a stern expression. "I'm not on drugs, Beilschmidt." was the retort. "Nein, but what a mind like yours can do may as well be a drug within itself in the sense that it can destroy you just as quickly if you don't do something or get to the root of the problem." he explained.
The Romanian growled again, "So what?You're just gonna give me some pills and keep me locked in here? That's only deluding what's really there, delaying the inevitability that I will eventually go insane and Adria will still be here." Gilbert sighed at this, "I understand that you feel we're wrong, but there's something that you have to understand. I am trying to help you, your friend Aleksander too. It isn't easy accepting and illness, but it's there. So let me just show you that I can help you. I can make Adria change. If even by a little bit."
The blonde sat there as he listened. Maybe the doctor was right. All the others failed to do anything for him. What's he got to lose to try another? Valentin sat there a moment before saying, "I'm hungry. Is it lunch?" Gilbert smirked at this, taking it as acceptance of the offer of help and nodded. "Ja. That's what I came in here for. Come on, I'll take you to the lunchroom." Valentin got up and followed him to the cafeteria.
Niko had been allowed to enter the common areas for around a week now. At first the other patients would flinch away from him and avoid him and the Orderlies would keep an eye on him. But this did not bother the Serb. He just went about his day. Looking out the windows at the birds, eating his food, and sitting by was content and happy even if all the people saw was a blank face.
Meanwhile, Gilbert and Valentin chatted on their way to the cafeteria. Well, more like Gilbert tried to goad Valentin into a conversation, the other only mumbling irritated responses or not responding at all. As they neared the lunchroom, Gilbert's head snapped in the direction of the light blue double doors. Valentin only looked up curiously. Pushing open the doors, the doctor's eyes widened when he saw the scene of a violent fight before his eyes. Valentin's own ruby red looking holes widened when he recognized who it was. It was Niko.
How it started was fast and unpredictable. Niko had been sitting at the window when all of a sudden he heard what appeared to had been gunfire from the News station that was turned on by one of the patients who was watching TV. He then stood up and started to walk towards when he was bumped into and just lost it jumping on the guy.
Now he sat on top of the other patient, wailing on the man. His military training and everything going in to it. He wasn't there any more. He was back in Bosnia fighting for his life as he gripped the man's throat. The orderlies that jumped onto him were just more soldiers in his eyes and he kept fighting more like a violent animal than a human being all the time the tv gunfire getting louder and louder in his head,matching imaginary screams and all the horrors that plagued his nightmares.
Gilbert instantly rushed over to help the orderlies and to try to get Niko to stop. He yanked the television cord from the wall and tried to pull the patient from the other. "Niko! Niko! Enough!" he shouted. Gilbert knew he wouldn't respond to that so he tried to play along with what he believed Niko was seeing in his head. "Soldier! That's enough he's gone!" Gilbert screamed, the other patient having fallen unconscious from the many ferocious blows.
.At the command Niko slowed and then stopped. He then started breathing heavily as he looked around. The war went away before his eyes and all he could see was the blood that covered his hands. Looking around his eyes jumped from man to man going to Gilberts, and the brown eyes that were normally stone and blank were filled with fear and scarred as the Serbian shook from his feet to his hands.
Gilbert let go of Niko and ordered the orderlies to help the injured, clean up, and get everyone else back to their rooms. He then ushered Niko out of the room and made their way to the infirmary, completely forgetting about Valentin until he saw him still standing at the door way. "Herr Nicolae, I'm afraid that I'll have to continue with you later." he apologized. Valentin's face held a look of shock and terror. He never thought he'd see his former best friend again. Not since he moved, and definitely not in the same institution for the mentally ill. Tears formed in Valentin's eyes, making their way into his voice as he spoke, "N-Niko...?" he asked in a quiet voice.
Niko was lost. Granted he was not but he was to afraid and shaking to do anything. His mind was wandering he was staring down at his hands covered in blood something he hadn't seen since the War. Faces kept flashing some with bullet holes, knife stabs, and some even more disfigured. All were people that he had killed and remembered clearly. But in the back of his head he heard that voice. He heard the accent of the child who would always cling to him and declared himself Niko's favorite brother even though they were not kin. He heard that and because of that he could only say one thing. "Mă întorc (I'll be back)" the Romanian phrase he told the crying child as he and his family were driving to the West. "Mă întorc..."
Valentin, afraid to hug, or even touch his found brother like he wanted to, just shook and held back tears he had kept with him since the day Niko left him. It was almost too much, but then he remembered Aleks. He wasn't there to see his beloved Niko. Valentin though, in the back of his head, it was probably best that he didn't. Not after what had just happened. Gilbert noticed the similarities between Valentin and the boy in the photo at the back of the book Niko allowed him to look through. They had known each other, these boys, since the very beginning.
They were all split apart, only to be reunited in such horrendous circumstances. Two of them losing their minds and a third who may as well be with his worry and grief. Gilbert sighed and moved Niko along, "You should head to your room Herr Nicolae. I'll be in shortly, I'd like to ask you a few things. But I need to help Herr Alovic at the moment." and with that Gilbert took Niko to the infirmary to be cleaned up.
