"Are you sure you want this girl, Stevens?"
"Of course I'm sure, Samuel. I have helped many children over the years. This girl will be no different."
"I'm not so sure. I looked over her file a little. She displayed similar traits like the ones Michael did."
"Not entirely. She has never harmed or killed an animal."
"But she showed no remorse when she stabbed her sister."
"Samuel, she's an eight year old girl who got mad at her older step-sister. And it's not like she killed her sister either. The girl is completely fine."
"She stabbed her with a fork and hard enough to pierce the skin. Multiple times too. The girl needed to have stitches."
Dr. Stevens sighed as he looked at the older doctor. "Look, Samuel. I understand your concerns, but I can handle this. I'm well aware of what happened with the girl and I'm prepared to treat her."
Samuel Loomis sighed and shook his head. "I don't think you should take on this patient...but I'm not going to stop you."
Stevens nodded with a smile. "She'll only be here for a few months. I'll find out the route of her anger and help her see that what she did was wrong. She'll then go home rehabilitated and all will be well."
"I hope you're right, Stevens. I'd hate to see this backfire on you."
~Three months later~
"Michael. I'd like you to meet someone."
Dr. Stevens approached the table where Michael sat with Dr. Loomis. The boy looked at the other doctor and then looked at the girl who was with him. She was quiet and was looking at the floor.
"Michael, this is Danielle. She's been here for a few months and I think it would be good if she talked to someone close to her age. Maybe even make a friend."
Michael looked at Danielle again and then looked at Dr. Loomis. Loomis seemed a little unsure, but nodded after a bit. He figured it would be a good thing if Michael could interact with another child.
"It's alright, Michael. You two can have lunch together. You can talk to each other too."
Dr. Loomis got up from his seat at the table, collecting his notepad and tape recorder. Dr. Stevens led Danielle to the open seat and had her sit down. A nurse came over after a bit with two trays of food. She set them down in front of the children, smiling before walking away. The doctors watched the children for a bit before walking off too. They knew that the room was being recorded by security cameras and that there were guards outside the doors. All would be alright as long as nothing bad happened.
At least twenty minutes passed before Michael looked at Danielle. She was picking at the fruit cup on her tray. Everything else had been eaten already. Michael took a breath before speaking.
"How old are you? I'm ten. Almost eleven."
Danielle was silent for a minute before she looked at the boy next to her. "I'm eight. Almost nine."
Michael nodded. "So we are almost the same age. What...did you do to get here?"
"I hurt my step-sister. She made me really mad and I stabbed her in the shoulder with a fork. She had to go to the hospital."
"Is she still alive?" Michael tilted his head curiously.
Danielle nodded with a sigh. "Yeah. She's at home now. I wish I was at home."
Michael nodded, knowing how she felt. "I know how you feel. I want to go home too. I want to see Boo."
"Boo?" Danielle frowned, confused. "Who's Boo?"
"She's my baby sister."
"Oh. So, you're her big brother. I wish I had a baby sister, but it's just me. And my step-sister Jessie."
Danielle huffed as she stabbed a piece of fruit in her fruit cup and popped it in her mouth. Michael laughed a little, smiling as he watched Danielle eat her fruit.
"You don't like your step-sister, huh?"
"No. She's mean. She's only two years older than me, but treats me like a baby. She calls me names and picks on me. She won't even let me play with her or her friends. Mommy says she's just getting used to having a little sister, but I don't believe her. Jessie doesn't like me. And neither does Ben."
It was Michael's turn to be confused. "Who's Ben?"
"Ben is my step-dad. He married my mommy after my real daddy died."
"And you don't like him either?"
"No." Danielle shook her head. "He doesn't see me as his little girl. Only Jessie."
Michael frowned as he saw how upset Danielle seemed. It was the first real emotion he felt since arriving at Smith's Grove. He looked around and then looked back at Danielle, slowly reaching out and taking her hand in his. Danielle stopped picking at her fruit cup and looked at the boy. Michael gave her a true smile.
"It's ok. I didn't like my moms boyfriend either. He was an asshole."
Danielle gasped when she heard the swear. "You said a bad word!"
Michael couldn't help, but laugh at the girl's reaction. "What? You don't say bad words?"
"No. Mommy said that bad words are...are bad. I'm not allowed to swear."
Michael sat back and crossed his arms. "You won't get in trouble here."
Danielle was quiet for a bit before she looked around. "Are you sure?"
Michael nodded. Danielle sat in her seat for a bit before a small, mischievous grin spread across her face.
"Jessie...is an asshole!"
Michael burst out laughing at that. His laughter was immediately contagious, causing Danielle to laugh too. The two children laughed, their laughter echoing through the room. A couple guards outside the room glanced in, but looked away. They didn't see anything wrong with two laughing kids.
Dr. Loomis and Dr. Stevens returned then, looking confused at first. They looked around the room and then looked at the laughing children. Loomis was surprised. Michael hadn't laughed before. Not in the past months since he arrived at the sanitarium.
"Michael? Is everything alright?"
Michael looked at his doctor and nodded. "Yeah. We just had a nice conversation."
Dr. Loomis nodded slowly as he looked at his patient. "That...That's good, Michael. Very good."
"Yes. Very good. It looks like you've started to make a friend here, Danielle." Dr. Stevens smiled as he nodded, looking at his patient.
Danielle looked at the doctor and then looked at Michael. She smiled with an agreeable nod.
"Yeah. I think so too. Do you want to be my friend, Michael?"
Michael nodded and smiled back. "Sure. Let's be friends. Can I call you Danny?"
"Yeah. That's ok with me. Can I call you Mikey?"
Michael nodded. He liked the nickname. Dr. Loomis actually felt like progress was made with his patient. He had actually made a friend and was talking more. He was showing more emotion.
"I think this is a very good accomplishment. For both children."
Dr. Stevens nodded. "I agree."