Don't own AHS.

A/N: Thanks for reading, everyone!

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SIX

Pomegranate Seeds

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Oliver found that he liked the way the sun shone on Lana's skin. It made her look bright and more alive than usually did in the dim darkness of Briarcliff. She hadn't been out in the fresh air in a long while and even though there was a small chill in the autumn air, she seemed to be enjoying herself. She sat on one of the benches in the garden in the back, looking a dandelion that Pepper had given her before she ran off, following after Sister Mary Eunice.

It had taken Oliver a lot to convince Sister Jude to let Lana leave the walls of Briarcliff to step out into the garden. He had convinced her that the fresh air would calm her nerves and clear her mind.

"I don't know why ya insist on wastin' yer time." Jude would say, "But I better see some improvement, Dr."

"You will." Was all he could tell her.

Lana studied the little yellow pedals that had begun to deteriorate at the tips. Oliver sat next to her on the bench. "Do you like it?"

"Hmmm." Lana said softly and Oliver took it as a yes.

Oliver smiled, suddenly elated by Lana's fondness of the little flower. He was sure she hadn't seen something that beautiful inside such an ugly place. Of course Briarcliff's garden's had other much more beautiful flowers that the nuns and some of the much more sane patients tended to, but Lana's attention focused on that dandelion.

Oliver had been working with Lana for over a few weeks now and he still hadn't gotten her to complete a few sentences but she made little noises here and there. He was sure she would speak soon enough since she had been communicating in other ways.

"It is very pretty, isn't it?" He continued to admire Lana, "Just like you."

Lana glanced up at him when he said this and it was when her eyes met his that Oliver realized what he had said. He cleared his throat and stood from the bench. His comment had been inappropriate for he believed himself to be a professional but he hadn't thought twice about it. It had just come out.

Lana continued to gaze at him with confusion in her doe eyes and then glanced down at the flower as if nothing had happened.

Oliver helped Lana back into her wheelchair and pushed her through the garden. Lana gazed at the wilderness beyond the bushes that separated the garden from the forest. Her gaze flickered slightly and she listened attentively to Oliver who told her the myth of Persephone, the daughter of the God Zeus and the Goddess Demeter.

"Hades was to release Persephone back to her mother but before he did, he offered her a pomegranate, tricking her so she would stay. Once Persephone ate the seeds of the pomegranate she was bonded to Hades and was to spend four months out of the year with him in the Underworld and the remaining with her mother upon earth." Oliver stopped the wheelchair by a bush with no flowers and knelt down in front of Lana, "They say that the time Persephone spends in the Underworld with her husband corresponds to the winter months. Her mother, Demeter, mourns her absence by drying the earth and bringing forth the winter. However, the return of Persephone upon earth brings forth the beginning of Spring." He looked at Lana and smiled at her amused expression. He smiled sheepishly, "Interesting, isn't it?"

Lana raised her hand and placed it upon his. "S—sp…spring."

Oliver grinned, "Yes, Lana. No matter how long the winter is, Spring always arrives."

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Oliver arrived home late that night. His comment to Lana had loomed over his mind the entire ride home and he had mentally scolded himself for it. Oliver knew he was fond of Lana but only in the respectable way as patient and doctor. Possibly maybe even as a friend but no more than that. Alas, Lana had not seemed bothered by his comment but she did sadden when he said goodbye. Not to mention the look of pure wonder on her face when he told her the myth of Persephone and Hades. She had even made an attempt to speak and that was a very good sign.

Oliver placed his briefcase on the counter by the entrance and went to the mini bar in his living room to make himself a drink. A dry martini was just what he needed. As he made his drink, Lana's face came to mind. Her pale skin glowed under the sun and her eyes shined in a way they hadn't done so before. They were almost illuminating.

Oliver took his drink and sat on the sofa. He took his glasses and set them by a blue ceramic bowl filled with mints. He took a drink and set the glass down as well.

His mind raced through all kinds of scenarios. He imagined Lana standing from that wheel chair and walking on her own. He imagined the sound of her voice and that of her laughter. He imagined her stepping out of the front doors of Briarcliff, clear of every single charge of insanity. Of course Oliver knew that Lana couldn't be released unless the person who committed her in the first place signed her back out. Only that person held the power but Oliver had the capability of showing them Lana's sanity. She'd have a better case, a winning case.

When Oliver finished his drink, he stood and went to fetch his notes on Lana. He looked over all the progress she had made in the past weeks and was awfully pleased. He knew she could talk, why she refused to speak in full sentences was beyond him. "Patience." He told himself, "Have some patience."

And so the days continued to pass, one after the other with little to no progress. Lana was stubborn as a mule and denied doing simple tasks. She often didn't want to eat or step out of her chambers. Oliver knew she was prone to bursts of sudden depression and did his best to soothe her when all she did was lay in bed with a blank expression upon her face. However, his other patients needed his attention too. He couldn't be with her twenty-four-seven. But he wished he could.

On that rainy day in early November, frantic shrills bounced through the halls of Briarcliff. Oliver had just arrived, having heard the screams from the stairway to heaven and instantly recognized them.

"What's happening?" Oliver demanded when he rushed into the women's corridor.

One of the new orderlies came rushing down the hall, "She's having another attack!" And he raced off to fetch Sister Jude or another orderly. Maybe even Frank.

"Lana?" Oliver forced his way into the room where the screams grew louder.

Lana lay on the filthy bed convulsing and kicking about, screaming at the top of her lungs as Carl pinned her down to the bed. "No!" She screamed, "No! Not again! Not again!"

Oliver stood frozen for a moment unable to believe what he was hearing.

"Don't leave! Don't leave! You traitor!" Her screams pierced the murky air and alarmed the rest of the patients, riling them up. Pepper ran up and down the hall, covering her large ears and crying the name Lucas as one of the nuns tried to calm her. The other patients began to cry against their locked doors and shout and hoot.

"Traitor!"

Oliver finally snapped back to his senses and hurried to Lana's bedside, "Lana, Lana, calm down. Look at me." When Lana didn't respond Oliver looked to Carl, "What happened?"

"She's havin' a manic breakdown, Doc. We don't know what happened. She was fine and then suddenly started beatin' on herself."

"Beating on herself?" Oliver then took notice of Lana's busted lip. She was bleeding onto her gown. "Lana, stop!" He ordered, "Calm down!" But to no avail. Lana's body continued to convulse and her screams shook his ear drums.

"She needs a sedative. Hold her down a little more." Oliver ordered and raced to get a syringe from his briefcase. He carried them for emergencies and having to use one on Lana was heartbreaking.

"I'm sorry." He told her just before he injected her and seconds after he did, Lana began to calm down.

Carl slowly let go of her and took a step back. Lana stopped kicking and her arms fell limp at her sides. She slowly shook her head from one side to the other and then raised her hand, clutching Oliver's shirt with a tight grip. "Don't—don't let her come. Don't let them t—take me away. Her…she lied…she lied…" her eyes slowly began to close and her voice slurred into a soft whisper, "She's gone…" She brought Oliver closer, "She said…she loved me…" Her grip on Oliver's shirt loosened and her hand fell limp on the bed. Oliver remained frozen in place, unable to believe what he had just witnessed. In the middle of a manic episode Lana had been lucid. She had formed sentences all on her own. They were butchered and they made no sense but alas, there they were. He couldn't begin to explain it.

Oliver placed his hand on the side of her head, "There, there. Rest now."

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"I told ya that ya were wastin' yer time, Dr." Jude said as she paced back and forth in her office. Oliver stood behind her desk; hands behind his back like a schoolboy in trouble with the headmaster. "I told ya that Ms. Winters was a lost cause, didn't I?"

"Yes, but—"

"And yet you insisted on helpin' her."

Oliver closed his eyes and tried to find patience in himself. Nevertheless, he couldn't get the pain in Lana's eyes out of his mind. "Lana—" he cleared his throat, "Ms. Winters was showing great progress before this set back."

"Ya call that progress?" Jude stood before him, "She's a mad woman. There is no hope for her. You can't help her, Dr. Only God can." Jude pointed up at the ceiling.

Oliver frowned at this. "This set back doesn't mean absolute failure, sister. Ms. Winters has been through a lot and a few manic episodes are bound to happen sooner or later. Have you heard about PTSD?"

Jude eyed him warily but didn't answer so Oliver continued. "Post traumatic stress disorder. Many soldiers home from the war overseas were diagnosed with a high form of stress that caused them to relive flashbacks of events during their time in battle. Now, many of those patients were capable of holding a normal life after the war but many others continue to struggle. Now, these types of breakdowns are normal for someone with PTSD."

"So you're telling me that Ms. Winters suffers from the same affliction as these war heroes?"

"Perhaps maybe not from the same events but Ms. Winters did experience many traumatic events that have left her crippled in many ways. Electroshock therapies for one have left her with great stress. I assure you agree that something of that nature could leave someone with multiple issues. Solitary confinement as well can have many effects on the human brain and—"

"Alright, alright. I understand, Dr. Don't go overboard, now." Jude turned her back to him and returned to stand behind her desk. "As long as Ms. Winters continues to have these episodes, she continues to be a danger to herself and to the public."

"Lana isn't dangerous." Oliver countered, "She needs help. She needs someone to guide her and help her when she needs it."

"And I assume that you're willing to give her all the attention she needs?" Jude raised a brow at him, "Don't get too attached now, Dr. That wouldn't be very prudent of you."

Oliver avoided her piercing glance, "I am a professional, Sister but that doesn't mean that I cannot and do not care for my patients."

Jude placed her hands on the desk and leaned forward. "One more of those manic outbursts of hers and she goes right back to solitary. Do you hear me, Dr? I won't have you wastin' my time with this."

Oliver frowned at Sister Jude but kept his calm. "It won't happen again." And with that he turned to leave Jude's office.

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Lana remained under sedation for the rest of the day. Oliver sat at her bedside watching her and unable to believe that she was the same woman he had seen out in the garden. The one that appeared to be so aware of all her surroundings.

"I wish I knew what was going on in your head." He spoke softly to her, recalling the person she had mentioned during her outburst, "I wish I knew how to truly help you…" Oliver's gaze fell upon her lips, feeling something within him change, "I wish I could take you far from here."