A/N (Thanks for the reviews on this story. I liked the Squee I got
from Mad Tom of Bedlam.)
Michelle arrived at her apartment that evening, and found Carlton pouring over his books. Carlton was a substitute teacher and was better than most teachers Michelle remembered having in college. Carlton loved to teach, and he had a give and take relationship with the children--he taught fourth graders. He would be kind to them and make their school work easy if they would cooperate with him. There wasn't a school, private or public, that didn't call Carlton when they needed a substitute teacher. Michelle was proud of him, and he was proud of her.
"Hey, Shelly," he said to her when she walked in. "How'd your day go."
Michelle smiled and walked over to where he was sitting. She leaned on the table, where he was sitting, and smiled at him with pleading eyes. Carlton sighed, he knew that look. "What do you want me to do?"
Michelle said, "I got a patient today that is schizophrenic--"
"That's good, they finally gave you a patient other than the suicidal ones. You needed a bit of variety." Carlton replied.
Michelle nodded but continued on. "He doesn't' remember anything about his past, Car. He thinks he is Gabriel Van Helsing, Knight of the Holy Order, and it's the year 1889."
Carlton furrowed his eyebrows. "And?"
Michelle held her hands up. "That's it! That's all he knows about himself. He told me the rest is all blurry."
"And, you want me to help you think of a way to help him remember?" Carlton asked, and Michelle nodded. "Okay, only on one condition."
"Yes?"
Carlton grinned. "I get to go in to Psych Ward and see him."
"Oh, Car, I don't know if I'm allowed to bring people in."
Carlton turned his head. "Then, I can't help you."
"Oh, all right. I'll sneak you in if I have to." Michelle replied, and Carlton turned to her with a smile. "But, I'm not doing this again," she warned.
"Understood," he replied.
The next day, Michelle walked in with Carlton. Dragulia was at the desk in the front of the psychiatric ward, and he stopped them. "Dr. Englehart," he asked as he stared at Carlon, knowing he wasn't suppose to be there.
"Please, Dr. Dragulia, I need Cartlon's help with this case. He has a few ideas on how to get my patient to open up without the use of medications." Michelle pleaded.
Dr. Dragulia looked over at Carlton, who shifted uncomfortably. "Carlton is, whom?"
"My boyfriend." Michelle answered.
"Ah, then he may come in this once, Dr. Englehart." Dr. Dragulia told her. "But, I'm only letting policies slide this once."
Michelle nodded and said, "Thank you." Then she led Carlton past the front desk.
"If anyone gives you problems, Michelle, tell them to take it up with me." Dr. Dragulia told her before she was out of sight.
Michelle nodded, slightly taken back that Dr. Dragulia called her by her first name. She felt her cheeks blush, and she tried to shrug it off as being embarrassed from the boss calling her by her first name. She grabbed Carlton by the arm and led him into the psychiatric ward. She saw his deep blue eyes light up as he glanced around the area. "This is amazing," he told her. "I've never been this close to the whereabouts of the mentally ill before."
"And never will again." Michelle pointed out, and Carlton sighed.
An intern led her over to the room where Gabriel was placed. The room was all white, and it reminded her of all the movies she'd seen of when people die and go to heaven to speak with God. Some of the patients believed that's where they were while they were in those rooms, but Michelle had not spoken with those patients. She stayed with her suicidals mostly, but she had grown close to so many of them. It did make her very sad, and feel like a failure, when one came back into the E.R. dying from suicide attempts after being released. But, Michelle pulled her thoughts back onto the scruffy man in the white room.
"Car, this is him." Michelle told her boyfriend.
Carlton studied Gabriel for a moment and ran his hand through his fairly short blonde hair. "Weathered looking guy, isn't he?" Michelle nodded. "Well, go do your work, I'll be here when you need my advice."
Michelle punched in a code that opened the door to Gabriel's room. All the rooms had a lock guarded by a code, so that the patients could not get out. Gabriel saw Michelle enter, and he sat up on the bed he was lying on. "Dr. Englehart," he said holding out his hand. Michelle took it wearily.
"Mr. Van Helsing," she told him as she sat down in a chair, "I brought a friend along with me today to help me in my search for your past." Michelle pointed to Carlton, who moved into the view of a plexiglass window.
Gabriel saw the man, and his brain knew he'd seen him before. He racked his brain searching for who the man was. 'Why do I know this man,' he thought. He shut his eyes and searched through old blurred memories, and he finally saw who the man was. He opened his eyes wide and stood up as he yelled out, "Carl!"
Carlton, backed away from the window, and Michelle ran out to him. "Car, what's wrong?"
"How did he know my name! Or a piece of my name! You didn't even tell him that!" Carlton shouted as he leaned against a wall. He was afraid of Gabriel because he thought that Gabriel had a sixth sense.
Michelle put her hands on Carlton's face. "It's okay, Car, he doesn't know you. But, you have opened up a door to his past. I thank you for that, now if you want to leave, just head back the way I brought you."
Carlton nodded and left her side. Michelle could tell he was shaken up, and she let him go to be outside to get fresh air. She went back inside of Gabriel's room, and found Gabriel looking lost again. He looked up at her with his confused brown eyes. Michelle had a burning question in her brain. "Who is Carl," she asked as she pulled out a notebook to take notes.
Gabriel didn't want to trust Michelle again. "Carl was my friend, and he helped me on missions as a monster slayer." Truthfully, that was all Gabriel remembered about Carl.
Michelle sighed. "Why did you think my boyfriend was Carl?"
"Because he was." Gabriel replied as he laid back down on the bed. He didn't want to deal with Michelle's questions. He had found a piece of his past, and she drove it away. "Why did he leave?"
"Because that wasn't Carl. His name is Cartlon, and I've known him for nine years now. You spooked him when you yelled in his direction, and he needed some fresh air."
Michelle could see that there was nothing convincing Gabriel that Carlton had not been his friend in his supposed life. "Look, I have a few other patients to check on. Perhaps were can talk about this again later or tomorrow."
Gabriel nodded but showed no sign of actually caring. He wasn't going anywhere, and he knew that. So, he let Michelle go as she pleased, even though he was jealous of her freedoms. Michelle sighed and walked out of the room. The door slid shut and locked behind her. 'No wonder Dr. McCall was so happy to leave this patient. He's a real downer and a pain in the neck.' Michelle thought as she left to check on some of her suicidals.
Michelle arrived at her apartment that evening, and found Carlton pouring over his books. Carlton was a substitute teacher and was better than most teachers Michelle remembered having in college. Carlton loved to teach, and he had a give and take relationship with the children--he taught fourth graders. He would be kind to them and make their school work easy if they would cooperate with him. There wasn't a school, private or public, that didn't call Carlton when they needed a substitute teacher. Michelle was proud of him, and he was proud of her.
"Hey, Shelly," he said to her when she walked in. "How'd your day go."
Michelle smiled and walked over to where he was sitting. She leaned on the table, where he was sitting, and smiled at him with pleading eyes. Carlton sighed, he knew that look. "What do you want me to do?"
Michelle said, "I got a patient today that is schizophrenic--"
"That's good, they finally gave you a patient other than the suicidal ones. You needed a bit of variety." Carlton replied.
Michelle nodded but continued on. "He doesn't' remember anything about his past, Car. He thinks he is Gabriel Van Helsing, Knight of the Holy Order, and it's the year 1889."
Carlton furrowed his eyebrows. "And?"
Michelle held her hands up. "That's it! That's all he knows about himself. He told me the rest is all blurry."
"And, you want me to help you think of a way to help him remember?" Carlton asked, and Michelle nodded. "Okay, only on one condition."
"Yes?"
Carlton grinned. "I get to go in to Psych Ward and see him."
"Oh, Car, I don't know if I'm allowed to bring people in."
Carlton turned his head. "Then, I can't help you."
"Oh, all right. I'll sneak you in if I have to." Michelle replied, and Carlton turned to her with a smile. "But, I'm not doing this again," she warned.
"Understood," he replied.
The next day, Michelle walked in with Carlton. Dragulia was at the desk in the front of the psychiatric ward, and he stopped them. "Dr. Englehart," he asked as he stared at Carlon, knowing he wasn't suppose to be there.
"Please, Dr. Dragulia, I need Cartlon's help with this case. He has a few ideas on how to get my patient to open up without the use of medications." Michelle pleaded.
Dr. Dragulia looked over at Carlton, who shifted uncomfortably. "Carlton is, whom?"
"My boyfriend." Michelle answered.
"Ah, then he may come in this once, Dr. Englehart." Dr. Dragulia told her. "But, I'm only letting policies slide this once."
Michelle nodded and said, "Thank you." Then she led Carlton past the front desk.
"If anyone gives you problems, Michelle, tell them to take it up with me." Dr. Dragulia told her before she was out of sight.
Michelle nodded, slightly taken back that Dr. Dragulia called her by her first name. She felt her cheeks blush, and she tried to shrug it off as being embarrassed from the boss calling her by her first name. She grabbed Carlton by the arm and led him into the psychiatric ward. She saw his deep blue eyes light up as he glanced around the area. "This is amazing," he told her. "I've never been this close to the whereabouts of the mentally ill before."
"And never will again." Michelle pointed out, and Carlton sighed.
An intern led her over to the room where Gabriel was placed. The room was all white, and it reminded her of all the movies she'd seen of when people die and go to heaven to speak with God. Some of the patients believed that's where they were while they were in those rooms, but Michelle had not spoken with those patients. She stayed with her suicidals mostly, but she had grown close to so many of them. It did make her very sad, and feel like a failure, when one came back into the E.R. dying from suicide attempts after being released. But, Michelle pulled her thoughts back onto the scruffy man in the white room.
"Car, this is him." Michelle told her boyfriend.
Carlton studied Gabriel for a moment and ran his hand through his fairly short blonde hair. "Weathered looking guy, isn't he?" Michelle nodded. "Well, go do your work, I'll be here when you need my advice."
Michelle punched in a code that opened the door to Gabriel's room. All the rooms had a lock guarded by a code, so that the patients could not get out. Gabriel saw Michelle enter, and he sat up on the bed he was lying on. "Dr. Englehart," he said holding out his hand. Michelle took it wearily.
"Mr. Van Helsing," she told him as she sat down in a chair, "I brought a friend along with me today to help me in my search for your past." Michelle pointed to Carlton, who moved into the view of a plexiglass window.
Gabriel saw the man, and his brain knew he'd seen him before. He racked his brain searching for who the man was. 'Why do I know this man,' he thought. He shut his eyes and searched through old blurred memories, and he finally saw who the man was. He opened his eyes wide and stood up as he yelled out, "Carl!"
Carlton, backed away from the window, and Michelle ran out to him. "Car, what's wrong?"
"How did he know my name! Or a piece of my name! You didn't even tell him that!" Carlton shouted as he leaned against a wall. He was afraid of Gabriel because he thought that Gabriel had a sixth sense.
Michelle put her hands on Carlton's face. "It's okay, Car, he doesn't know you. But, you have opened up a door to his past. I thank you for that, now if you want to leave, just head back the way I brought you."
Carlton nodded and left her side. Michelle could tell he was shaken up, and she let him go to be outside to get fresh air. She went back inside of Gabriel's room, and found Gabriel looking lost again. He looked up at her with his confused brown eyes. Michelle had a burning question in her brain. "Who is Carl," she asked as she pulled out a notebook to take notes.
Gabriel didn't want to trust Michelle again. "Carl was my friend, and he helped me on missions as a monster slayer." Truthfully, that was all Gabriel remembered about Carl.
Michelle sighed. "Why did you think my boyfriend was Carl?"
"Because he was." Gabriel replied as he laid back down on the bed. He didn't want to deal with Michelle's questions. He had found a piece of his past, and she drove it away. "Why did he leave?"
"Because that wasn't Carl. His name is Cartlon, and I've known him for nine years now. You spooked him when you yelled in his direction, and he needed some fresh air."
Michelle could see that there was nothing convincing Gabriel that Carlton had not been his friend in his supposed life. "Look, I have a few other patients to check on. Perhaps were can talk about this again later or tomorrow."
Gabriel nodded but showed no sign of actually caring. He wasn't going anywhere, and he knew that. So, he let Michelle go as she pleased, even though he was jealous of her freedoms. Michelle sighed and walked out of the room. The door slid shut and locked behind her. 'No wonder Dr. McCall was so happy to leave this patient. He's a real downer and a pain in the neck.' Michelle thought as she left to check on some of her suicidals.