A/N: I know it's been forever since I updated last. I have just had no urge to write lately.
THE NEXT MORNING
TOMMY
Sitting on my hospital bed, waiting for Hayley to come and get me I look down at the clothes I'm currently wearing, at least a little happy to finally be free of that horrible hospital gown. Now if only I could convince the nurse I don't need help dressing next time all will be good, because yeah wasn't that a fun little five minutes of unneeded embarrassment.
Looking at the clock on the wall and frowning as the numbers don't make as much sense as I think they should, I heave a sigh. I'm still hoping I can talk her into not taking me to rehab. I just can't think of any way to do it. Maybe I can get her to let me go home for at least a little bit first. If she does, maybe I can show her I don't need this rehab business.
Finally, she walks into the room with a nurse right behind her…a nurse with a wheelchair. Is somebody's leg broken?
"Time to go, Dr. Oliver."
Yeah, I got that, but - "What's the chair for?"
Smiling as if she's heard this before, the young brown haired nurse shakes her head. "You." Um no. Seeing my look of unhappiness, she continues gently. "Sorry, hospital rules. You don't want me to lose my job, do you?"
I think about this for a minute. She's been the most decent nurse in this place, even going so far as to letting Connor and Kira bring me in fast food the other day despite it being against their lame hospital rules. It would be a shame to lose her. "No."
"Glad to hear it. So into the chair, please?" Fine.
I move from the bed to the chair, grumbling about how stupid this is. I catch a smile on Hayley's face. At my curious look, she explains, "You're getting to leave the hospital and you're still complaining about it."
I mumble, "One prison to another." I didn't mean for her to hear that, but I see the hurt look on her face and I'm immediately sorry. She has put up with more of my crap these last several days than anyone else and she doesn't deserve to be made feel bad about something I'm pretty sure the creep doctor is pushing her to do. "Sorry."
She sighs and nods. "I know. Let's just go."
I study her as the nurse backs my chair out of the room. Hayley's not looking well these days. Some part of my mind does the math and realizes that she barely goes home long enough to shower and eat and maybe get a little sleep. Great, now I feel even worse.
We get down to the car in complete silence. I want to say something to break it, but what? I get in the car as Hayley tosses my bag in the back. She gets in and says, "Can you buckle the seat belt?"
I give her an evil look, which she ignores. I fasten the belt, turn and stick my tongue out at her. She laughs. Finally! For the first time in days, I see her smile and I see hope in her eyes. She starts the car and puts it in gear. As she pulls out of the parking lot, I try to put my plan into action. "Go by my house."
She gives me a startled look before turning her attention back to the road. "Why?"
"Want some stuff from there." I turn my best puppy dog eyes on her. Okay, it would work better if she'd actually look at me. "Please?"
She bites her lip for a minute before she sighs, still not looking at me. "Tommy, put the puppy dog eyes away. I really can't handle it right now." Well, that was kind of the point. I'm about to up the stakes a little when she says one of the things I don't want to hear right now. "If you keep using the puppy eyes, I'm going to use my best weapon."
Uh oh. That's either her ability to be scary or - oh, hell. I immediately drop the look and frown at her. "You wouldn't."
"I would." Problem is, she would too.
"But, Hayley, I'm hurt." Good, good - a small pleading voice and a tiny whine at the end. That'll get her. "You wouldn't guilt me when I'm hurt, would you?"
"I don't want to, but I will if you make me." Turning this over in my head, I realize that she has enough ammunition from the last several days to make me feel bad - never mind the stuff I can't even remember. I fold my arms and scowl for a minute as I realize that she's won - again. She speaks again. "Now, I understand that you want some of your stuff. If you let me know what you want, I'll bring it to you when I come to visit."
Checkmate. She's not going to take me home - even for a minute. "Fine."
She takes one hand off the wheel and pats my leg. "It was a good try. It might have worked on someone who doesn't know you as well as I do." Well, that's a small comfort I suppose. Though very small.
------------
(10 min later…)
"Well here we are."
As the car pulls into the parking lot, I study the place. The building is okay, I guess, and the lawn is huge and well kept. It looks picture perfect and I frown again remembering something someone once told me about looks not always being what counts.
Besides even if it is as good as it looks on the brochure, I still don't want to be here. Searching for anything left to say to make her change her mind as she parks the car all I can come up with is one more plea for her to trust me. "Hayley, I don't want to be here. Please just take me home. I can do it all by myself I swear."
Sighing and pocketing her keys she shakes her head once more. "Tommy, I can't. The only way they would release you from the hospital was into a rehab program."
Frowning and looking at her closely, even with the trouble that comes with thinking now I know somewhere inside that that's not right, I just can't figure out why. Finally remembering some court show I'd watched while stuck in that stupid hospital I call her on her bluff.
"Na uh, I could have left ADR." Catching her puzzled look, I sigh and explain. "Against Doctor's Reason."
"Ah, you mean AMA." Um…maybe. No? At my confused look she explains calmly. "Against Medical Advice." Oh yeah that.
"Yeah see so I could so have left if I'd wanted to." So there.
Feeling very satisfied with myself, I'm however taken back down as she continues to disagree. "No you couldn't. Tommy right now you've been declared incompetent. They've set their minds to the fact you can't do what you need to do to take care of yourself and stay safe, so in order to leave you would have had to have been placed in the care of another facility or another person, most likely whoever holds your power of attorney in such a case." Power of attorney. I know those words. I've seen and said those words somewhere before.
"What does that mean? Power of attorney?"
"It means you gave up the power to make decisions like leaving the hospital in the event that you were ever hurt. You agreed to let someone else make those decisions for you."
"You."
Nodding slowly and not looking very comfortable now, she softly agrees that I remember right. "Yes you gave that power to me about a year ago as you don't really have any close family that you trust."
"So you could have told them to let me go home." Narrowing my eyes at her as things are clicking, be it slowly, I am not happy. "I could go home if you went with me and they wouldn't be able to make me go to this rehab business."
"Tommy…Tommy it's better this way. You need to be helped by people who know how to do it." Not liking this one bit as I know realize she could have taken me home if she'd really wanted to, I feel my stomach knot in worry.
"You don't want me now?"
Face changing from guilty to surprised, she quickly shakes her head, hard. "No, no of course not, you're my best friend. I don't know what I'd do without you Tommy. It's not that I don't want you, not at all, if I thought I could help you like these people can I'd take you home and stay with you until you were better, but Tommy I'm not a doctor. Yes I'm smart but not in that way and it would be really unfair to you to not get you the right kind of help."
"I wouldn't care if you were unfair." Crossing my arms and looking out the window at the place I'm apparently going to go like it or not, I just wish she'd see I'd be better off with her, whether she was a doctor or not.
Before I can say anything, she turns my face toward her. "Hey. I promise I will visit as soon and as often as I can."
"Tomorrow?" Maybe by then I can show these doctors I can manage and she can take me home.
"I will if I can." I don't really like the end of that sentence. If she can? What does that mean? "Now unbuckle your seat belt and get out." Hayley gets out of the car and grabs my bag from the back seat. By the time she gets to my door, I'm out and slamming the door as hard as I can. That'll show her how unhappy I am about this.
She sighs and together we walk to the door and inside the nicely decorated lobby where Creepy Doctor is at the reception desk waiting for us. He seems almost happy to see us - yeah, and that's creeping me out even more. "I'm glad to see you've managed to get here at the appointed time." Appointed time? They had a time?
"Yes well we're still not exactly happy about it." We? How about me, considering you're the one dumping me off here instead of making them let me go home.
"It's to be expected. Thankfully the staff here is well trained in knowing just how to put reluctant patients at ease." This said he signals to a big man nearby, who comes over.
Swallowing as he is actually a bit taller and lot more muscular looking then me, I can't help but push myself up as tall as I can, not about to look like I'm going to be pushed around by the giant in white.
"Since I work here part time I will be looking in on his case checking on just what progress is being made, and as far as I know we'll be starting his treatment tomorrow." Gesturing to the large man that I'm still trying to intimidate, he smiles in a weird sort of way. "John here is one of our orderlies and he'll show Tommy to his room." Oh so it's Tommy now? No more Dr. Oliver. Not sure if I like that or not.
The big guy - John - beckons to me. "Please follow me Tommy. I'll show you where your room is and you can get settled in." He takes my bag from Hayley and walks over to a nearby door. His attitude is just short of dealing with a kindergartener and I don't like it.
Giving Hayley one last pleading look, I know I'm done for as she only hugs me tightly before giving me a gentle push in his direction. "It'll be fine, I promise." Says you.
Not left with much choice I follow John unhappily swallowing as the dividing door from the lobby to the rest of the hospital swings shut behind me with a soft click of the lock sliding into place. Lock? Why do they need a lock?
"Um, hey like what's with the lock? Who are you trying to keep out?"
Not even glancing back at me as we head down the too white hallway, his answer is upsetting at best. "It's not to keep people out but in. No one escapes on my watch." Oh crap.
"I don't like cages." And if this is one, which is what it's starting to feel like I am out of here whether Hayley likes it or not.
Reaching an empty room, with not much more in then a bed, dresser, and closet, he pushes me less then gently inside. "I really don't care what you like, you're in my house now and you better learn the rules and fast. You might be retarded now, but I'm sure you're still smart enough to learn a few things. Like for starters it's not smart to piss me off."
Hayley you better get back here and fast.
