Finding Bearings

Punk woke up the next morning and after taking Raimy to school and dropping Vivian off with Coleen at the office, he headed to the institute where AJ was being held. He was under the impression that there wouldn't be legal activity going on there. As soon as he and AJ found out about it, and they got pictures and some information, they knew it was no doubt funded on drugs and was probably housed to all kinds of abuse. Knowing his wife was there was terrifying, he wanted nothing more than to see her and hug her.

He eventually got to the building which looked ghostly from the outside. He got out of his car and walked on in, feeling a chill up his spine as soon as he walked into the reception like area. There was no colour anywhere. The walls were grey and the staff he saw had either white coats on or long skirts and trousers. It was something straight out of a horror movie.

"Can I help you?" Linda asked, even though she knew who he was.

"I'm here to see my wife." Punk nodded, "April Brooks."

"April isn't having visitors right now." Linda told him as Punk smiled a little and nodded. He was of course prepared for that reply.

"You let me see her." Punk said, taking out his CIA badge, sitting it on the desk, "Unless you want this place tipped upside down from top to bottom." He said, even though technically he couldn't make that call, but he knew it would frighten an old lady such as herself.

Linda looked at him, staring at the badge and massaging her hands, "Come this way with me." Linda nodded, walking around from behind the desk as Punk followed her, putting his badge away.

As he followed her down the corridor, he looked into what appeared to the be the main room where a lot of people were gathered, people who looked to be completely out of their face. He already knew this wasn't a legitimate place for people who needed mental health aid, but this further proved it. He knew what mental health facilities looked like. He'd been in one. This was like a prison. And he wondered how all these people had gotten there.

"She's tired so I'll have to ask you to leave after the half hour." Linda said.

"I'll leave when I want to." Punk made clear as Linda raised a brow.

"This is her room." Linda paused outside the door as Punk was about to walk in, "Uh… I have to search you before you go in. It's procedure here." She smiled as Punk nodded, stretching his arms out as she patted him up and down, digging inside his pockets, "Ok, you're fine." She nodded.

Punk turned back around, opening up the room door and pausing. It looked just like a prison cell, maybe even worse. He closed the door behind him and immediately walked over to the bed where AJ was lying sleeping.

He then noticed her black eye and cut eyebrow, running his hand through his hair as he pulled over a chair from the corner and sat down by her bed, watching as she woke up suddenly by the noise.

"Oh my God." She whispered once she saw it was him, her heart feeling warm again as she sat up and climbed over him, hugging him tightly as he hugged her back and kissed her repeatedly anywhere he could.

"What the hell happened to you?" Punk shook his head, pulling back and cupping her face, "What are they doing? April, just… we can forget this, let's just get you out of here." He nodded. Nothing was worth the price of his wife's health and safety.

"N-No… I'm fine." AJ nodded to him as he looked in her eyes, "They… They're giving me something." AJ told him, "A drug. I can't… I can't get anywhere to throw it up because they have guys stay with me until it's in my system. I slept all day yesterday." She said, "I think it's like a sedative or something." She said, sitting back on the bed as he shook his head, "As soon as I take it I just pass out."

"When do you get it?" Punk asked her.

"Every morning." AJ said, "It fades off about this time. I was just trying to sleep it off." She told him, "I've mapped out uh… the exits." AJ told him, getting off the bed and pulling it over a little to reveal a drawing on the cold ground, "I saw them all when I came in." She explained, crouching down, "This is probably the nearest one." She pointed to him as he looked on.

He knew most of her childhood and teenage life had to revolve around finding exits, and he hated that she had to go back to that place.

"April, you really… you don't have to do this." Punk told her as she sat back on the bed.

"We do. We. I'm doing it for us. I'll do my part and you need to do yours." She said as Punk looked at her face and sighed.

"I don't want to see you get hurt." Punk shook his head.

"I'm fine." AJ nodded, "Honestly… It's just a bruise." She shrugged it off, "How are the girls?" She questioned, "Are they ok?"

"They're fine. Raimy is at school but I got Frankie to base a car outside the school. Just to be safe." He said, "Viv is with your sister at the office. She said she's gonna take charge of it while you're out."

"Ok, good." AJ nodded, "What did you tell them?" AJ asked.

"Just that… you were gone for work, like I was, they'd see you soon." Punk said, "I figured maybe I could have brought them to see you but-"

"No." AJ already answered for him, "No way." She said, "I'll see them soon." She nodded to herself as he nodded, "I'm just… I'm trying to figure out how the hell I can… get close to paper work in here. Everything is so guarded." She said.

"What are you doing all day?" He asked.

"Apparently I get therapy. Group and individual." She rolled her eyes, "And there's sessions, outdoor time… it's like entering some conversion centre in the 70s." She shook her head as Punk sighed.

"How can they even justify you being here? The whole thing just doesn't make sense." He said, "And how the hell did… did all these people get here?" He asked, "There's tons."

"I haven't spoken to anyone yet." AJ told him, "There has to be… some sort of purpose for this place, and it's not to help the mentally ill." AJ said.

"Well money, obviously." Punk said, "You think there's another reason?"

"I don't know. I got a bad feeling about it." She said, "I need a few days to suss out the routine of everything and what's actually going on. I need to speak to people-"

"They all look high." Punk said, "Ape, the second I see you… not yourself, I'm getting you out. I don't care if that's what you want or not." He made clear.

"Ok, but for now I'm fine and I can do this." She nodded, "It's just like prison. I got out of there." She shrugged.

"You gotta be careful, though." Punk said as she nodded.

"I will." She said, "I have the group therapy today I think so maybe I can suss out different people, the staff, who is who… and maybe I can talk to another patient." She nodded.

"Who is in charge?" Punk asked her.

"An older woman. Her name is Linda. She's probably in business… well, she is in business with Teresa but… I can't see them working together. I'm just trying to figure it out." She admitted, her brain was doing so much overtime, and it was hard when she was still feeling slightly tired and light-headed from the drugs.

"Maybe this like a… storage place for drugs, you know." Punk shrugged, "Would explain why everyone is out their face. Maybe a bit of co-funding going on, if you know what I mean." He said.

"Maybe." AJ nodded, "But I don't know. You can store drugs in warehouses, stores, garages… why this kind of place? Why is this kind of place still functioning?" She questioned as he nodded, "I gotta find out."

"Do you need me to bring you anything?" Punk asked her.

"No, I just need you to do any work I find. If I can find out any information about this place, you gotta do the homework for me." She said as he nodded, "And make sure Viv gets that cream on her arm before bed. And uh… Raimy needs new hair bands… you know, to tie her hair back, she keeps snapping them, I don't know why." AJ shook her head, "And they have that… fayre thing at Raimy's school this week… you should take them, they liked it last year." AJ nodded, "And you gotta-"

"April." Punk placed his hand on her leg, "They'll be fine. This isn't long term for you. As soon as we get the scope on this place you're out." He said as she nodded, "I'll visit every day." He assured her.

"Why would she put me in here?" AJ shook her head.

"Well remember she doesn't know that we knew this was gonna happen." He said, "But I don't know. Maybe you're right, maybe something else is going on here." He nodded.

"Well I'm gonna find out." AJ assured him.

"Please be careful." He said as she nodded.

"I'll be fine." AJ nodded, "Look after my babies." She said as he nodded, leaning forward and kissing her softly as she kissed back. That kiss giving her so much strength, so much motivation.

He eventually pulled back, tucking her hair behind her ear, "We find information that can shut her down, and all this goes away." He said as she nodded.

"Piece of cake." AJ teased with a smile as he laughed a little and nodded. It was good to see her wit hadn't left, he wasn't sure it ever would. She'd been to hell and back and she still kept going. She was amazing.

Punk stayed with AJ essentially until he got thrown out, talking about the what ifs and the plans for AJ to get access to different things in the institute. For the first few days she just needed to get to know the place before she actually started to get anywhere, but there was still some little things she could be busy with.

She didn't want to see Punk go but she knew she'd see him in the morning and knowing he was there for the girls made her feel a whole lot better.

Once he had gone, she was taken down to the large social room type area where there were some people sat in a circle. She then noticed, for some reason, it was only females. Some were completely out of their face, high on drugs, others looked so scarily traumatised they weren't saying anything, and there were a few who just looked to be keeping quiet.

She walked on into the circle and sat down at an empty chair, pulling her legs up in a basket and looking around at everyone closely. She knew this was just one session, there were way more people in the institute.

"Ok, everyone. We have a new patient with us." Linda said, sitting in the circle as AJ looked over at her, "This is April." She said as AJ just looked at everyone, "April, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?" She nodded as AJ looked across at her.

"Do I have to?" AJ asked, watching Linda nod to the men in white coats, "Ok." AJ nodded immediately, she was too tired to fight, "Ok… my name is April." She said, even though near enough everyone was ignoring her, too drugged to listen to her, "I'd explain why I'm here but I actually don't know." She admitted honestly.

"You're here because you want to get better, you want to be cleansed and you want to contribute." Linda answered for her.

"Contribute to what?" AJ screwed her face up, "I have a life. A good one. I don't need to be here."

"A good life?" Linda questioned, opening up a folder, which had a picture of AJ from prison staped to the front.

"I've got better pictures out there." AJ remarked.

"I wouldn't say being sold into the sex trafficking world at 6 is a good life." Linda said, "Nor slitting your boyfriend's throat, being in prison 6 times, which apparently… you died in." Linda said as AJ looked across at her, "But here you are."

"Well there you have it." AJ said, "Ghosts exist." She nodded.

"But it's ok because we have your other records too, Kat… two children, married, business owner." Linda nodded, "I have to say, I think Kat sounds a lot more accomplished than April."

"You're right. But right now, sitting in front of you, you've got April to deal with." AJ nodded.

"You had a miscarriage last year." She said as AJ tilted her head.

"How the hell would you know that?" AJ was about to stand up when she remembered she was being guarded. She couldn't understand why this woman would know something only hospital records would show, and only her husband and close friends knew about.

"I have your records." Linda said.

"Which is… illegal." AJ shook her head, "You're not a doctor. I know you're not. I don't think anyone in this hell hole is a doctor." She said.

"April, do you need a sedative?" Linda questioned as AJ looked across at her, "Having your records means I get to know everyone better, I get to help everyone better."

"It's illegal and you would have had to pull a lot of strings to get them." AJ said.

"Maybe so." Linda smiled softly, "Back to you. What would you say is your biggest fear, April?" She asked as AJ looked across at her.

"This place." AJ mumbled as Linda just nodded, writing things down as AJ sighed, looking around, turning to the girl beside her who was looking at her, "What?" AJ shot daggers at the girl who was staring hard.

"I know you." The girl whispered quietly as AJ looked at her.