8
I had never been so happy to see the hospital. I was already rushing to get out of the car once I parked and I was moving inside quickly. In the check in/ waiting room, Dr. Loomis was already waiting for me. He waved me over.
"Quickly, quickly. I don't want to run out of any time with him. This may be the only chance we get to connecting with him." he said. We both moved down the hall with great speed.
"So what's going to happen? Is he saying anything else?" I asked my mind racing with questions.
"No, he's only said your name hours ago which worries me that he may not speak again." he said. That worried me already. What if this was some sort of trick? No Michael doesn't play games, not even when he was a kid.
"Where is he?" I asked.
"In the cafeteria. No one else is in there except one orderly." he said pausing now and turning to me. "This isn't something I would normally do or recommend, but I think you should go in alone."
"Alone?" I asked, my tone laced with skepticism and worry. He nodded.
"He will still be chained and one orderly will be with you. He hasn't shown any other signs of being aggressive. I think this would be good for you both. This will be the only time I grant this type of visit. I want you to see if you can get him speak again." he explained. I nodded thinking I was happy to have some sort of semi one on one time with Michael. Maybe he's ready to speak and ready to talk about what happened those years ago.
We continued down the hall until we were at the cafeteria. It wasn't a large room, but enough for maybe half of the patients to come in and eat if needed. Luckily it wasn't needed. I looked through the window and saw him. He was just sitting there with a tray of food in front of him. He was in his usual white pants and shirt. His hair covered his face and this time…
I looked at Dr. Loomis.
"He isn't wearing a mask." I said and Dr. Loomis nodded in awe.
"Yes. The first time in 8 years. I think he's ready to speak." he said.
We both just looked at him through the window. An older orderly man was sitting at the table beside him, his side facing Michael. A red headed nurse approached us.
"Dr. Loomis, Sheriff Brackett is on the phone returning your call." she said. I looked at the doctor now.
"You called Brackett?" I asked and Dr. Loomis nodded.
"Yes. He wanted to be kept informed on Michael's progress. Some of the board members of Smith's Grove think now that Michael is getting older it may be time to transfer him to a different hospital." he said slowly as if gauging my reaction. I winced some.
"And what do you think?" I asked. He sighed heavily and shook his head.
"It all comes down to today and what happens. If I can't get him to speak and you can't get him to speak they may approve his transfer." he said.
"To where?" I asked and he shook head once more.
"We don't know yet." he replied.
"Doctor… the sheriff." the nurse reminded and Dr. Loomis looked at her and then looked around some.
"Yeah eh, have the call transferred to this office so I can keep a watch." he said pointing to the room beside us. The nurse nodded and walked away. He looked back at me and then the cafeteria. "When you're ready."
And I was ready. I straightened up my clothes and walked towards the doors of the cafeteria and entered. I would be a fool if thought Michael would look up at me, but he didn't. I slowly approached the table and leaned my head over some.
"Hey, Michael." I replied gently and sat down in front of him. He didn't look up at me. I was suddenly nervous now, but I pushed it aside. I would never feel doubt toward my friend. "Dr. Loomis said you spoke, that you said my name did you want to ask me something or say something to me?"
I got no reply and I just tilted my head some trying to see his face some. I could see his young cheeks and seemingly soft skin beneath greasy hair and I tilted my head some. I looked at the orderly who had officially turned his back to us and I looked him over. I was pretty sure that was a bad idea in itself. But I couldn't pay attention to that. I was too excited thinking that maybe Michael would speak. I looked back at him smiling some.
"You're not wearing a mask… you don't usually not wear one. Are you alright?" I asked, and I was sure I saw his eyes this time. Still a clear crystal blue like I remembered. But he still did not speak. I looked down at his plate of food and saw he had some type of stuffing mix and ham on his plate with a metal fork. I looked back at Michael, the worry clouding my face this time.
"Michael please say something to me… if you don't… they may move you to a different hospital." I replied and he looked back down as if I hadn't said anything. "Do you know what that means? We'll be separated forever."
I placed my hands on the table and turned my hands up so my palms faced him.
"You promised." I said, voice breaking, eyes watering. I felt warmth in my cheeks as tears slid down my face. Please don't let them take you from me. I watched as one of Michael's hands raised from beneath the table and I felt a weak smile form on my face thinking he was going to reach out to me. Instead his hand moved over to the tray of food and I noticed he slowly grabbed his fork. I froze right then and there, my women's intuition telling me something bad was about to happen. Slowly, Michael began to grip the fork even more and he stood up slowly and just slid his way out of the table and I just watched as he did this.
What was he doing? I just watched him move over to the table that was right across from us and over to the orderly. My eyes widened as I watched his free hand grab what seemed to be the man's face and I saw his other hand moving back and forth and back and forth. The older man was making gurgling noises and he was reaching up to grab Michael's arm like that was going to do any good. There was a loud noise ringing over my head and I was frozen in my chair watching the blood. So much blood sliding on the ground as Michael pins the bleeding, barely breathing man against the doors as if using him to lock it. As if that's not enough, he grabs the nearest tables close to him and jams them right into the doors.
I just watched this, my mouth open and my stomach trying to push vomit up my throat but it doesn't work. There are enough tables to pin the doors shut locking us both inside. The windows couldn't be broken. After an incident a few years back, they purposely replaced the window with a tougher material that no one could break. Michael was not standing there, and I just looked down to see blood pooling under the tables as Michael just kept pushing the tables against the door like that poor man wasn't pinned against them. My body is shaking, almost convulsing in fear. My eyes finally meet Michael's face and he just walks over to me, leaning down to pick up the fork and I gasp at the action.
And I just stand up and move around the table to try and avoid him, but I feel a hand grip my arm and pull me back. I feel my body lifted from the air and I'm slammed on my back on the table. I groan out feeling a hand grip my shirt tight and I look up at Michael who raises his fork wielding hand in the air.
"IF THIS IS HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO END BETWEEN US YOU HAD BETTER FUCKING MAKE SURE I'M DEAD! I DIDN'T FEAR YOU THEN AND YOU WON'T MAKE ME FEAR YOU NOW!" I shouted through gritted teeth and anger. Michael's hand remained in the air and I looked into his eyes, our eyes found each other. He has no heart. The Michael I knew was gone, this action proved it. I just closed my eyes now.
"Just do it." I said softly and I waited for the stab, waiting for the blood to fill my lungs and pour from my mouth probably. I would open my eyes at the end and stare at his face while he watched me die. But still nothing happened and before I could open my eyes, I feel my body raised and I feel my chest pushing into the table. What the hell? I could hardly breathe as I feel Michael's hand holding my neck down. I couldn't move my body it felt. I felt fingers on my bottom, his knuckles. I'm looking around furiously, the loud beeping noise still above my head. The banging on the doors were silenced by my panic as my pants and panties are swiftly pulled down and around my ankles. I can feel Michael's legs closer to the back of mine.
"No." I pant out knowing exactly what's going to happen. I place my hands on the table in panic trying to pull myself up, but it's futile. The hold on my neck had me under his control. "No!" Suddenly, something tears… rips right into me and my eyes just widen as far as they can. And immediately pain and burning erupts into my vagina all the way through my stomach and into my throat as a violent scream tears from it.