Chapter 2

Thank god for coffee.

I brought the white cup to my lips, sipping lightly on the heavily sugared contents. The waitress swung by with a few sweets for my companion and I, placing a can of whipped cream by the plate. Jo grabbed it instantly, smothering her pie until you could no longer tell what she was eating.

"I love breakfast in the evening." Jo mumbled with her mouth full of cream. I sliced off a pat of butter and smeared it on the hot muffin, watching blankly as it melted.

"Dessert you mean?"

"Sure." Jo said, poking her fork into the abyss of cream. "I haven't seen you in awhile."

"I started working at Arkham a week ago." I informed her with a sigh. I hadn't even been there for a month, but the work began to take a toll on my body. Every time I looked in the mirror, I saw black bags hang beneath my eyes. My skin wasn't getting any light from the sun, so I thought about visiting a tanning salon to retain some color. Naturally, I couldn't rouse myself from my bed to do so. I remained paler than milk.

"Oh, how has that been?" Jo asked.

"Pretty boring." I insisted. "It does pay well, though." I neglected to tell her certain items on account of my confidentiality agreement.

"So that's not where the bruise came from?"

"What bruise?"

"The one on your jaw."

I pulled out my cell phone to take a peak in the reflection. Sure enough, a purple and green mark stretched from my chin to the back of my jaw. I didn't deny the pain; I had felt it ever since I woke up at four. Still, I wasn't about to tell Jo what happened. I looked at her shimmery grey eyes and smiled.

"No, actually…I was with a guy." I laughed. She furrowed her brow in bewilderment. Oh yes, I knew how to play this game.

Jo grabbed her fork and cut up what was left of her sweet, stuffing her face. "You're saying a guy hit you?"

I nodded, stirring up a lie. "One of my ex's came to visit and thought we could catch up. I guess by catching up, he meant it in every way."

Her eyes widened. She reached across the table and squeezed my hand. "You should have called someone, Mira."

I shrugged her off, assuring her that he left town. I really did have a crazy ex- boyfriend, but he never hit me. I drew upon his behavior to conjure up my little lie. Then I recalled patient seven, a skinny girl with mousy brown hair and tall stature. Patient seven had great blood pressure and shitty veins.

"Lily, I'm here to take care of you." I opened the door slowly, pushing the cart in. I held the syringe, ticking the glass to ensure the bubbles would disappear. Lily remained quiet, sitting up straight on the cot with blank eyes staring into space. When I reached over for her arm, I thought Lily would be easy.

The glass shattered on the floor, spilling medicine everywhere. I felt nails digging into my wrist and watched thick blood drip down slowly. Lily looked at me, eyes wild and red. Every time I thought of that look on her face, I felt her hitting me all over again.

"Mira?"

Red eyes turned to grey, and I realized I had been staring at Jo incessantly. She squeezed my hands again reassuringly. "You seem like you're doing okay. Maybe we'll plan something when you get a night off."

I nodded, breaking myself free of the memory completely. We took care of the bill and headed out to the cold snow, parting ways. I slung my purse over my shoulder tightly and treaded back to my car. Suddenly my phone began to ring.

"Hello?" I answered, jacking the heat in my car to the max.

"Hello, Mira. It's Jessica from Arkham. Do you have a moment?" She requested. I double checked the time, shocked that she would call me a few hours before my shift.

"Sure."

I listened to Jessica cough. "Would you mind coming as soon as possible? We have to discuss a few things."

"Yes, of course."

"Great! I'll see you soon." She sounded overjoyed.

I sped over to Arkham as quick as I could. I wish I had gone back to the apartment for a change of clothes instead. It wasn't that big of a deal since Arkham paid me enough money to replace my wardrobe three times over. If a patient wanted to tear up my blouse, then so be it. I thoroughly enjoyed the pay, but I hadn't had much of a chance to splurge. However, I did all the good things, like pay rent and fill my car up with gas. Life wasn't so bad right now. Don't speak too soon, Mira.

The pretty blue clock hanging in the waiting room showed seventeen after seven. Suddenly little miss Sterling came around the corner wearing her pastel wardrobe with a pen and clipboard in her arms. "Follow me, Mira."

I followed her into the elevator and waited awkwardly to reach the lowest level. Once again, I felt the lights flicker forcefully before entering the office located across from the lab. She sat delicately in the swivel chair, scribbling something on the clipboard before checking the time on her watch. More scribbles sounded in my ear as I took a seat next to her, staring at the mahogany desk.

"How has your first week been?" She finally said, taking a quick peek from over her board.

I sighed and placed my hands in my lap. "It's been well, thanks."

She raised an eyebrow, and I felt her eyes scan the edge of me. "Will you tell me about the incident with patient seven?"

My shoulders stiffened. I never reported the incident to anyone, so I wasn't sure about how they knew unless Lily told them. Yet somehow I didn't see Lily as much of a talker. "I was about to give Lily her nightly dosage…and then she assaulted me."

She started writing on her clipboard again.

"I'm sorry I didn't report the incident."

I watched her continue writing. The urge to roll my eyes was a bitch, but I refrained. She suddenly drew a breath and pursed her lips, setting her clipboard back down. "You haven't told anyone have you?"

I shook my head. "Absolutely not, I mean, I just told my friend that an old boyfriend hit me." I laughed awkwardly. Jessica didn't react with anything but a light grin.

"Good." She remarked, leaning forward in the chair with her hands together. "There was another thing I wanted to tell you."

"Sure."

"Patient seven killed herself this morning after you left. She hit her head on the wall numerous times before dying due to traumatic bleeding in the brain."

My chest grew tight as I listened to her speak slowly, as if she was delivering the news to a four year old. The guilt began to form a pit at the bottom of my stomach, making me feel sick. I chewed my lip to prevent myself from really getting ill, and started to wonder if it was my fault that Lily killed herself.

"Do you remember what happened after the assault?" Her voice took on a more concerned tone.

"I…All I remember was waking up on the floor next to the cart."

Jessica picked up her clipboard again, no doubt writing what I just told her. When she finished, she removed the paper from the board and placed it in a folder labeled 'Patient Seven'.

I bit the inside of my cheek harshly. "How did you know?"

"The patients might be crazy but they like to talk." Jessica stood up from the chair, holding the folder tightly to her chest. "Just between you and me, we don't always go through the videos. Actually, they prove faulty most of the time."

"So, are we done here?"

She shook her head. "Our evening gal had to leave early for an appointment. We were hoping you could stick around."

Faking a smile, I nodded yes.

Her heels clicked as I watched her leave the office and out the door. For a moment, I sat in the chair and did nothing but watch the camera to Lily's old room. A small red blur on the wall beside her bed proved that Jessica wasn't lying. Once again, I could feel the sickness stir inside of me, and I wondered what madness drove Lily to kill herself in such a way.

"Fuck." I groaned, and pulled open some drawers to see if I could find some scrubs. I remembered leaving my old sweater and decided that would be comfortable to do my rounds for the night. Keeping my eyes on the cameras, I tossed my blouse on the other chair and replaced it with the sweater.

The patients were winding down for the night. That is, if hurling insults to the camera and pacing around abnormally was considered winding down. I turned off the volume on patient four. The man wouldn't stop calling the nurses scrubby whores and insisted someone come down and rub his back. I looked forward to knocking him out with a taser later on.

After notating patient four's increasing hostility, I found myself thinking about the night with Lily and wondering why she hurt me in the first place. Maybe I reminded her of someone she didn't like, and she just couldn't help it. Did she regret it afterwards? Did Lily take me back outside to the hall next to my cart to keep working? I couldn't afford to think like this, so I started up the office computer and decided some online shopping would make me feel better. It didn't.

"Mira?"

I was hearing things. Don't worry, they're getting to you.

When I glanced to the clock, I realized I had been browsing online for quite some time. Luckily, I still had less than an hour to administer the nightly dosage. Everyone seemed to be calmed down from what I saw in the cameras, but I had to double take at camera two.

Dr. Crane was twiddling his thumbs, sitting upright in his bed like he was waiting for something. I breathed deeply and switched from the computer, to the camera monitors. When I maximized the screen, I realized he was looking straight into the camera. His lips formed a soft whisper.

"Mira."

I felt my jaw drop in fear. "Oh hell no," I said loudly, shaking my head. "Nope."

Did I go down there to see what he wanted? What if I didn't and he killed himself just like Lily did? I smacked my head, knowing damn well this man was in an asylum for a reason. Why was I even considering going down there? I didn't consider going down to patient four to give him a back rub. You know you'd rather it be Dr. Crane than patient four, Mira.

I rolled my eyes at my inner voice before whipping out the keys to let myself out of the office. Before heading down the hallway of crazies, I adjusted the pepper spray between my hip and jeans. I really hoped I wouldn't have to use the tube.

As I turned the key, I remembered the note about Crane and how I wasn't suppose to speak with him more than needed. When I pushed open the door, I pushed the thought out of my mind. Let's just tell them I forgot all about it.

Dr. Crane sat at the edge of the bed, quietly. Actually, he seemed like one of those sweet Alaskan malamute pups. Bright eyes staring at me, head tilted slightly with an overall cleanliness in the air like seaside cotton. He didn't smile until I shut the door behind me, prompting me to reach for my pepper spray until I convinced myself there was nothing to fear.

"Is there something I can help you with?" I questioned, staying cool

He twisted his lips and glanced at the floor. When he opened his mouth, the words flowed through evenly without emotion. "I was curious about your health, Nurse Thorne."

What the hell are you talking about?

"I'm sorry, I'm not…"

He interrupted me. "It seems she bruised you quite well. Does it hurt?"

I looked from left to right, unable to hide my confusion. "Dr. Crane, that's not something I'm here to discuss with you. I'm your Nurse, not your friend." I reprimanded him quite well, satisfied with myself for a maximum of ten seconds. His eyebrow rose slowly and his thick lips curled at each end. He began to appear impossibly inviting as he stretched over the cot and rested his head on the pillow.

"If you were really my nurse, you wouldn't be using such a tone. Doctors and nurses tend to have a mutual respect for one another."

I took a quick breath. "You really aren't a doctor anymore."

"Yet you called me Dr. Crane."

He caught me, and I decided to let him win. So I smiled to myself and nodded before changing the subject. "How did you know about what happened?" I asked innocently and folded my arms across my chest.

Crane straightened his head, staring at the ceiling like he was bored. "I try to learn about new people that come into my life, seeing as that number is extremely limited. Sometimes I just happen to find things out."

"I'm done here." I said to him like an impatient adult scolding a child. Clinging to the silver key, I turned around to let myself out before his voice convinced me to stay.

"Do you know how you ended up in the hallway, with all your pretty pieces still intact?"

My eyes widened in terror. I made a point to remove all emotion from my face before slowly turning around to face him. The straps that usually restrained patients from going too far were missing from Crane's wrist. I smiled at him, working extra hard to hide the sudden shock.

"Why don't you tell me?" I asked kindly, remembering that he was completely nuts despite the fact that he seemed quite able. Where the fuck are his straps?

"I happened to be at the right place during the right time," He began, slowly turning his eyes to me as he emphasized every word. "That patient had a history of being volatile."

Whatever, he was just playing a game for his own entertainment at this point. There was no way that he happened to be out of his quarters and free of restraints after Lily hurt me. I clutched the pepper spray beside my hip and decided I would go ahead and just ask. If he got funny, I'd spray his sorry ass and come back with a needle for his arm. "Crane, I'm the only one here with a key and the means to move around this facility. May I ask how you were able to leave your cell?"

Crane sighed and rolled his eyes. "Some of the other nurses and I have a healthy understanding. Such an understanding comes with its perks, of course."

If Crane was telling the truth, then that would give the nurses all the more reason to advise me against speaking with him. However, it might not even go that deep and just be a precaution to his psychotic antics. I gritted my teeth and nodded slowly, realizing that Crane could have meant any kind of perk.

"So, did you use a key to get out?"

He grinned. "Of course."

Nice. Maybe I'll just have to wait until you're knocked out before I come in here and look for it.

"I'm just going to stop this before it begins, Crane." I was hoping to stare him down, but it didn't work with his eyes latched to the ceiling. "I'm not giving you extra privileges because you decide to be nice to me."

I watched his chest move slightly, like he had stifled a laugh at my poor attempt to be tough. "Can't win them all," he said plainly.

I stepped out of his cell and locked the door behind me. As I walked down the hall, I took a few glances behind me to ensure my safety. Crane was playing me, I knew it. He was absolutely bonkers. The only difference between him and some of the other patients was that he had a handle on it. Crane knew how to control his madness, and right now he was also controlling me. There was no way I would allow it.

The monitors showed less activity as the minutes went on. Most of the patients even started heading to bed, closing their eyes before I readied their nightly dosages. Nights like this went by easily, as they were too lazy to acknowledge my presence. Still, I kept the pepper spray with me at all times.

"Natural, natural, natural." I mumbled as I filled each of the syringes with the proper medications. I picked up Dr. Crane's syringe. "Definitely, not natural."

After packing the cart with drugs, I added a few Reese's peanut butter cups to the bottom. Some of the younger patients liked the candy, so I would put them under their pillows like I was the mental health fairy. I don't know if they knew it was me, but that's okay. I just wanted to feel like a generous person despite the circumstances.

Once I was finished, I unlocked the door and pushed the cart through. That was when I saw the open door.

"What the hell?" I said aloud, feeling the panic rise in my chest. My hands shook as I tried not to drop the pepper spray.

The first door on the left; even numbered. Patient number two was Crane. He was gone.