"...And so, I think that's why people are the way they are, Arthur."
Meredith was in the middle of a discussion with Arthur about one of his old journal entries. The subject was about living up to societal expectations and how people judged the mentally ill. The conversation was so engaging that their hour-long session was nearly done.
"It's like they expect me to be someone I'm not," Arthur mentioned. "They want me to act like I'm perfect with no issues at all. But obviously if I could fucking control that, I would."
"You're not alone in this. My patients always tell me about the harsh comments they receive from others. It makes them ashamed to talk about their problems at all. What you're going through is very real, and it's a crippling burden," Meredith explained. "But to the people who are lucky, and don't have to go through what you're going through, they don't see it this way. They don't agree with this idea because instead of trying to understand, it's easier for them to turn their heads and look the other way."
Arthur resonated with her statement. He continued listening to her.
"Unfortunately, that's how it's always been. But to relieve this, you have to surround yourself with like-minded people who relate to your point of view," she advised.
Meredith checked her wristwatch. "Wow, our time's up already," she remarked. "Hey, I have an idea. Your breakfast is scheduled for right after I leave, right?"
"Yeah."
"I have a few minutes of free time before my next session. Want to go eat together?"
Arthur nodded.
* * *
Meredith spoke to the guard beside Arthur's door. She let him know of her request, and with some effective persuasion, she luckily got the permission she needed. Arthur was cuffed before being escorted into the cafeteria, with the intern following closely behind. The area was always empty during that time, so the guard uncuffed Arthur and left him alone since he couldn't pose a threat to anyone.
The duo stopped by the food counter and got their trays from the cook. They began walking toward the tables at the opposite side of the room.
A lone inpatient wandered into the room unsupervised. The random guy obviously wasn't supposed to be there. What if he recognized Arthur and started telling other people?
Meredith shrugged off her concerns. As long as they had their backs turned and stayed far away from the stranger, there shouldn't be a problem.
"Hey! Hey lady!" the man shouted at her from afar. His voice boomed across the room. She ignored him and kept walking away.
Arthur and Meredith took their seats at a table and started eating. The girl was quiet. She was trying to think of something to talk about, but she felt too unnerved by the inmate that was bothering her.
"I'm trying to talk to you over here!" the man bellowed. He began directing smooching sounds at her.
She winced with an embarrassed expression. Arthur noticed her discomfort and tried his best to hold in an irritated laugh.
"Don't worry about it," she told him. She tried to be brave, hoping that someone would come in and apprehend the wandering stranger. "I shouldn't have come here anyway. This was a bad idea. I'll just leave."
The man from across the room angrily grunted after not getting the attention he wanted. Right as Meredith was getting up to go, he stormed over to her and grabbed a fistful of her hair from behind. She yelped in pain.
"Didn't anyone ever teach you some manners?" the guy growled.
Acting on instinct, Arthur jumped up and lunged across the table. He jammed his thumbs into the man's eyes. The inmate wailed and let go of Meredith.
Arthur wasn't done yet. He grabbed the guy by the collar and slammed his face onto the table repeatedly, laughing as he did so. He was in total euphoria. Meredith could only watch, frozen with shock.
A pair of security guards rushed in after hearing the commotion. They pried Arthur away from the table and cuffed his hands.
"That's it, you're going to the seclusion room! Ten days!" one of them spoke.
Meredith gasped. "W-wait, ten days? That's too much time! He still has another week of counseling!" she cried.
"I don't make the rules," the guard dismissed. "Come on," he told Arthur while tugging his arms. "You're going to the padded cell."
Meredith watched the security officers pull Arthur away. As much as she wanted to protest, she knew it would be impossible to defend him—he almost murdered another person, after all.
She turned to leave the area and headed for the hospital's exit. She was way too overwhelmed to finish out the rest of her shift.
Meredith slowly traversed the hallway. She kept her head down while absently gazing at her footsteps. She heard laughter coming from the break room, prompting her to glance through the window. A bunch of employees were gathered around a table with cigarettes in their hands, chatting and laughing.
She looked back down at her feet as if they were glued to the floor, paralyzing her from moving any further. By the time Arthur's punishment was over, Meredith's assignment with Arkham State Hospital would already be finished. It didn't feel right to part ways with Arthur on such a bad note, especially when they had just begun to make steady progress. Was it really time for them to say goodbye?
Concluding that there was nothing she could do, Meredith exited the building.