Hanna had been in the medical unit for five minutes before I heard the screaming.
As it turned out, spitting up blood was a normal reaction to stress for Hanna, but I couldn't have known that. I wish I had; it would have saved a lot of doctors from splitting headaches and confusion and Hanna's fragile state being brought down even farther.
There was something wrong with Hanna's chest. He refused to let anyone see it, to examine him. He wouldn't step onto the scale either, wouldn't allow blood tests. He bit one of the nurses who'd tried to take his shirt off. He'd apologized for it and cried, but he wouldn't let anyone near him after that. He begged and begged and sobbed and scratched at the door to get out. Finally, they simply let him go, assessing that if he was well enough to put up such a fight, he was fine. I could tell he'd be gossiped about in the break room that afternoon, and not positively.
His face was guilty as he was led back to me, in the hallway. He was quick to stumble over apologies and rambled on about telling that nurse he really didn't mean to and he was so sorry, but please, please, please don't ever try to look at his chest, don't give him medical examinations, please, he'll do anything, anything.
I grabbed his shoulders, told him to calm down. I wasn't angry. I told him that, but I didn't tell him that I was more curious than ever now, that I was tempted to sedate him and force the examination. He's been through enough, I told myself. He doesn't need any more. Whatever he's hiding, I'll just tell everyone it's not relevant to my diagnosis. Though…I had a sneaking suspicion it was extremely relevant. To his mental state at least, if not this particular case.
"She just wouldn't let go," Hanna said again, apparently unable to let go himself. "I asked her to, and I screamed, and I cried at her, but she just wouldn't stop. I didn't mean to bite her, honest, I just panicked…"
"I know, Hanna. I know. It's all right. That kind of thing happens all the time anyway, and she shouldn't have tried to force you. We aren't supposed to do things like that."
"You're not?"
"If it's not relevant to the case, we have to leave it alone. We can sedate a patient if they get violent, but we are not under any circumstances to provoke the violence. You're over 18, you can decide what happens to you aside from what the court has ordered us to do. Removing your shirt and giving you unnecessary physical examinations was not a court order."
Hanna didn't say anything, but he nodded. He still looked guilty. He shouldn't have. It was my fault for overreacting to the blood.
We walked back to his cell together. Despite the episode in the med room, I felt no need to put him back into a straitjacket. He'd been institutionalized before; he knew the ropes. He was cooperative and resigned. He knew there was nothing else to do. I gripped his shoulder tighter, trying to comfort us both.
"I miss Lukan," he whispered.
"I thought his name was Harvey." I knew it wasn't.
"He didn't remember his name when we met. I just got into the habit of calling him anything I wanted. It was supposed to be to help find his real name, but…I was afraid of that. I called him all kinds of ridiculous things, like Galahad or Izanagi…I wanted him to remember his past, but at the same time, I…"
He didn't continue. I played along, hoping it would make him more open with me. "You thought he'd leave you once he remembered?"
"Yeah. Pretty childish and selfish, right?"
"A little. But I think anyone else would have acted the same way." I didn't mention that the scenario was a little different when dead bodies were concerned.
I also didn't tell him then that I was certain no one would want to leave him, but I wanted to. And I wanted to be right. I just couldn't be sure…no one else was there now, were they? Maybe there was, and they just didn't know what had happened yet. I hoped that was the case. I hoped someone was out there, thinking about him, wondering where he was.
Wow guys, there was nothing but good reviews so far. You guys are awesome... ;A;
Gonna get a few more chapters up tonight. Wewt!
And...yeah, no, it doesn't get better, if anyone's waiting for some happy. There's no happy. I'll try to update my other fic with some happy. Ridiculously long and fluffy and dumb. XD