And, here is more!
Rat
"I couldn't begin to tell you what terrible trigger for such insanity lies deep in my sub-conscious. Though no doubt some would say that, indeed, it may be some demon of conscience. A deeply buried guilt for some unforgivable depravity."
Dick-
Dr. Wilkins. Please, please... remove these straps!
Dick, it's for your own protection. You tried to hurt your nurse.
...please, you're the only one who can help me.
(sighs) You know that I am always here to help you. But, unlocking your restraints will put you and everyone else in danger.
... (shrieking)
Dick, please calm down.
...p-please... that nurse, he was going to-
I know what happened, Dick. And he will be reprimanded. But, your responsibility here is not to punish people who... make mistakes.
... (sobbing)
All of us, we are here to help you. We would never, ever hurt you. I promise.
...
Can we talk a little bit?
...only if you remove these straps.
I can't do that, but I would be willing to make a compromise.
...
Would you be willing to make a compromise with me?
...what kind of compromise?
I can't remove the straps, but I will loosen them so that you can sit up and talk to me.
(sighs)...fine.
(smiles) Good, you're thinking rationally... Is that a little better?
...I guess.
Dick, I hear that you've been seeing Slade again.
...no, I haven't.
I also... I want to apologize for forcing you to tell me about what Slade did to you. I shouldn't have pushed you so hard. The fact that you're seeing him now, it's nothing to be ashamed of-
Dr. Wilkins. I haven't been seeing Slade.
The attendants noted it quite clearly in your chart. Why would they say that if it's not true?
...how the fuck should I know?
What has caused you to become so angry again?
I'm angry because I know what's really going on here.
...Dick, what are you talking about?
...all the talking. All the sessions. It's for your own, sick game. You want to see me squirm. You want to see me cry, scream about every single thing that has made me sad. You say doing that will make me better.
You think I was lying to you?
...I know everything. I know that you are all working for him. You were lying to me, just so you could keep me here...
Listen to me. Whatever he's been telling you, it's not real...
...
Dick, what are you...?
...
Oh my god. Dick, stop! STOP!
"Dr. Wilkins, what has come of the situation with Richard Grayson?"
Elaine suddenly snapped out of her daze. She was sitting in a conference with several other doctors from the sanitarium, reporting prominent patients' statuses to the board members and head doctors.
She hesitated, looking down at the file in front of her as all the doctors stared at her. "He... he made considerable progress when he first arrived here-"
Another doctor spoke up, looking awestruck. "Wait... Dick Grayson... isn't that Bruce Wayne's kid?"
The president of the board sighed exasperatedly, putting a hand up to silence the murmurs rippling through the room. "Anyway. Elaine, you were saying?"
She timidly looked down at the file in front of her, hesitating. "As I said, he made marked progress the first few weeks he was here. But-"
A chuckle. "Didn't he try to stab a nurse with a pen two days ago?" A haughty-looking doctor was sneering at her.
Elaine couldn't help but glare at him. "That certain nurse threatened to sedate him unnecessarily."
The doctor's cheeky grin widened. "Sedation is only used when it is completely necessary... especially when the patient is a paranoid schizophrenic." He laughed.
Elaine smirked at him. "And how would you know that, Ted? You work exclusively with the patients who show nothing at all... who are in fact brain dead... doesn't sound like you're necessarily qualified to make that judgement."
Ted's face flushed a blotchy red, his nasty smile fading completely.
The board president cleared his throat louder than necessary, ending the bickering between the two doctors. "Elaine. How is the boy doing?"
She took a careful breath. "In the past few days, he has regressed at an alarming rate," She couldn't hide the shame the made her eyes burn. "And, I believe that his sudden regression could be my own fault." She admitted quietly.
The board members were suddenly silent. The board president eyed her, his expression conflicted. "How?"
Elaine closed her tired eyes, searching for words. "A week ago, he and I dove into a... an earlier trauma. A trauma that is, I believe, one of the main causes of his mental illness. We eventually got to the root of it, but unfortunately... he was frightened to the point that I regretted pushing him so hard..." She faded.
The room was completely still. All eyes were on her. "How is he at the present moment, Elaine?" The board president asked her softly.
She swallowed hard. "He is in solitary confinement right now. After attempting to injure a nurse, he managed to break his own arm trying to escape from his restraints during a session with me. He does not eat or sleep willingly."
"Like a rat in a cage..." Another doctor whispered.
The board president silenced the sniggering. "Elaine, what are your plans for recovery?"
She attempted to look confident, but only managed to look slightly less hopeless. "He's strayed from his path... but for now, I'm going to try some different types of therapies to snap him out of this, to get him going in the right direction again."
The board president nodded, and everyone rose from their seats.
As Elaine was getting her files and her belongings together, a kind-looking doctor casually walked over to her. "Hi, Elaine."
She smiled warmly at him. "Ben, hi!"
"Big case, huh."
Elaine frowned slightly. "Mr. Grayson's, you mean?"
Ben gave her a lopsided smile. "Who else?"
She sighed, nodding.
Ben looked at the floor awkwardly, eyeing some of the other doctors that were exiting the conference room. "What screwed up the kid so much? I mean, one minute he was working for Batman, the next, he's being thrown in the nuthouse."
Elaine couldn't stop the anger that made her eyes flash. "You know that I can't break doctor-patient confidentiality."
Ben rolled his eyes mockingly. "I'm not telling you to. Some of us are just curious as to how the hell this could have happened."
"Frankly, that's none of your damn business." Elaine spat at him.
"Elaine, I never meant-" Ben started, looking sheepish.
"And, I find it repulsive that doctors are snooping into something that does not concern them."
Ben sighed. "I apologize. I never meant to sound offensive."
Elaine's anger subsided. "Trust me when I say this... this young man is damaged as it is. It's bad enough that people are learning that Batman's protege has landed himself in a sanitarium... it would be much worse for Dick if those people learned why."
Author's Note:
Indeed, these doctors are my own creations. Poor Ted, he got burned... :)
Yes, I said it... paranoid schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is one of the most interesting mental illnesses, in my opinion. It seems to be the only disorder that could describe our boy wonder's symptoms both in this story and in the original episode: The hallucinations, obviously, but also... the general paranoia & obsessiveness. Robin truly believes that the doctors are keeping him at the sanitarium because they work for Slade... who has been dead for a considerable amount of time... no, it doesn't make much sense... but, few delusions of paranoid schizophrenics make sense either.
With the addition of the previous chapter, Robin's regression seems to make a little bit more sense, in my opinion...
Thoughts?