"Have you heard about the new doctor coming to the ward? I've heard he's just dreamy."
"He's so gentle and good natured, and his eyes, oh my! I met him once and it was like drowning in midnight. He's like a prince charming come to life."
Raven smiled to herself, amused by all of the comments she had been hearing about this new doctor all day. Listening to the gossiping nurses also helped her to forget the therapy and the fact that Robin was now ignoring her for no apparent reason. Men. On the plus side, all of the nurses were in higher spirits today meaning Raven didn't have to hear the long list of reasons why no one wanted to deal with her. They did not complain about approaching her today. They likely wanted to look helpful in case he dropped in or heard of their stellar abilities.
Not to mention, one of the nurses warned the others that getting annoyed and stressed ruined the complexion. God forbid.
Other than the rumours circulating about, nothing had changed. She ate her breakfast and lunch alone, as per usual (though she was surprised they didn't force Richard to eat) and she read Wuthering Heights for the millionth time. Honestly, she felt she could recite the book from memory by now.
The day passed without incident until dinnertime. She hadn't noticed Gar's absence but saw him bound ahead of Richard. Richard...
He looked like a disaster. His eyes, so cold and clear when she first had seen him, were now clouded over with trouble. Bags (baggage would be a more apt description) hung under his eyes and she could see stress lines from where he had been pursing his lips in thought.
She got up and went over to him, hoping he was reassured by her soft gaze. But he turned away and Raven recognised the guilt that overtook his face. She sighed, wishing she could be helpful and say something but, alas, as usual, the words never came. So she sat alone, dejectedly. What she needed was someone to talk to...or, rather, someone to talk to her. She hadn't felt the need for it before, however, Richard had changed all that. And now he was avoiding her over misplaced guilt. What a mess..
After the meal, Gar came and sat by her as she read. It wasn't quite what she needed, but ruffling his green hair at random intervals and seeing his excitement helped a bit. Some of the...well, captives certainly was an apt word for them, yes...Some of the captives who had earned points were playing ping pong in the room adjoining her common area. It was a second common area, however, it was furnished much nicer, with plush chairs and couches, a television and two ping pong tables. There were also refreshments, such as Coca-Cola, for those who chose to waste their points on such things. Raven had only seen the room a few times, briefly, while they had tried to entice her to talk with the promise of time in the exclusive room.
Anyway, the sounds rocketing from the room as the ping pong ball whacked into the mallets began to annoy her. So did Kori's supportive cheers when one of them scored a 'victorious point'. For what probably marked the first time in 13 years, Raven set her book down and went to bed early.
Robin saw her leave but forced himself not to go after her. He had told her that Dr. Wilson would try to exploit their friendship, but he had never expected it to be so bad from the outset. Most villains at least worked up to that level of torture and gave advanced notice, Slade did not. And this scared him. If this was Slade's starting point, where would this escalate to? And could Raven handle it?
No, he told himself that he was doing the right thing. It just felt so unnatural to not talk to, or rather, at her. She was his only true companion in the place, with the exception of Gar, who had stayed in his room at the foot of the bed when dragging Robin to meals didn't work. But she was different, she understood. It was almost as though they had a bond. And he told her his deepest secret to protect her. So why was everything going all wrong?
Richard did not dare drag anyone else into this mess. Despite feeling solace in Gar's presence earlier, Robin knew he would have to keep him at arm's length too.
The next morning, Raven couldn't help but notice the mass of white that surrounded the doctor's office. It seemed every nurse on this floor was hanging around the new doctor's office, offering to help get his office sorted or give him tours. How he managed to get them away, she had no idea, but soon his door was closed and the nurses were all noticeably dejected as they went about their usual duties.
When the new doctor emerged for lunch, Raven understood what the fuss was about. He had shoulder length ebony hair and eyes of the deepest shade of ble-so deep that they almost looked onyx. Looking at them was like drowning in an ocean. But a pleasant drowning (if that's possible). He appeared very young (perhaps only a few years as a practicing physician); he certainly could not be much older than she. Noticing the blush blooming across her face, Raven forced herself to look back out the window as though nothing were wrong. She was glad that he hadn't seemed to notice her not-so-sublte ogling. Not to mention, Richard was not in the room either, a fact she also appreciated. She did not know why, but she did not want him to see her...well, un-composed. Un-Raven, so to speak.
Richard finally emerged for lunch, Gar on his heels looking dejected. She did not know why she had bothered to keep tabs on his whereabouts anymore, he did not speak to her and had not been here that long. She sighed, she would have to subtly meditate later. It was a practice her mother had learned at her yoga classes and had taught Raven to appreciate and enjoy the silence and the ability to 'teleport' anywhere with the imagination. It truly was a gift that saw her through many of the bleak days in this place.
After poking at her grey, unappetising meal for an hour (despite all of Kori's coaxing), Raven resumed sitting in her spot. Curiously, she noticed that the new doctor was going around introducing himself (as though he were an equal with his captives) to his patients. Refusing to let his sudden appearance in her facility bother her, she reclined her head back on her chair, closed her eyes and began to imagine the landscape of a beautiful waterfall in the trees.
How much time passed, she did not know, but she nearly fell on the floor when tapped by the unknown person. In shock, she barely registered that it was the new doctor.
He looked sheepish, "Mind if I have a word?" he asked.
His voice was calming, she liked it. After a brief pause, she nodded and gestured he sit in the seat next to her.
"My name is Dr. Garth Tempest. I see on the records your name is Raven?"
Again, she nodded.
"I have a new approach to your therapy that I would like to try with you. Would you come with me to my office?" he asked soothingly.
He got up and she followed him to his office, fighting the blush that she knew was on her cheeks. She was curious to see what he had in mind. Hopefully it would prove more pleasant than the electroshock therapy.
"Have a seat and we'll get started."
She took the only empty seat on the other side of the desk. His office was a stark contrast to that of Dr. Wilson's. The decorations were sparse (as to be expected after only having a day to unpack). Files were everywhere. Presumably, he had read them in the morning before deciding to introduce himself to his patients. On the wall there was a painting of waves lapping a sandy beach. There was one photo at his desk. It looked to be him with his parents (the resemblance was striking) on a sailboat. In the picture, Garth looked to be a teenager and still had his handsome looks. Didn't he ever have an awkward phase? she thought bitterly, clearly remembering her own.
He cleared his throat and immediately her attention returned to him. A blush formed on her cheeks at her carelessness, she should not have gotten so carried away inspecting his things.
"From what I've been told, your mind is not at fault. That is why I want you to get in the habit of using these."
He produced a chalkboard, chalk, and an eraser. Gingerly, she took the items.
"I can see in your file that you were once given notebook paper and pens for the same purpose, however, you did nothing with them. I hope you'll use this. I got you a medium that you can erase so no one can pick it up and read what you've wanted to say. This is for your use alone, communicate with who you want. Or write to yourself. I just want you to start getting comfortable expressing yourself."
She arched her brow as if to ask why.
"Why?" he asked, picking up on her silent cue, "I hope that someday you'll feel comfortable communicating with me in this manner. In this way, we can really assess your mental acuity and maybe arrange for you to take classes since it says here that you probably don't have more than a middle school education. Only if you want, of course," he replied, looking at...no through.. her.
She nodded. After a few moments of awkward silence, he dismissed her.
Looking down at her new items, Raven felt thrilled. She returned to her room with the intention of writing only to discover that, being 13 years out of practice, her writing was sloppy and ugly. Thank-god you didn't try to write in front of anyone she thought, getting to work at re-learning how to write the alphabet. She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice Richard's presence until she felt the weight of him sitting at the edge of her bed.
Quickly erasing her chicken scratch handwriting, she quirked a brow.
"Hey, Ravennn," he began hesitantly, drawing out the last syllable of her name, "Can we talk?"
I know it's short (have to go-friend's birthday event) but I wanted to update this story really quickly before I left for those still interested in reading it! By the way, I've finally figured out where I want this story to go so updates may not take forever? (no promises). Hope you enjoy this chapter.
~RukiaRae