A/N: I know I'm horrible at updating-sorry guys! However, all the bustle and busy-ness of this past couple months has come to an end (I just graduated high school, yay!) so I will for sure be able to update and bring this to a close within a reasonable time period. Thank you to those that still follow and continue to read and review. It's appreciated more than you could imagine.
Navy.
Navy heels, navy blouse, navy hat.
Navy blue beads sparkling in the sunlight.
"I thought it would be nice to have session outside this morning. Is that okay with you, Patrick?" Sophie intently studied the attitude shifted patient.
"I haven't got much of a choice now do I?"
Neil smirked from his position across the courtyard.
"It's better than being stuck inside 1984, anyway."
Neil glanced to the camera in the corner of the courtyard. "Not quite..."
"Neil..." Sophie prodded. "Would you mind leaving Mr. Jane and I alone for today's session?"
The young nurse nodded, leaving the two to their spot in the courtyard.
"Dr. Miller," Patrick began, "Is this going to be another interrogation?"
"Depends. Do you want to be interrogated?"
"I would like to know why I'm stuck in the loony bin." Patrick replied, glancing at a patient across the courtyard attempting to make conversations with a bush.
"Patrick, please show some respect."
"Why? Why should I show any respect to these insane morons? They're just punishing themselves, you know."
"Really? How so?" Sophie prodded.
"They're just prolonging their suffering! Odds are something traumatic happened to them at some point in their life and they refused to move on. They sit here drooling and talking to inanimate objects because they refuse to see a way to move on. They're choosing this isolation rather than healing and living the life they could be living."
Sophie nodded slightly before proceeding. "Do you think this way about yourself?"
Patrick shot a confused look at the psychiatrist. "Why would I feel this way about myself? I don't belong here."
"Why do you think that?"
"Because I am obviously a well put together human, no traumatic events have ever happened to me and if something were to happen I wouldn't become some drooling vegetable."
"Okay...so let's say, hypothetically, that something traumatic were to happen to you. How do you think you would respond?"
The blonde patient looked at the grass, pondering this question. "Most likely I would give myself an appropriate amount of time to grieve and then I would proceed with my life as normal as possible."
"How long do you say is an 'appropriate' amount of time to grieve?"
"Dr. Miller, must we proceed with the interrogation?"
"I just want to know how you think, Patrick, and get to know you a bit better."
Patrick sighed, standing up from his place at the picnic table. "Can we please be done? I have to go get ready for when my wife comes to pick me up. I know she'll be here any minute."
Sophie nodded. "Of course. I'll see you later, Patrick."
Ignoring her comment, Patrick proceeded to make his way back inside. He made his way back to his room to pack his things. He looked everywhere for his old clothes, unable to find them.
Suddenly Neil appeared in the doorway. "Hey, Pat. Whatcha up to?"
"Just packing my stuff for when my wife and Charlotte come to get me." He continued looking for his personal clothes. "Do you know where they've taken my old clothes? I don't want to be wearing this stuff when they get here."
"Uh...yeah." Neil began, unsure if he should actually go get the clothes they had taken from him upon arrival. "Yeah, I'll just go check in the office and get them for you."
"Thanks, Neil." Patrick added as Neil vanished.
The only things left to pack are this journal over here and I'll make my bed... Patrick grabbed the orange journal from the bedstand. Never really used this thing anyways. He opened to the first page-the first letter-and his eyes couldn't help but begin to read.
"Dr. Miller! Dr. Miller! I think Patrick's remembered!" Neil rushed into Sophie's office, out of breath.
Not even seconds passed before Sophie was up and running to Patrick's room, Neil following close behind. She opened the door to find the blonde man crouched in the fetal position on his bed, hands covering his face and the journal thrown onto the floor with torn pages decorating the white tiled floor.
She slowly approached the lump of human on the bed, the only sound being heard were his silent sobs.
"Patrick?"
She gave him a minute as she adjusted herself on the floor next to his bed.
"Patrick, what's wrong?"
"You know." He sputtered out.
The duo sat in silence, Neil watching by the doorway. Sophie couldn't deny that.
"What are you thinking, Patrick?"
Another moment of silence fell in the room as the blonde patient calmed himself.
"I'm a hypocrite." he whispered to himself.
"What do you mean?"
"All that I said earlier. I wasn't talking about everyone else. I was talking about myself."
"How do you mean?"
Patrick looked up from his curled up position on the bed, his tear stained face glaring at Sophie. "You know how I mean! I caused Red John to kill my wife and daughter however many months ago and here I am curled up as some crying vegetable in a loony bin refusing to get better! I'm one of them!" He yelled, immediately taking his face back into his hands against the mattress.
Sophie slowly inhaled, then exhaled, before proceeding.
"So, what are you going to do about this?"
Patrick shook his head from beneath his hands. "I don't know."
"That's okay. You don't have to know." She softly laid a hand on Patrick's knee. "That's why we're here, Patrick. We're going to help you."
Patrick looked up at her from his position on the bed.
Sophie reassured the man. "We're going to help heal you."
Weeks passed as Patrick Jane progressed in treatment. He went to Sophie when needed and group when needed. He talked more openly about his past and everything that had happened since his admittance to Heritage Oaks a few months prior to current day. Dr. Miller had even opened up his mindset to the idea of starting a new life after leaving Heritage Oaks. With all the progress he had made, she knew he would do well back in society. She even mentioned the thought of starting a new family and looking into going onto dates and finding another significant other.
"I don't think I can do that, Doctor." Patrick replied.
"Why do you say that?" Sophie questioned.
"Well, I can't very well just pretend they didn't exist and simply move on."
"Patrick, you aren't really pretending they didn't exist. You're acknowledging the fact that they are gone, they were a part of your life, and continuing on with that life for the benefit of your emotional and mental well-being. They'll always have a place in your heart, but now you're opening up your heart to someone else."
The blonde man shook his head. "I don't know, maybe." He pondered if for a few seconds before checking the clock. "I'd like if we finished for today. I promised Peter to a game of cards in the common room right about now."
"That's okay, Patrick." Sophie concluded, closing her journal. "We'll talk more about this tomorrow after you've had the night to think it over, okay?"
Patrick nodded before standing up from his seat in her office. "Thank you, Doctor Miller."
She smiled at him as he left the small office and proceeded down the hallway, making his way to the common room.
As he made his way down the hallway, he heard a beautiful song being played on a piano in one of the group rooms. He peeked his head into the door of one of the rooms, finding the origin of the beautiful music.
"My wife used to play like that." Patrick commented after Lisa completed the piece.
"Bach," she responded. "Prelude in C Major."
"It's beautiful," Patrick added, gracing his fingers gently across the white ivory keys.
"It's his favorite." Lisa turned her gaze up at the blonde man.
He met her gaze. "Who's?"
"You know." She teased. "His."
Patrick took a moment, realizing who she was referring to. "Red John."
"Red John." She repeated, gently nodding her head.
Patrick slowly retreated backwards towards the door. "You're…You're Red John?"
Lisa laughed uproariously. "Oh, no, dear. I'm not as smart, clever, or as manipulative as he is. I'm just a messenger from him to you. He knows that you're here. He wanted to tell you something."
"Why didn't he just come and tell me himself then if you say he knows where I am?
The woman laughed again. "Red John never does his own dirty work. He takes people like me under his wing, loves us, and cares for us. Shows us we've got more purpose in our lives than we thought."
"A purpose? Helping a serial killer?"
"A serial killer he may be, but he has given my life a new purpose, Patrick."
The blonde man wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Just tell me what he wants me to know."
Lisa moved closer to Patrick. "He knows you're here, Patrick."
"Yes, you've told me that. Now what does he want?"
"He wants you to know that you're deep in. There's no escaping now."
The blonde man turned, moving towards the door. "Well you can tell him that I've moved on and I'll be leaving well enough alone. He can go ahead back on his killing spree."
"That's the thing, Mr. Jane. You're next."
Patrick froze in his steps. "Me? What does he want with me? He's already taken my family and my sanity, what else does he want?"
"He's…intrigued by you." Lisa prodded. "He thinks you could be a valuable partner."
"No," he responded. "No, there's no way."
"Let's be honest here. You'll never escape him, Patrick. You'll live your life trying to run away from him, but he'll always be there. Why not join him instead?"
"No," Patrick. "I won't let that happen."
"You're next, Patrick! He'll never leave you be!" Lisa called after him as he made his way out the door.
Peter greeted him outside in the hallway. "P-Pat?"
"Hurry, Peter! Follow me!" Patrick called at the chubby roommate as he ran down the hallway to their room.
"But, Pat!" Peter yelled at him following close behind.
Patrick flew through the door of their room quickly beginning to pace as Peter burst through the door shortly after.
"What does he want with me? Why won't he leave me alone?!" Patrick yelled.
"Wh-What…what do you…" Peter took a moment to catch his breath. "…what do you mean…? What…what happened?"
"Red John. He's after me. Why is he still coming after me?!"
"Uh, Pat, I…I don't see anyone coming after you…" Peter laughed slightly to himself. "And I thought I was the crazy one! Haha!"
"Peter!" Patrick snapped at him, then resumed his pacing.
Peter hung his head. "Sorry, Pat."
Patrick stopped his pacing to look out their window. He brought a hand to his mouth. "What am I gonna do?"
Peter sat in silence, staring up at his admirable roommate. Having something to say, he raised his hand high in the air from where he sat on his bed. Patrick turned around to him.
"What is it, Peter."
"Uhm…I-I don't think it's my place but…but what if you…you just…uhm…"
"Peter!"
"I just think maybe you could try to get to him first?"
Patrick rose from his spot on the bed. "Chase him and never stop until I get him?"
"Y-Yeah! I-I mean that way he can't get to you because you would be getting to him first!"
"Maybe. I don't know, Peter. He's smart."
"Well if you want him to stop chasing you, I s'pose that's the only way to get to him."
Patrick nodded. "Peter, if I can get out of here I can do this. Sophie told me that I was almost ready anyways."
"But…Pat. What if he tries to kill you?"
"Then he kills me. Thank you, Peter. You're more of a genius than I thought you were."
"Of course, room buddy! And hey, think of all the twinkies you could buy with all that reward money!"
"I'll be sharing it with you, Peter. Thank you."
I'm not next, you imbecile. Patrick thought to himself, turning and preparing himself for bed. You're the one who's next. Just you wait.
"HELP! SOPHIE! SOMEONE! HELP! PLEASE!" Patrick's voice rang throughout the halls of Heritage Oaks.
Nurses quickly made their way running down the hallway towards the room of Patrick and Peter. "What is it? What's wr—"
The nurses were cut off by the sight of the hanging corpse of Peter in the middle of the room, the lump of Patrick Jane curled up on the ground beneath him.