The sun was a couple of hours past its prime. Silently, they watched as the clouds danced around in the sky. Upon her request, Kate and the psychiatrist had retreated from the conditioned air of the concrete structure. The confinement of the four walls was making her dizzy. She couldn't bear to look at the naked room for another second. Following her lead, the doctor had sat down in the grass next to her, on the small parcel of land that was fronting the tall building they had left. With her knees up and her chin resting upon them, her hands were hugging around her legs. Kate was gently rocking her body back and forth, her mind obviously somewhere else.

The silence had lasted a couple of minutes and Dr. Marx checked his watch subtly. He wanted nothing more than to talk, understand what had been going on in that head of hers, but if she wasn't ready, he wasn't going to push. He had rescheduled everything he possibly could for her, but there were some things he still needed to get to. He had other patients and when working with mentally unstable individuals, the one this he always wanted to provide them was consistency. As he watched the hand on his watch tick, he felt he was running out of time. Hoping he wasn't being to bold, he asked gently, "Kate, I know this is difficult for you, but you told me you wanted to talk."

She huffed loudly and she rolled her eyes as she said, resigned, "I know."

She turned her face slightly towards him, her eyes pleading, and added, "I just don't know where to start. It's so…" She let the thought die out without being able to properly formulate it.

"Let's start with: how are you feeling?"

After paused reflection, she answered, "Confused." Her thumb and index brushed her eyebrows and she left them there, stretching the skin above her eyes as she shook her head, "So fucking confused."

"It's a good starting point. What's confusing you?"

"Everything," she closed her eyes as her hand descended to cover her mouth. With a slight tremor in her voice and tears filling the corners of her eyes, she continued, "I can't even tell who I fucking am anymore." Fleeing his stare, she bit the inside of her lip as her chest's erratic movements betrayed her.

"Kate, you have to help he understand. I want to help."

She wanted to be helped, really she did. She just didn't know how to explain without sounding like a complete lunatic and embarrassing herself. She paused and thought for a second. Resolute, she started, "I had these flashes earlier, these fragments of a life that can't possibly be mine. They don't feel like mine. But then I look at myself and I look at this place, at you…My guess is I'm not really a homicide detective."

He smiled at her, cautiously placing a hand on his shoulder and gently squeezing it. "You need to take this process slowly, Kate."

"This is so fucking frustrating. I want it to stop." She wailed as she ran her hands through her hair and closed her eyes. "I can't really remember anything after… you know… it. It's just so messed up."

"It's okay, I'm sure you will. You managed a lot today. You need to not overburden yourself. Don't pressure yourself, it will come back eventually. You need to concentrate on getting better. Okay?"

She smiled shyly and nodded.

"What do you think happened after you know... it?"

She shook the hand off her and slowly lowered her head until her forehead was lying on her knees. She wasn't ready to talk about it. This life, it may have been in her head but it was all she had. It felt real and she wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.

She would have been unable to say how long she had been there. She had managed to supress the sounds surrounding her until a hand landed on her shoulder, gently shaking her. She reluctantly got her head back up and stared at the man standing beside her and Dr. Marx told her, "Kate, I really need to get going. But if you want to stay outside I can call a nurse to come stay with you. Would you want that?"

"No it's fine. I'll go back up with you. Thanks, Doctor," she answered and managed to smile.

He held out his hand and she took it, helping her to her feet. They went back inside, crossed the lobby and called the elevator. The doors opened and they let two people out before entering. She watched as the doctor pushed on the 12. The doors closed and they started moving up.

She shook her head as the memory of the 12th twirled in her brain. Placing a hand on her stomach, she declared, "I'm really hungry."

He smiled at the remark and checked his watch. "There should be snacks in the common area. I'll drop you off there."

The assortment of fruit on the table had her mouth watering. Her stomach growled and she tried to remember the last time she had eaten, which, of course, rendered useless. She plated a couple of pieces of melon and a couple of berries before sitting down on a sofa chair. She let her glare sweep across the room to the people scattered going about their business, more or less paying any attention to her. Some eyed her reproach, others with anxiety, but most just didn't seem to notice her. She observed the people around her.

Yup. I'm in the crazy house. I. Am. In. The. Crazy House. Jesus freakin' Cr-

Suddenly breaking her out from her stupor a woman exclaimed from behind her, "Hey, girl! You seem to be doing particularly well today."

The relief overpowered the surprise as Kate quickly turned around towards the sound of the familiar voice. With her eyes in awe, her heart pumping with excitement and a smile creeping up her face, she beamed out, "Lanie?" as she resisted the urge to jump up and hug the familiar face.

The woman was wearing scrubs and pushing a cart. She seemed genuinely happy with Kate's enthusiasm, as she answered with a smile, "It's Lory, actually, but close enough. Didn't think you were really listening to me blabbing about." She took Kate's hand in hers and let the contents of a small plastic cup fall to her palm.

Kate reluctantly eyed the 3 pills in her hand before asking, "What's this?"

"Just your meds, honey. Go on take them they're good for you," the nurse answered with a smile. "Water?"

Kate shook her head as she brought her palm to her lips.

Thoughts? Comments? Complaints?