Here's the next chapter!

I just want to give out a big thank you to liasparks for the song she recommended. I listened to the song, and I love it. Just reading the lyrics broke my heart. It fits this story so perfectly, and it took everything in me not to put it in for this chapter. I think it'll go a lot better with the next chapter, when the story's in BPOV.

- JayBee

EPOV

I lay down on my back with my hands behind my head as I stared up at the ceiling. I closed my eyes and pretended I was in my room, in my own bed.

I opened my eyes and turned my head to the side when I heard the door open slowly.

"Edward, you know the door's supposed to stay open." It was Leah, one of the nurses.

"I know. Sorry." I really was. And I was glad she wasn't the type to get mad like the other nurses. She was really nice. Probably because she was young and didn't hate her life like
the rest of them.

"That's okay. Dr. Jenks is ready to see you."

"Who's that?"

"One of our psychologists."

"Oh, I don't need to see a psychologist." I turned back around and closed my eyes again.

"Edward, you've seen what happens when people don't comply with what we say."

I let out a loud sigh and swung my legs over the side of the bed before sitting up. "Alright, alright. I know." I didn't need to get dragged down the hallway. I stood up to follow Leah
out of the room, and bent over as soon as I was on my feet. I gagged once before throwing up all over the floor and stepping away. I looked up at Leah with my mouth hanging
open. "Sorry. I didn't know I was going to…"

"That's okay, dear. I'll be right back."

She left for a few minutes and came back with a mop, bucket, and washcloth. I'd help her clean up, but whenever I try to help the nurses do something, they tell me to just sit down.

After she cleaned everything up, we walked through a bunch of hallways and down a flight of stairs to get to the psych wing. I looked at the hallways extending to my left and
right…the same beige color everywhere I looked. I was sick of this place.

I heard someone running behind me and turned around when the footsteps got louder. I stumbled back as Aro grabbed my forearms and looked at me with wide eyes.

"Edward, tell them! Tell them that they're real!"

Leah began telling him to let go of me, but I waved her off as best I could.

"Aro, calm down. Tell them who's real?"

"Cat and Dog! Tell them they're real!"

I looked up to see two doctors running toward us, and looked down at Aro's frantic form again. I forced myself to keep calm. "Listen to me, Aro. Just do everything they say. Just do
everything they say and you'll get out of here quicker, okay? They're just trying to help you."

The doctors grabbed him forcefully and dragged him away. I could see them struggling to keep him under their control as he thrashed around. His arms flailed out toward me and I had
to remind myself not to go after him.

He looked from one doctor to the other. "Ask him! He knows they're real! He knows they're real! Edward, tell them! Please! Please! Please…" Aro's energy completely diminished as he
gave up and let them lead him away.

I turned to Leah as we continued walking. "Ms. Clearwater…"

"Leah."

"Leah. Where are they taking him? And why did they have to take him like that?"

We turned another corner as she answered me in her innocent voice. "I don't know any specifics, but they don't use force unless they have to. And even if I did know what was going
on, I wouldn't be allowed to tell you." We stopped in front of the psychologist's door before Leah turned to me. "Edward, I really hope you don't believe that if you behave, you'll be let
go earlier. This isn't like prison. You're going to be kept here until your treatment is done."

"Okay." My throat felt raspy as the single word crept its way out of my mouth.

She knocked on the door twice before opening it and motioning for me to walk in. Dr. Jenks looked up at me and smiled before gesturing to the couch. He got up from his desk and sat
on the chair across the couch.

"So, Edward, how are you feeling today?"

I shrugged. "Okay."

"Good, good. How are the withdrawals going?"

I shrugged again. "I don't know." I thought they were over weeks ago.

He scribbled something in his notebook and he looked back up at me. I wish he would just keep looking down. "Do you still feel sick?"

"Sometimes, I guess."

He nodded slowly. "Sounds like you're right on track."

"Yeah." I already felt like telling him to shut the fuck up or something. What an annoying man. He didn't say anything for a few seconds, and I felt like I had to break the awkward
silence. "I threw up today." What the hell? Why would you say that? That's disgusting. And he doesn't care.

He nodded again. "That's normal."

"Even after all this time?"

"Yupp." More silence. "Do you feel depressed at all?"

"No." He wrote some more things in his notebook. And then some more. "Well, I feel weird, like…I'm not happy…I guess I feel sad…but I wouldn't say I feel depressed. I don't even
know why I feel sad, though." He was quiet again. Again with the awkward silence. I had to say something. I looked down at my hands and intertwined my fingers, twisting them this
way and that. "How much longer am I gonna feel like this? I mean, throwing up and stuff."

"About another month." Good. I only have another month in this place anyway. And then I can go home. "Have you spoken to your parents?"

"Yeah. We write back and forth. But it takes forever for the letters to get from here to my house. Or from my house to here."

He let out a small laugh. "That's one of the only – and one of the biggest – complaints we have in this place."

So why don't they fucking do something about it? "Can I please go back to my room?"

"In a little bit, yes."

"Now?" He shook his head and I slumped back before sliding lower in my seat. "I thought people could leave whenever they wanted to."

"When they go to therapy willingly, yes. But not in a situation such as this, and not in a place like this."

Fuck places like this. I fucking hated this place. "Okay. Whatever. I'll stay." I can't make them mad. If I just follow everything they say, they'll release me earlier.

"How's everything with your family back home?"

"Good. Everything sounds like it's the same."

"What's 'the same'?"

"My parents are working, my sister's working, and my brother's in school."

"Sounds good."

"Exactly." He let out another small laugh. I didn't see the humor. Weren't they not supposed to laugh at things patients told them? Whatever. "But it's not perfect."

"Your life back home?"

"Yeah. It sounds good, but it's not perfect. And neither am I."

"Do you want to be perfect?"

"No! Who would want to be perfect? All those expectations…it would be hard to live up to them."

"Do you feel as though people want you to be perfect?"

"Why did they take Aro away?"

"Edward, please."

"Please what?" I stared at the plant on his desk. It was dying. Why hadn't he watered it?

Dr. Jenks stayed quiet, and I began to wonder if he was doing it on purpose. "No, okay? Nobody wants me to be perfect. They just assume I am. They just think I'm this fucking
perfect person that does nothing wrong."

"Have you told them that it bothers you?"

"I tell them I'm not perfect. It's not my fault that when I first played basketball or rode a bike or…walked…it was easy for me. I'm not gonna try to fail at things on purpose to prove
a point. They should just know that I'm not perfect. Nobody is. And why don't people call Emmett or Alice perfect? They're good at a lot of shit, too." I folded my arms in front of my
chest and stared at him hard.

Dr. Jenks spoke in an annoyingly calm voice. "I see. Do you feel like one of the reasons why you picked up the habit was so that you wouldn't be seen as perfect?"

"What? The coke? No." What the fuck? "I just did it because I wanted to try it."

We sat in silence for a few minutes, but this time, I wasn't going to speak first. I didn't care how awkward the silence got.

"I heard you can see Aro's friends."

"I can't."

"Oh?"

"I just tell him I can. So he won't feel bad. Everyone's on his case about the cat and dog. I don't understand why it's anybody's business. It's not like he's a threat to anyone. Anyway, I
just pretend I can see them so he doesn't feel bad."

"That's nice of you."

"I can't see them." Just to make sure you understand that I don't have schizophrenia.

"I believe you." He jotted down some more notes before looking at me sympathetically. "Edward, I don't know how to say this in a nicer way, but you're going to be staying here
for a little bit longer."

I shrugged. So what? "Okay. So…what…like thirty more minutes?"

"No. Edward, I mean in this facility."

I felt my face fall flat. "What facility?"

"Edward –"

"Stop saying my name."

"You're going to have to stay here for another month."

"I am staying here for another month."

"No. Another month."

I held up two fingers as my eyes got wide. "Two more months?"

"Yes."

I shook my head and stood up. "No. Sorry. I'm not staying here for two more months."

"Edward, it's only for psychiatric reasons –"

"NO! I'm not crazy. And I didn't agree to stay here for four months! I agreed to stay for three."

He stood up, but didn't come any closer. "It's not an agreement, Edward."

I put my hands over my ears to block his voice out. "Stop fucking saying my name every two seconds!" I kicked the side table and heard the crash of the vase as it hit the
floor, the table following right behind it. Dr. Jenks began explaining something to me but I paid him no mind.

I opened the door and ran out, trying to figure out which corner to turn to get to my room. I saw a nurse I recognized and ran up to her.

"Hi, Edward." She smiled sweetly, but I couldn't find it in myself to smile back.

"Take me to my room. Please. I'm in 6-L."

"Who escorted you out?"

"Leah. Please just take me to my room." I could see that she didn't want to take me, and I began to panic. Dr. Jenks could find me any second and make me go back to his office.

She let out a small sigh. "Follow me."

I relaxed a bit as I followed her. We walked up a set of stairs before walking through a maze of hallways. I covered my ears with my hands again to block out all the voices
as everyone we passed by said hi to me. Everyone was staring. Probably because my hands are over my ears. I closed my eyes tightly, cracking them open occasionally to
make sure the nurse was still in front of me.

I didn't remember turning this many corners with Leah. Where was she taking me?

I can't breathe. I can't breathe. "I can't –"

I drew in a long breath when I saw the familiar door. I forgot to thank the nurse before rushing into my room and closing the door behind me. I hope she doesn't tell on me because
I forgot to thank her. I didn't do it on purpose.

I opened my eyes and went to sit in the small space between the bed and the side table. I stared into the darkness before drawing my legs up to my chest and wrapping my arms
around my knees. I dropped my head and let the tears flow freely. There was no one to be embarrassed of.

This was a dream. I closed my eyes tightly and willed myself to go to sleep. The sooner I go to sleep, the sooner I'll wake up in my room, on my bed with her next to me. I took in
a few shaky breaths before picking my head up. I lurched forward before throwing up, and sat back in my previous position.

I heard the door creak open and turned my head to the side, closing my eyes as tightly as I could.

"Edward?"

It was Leah.

I didn't move. I tried not to breathe, but I couldn't hold back the few sobs that escaped.

"What's that smell?" There was a short silence. "Oh, dear. Okay. I'll be right back."

I listened to her footsteps get farther as I brought a hand up to my hair and twirled a lock around my finger. It was soft. It was soft like her hair. I imagined my hand was
hers. She was playing with my hair.

I flinched back and looked up when I felt someone touch me. "Edward, are you –"

"Please don't touch me."

"I was just wondering if you wanted –"

I kicked both feet out toward her and yelled as she jumped back. "Leave me alone! I don't want anything from you. I don't want anything from any of you. I don't want you. I want
Bella! I want Bella. I hate you. I hate all of you. You took me away from Bella, and then you took me away from Aro!"

"Edward –"

"I. Want. Bella!" Did she not fucking understand that I didn't want her to be here? I waited for her to leave, but she didn't move an inch. "Why won't you just leave me alone?
Huh?" I tried screaming louder, but nothing made her leave. I gave
up and rested my head on my knees again.

She finally left, but didn't close the door like I hoped she would. Stupid fucking rules.

I scrambled up and crawled into bed, pulling the covers over my head. I took the pillow out from under my head and hugged it as I wrapped a lock of hair around my finger again.

I pulled her to my chest and kissed the top of her head. "I love you." I buried my face in her hair as the feel of her hand in my hair lulled me to sleep.

Sorry this chapter was shorter than the others.

Did you guys see the trailer for Water for Elephants? It's finally on TV. (:

Please review!