"April, baby… it's just me." He put his hands up in defence whilst AJ looked at him with uncertainty, holding Liesel close to her, as if protecting her from him. She was staring at him with alert eyes, almost scaring him.
"No… no you're here to hurt her. You want to take her… stay away from me." She pointed as Punk just shook his head.
"April, I promise I am not going to hurt you, or Liesel. Do you… do you know who I am? You see me standing here, right?" He asked, unsure as to how AJ could have possibly flipped like this. Was she seeing something he couldn't. It was freaking him out, and he didn't like seeing her like this. So frightened.
"No… no, please. You're here to take my baby. Don't take her. Please don't take her." She cried as Punk looked behind him and down the hallway, perhaps maybe someone was in the house, but there definitely wasn't. AJ was pointing at him and speaking directly to him whilst looking in his eyes.
"April, I am Liesel's father. We-We live together, here. With her. I'm not taking her and I promise you I am not going to hurt her. Or you." He said, not really sure what to do. He felt completely lost and so confused. Why was she acting like this? Like a crazy person?
"No… no you want to hurt her with all the other demons. You do. I know you do. Please, don't come near us." She cried frantically.
"What other demons? April, you're freaking me out here, baby. What the hell is going through your mind?" He asked.
"The demons. Your demons. The ones you sent. You want to hurt her and take her and I… I won't let you."
"April." Punk shook his head, looking over at her shaking in the corner of the nursery, crying recklessly whilst clutching Liesel to her chest, "What do you see when you look at me?" He asked her as she turned away quickly, "C'mon, April… you're scaring me here."
"You're him." She gasped, "You're the devil."
Punk looked across at her with raised eyebrows, completely terrified of the mother of his child at this moment in time. It didn't scare him that she called him the devil, it scared him that she was looking in his eyes and really did mean what she was saying. She really thought he was the devil? She clearly wasn't healthy, and it seemed completely psychotic to him. He just couldn't understand how it had sprung on all of a sudden. He had no idea what to do, but he figured a hospital was his best bet.
"I'm not the devil, April." Punk said, "You love me. And I love you… that's our baby you're holding. I promise… I promise I am not the devil and I am not going to hurt you." He said as she just shook her head repeatedly.
"No… no that's what you do. You're gonna trick me, and then you're gonna take my baby. But you can't have her. She doesn't belong to you." She shook her head as Punk watched her closely.
He had no experience in dealing with someone who was clearly out of their mind, but he had an idea on what to do and say, that would maybe coax AJ out of the corner and hopefully into his trusting arms, so he could take her immediately to the hospital.
"Ok." Punk nodded, "I'm gonna go, get my clothes on. And then we'll go for a drive, huh?" He said as she shook her head with tears streaming down her cheeks, "We can go for a drive, you can keep Liesel safe, and I'll… I'll take you some place where the devil isn't going to find you." He said.
"No… you're the devil. You… you're going to trick me. You're going to hurt us. I've been told."
"By who?"
"God… God told me." AJ said, "God told me the devil was going to come and take my baby. And that I had to protect her."
Punk thought he just might pass out at the absolute horror of this. He was terrified for AJ. She really believed what she was saying. She really was completely seeing things, and hearing things clearly. If she had a mental illness, he would have known about. He knew she was fine. He was so worried and confused.
"I know he did." Punk played along softly, "I know he told you, because he… he sent me here. He sent me here to take you and Liesel to a safe place. A place where no one can touch you or hurt you. Not even the devil." He said as AJ looked at him closely with alert and streaming eyes.
"You aren't the devil? I-I was so sure." She shook her head.
"I'm not the devil. I'm here… I'm here to help you, April." He nodded, "Just… let's go some place safe. I know where to take you. God told me himself."
"He did?" She asked curiously.
"Yeah." Punk swallowed the lump in his throat, "Yeah he told me just a minute ago the exact place I need to take you both, so you can be safe."
"O-ok." AJ nodded, "Ok. Well we have to be prepared. Incase… incase he's trying to follow us. You… you'll be able to know. God will tell you when we're in danger, won't he?" AJ asked, inching closer to Punk as Punk examined her carefully, not really believing anything that was going on.
"Yeah. Yeah he'll tell me." Punk nodded, "You just… stay here, I'm gonna go put on some jeans and then we can go, alright?" He said as she nodded quickly, beginning to pace the nursery as he slowly walked out, placing his hand over his mouth as he walked into their bedroom.
"Oh my god." He whispered to himself, completely stunned by the turn of events. She was completely insane. Literally. He knew she wasn't prone to mental illnesses. He would have found out when they hooked up, and especially during her pregnancy. She was fine. This was completely sprung on and he was absolutely terrified.
He quickly shoved on some jeans and grabbed his phone.
Elise was completely out cold in her own bed, enjoying a peaceful sleep with Dean by her side. It had been a success with Dean and Toni. Her daughter was very keen on Dean, and very much allowing him into her life. She was questioning him all night, and she could see Dean loved it.
She was so peacefully asleep, that only Dean heard her phone vibrate on the nightstand, screwing his eyes up as he reached over for the bright phone and seeing that there was a message from Punk.
"Elise." He whispered, "Wake up." He shook her lightly as she opened her eyes.
"What?" She grumbled.
"Phil has text you." He said in an equally gruff voice, "You better read it. Must be important." He said as she took the phone from him and looked at the message, sitting up slowly as she read it over and over again to try find some sense in it.
"We have to go the hospital."
It was an hour later, and Punk still couldn't get the sight of multiple doctors ripping AJ away whilst she screamed out for her baby girl who she really believed was in danger. He'd never seen someone so mentally ill. She really thought he was going to hurt their daughter? It was insane.
He sat in the waiting room of the psychiatric department in the hospital, cradling Liesel in his arms as he waited for some sort of news.
He'd coaxed AJ throughout the journey here that this was the safest place for her, and she really believed him, until they went through the swing doors and she was immediately took away considering he'd called in advance to the hospital.
He didn't know what else to do? She was ill. Extremely ill. And it was an illness that couldn't be cured with a hug or a kiss.
"Mr Brooks..." An on call psychiatrist came over to Punk as he lifted his head, "May I talk to you in my office for a minute." She asked as Punk nodded, standing up and walking away into the office with Liesel, taking a deflated seat as the doctor sat across from him.
"Is she ok? Where is she?"
"We had to sedate her." The doctor said, "She… she tried to scratch out a nurses' eyes." The doctor said as Punk shut his eyes, looking down and looking back up, "She'll be under sedation for the next few hours."
"What… what's wrong with her? Because I know she isn't mentally ill. She isn't a schizo, she doesn't have bi polar." Punk said, "It looks like she's been damn well possessed." Punk said with fear cracking in his voice.
"She has post-partum psychosis, Mr Brooks." The doctor said, "It's a very very serious mental illness that can occur after child birth." She explained, "Now you're right, it'd make sense if she had bi polar or another mental illness already, because that's normally the types of people who get this, but I've looked up her files, and her mother was prone to this illness too. Which is most likely why she has got it. It is genetic." The doctor said.
"So… what… what does it mean?" Punk shook his head.
"Well, she'll definitely see things differently from you. From what she was saying when you brought her in, about the Devil and God, she's clearly been hallucinating." She said, "You done the right thing by bringing her straight in. Some men think it's just part of post natal depression, and think it will ware off, but with post-partum psychosis, the longer you leave it, the worse it gets." She said.
"What's gonna happen to her… is she going to be ok?" He asked.
"Oh, she'll make a quick recovery under our supervision. The illness isn't permanent." The doctor said, "But… could I just ask you a few questions?" She asked as Punk nodded.
"Yeah." Punk nodded solemnly, looking down as Liesel stayed perfectly quiet and fast asleep in his arms.
"Was April's birth traumatic in any way? On her files it says it was a home delivery." The doctor stated.
"It wasn't traumatic. She was fine. She done great and she made a quick recovery." Punk said.
"Has she been sleeping since the birth?"
"Not much, I guess." Punk admitted truthfully.
"And… is there anything that you know of, that is on April's conscience at the moment? Anything she's scared or worried about? With all her talk about the devil and his demons… it's rather unusual. I've never seen someone talk about such things with this illness." She admitted.
"She's been happy." Punk shrugged, "It was just like she snapped tonight. Like something just came over her. She has nothing on her conscience." Punk said, although he knew himself it probably wasn't entirely true. 'The devil and his demons' could be interoperated in Punks mind to a very specific man and group of people that April was afraid of.
"It can spring on suddenly." The doctor nodded, "That's what happens with the illness." She said, "But you done a great job getting her here. Some people can't even get their partners out the house. It might have been painful to watch and listen, but she's in good hands here." She nodded as Punk forced a smile.
"When will I get to see her? Will her treatment work immediately?" Punk asked.
He supposed it was good that there wasn't any permanently wrong, and it was an afterbirth illness that AJ had, apparently passed down from her mother. He was glad she was going to get better. He hated seeing her in that state.
"It'll gradually bring her back to a normal state of mind." The doctor said, "She'll be sedated for the next few hours. She was just too angry and violent to keep conscious. We've already started her medication through tubes. She'll refuse to take them like everyone else does in the unit. Maybe it'd be best if you came seen her tomorrow, when she's had a doze of her medication, and she's a little more calm." The doctor suggested as Punk just nodded.
"Ok." Punk nodded, not seeing how he had a choice, "But you'll tell her that Liesel is safe, and she's ok. She… she really believed that something was going to happen to her."
"She won't once her medication kicks in. She'll realise your daughter is with you and she'll calm down." The doctor nodded as Punk just sighed.
"Alright, well just call me if there's any news." Punk said, standing up and approaching the office door when the doctor spoke up.
"For future reference… normally women who experience this illness with their first pregnancy, will see it return in future pregnancies." The doctor said as Punk nodded.
"We can cross that bridge when we come to it." Punk said, "Thanks for your help." He said as the doctor smiled sympathetically as Punk walked out of the office, spotting Elise and for some reason Dean in the waiting room, with a sleeping Toni.
"Hey." Elise stood up quickly, looking at her brother come out of the office with Liesel, "What's going on?"
"Just… just take her." Punk shook his head, placing Liesel in his sisters arms, "I need… I just need some air." He mumbled, walking away as Elise looked on with concern.