They kept me in the medical room with new stitches and bandages, I laid on the bed in pain with a light sheet of sweat across my forehead as I tried to focus on anything but the pain or the still chaotic halls. I was in there for an hour or a half until Ms. Adams and a security guard came to collect me, and then I was in a separate room with my therapist and higher faculty members to give a report about lunch. Once that was done, they had left me in the room for a long twenty-five minutes, I had watched the time go by to distract myself from the pain.
I heard Uncle Charlie, Bella and that boy in another room, their voices were loud and muffled, I couldn't make out words, but the tones of voices were distinct.
I have heard stories about these kids of facilities and what goes on inside but I never would've believed I would witness it for myself. Out of all the time I spent here, the fights never got this horrendous. They were just scuffles and they would never end up like this. I know for a fact, Uncle Charlie by the short coherent words I was hearing, he wanted to leave me with me today. I had a feeling he would use anything to get me out of here. I wouldn't mind him threatening them with lawsuits to get me out of here, I did not want to go back to that Ward, and I certainly didn't want to see any of those kids. What was going to happen to those kids?
I shouldn't even care. I shouldn't care at all, but I did and it was tearing me up inside.
My therapist came back with the higher ups and by their faces, whatever had just gone down in the other room had scared them because they had me escorted back to Ward 5 to pack up my belongings. There was like three kids here, the two 17-year-old boys were in here along with the youngest of the ward, the 11-year-old girl, they looked freaked and overwhelmed. They must have been the other good kids that cooperated.
After all my stuff had been packed back up in a duffel bag and escorted back to Uncle Charlie, one of the higher ups was apologizing profusely but stopped when he glared at her.
"You'll be expecting my decision by the morning."
She looked like she was beginning to sweat through her clothes. In the lobby was filled with angry and anxious parents and/or guardians. I don't think I've seen so many police cars and ambulances in my life when Uncle Charlie lead me through.
"Viviane!" I turned to Nana's voice just before she locked me into a hug and my noise was filled with Dior perfume.
"Nana?" I asked in confusion.
She grabbed my shoulders and pulled back, "Are you okay? I swear I will have this wretched place closed down."
I couldn't speak, I couldn't get any words out and Nana took that as a sign to yell at the faculty that were outside.
"Nana. Nana," I rushed, her blue eyes met mine again, "I'm okay, it's okay."
She wrapped her arm around my upper back after she searched my eyes for a long moment, and pulled me away from Uncle Charlie, "Come on, Come on. Let's get you out of here. Meet you back at the hotel, Charlie?"
He grunted in confirmation, and I followed Nana to her Jag. I looked over to Charlie's cruiser where he walked towards, Bella and that boy were staring at me. I held eye contact with the boy the longest before Nana ushered me into her passenger seat. Nana rambled the most of the trip out of the outskirts of Seattle and into the city, I didn't say much, and she noticed.
"What… happened in there?" Nana asked pulling up to a red light, Uncle Charlie stopped his car behind us.
I inhaled through my nose to hold myself together, I looked down at my arms and hands in my lap.
"The morning support groups, I guess had been filled with fighting. Kids fighting each other and hitting staff, I thought my Ward was going to stay out of it but by lunch that had all wanted in on the fun."
"How?... How did your arm get…"
"Ripped open? I was trying to leave the cafeteria to get help and then I had gotten jumped. When I got away I lead the kids to the unwatched doors, and they all started getting out."
Nana was quiet for a moment, and she pasted the green light and continued down the busy street into the thickly busy city streets.
"Why were those doors open?"
"I didn't know they were open but that's what those alarms were."
"I can't fathom… what is wrong with that facility, that staff."
"It's not the staff's fault. I mean… after today, I can say a lot of the things we heard was because of the patients… I mean, I had felt for them, and then they…"
"Became animals."
"Precisely."
"Well don't worry. I'm sure Charlie threatening to give them a lawsuit will get their act together. Even if you believe it's all the kids' fault but there are 150 employees in that building with a total of 60 kids. Most of that ratio are security guards."
There was a pause of silence.
"They should have done more." Nana says, absentminded, "Better. You are children, hurt children, but you are children."