Unwell.

10. I Know, Right Now You Don't Care

Author's Note: This chapter makes me sad :( Please see notes at the end. One more after this!

10. I Know, Right Now You Don't Care

He burst through Dr. Chastain's door without knocking. She stood abruptly, and for the first time he saw fear in her eyes.

"Mitch, are you okay?"

"Where did he go?"

"Mitch..."

"Where is Scott? Tell me where Scott is."

"Mitch, I don't know..."

"DON'T LIE TO ME."

Mitch could feel his blood boiling. He had just promised that he would never leave. And they ripped him away from him. How could they rip him away from him?

"Mitch, sit down. I will not speak with you until you sit down and keep your voice down."

Her voice was stern, and he knew that he would never get anywhere if he didn't comply. He needed so desperately to know that Scott was alright, he would have done anything.

They sat in silence as Mitch tried to take some deep breaths. But all he could think about was how he had betrayed someone for whom he cared so deeply.

"I've been thinking of sending your parents a card. Would you like to do that?"

"Stop trying to distract me."

"I'm not. I've been meaning to ask you about it, actually. I'd like to send a card and include a picture of you, to show them how happy you've been with us. Would that be okay?"

"If you tell me where Scott is, sure. Did you discharge him?" He spoke quickly and with a warning edge to his voice.

"Carla gave me a photo to use. Is this one okay?" Dr. Chastain ignored his question, sliding a photo across the desk, and Mitch had to lean forward to make out the image.

"She told me she took it for the bulletin board. Do you like it?"

He recognized it, of course he did. He remembered that day like it was yesterday. It was the day he pretty much had to force Scott to smile, because he was so self-conscious. It was the day that Scott became frustrated when he tried to compliment him.

But the image that stared back at him wasn't right.

Scott wasn't in it. Why wasn't Scott in it?

"What...?"

"Mitch... we didn't discharge Scott."

He stared at the image some more, wondering who would have the Photoshop skills to remove an entire person so perfectly.

"We didn't discharge Scott. You did."

Mitch didn't even know what he was feeling anymore. He didn't understand. He felt his pulse quicken painfully, and he suddenly felt like he might faint.

"Sweetheart... Scott isn't real."

He repeated the words in his mind over and over, trying to make them make sense.

He let out a guttural scream, tearing the photo into shreds, and two staff members ran through the door.

Dr. Chastain held up one hand, halting the two men in place. "We're okay. He's okay. Don't touch him."

The shreds of the photo stared back at him from their place on the floor, and he wished he could put them back together just to tear them apart again.