The Night Everything Lost Sense

15. Epilogue

Another beautiful day.

Briar sat by the window, looking outside with dreamy eyes. The book that he had been reading earlier was long forgotten. Its pages lay open on his lap, beckoning him to read more – to waste his time doing something productive instead of daydreaming about things that will never happen to him. Yet, his eyes remained glued on the green trees and soaring birds and his mind wondered freely around the city.

At least now he could look outside without feeling terrified. At least now he didn't have to put the blinds down every night. Everything is better now. That's what his parents said every time they visited; the hospital is nice. His room is nice. Everything is better now.

He could almost see his school from across the river. He wondered what his classmates were doing. What his friends were doing. What meaningless drama floated around the school. What the classes were about... so many things he wanted to know. He was out of the loop about it.

His friends haven't visited him in over a week.

Briar heard a cough. He turned his head and looked at his room. Sunshine illuminated the tile floor and clean walls. The warm rays fell over his bed and cluttered nightstands. Flowers. Chocolate. Plushies. Books. Gifts from his friends and family. Other than his plush companions, he was alone.

Briar blinked fast and averted his gaze. The cough he heard was in his head. He knew that now. It was just one of the things he learned since he got to the mental hospital. When he first arrived there, he had no idea where he was. He didn't remember going there. One moment he was with his friends and the other he was with his distressed parents and tear-eyed Seth who's arm he was clutching tightly. They were in a strange hallway with even stranger people approaching him. Not knowing where he was or what was happening, he panicked, naturally. He was sure he threw a fit, but he couldn't remember exactly what happened.

He talked to doctors a lot. They tested his health a lot. Questioned him a lot. Briar wasn't very cooperative the first few days. But one night he woke up to a bunch of screaming. The voices were coming from each side of the wall. Again, he panicked. Nurses came. They calmed him down and explained to him that what he is hearing isn't real.

How terrifying that was to Briar... From then on, he took medicine without complaining.

He was monitored carefully for the first week. It scared him, but his doctor said they only want to help him. Briar didn't understand that. He wanted to go home. Maybe they would have let him go home, if only he hadn't imagined talking with Seth for a prolonged period of time. Maybe he could have gotten away with it if only he hadn't badly panicked when his hallucination vanished.

Firstly, he thought he was talking with Seth. Secondly, he thought he was home. Thirdly, he couldn't differentiate reality from his vanished hallucinations. He didn't know if he was actually home and hallucinating a hospital, or if it was the other way around. And of course, that earned him a prolonged stay at the hospital. A very long stay.

So long that his mom began crying in front of him when she found out. He felt horrible after that. He thought that he did something wrong. Luckily, his friends visited the next day and cheered him up with gifts and board games.

They were cheerful every time they visited. They always acted as if they are just visiting him at home. They acted as if nothing happened. They never mentioned his meltdown nor did they even question him about it. Casey never even mentioned their 'date'. Briar couldn't be more grateful for them. Their happy faces and the energy that they brought made his day a lot better.

Until that one day...

Broken out of his daydreams, Briar got up from the chair underneath the window and began resting on his bed instead. He was about to fall asleep when he heard a faint knock on the door. For a second, he was unsure whether he imagined it or not.