Darke Beginnings

Chapter #1

“Mr. and Mrs. Darke, could you please come into my office?” summoned Dr. Gregory, PhD. The couple shuffled quietly into the room, taking the two empty chairs that sat at the closest side of the doctor's desk. Their son, Lucien, sulked on a large leather couch that was positioned adjacent to the door, his eyes down turned, his mouth in a pout, his demeanor a study in abject boredom. “Mr. and Mrs. Darke,” the doctor addressed as he sat in his own chair opposite them. “Your son is what I would categorize as a sociopath. He knows exactly what he is doing, in fact, is a study of control, however, only cares about what affects him personally. He has no compunction for the feelings or well-being of others. I am glad that the court ordered him to my care, rather than sanctioning him to one of those juvenile facilities. It is rare that we have the opportunity to treat someone so young with this, before he can become a blight on the face of humanity.”

Wide-eyed, Mrs. Darke looked at her husband, then to her son, then back to Dr. Gregory. “It's all my fault,” she gasped through the veil of emerging tears, “I've coddled hum his whole life, I've spoiled him!” She began to sob and covered her face with her hands, letting the spasms wrack her fragile body.

“Mrs. Darke, this is not something that your parenting would create. Science is not yet sure how this happens, whether it be brought on by genetics or in relation to chemicals during development in utero. There is no reason for you to blame yourself.”

Mr. Darke put his arm around his wife, “See, darling,” he comforted, “It is not your fault.” He held her close until her tears began to subside, all the while watching Lucien as he fidgeted on the couch. His attention turned to Dr. Gregory. “What can we do?” he asked.

The doctor handed him a piece of paper that he had pulled from a file on his desk. “This is my treatment plan,” he explained, “I put this together after my initial interview with Lucien and, upon the recommendations and support of my colleagues, would like you to allow me to care for him at Sutton Hospital. I believe the facilities there will be optimum for his treatment and that removal from his current environment will aid in his recovery.”

“So our son is sick?” Mr. Darke shook his head. “Sick enough to remand him to an asylum?”

“We prefer to call them sanatoriums, and yes, your son is sick. This is not anything that we can see, it's a sickness inside his head. I believe that with the proper medication and treatment, basically a reprogramming of the way he thinks, we can help him.”

Lucien had been absent from the conversation, preferring to watch out the window as he shifted himself around on the couch, but when he heard the discussion about placement in Sutton Hospital, he snapped to attention and zeroed in on Dr. Gregory. “You can't make me go,” he glowered, “I don't have to.”

“Lucien!” his mother reprimanded, “You do have to go! Your father and I can't do anything to save you from this. You made your bed, now lie in it!”

It was the first time that Lucien had really ever heard his mother speak to him in such an abrasive tone. His face drained and his blue eyes widened. He felt as though he had been slapped and his cheeks reddened in accordance. Tears began welling and he sniffed, “You said I would never have to do anything I don't want to.”

Her look softened along with her tone. “I was wrong,” she said, “I was so wrong. Sometimes, as an adult, you have to do things you may not want to do...” Her eyes dropped and she buried her face into her husband's shoulder, sobbing once again.

Lucien watched her for a moment, then, steeling himself once again, proclaimed, “I'm not.”

His father stood up, pulling his wife up with him. “Lucien,” he said stoically, “You are a man now, and we are doing this to make sure you turn out to be the right kind of man, the kind that can make a difference in the world, not one that serves himself only.” He smoothed down his suit jacket and held out his hand to his only son. “Now, son, your mother and I are leaving you in the care of Dr. Gregory.“

Lucien turned away, ignoring the outstretched hand, ignoring the continued sounds of his mother crying. “Then go,” he said coldly.

When his parents had left the room, Dr. Gregory sighed, “You really should have listened to your parents, they want only the best for you.”

Crossing his arms across his chest, Lucien huffed, “They never loved me, I was an inconvenience.”

“Why do you say that?” Dr. Gregory was beginning to get intrigued.

Lucien stood from his perch and strode over to the window. He watched the silhouettes of his parents in the street light as they got into their car and drove away. “Do you know why I was sent away for the summer?”

“I would guess it was because William's parents had thought it would be a nice gesture of friendship.”

Lucien spun around, his eyes ablaze. “It was because they wanted to go on holiday by themselves and not have to drag me along!” He screamed, the pain in his voice evident, “They paid William's parents to take me along. William and I were mates in school, well enough, but I was never even consulted on whether I wanted to go!”

“Would you have enjoyed the trip they took?”
“That's beside the point,” Lucien sighed, dropping his arms and allowing himself to relax. “My whole life, I was left in the care of someone else. Friends, nannies, anyone besides my parents. While they lived the life of a childless couple, I became my own child.” A solitary tear, borne of grief, anger and loss, rolled down his cheek and his breath heaved in relief.

Dr. Gregory moved to stand next to him and tried to put his arm around him, but was brushed away. He chose then to sympathize with Lucien in another way. “I am sorry that you have been forced to think of yourself, for yourself, by yourself, but, until you learn to think of others, you will have a hard road, young man.”