MADMAN'S ARMS

17

Tuesday, August 20th

I woke up the morning after by the ringing sound of my annoying alarm clock.

Even though I only had a couple glasses of wine yesterday, I felt more tired than usual. I yawned loudly and stretched my tied up limbs before I got out of bed to get ready for work.

Today was a free day for the patients, even if it wasn't Saturday or Sunday. It was necessary to have those days sometimes so that the patients could get used to fluctuations in their normal routines and schedules.

It was a way for them to work with reality and even get some rest from every other day's sessions and appointments.

I knew that the biggest part of this shift would be to supervise the gathering room, watch the inmates playing their games, paint or read books. But for some of the patients it was a big mental challenge, and me and the other supervising nurses were aware that there was quite a big risk that something could happen in the assembly on days like this one as the patients were not all prepared for an aberration in their daily routine.

I arrived at work and after I had changed, I took the elevator up to floor 2 and walked towards the gathering hall immediately to start my supervising hours.

The security guards were positioned in each corner and some of the patients were already awake and in full motion with their activities.

These days were indeed free for the inmates, but it was not optional to attend the gathering room. Every patient had to spend at least two hours in here to socialize or activate themselves in one way or another. It was a part of the medical schedule in order to help the patients' with their different fears and difficulties.

I didn't know how Brandon felt about the room yet, since I had only seen him read the book Lolita in his loneliness ever since he arrived. He kept a distance from the other patients and they did the same towards him. I figured that I was not the only one here who had a fear of him, even the nurses kept their distance. He was followed by a personal guard every time he was in here, because of his risk of outrage, and that was a clear sign for the ambience that he was dangerous.

I sat down in my ordinary place while watching the people of different ages and appearances occupying themselves with their creative pursuits.

With every minute, the room got more crowded and now Janet and Mildred both sat beside me. We chit-chatted with each other while keeping our focus on the patients.

We did not have a limitless number of patients in this area, but many enough to be supervised only by six nurses and three security guardsmen. After barely an hour of a calm and peaceful atmosphere, the door to the assembly opened up in a rough move, and the person I had been wondering about stepped inside to make an entrance like no other.

He walked slowly through the room and his tall and attractive appearance caught everyone's attention. I tried my best not to stare him out but his dramatic, slow-motion entry couldn't keep me from doing anything else.

His dark, intense gaze inspected the room and as he reached the middle area, the brown piercing eyes of his struck my own. I inhaled deeply and adjusted my position in the armchair from the heavy physical reaction.

He lowered his eyebrows and mysteriously pursed his shaped lips. His eyes wouldn't let go of mine, and even if I wanted to look away myself, it didn't seem to be possible. My stomach twisted and turned on the inside, but by now I didn't know if it was out of fear or because of some other abnormal feeling of excitement and curiosity.

It was nothing new that my body reacted in a physical way when I was around him, and I always thought it was only because I was terrified of him. But while using my senses carefully, I noticed that I didn't feel afraid at this moment at all.