Closer Than Your Shadow

Honest Bloody Truth

December 12th 7:21 p.m.
Gotham
Arkham Asylum

I dropped the phone.

I heard Barbara but I didn't bother to raise it back up to my ear until I could swallow the fact that I might've imagined my best friend. All this time it might've been fake. Lindsay saw him. She talked about him. I was so sure...

How could I do that?

"Claire?"

"What do you mean he doesn't exist?"

"I found Lenny in the Gotham Library archives. Born and raised in Star City but he changed his name in 2014. Birth certificate and all. We were looking for someone who didn't exist 4 years ago. In Gotham or anywhere. His real names Greg Lennox."

"Greg Lennox?" I asked and scanned the labels on the boxes.

"Yeah. Wait, hold on. Let me call you back, it's Bruce."

This was not the time to hang up.

H.
I.
J.
K.
L.

I pulled the lid open.

Josh Lene.

Baron Lennet.

Greg Lennox.

I pulled the folder open and for just a second I thought about how big of an invasion this was. I was breaking HIPPA and a thousand friend rules. But he lied to me. He was in my dreams.

What if this folder held everything I was missing?

I pulled the papers out and scanned the first one.

_______________________________

Greg Lennox. 46 year old male. 72 hour stay extended for 2 additional weeks.

Suffers from paranoia.

Depressive episodes.

Insomnia.

Severe anxiety.

Hallucinations.

Notes: Week 1: Admitted after a failed suicide attempt. Agitated and aggressive throughout treatments. Major bouts of paranoia. Greg believes "someone" is hunting him. He's convinced he didn't intentionally try to cut his wrists.

Week 2: Calmer and more talkative. Less aggressive. Easy going and quick to use humor and sarcasm as an escape. He keeps mentioning 'the robbery' and his daughter. He has finally stopped talking about the person who's been "hunting" him'. Hallucinates his daughter.

Prescription: Chlorpromazine 30mg, Nuplazid 50mg, Lexapro 80mg

Release date: February 27, 2014

Doctor's Signature: Harleen Quinzel

_______________________________

I flipped through all the papers. He had journal entries for the last week he was here.

February 18th
I'm not writing shit in here. It's not going to matter.
February 19th

February 20th

February 21st
I think he found me again. He's sending letters. Red envelopes just like B used to. I shouldn't be scared of a kid.
February 22nd
I got a prompt this time from the doctor, why do I think I'm in here? Like everyone else says, I'm not supposed to be.
February 23rd
I want to go home. I miss Star City and B. It's almost been a year. I'm done with being afraid, I just want to stop running.
February 24th