Made Up Things

They Made Up Things

Maple thought that was that, genuinely believing this was the end of her involvement with the case. She was proven wrong a few weeks later when she received an official letter with a court order. Maple was skimming through the letter out loud in front of Bloody Mary's tank:
- Due to displayed emotional distress... diagnosed by the present police psychiatrist... Pathological demand avoidance, conduct disorder, antisocial behavior, elopement, hysteria? What the fuck is all this? Obvious display of Stockholm syndrome? Mary, they're armchair diagnosing me with a bunch of shit!
In the end it turned out that the prosecution's psychiatrist filed a diagnosis with the court implying that Maple was not psychologically stable and suggested she could pose a risk to herself and others if not hospitalised. In light of this, Maple was ordered to report to a psychiatric hospital where she would be admitted for compulsory psychological examination. If she failed to do so within a week of receiving the letter, she would be committed involuntarily with the escort from officers of the law.

- I don't know, probably, like, maybe three days, right? - Maple told Sasha on the phone.
- I don't know, Mabes. I'm looking it up right now and it turns out the press says you had a meltdown at the court.
- A meltdown? Well, whatever. It's just the tabloids looking for cheap drama. The doctors will see I'm fine actually, right? Anyway, can you take care of Mary until I'm out?
- I can take the car, right?
- Yeah, sure. What do you think I should pack?
- Probably, like, the regular stuff you'd take for a trip?
- Yeah, I was thinking that too. I don't know. This sucks, Sash.
- I know. I don't get it at all. From what you said the wife seemed much crazier than you.
- I know, right?

A few days later, Sasha drove Maple to a mental hospital. Maple showed the summons to a woman at the front desk and was told to wait. Sasha offered to wait with her, but had to leave after an hour. In total, Maple waited for four hours, only eating some snacks from the vending machine in the hall, before she was finally called to the admittance office. The doctor there asked Maple about a hundred questions, some of them as crazy as "have you ever intentionally set something on fire" or "have you ever thought of taking your own life." Maple answered genuinely, believing it was normal, or at least not alarming, for someone to have thought about suicide at least once in their life. As someone fascinated with death Maple did consider possible options of going out on her own terms. Although those thoughts were completely recreational, the doctor did not see the nuance. He just put a large X in a highlighted rectangle at the bottom of the questionnaire, one that said "suicidal," which was going to affect the way Maple would be treated from now on.

Maple was invited to the next room where she was ordered to take off everything down to her underwear, including shoes, socks and jewellery. While she was doing that, in full view of two men, a doctor and an orderly, the orderly went through her bag. He did not ask for any sort of permission or even inform her that he would be doing so. Maple received a set of extremely worn down pajamas full of tears and holes which did not fit her at all and a pair of anti-slip socks. As she was putting it all on, the orderly made a bunch of comments about the contents of Maple's bag while confiscating a lot of her stuff and putting it in a plastic bag. Maple just took her travel bag that contained a toiletry case and some other travel accessories; she hadn't put much thought to it when she was packing. She was now being ridiculed by the orderly for packing stuff like sunscreen, a pocket knife or a travel sewing kit to the hospital.

Maple looked at the orderly who was currently going through her bag and making unpleasant comments. He was tall, muscle-bound and tattooed. He had blonde hair in a buzz cut and wore a red t-shirt that seemed about a size too tight. Maple understood the orderly's role now: security. In a mental institution, where the patients were not always going to listen to orders, doctors and nurses were not enough. The orderlies acted as guards who would force any unruly patients into obedience. At this moment, the blonde orderly was performing a show of strength in front of Maple to intimidate her so that she would know not to step out of bounds.