THE ROAD THROUGH THE FORBIDDEN

CHAPTER III (SURPRIZING ADVENTURES OF DR PROT AND... A TASTE OF DOMINATION )

December,  1986

Tomasz was not an ardent opponent of electric shocks - he was simply opposed to Prot's use of them. He knew that there were situations in which electric shocks could actually help, such as severe depression, but Franciszek Prot would gladly treat anyone who came to him with electricity. He had the impression that he began to take delight in it, especially in his old age, when thoughts of retirement were slowly catching up with him. Perhaps he stimulated himself with such activities so that he would have some recollection to itch the ditch at home when he could no longer see patients on a daily basis? He believed that Prot would also have gladly treated Piotr with electricity to shock all this stuff out of him. Maybe he would even try to administer electric shocks to his penis to rid him of all the filthiness from - in his opinion - a world filled with degeneracy.

Duty had begun and Tomasz already knew that he would spend the next day conducting psychiatric examinations of new patients and drawing up descriptions of their mental state. Collecting interviews didn't fascinate him as much as he thought it would, because he knew that the patients would end up under Prot's wing anyway. And that never ends well. He brewed himself his second coffee of the day and started down the corridor to the admission room.

He didn't even have time to open the large door with its scratched white enamel, but already heard the booming voice of his superior. It ran through his head that it was going to be another hard day in this sick place.

- Oh, Tomek, there you are at last! I have a wonderful case here. Please come closer.

Tomasz walked quickly to the bed squeezed into the corner of the corridor where the terrified girl lay.

- We have a very interesting case here. This is clearly a patient who is very comfortable with us. She tried to take her own life once again. Do you like coming back here child? - he turned to the girl who was furiously trying to kill him with her eyes. - You may not know it, but this young lady took 50 paracetamol tablets last night. That's another time this year. Do you girl want to kill yourself, or do you hate your liver so much and want to finish it off! - said Prot in a raised voice. The patient ignored the doctor and, holding her stomach, began to sway.

- Psycho - burbled the head of the department under his breath - You are perfectly suited to this place, child, it seems to me that after the gastric lavage you will do best in solitary confinement, where you might rethink your behaviour. Although that didn't really work out last time, now that you've come back to us again. This time, perhaps a longer stay will bring you back to relative sanity.

- Hania - Prot turned to the orderly - please prepare an isolation room for this young lady for the next, say, three weeks? - wondered the doctor aloud.

At the same moment, a shrill screech mixed with desperate crying came from the teenager's mouth. Among the screams, Tomasz managed to make out "No!" and "Don't take me there again!", but he wasn't quite sure about the latter, as each word was spoken in a different tone and with a different intensity. He tried not to react, even though he was boiling inside. He knew that the hospital was supposed to teach him how to deal with such cases. Such experiences are supposed to make him mentally stronger, but now he felt like his heart was about to burst.

Two nurses rushed into the room and asked Tomasz to help hold down the patient.

- Give her five milligrams of haloperidol! - shouted Prot, trying to cut through the cacophony of sounds. - Now! - he added, trying to help immobilise the girl. They managed to get her on the bed and then one of the nurses slipped her trousers down along with her panties and stuck a thick needle into her buttock, injecting a transparent liquid. Tomasz noticed many other old puncture wounds on her buttock, as well as two or three fresh ones. The girl's muscles began to go limp. She was no longer screaming and was slowly calming down, so there was no need to hold her down any longer.