One Shot Plot: Taylor is starting her internship as a nurse in a mental hospital for young adults. Karlie is one of the patients.
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Taylor's POVA buzz of noisy chattering and telephone tones greets me as stroll though the tall white doors. Some patients roll by on wheelchairs. Others are sitting at a table and either drawing or eating. And everywhere I look there is a nurse, carefully keeping on eye on every scene. I hang around the reception desk, waiting for somebody to attend to me. Eventually, short, grey haired lady scurries up to me from behind the desk and asks for my name and means of being here.
"Hi, it's Taylor, Taylor Swift. I'm here for the internship?"
"Ah, Taylor!", the lady beams, crinkles forming around her eyes, "Yes, Linda was expecting you today. I'm Cathy, by the way. Come around here and we'll get you started"
I follow Cathy around the desk through a door that leads to a clean, shining hallway. The wallpaper is pastel green and the floor is squeaky. We go into a small room filled with a few boxes of uniforms. We guess my size and I'm directed to the bathroom to change. The Safe Haven Mental Institution uniform is a white pinafore and pale green shirt. My hair has to be tied back at all times. And my shoes can be either trainers or Mary Jane style.
After changing I am led be Cathy to a sunroom at the edge of the main hall. I can keep an eye on some of the patients whilst I sort out some files that Cathy had given me.
"Lovely spot, isn't it? Don't say I never treated you well! Now, all you have to do is write down the information from these files on to the matching profiles I've given you here. Got it?"
"Yup, I've got it", I say, cheerfully.
"Great, come back and let me know when you're done!", Cathy smiles and leaves me to work.
It really is a nice spot she's put me in. A few succulent plants are positioned around the place. Cathy has left me a jug of water and a plastic cup; glasses are too dangerous to have around patients. It's not so quiet however because there is no door to separate me from the main hall. But I enjoy occasionally watching the patients through the glass all the same. And the sun is making it comfortably toasty as I get to work.
Just as I start to fill out my fifth profile, a tall, curious looking girl peeks her head around the entrance. She's wearing dark skinny jeans and a baggy red T-shirt with a tiny pink dog on the chest. Her deep green eyes stare wonderingly into my work space.
"Hello there", I say with my best attempt at a welcoming smile.
The girl does not respond. She continues to stare and look around the sunroom.
"Are you all right?", I ask, wondering if perhaps she'd like to be in here by herself for a while.
She still does not respond and carries on gazing at me and the sunroom.
"Are you looking for something?", I question.
This time I earn a response. The girl nods and curls one finger into her mouth to chew on. Even though she is much taller than I am, she holds her stare with me as if she were no taller than a toddler. She makes her eyes big and longing. She chews on her finger. I have yet to hear her speak.
"What are you looking for?", I say, softly.
She points to something in the corner of the room. It's light tan and fuzzy. A stuffed animal is curled up behind some plants. I stand up to go retrieve it for her, but suddenly the girl decides to charge through the room to pick it up herself. It's a dog with short, pointy ears and a stubby, hairy tail. The girl hugs it close to her chest and brushes her cheek against the toy's furry face.