Map of Your Head

Chapter 1: The Hospital

Dom's POV

I look around my room one last time before picking up my suitcase and walking out, shutting the door tight behind me.

After months of being suicidal (and an attempt), I finally decided that it was best for my own health to check into a psychiatric hospital.

I make my way down the stairs and stop at the bottom. My mum looks to me from her seat on the couch and smiles sadly. "Ready to go?" she asks, wiping a few tears from her face. I just nod and we walk out of the house together. I place my suitcase in the back of the car before sliding into the passenger side. I put in my ear buds and hit play on Nirvana, Nevermind.

The drive takes around an hour which I spend sitting silently.

"Dominic, we're here," Mum says, placing a hand on my shoulder. I look at her to see her eyes are red and watery. "I'll miss you."

"I won't be here too long. Only a few months," I sigh, opening the door and stepping out. "Bye." I close the door and grab my suitcase out of the back. I walk into the building without looking back.

The lobby is clean and mostly white except for the dark blue tiled floor. I step up to a desk were a woman with curly ginger hair and green eyes is seated.

"Um, hi," I mumble, my eyes fixed on the floor. "I'm Dominic Howard."

The woman looks up and smiles at me. "Hello Dominic. Why don't you just follow me and I'll take you down to the wing where you'll be staying." I nod as she stands up. I'm led through a few halls and a glass door that the woman had to unlock before she knocked on a door. A tall man with glasses answers and flashes a friendly smile in my direction.

"You must be Dominic," he says, stepping out of his office and shutting the door behind him. "I'm Doctor Wells and I'll be showing you around."

~

"And finally, this is your room," Dr. Wells says, nodding to a door. "Your roommate is Morgan Nicholls. I'm sure you'll meet him soon." He hands me a paper before continuing. "That is just a schedule concerning meal times and curfew. In a few days we'll see if you're ready to start therapy. I'll see you around Dominic." And with that he left.

I take a deep breath before opening the door. It's very minimalistic; two beds with a night table at each foot, two small closets, and a bathroom. My roommate isn't here at the moment, but I think it's safe to assume that the unmade bed is his.

I just throw my suitcase into the empty closet and collapse in bed. I don't care anymore. I just want to go to sleep...

Many thanks to ErazedCitizen for the cover!