Asylum For Aisling

Chapter 4

I concentrated on slowing my breathing as Doc pulled out his phone and dialed a number. My brow was creased in concentration as an accumulation of thoughts swirled around sending my mind into a frenzy. I could feel the unforgiving tightening of his hands around my throat, see the crazed and lost look in his eyes, and hear his last words before the sedative took over.

"I'll fucking kill you!"

At the time that those words slipped his lips, they were said with such determination and ferocity that I might have actually believed him. I know he didn't truly mean what he said; he was just in a bad state of mind. I pushed him too far just like Doc said, but I needed him to snap so I could see what he was capable of. I just wasn't quite prepared for him to react the way he did, so full of hostility and hatred.

I could hear snippets of Doc's end of the conversation. He was whispering things like, "I'm not sure it would be best", "Maybe someone else could do it", and my least favorite, "He shouldn't be around her". The one snapped me back into reality in a second.

"Doc, who are you talking to?" I croaked. Man, I sounded like shit.

Once Doc heard my voice, he snapped the phone shut and glanced over to my hunched-over form. He still had one of those dinosaur flip phones that he claimed were "reliable and indestructible." He slipped the phone into his pocket and sighed.

When he spoke to me, it was more soothing than upset, "I just finished speaking to Sister Elizabeth. She is absolutely livid about all the stress you have been putting everyone through lately. She wants to see you later. In the meantime, Rylie will help me get Harry to his room, and then escort you back to yours."

"Wait, I don't have a room anymore. All my stuff was taken out..."

Doc merely shrugged and replied, "I guess we'll just have to figure it out."

I glanced up to see him running circles in his temple, probably trying to ease some of the tension. It was true; I had been wreaking havoc around here lately due to boredom. When I wasn't in Movement, there wasn't much to do, so I had to find something to pass my time.

Apparently, making the attendants as crazy as the patients in here was frowned upon. Whatever.

I sighed in defeat. I was going to have to apologize to him sooner or later, and now seemed to be smartest. "Doc, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the stunts I have been pulling this past week. I'm sorry for pushing Harry too far. But I am most sorry that you were the unlucky fellow that got assigned to me."

I couldn't look him in the eyes. I knew the whole, "Aisling, I love working with you" spiel was coming, and I didn't want to hear it. He only said things like that to make me feel better, and in some way, to do the same for him. It never came, which pleasantly surprised me. He just pinched the bridge on his nose and sighed heavily.

I heard two rapid knocks on the door before it swung open. Rylie walked in timidly, heading straight for Doc.

"They said you needed my help?" Rylie questioned. He seemed utterly confused as to why he was called, and so was I. Why were all these new people being attached to my side? I would think that all the attendants here would try to keep the new workers and new patients as far away from me as possible.

"Yes. I need you to assist me in getting Harry here up to his room and then Aisling to hers." Doc's gaze flickered over to me. Only then did Rylie realize my presence and his widened at the sight of me. Good.

"About that..." Rylie seemed to have a hard time collecting his thoughts. "Doc, she... Uhm..."

Doc understood that Rylie wasn't going to be able to form complete sentences until I was out of range. "All right, let's get moving. You can tell me when we get Harry back so we get something accomplished."