Asylum For Aisling

Chapter 12

So, I sat up.

I sat on the floor in the middle of the room, waiting.

I waited for Harry.

Hours went by and he hadn't come back yet. My back was stinging from the open wounds that hadn't been tended to. A constant, heavy flow of tears made their down my cheeks the entire time. I knew that if I didn't have attention brought to my back, infection would seep in causing more damage.

Warily, I picked myself up from my spot on the floor and made my way over to the button that would call an attendant down. I simply hit the button once, not in the mood to aggravate them by pressing it repeatedly like I had done last time. Once I hit it, I walked back over to where I was sitting before, and lowered myself back to the ground. I crossed my legs and sat up straight, my eyes boring into the wood door, waiting for someone to tend to my back.

I saw a shadow on the other side, just under the crack of the door. I heard them jiggle the knob and then sigh when they came to the realization that it was locked. They fumbled with their keys, dropping them to a heap on the floor in the process, and sighed again. I heard them stick a key in the lock and turn it.

Rylie.

It was always Rylie.

"Aisling, what do you need?" He took a step in and flipped the light switch on. I blinked a few times in surprise at the light that was searing my puffy eyes.

"Fix my back." I stated bluntly.

"What do you mea- Holy shit! What the hell happened?!" His eyes were wide and he looked at me worriedly.

"Punishment. Now fix it." My voice sounded far away. I just wanted my back fixed in time for when Harry came back.

"I can't just fix it, Aisling. These lacerations are way beyond my level. Let me take you to the infirmary." His voice was layered in concern.

"No, they take too long and ask too many questions." I mumbled.

"Aisling, if I promise you that they will ask you no questions and get done in under a half hour, will you go?"

"Fine." I agreed.

We walked down the maze of hallways, me holding onto him for support as a flow of blood continued pouring out of the gashes on my back. With each step, I was becoming dizzier. My head was spinning, the walls were tilting, and I felt like everything was caving in around me.

"Rylie, I'm not going to make it." I breathed.

"Come on, Aisling. See that door just down the hall? That's how far you have to go. That's all." He tugged me forward encouragingly.

I gave up trying to walk as my steps continued to falter and my body jerked this way and that unsteadily. I guess Rylie must have gotten me the rest of the way there because the next thing I knew I was laying face down on a gurney in the infirmary. My eyes slowly opened, taking in the new scenery around me. It was bright, too bright.

"Someone turn the lights off. Holy shit." I groaned.

"Aisling, I'm glad you're up. I've wanted to talk to you." A voice spoke soothingly.

"Well, if you wanted to do that, you could have just found me. I mean, you now know where I am at all times, so why not just find me and chat?" I spat bitterly.

"Aisling, you weren't supposed to find out like that. You were always running around, going missing for hours at a time! We just wanted to know that you weren't in danger, that's all." Doc sighed.

"I am danger, Doc. I could fucking die from drowning myself in my own bathtub." Once that sentence passed my lips, my body went stiff.

My mind went into a whirl as memories of my shock treatment flooded in and drowned everything else out. What kind of punishment was Harry undergoing? Was he unconscious at this very moment? Was he still feeling Sister Elizabeth's wrath?