Mental

Chapter 23- The Other Side

Harry's P.O.V.

When I had gotten to Long Branch to visit Madeline it was everything I thought it'd be. White walls, white shiny floors. There were small stickers of clouds and the sun on the wall as their way to decorate I guess.

"Have you got a visitors pass?" I was stopped by a short stocky lady. I nodded and showed it to her. "Madeline?" I nodded again and she pursed her lips. "I can take you to Dr.Geoff, Madeline isn't having a good day so you'll need to be supervised when speaking with her." She told me as she beckoned me to follow her.

I wonder if she's had a good day since she's been here.

We walked down multiple corridors, the nurse stopping and scanning her pass to open the doors. We got to a long corridor with solid wood doors, the first doors I've seen since I've been here that aren't see through. "Dr.Geoff, this is Madeline's visitor." We entered one of the rooms and a tall lean man sat behind a desk. He looked older, his hair peppered black and grey.

"Hello, I'm Dr.Geoff. Come have a seat." He gestured to the chair and I hesitantly walked in and took the seat, the nurse leaving the room. "What's your name?" He questioned, kicking his feet up onto the desk.

"Harry." I spoke feeling very uncomfortable. I wasn't expecting this at all.

"Your relationship to my patient?"

"Uh, friend." He was so formal, I felt like he was surveying me the entire time I sat in front of him.

"Mm." He hummed pulling out a binder. "Well Harry, usually we'd allow Madeline and you to converse in her room or in a common room but she's had nothing but bad reports since she's gotten here."

I bit my tongue back. I wanted to say that she didn't want to be here but I have a feeling that he knows that. "So, she'll come in for her daily meeting with me and you two can talk then." He stopped and looked up at me, observing my face. "You're a handsome guy, you like her?" He held a small smirk on his face. I didn't have time to answer before he kept talking. "She's got a lot of problems Harry. In my unprofessional opinion she's a basket case. Most of the time if patients come back for a second time they don't leave."

I felt my pulse rise and my fist clenched. "But, who knows? I know you think she's fixable, maybe even you thought you could fix her but her illness goes very deep Harry. She is very sick and she will be for a very long time. You can't fix her. I'm not even sure if I can."

"Well then I guess you aren't too good at your job." I gritted my teeth trying not to punch him in the face. He cracked a smile, throwing his head back.

"No, Harry, I am. I know I'm good at my job because I can see when someone is beyond help. I've seen a lot, Harry. I'm sorry. I know it's hard to hear but there are just some people that can not break their illness regardless of the amount of therapy or drugs you put in them. But maybe I'm wrong, and I hope I am, but by her reports this last week it is going to be a very long time before she's even remotely okay."

"She doesn't want to be here. She's just being stubb-"

"Stubborn." He finished for me and his smile returned to his face. "They always are Harry. But their only stubborn because they don't understand themselves. They don't know how sick they are." He stood up and came to sit at the front of his desk, a few feet from me. "Listen, I know this is hard to hear but now that you know this you don't have to waste your time. Madeline talks to me about you. She likes you but she knows that it could never work. Save your time and energy and move on kid. You're young don't get hung up on a mental case."