Caiden (The Greener Grass series)

CHAPTER THREE

Kaden’s eyes widened and he watched as Dr. Marlow wrote a prescription paper for the medicine.
“I’m not crazy!” He raised his voice at the psychiatrist.
“Of course you’re not,” Dr. Marlow responded in an infuriating tone. It was as if he was looking down at Kaden from a point of superiority. Dr. Marlow stood up and Kaden followed in suit, he clenched his fists till his nails dug into his skin.
“I don’t need medication, I’m perfectly sane,” Kaden gritted through his teeth.
“I’m sure that a sane person would have grown out of their imaginary friends by now Kaden,” He jeered at the boy.
“HES REAL, YOU JUST CANT SEE HIM BECAUSE HES NOT HERE!” Kaden shouted at the specialist. Dr. Marlow gripped Kaden’s arm harshly and hissed in the boy’s ear as he dragged him forcefully out of the room.
“Exactly.” He pushed him down into a chair outside of his office.
“Wait here,” He sneered at Kaden before walking inside his workplace and paging the nurse to bring in his parents. He heard the phone click as it was placed back on the stand. Not even two minutes later, the snap of his mother’s heels as she strode down the hall filled his ears. She passed by him without a glance, his father followed like a lost puppy. Dr. Marlow invited them in his bureau and shut the door, only their shadows visible through the opaque window. Kaden could hear their muffled voices as Dr. Marlow embellished on his ‘condition’. He sighed as a frown materialized on his face.
“I know what I saw,” he huffed to himself, “who I saw, and he is real.” He stared at the tiles on the floor, trying to think of a way to get out of his quandary.
“I’ll prove it to them,” Kaden said in a determined voice, “somehow.”
About a minute later the door opened to reveal Dr. Marlow leading his parents out with a gesture of his lumpy hand. Karen glanced down at him with a glower in her eyes.
“Come on Kaden, we have to stop by the pharmacy on the way home,” she said in a harsh tone. His stomach dropped and he pieced together that she agreed to the unnecessary treatment. He watched his mom turn towards Dr. Marlow and thank him for his time as they left. He didn’t hear a word though, the only sound that rushed through his mind was his own heart beat and how it speed up. It felt as if it was going to burst at any second. The gurgle of his anxious stomach haunted his head as they left the building and loaded up into the car. He felt nauseous, as if a flood gate was just waiting to be opened up in his throat. Kaden’s mind looped over and over the same questions. What happens when people take unneeded medicine? Am I going to OD? Am I going to die?
His sense of time became lost and before he knew it he was home. His mom looked over a receipt and compared it to what looked like the prescription Dr. Marlow had written while his dad carried a brown paper bag that’s contents sounded like a snakes rattle every time he moved. That must be the medicine, Kaden thought.
“This is ridiculous!” Karen droned on angrily, “Medicine for a mentally unstable person, especially a kid, shouldn’t cost me a fortune!” Ripping the door open, Karen stomped out of the vehicle and slammed the door shut, shaking the car along with the passengers. Richard quickly got out of the car, paying no mind to Kaden and followed after her. Kaden stepped out of the car and walked inside, the gloomy grass splintered and broke under his feet as he walked up to the ancient abode his parents had bought and never fixed up. The door complained as it was opened and he walked into the house. The wooden floor wailed as Kaden stepped on the loose and rotting planks. He snuck past his parents who were discussing the price of the supplement Dr. Marlow had prescribed. Although something on the counter caught his eye. A transparent, orange container that contained blue capsules sat on the dining table. Kaden stopped and stared at the label, taking his time to read it since his parents were too preoccupied to notice him in the doorway.
Kaden Meier
529 Rockledge Ave.  District Heights, MD 20747
Ziprasidone 80mg capsule
Dr. Marlow
Take two capsules by mouth each day, every morning.
rx 932576-6881
He read to himself off the bottle. Kaden pulled out his pocket book and flipped to the last page, scrawling down the information before leaving down the hall. Once he reached his room he shut the door and pulled a book out from the top shelf. The cover was a seaweed-like color and the spine of the book read ‘Medicine and Cures’ in gold lettering. Kaden sat down in a chair at his desk where he usually studied and opened the book. Finding the name of the drug placed near the bottom on the list, he flipped through a few hundred pages, searching for the number. Finding it close the rear of the book, he read over the definition.
Ziprasidone
Antipsychotic
It can treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
“So they think I’m a schizophrenic,” He murmured to himself. He heard a timid knock at his door and his attention was lifted from the dusty information.
“Yes?” he said giving them permission to enter. Richard poked his head through the door.
“Your mom told me to fetch you for dinner, hurry to the dining room,” he said before departing. Kaden didn’t really mind his father as much as he did his mother. Sometimes he forgot he was even there.
Kaden didn’t bother to shut the book as he got up and left. He walked down the dimly lit hall and met his parents in the dining room. The room was silent except for some coughs and the clank of forks scraping against plates and knives. He picked at the tough steak and cold, boiled potatoes. Kaden finally broke the silence.
“I don’t want to take the medicine,” He said bluntly, staring down at his food. Nobody said a word, Karen continued to eat and Richard stared back and forth from Kaden to his mom.
“Did you hear me?” He said sternly, looking up at his mother, “I’m not taking the pills Dr. Marlow prescribed.” Karen slammed down her fork.
“Yes, you are,” she grunted through her teeth, not even looking up from the table at him, “Whether you like it or not, you’re taking the pills. Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting for him to correct your screwed up head? For Dr. Marlow to give us a cure? Twelve years Kaden! Twelve!”
“I don’t need a cure! I’m not ill-” Kaden begins to argue.
“Yes you are!” she shouted, snatching her head up to face the boy, “Your broken Kaden! And after twelve painfully long years Dr. Marlow finally is willing to get you fixed!” Kaden shot up out of rage.
“You can’t make me! You can’t fix something that isn’t broken!” He snapped.
“Well you are broken! And I’m your mother I can make you do whatever I please!” Karen barked, following Kaden by standing up as well.
“Well you aren’t a very good one!” He insulted. Everything went silent.
“Go to your room,” Karen said in a low voice, “Now!” Kaden rushed to his room. He shut the door and plopped face first down on his bed. He rolled back over onto his back and stared up at his ceiling tiles. ‘I’m not crazy,’ Thought Kaden. He closed his eyes and thought of how he would have to take the medicine tomorrow. Suddenly, he darted up.
“I got it,” he breathed out, amazed at himself, “I know how I’m going to prove I’m not broken.” Kaden laid back down and shut his eyes, he focused on his idea till he was in a comfortable daze. His vision inverted and instead of looking at the back of his eyelids, he was looking into his mind. In a flash of purple and white rays of light, Kaden was again looking at the inside of his eye’s curtains. He lifted his eyelids, and saw the blue horizon he was so accustomed to by now. He sat up and took in the soothing smells and sights. Kaden glanced to his right and left for Caiden. He felt something being placed on his head. He looked up to see the colorful male and yellow flowers adorning his dull hair.
“Good afternoon Kaden,” Caiden’s voice sang out. Kaden reached up and touched the flowers on his head before taking them down.
“Sun flowers,” he mumbled, running his fingers around the stems that formed a ring. Caiden nodded his head.
“I know that they are your favorite,” He said and smiled down at him. Kaden awed at the colors of the sun, condensed down into each petal. When he first visited Caiden’s universe, he had seen nothing like it. He had never seen a flower that wasn’t blue and wilted and when he did, he fell in love with it.
“Thank you, I love it,” he stood up from the ground, “However, my visit does have a purpose.” Caiden nodded his head once to show he’s listening.
“I need to prove you’re real,” He said directly.
“What do you mean? You know I’m real, we’ve played videogames and explored together,” He stated confused.
“Yes, I know your real,” Kaden said, still clutching the flower crown, “But they don’t.”
“Who’s they?” Caiden asks crinkling his nose and eyebrows up, obviously confused.
“My parents and the doctor. I guess the nurse too. They don’t believe in you, I keep trying to tell them but they just won’t listen,” Kaden said, slightly aggravated at his situation.
“I need something to prove what I’m saying is true, something physical,” He explained.
“Then why don’t you just show them your crown?” He stated as if it was obvious, “Like you told me when you first saw the flowers, nothing like this could be found in your universe. So if they see it, they have to believe you right?” Kaden’s eyes widened and a smile graced his face.
“You’re brilliant!” He pulled Caiden into a warm embrace before standing back. He placed the flowers atop his skull again, making sure it wouldn’t fall off.
“Are you leaving already?” he asked curiously.
“Yes,” he hummed, “If I’m going to prove to my parents I’m not screwed up in the head, that I’m not crazy, I have to get back as soon as possible.” Kaden closed his eyes and cleared his head. He concentrated until felt a sense of realization wash over him.
He let his eyelids flutter open. Off-white, humdrum tiles filled his sight and he sat up. Kaden scanned his room and reached up to his head. A coronet of flowers rested upon his hair as he had planned. He brought it down in front of his face, making sure it was exactly how he had left it. Each petal remained as radiant and bright as ever. He beamed from ear to ear and hopped up. He rushed out of the room to show his mother. He found her in the kitchen and he ran up to her.
“Mother, look!” he held the flowers up to her hopefully. Karen looked away from the papers she was sorting and throwing away and stared at what Kaden had to show her. Her eyes widened at the bright hue.
“W-what is that?” she ogled.
“It’s proof! Mom, it’s from Caiden. I’m not crazy, I don’t have to take the pills, or go to see the doctor anymore! He’s real!” Kaden said excitedly. Karen frowned and snatched the flowers from his hand, ruining its woven shape.
“It’s so, outré,” she scoffed, “I don’t know where you got this from but I will have none of this in my house. He’s not real Kaden, I don’t care what you say or what proof you bring. He will never be real and I will never believe you.” She crumpled the plants and shoved them in the trash. Kaden’s cheerful expression faded into one of shock and sadness.
“I pay over two hundred dollars for this medication, not to mention the fees from the psychiatric evaluations so you can get better, but you choose to make this difficult? You choose to force these issues upon me? I do everything I can for you. I take my own penny out of my pocket just so you can through it down the drain? Well I will have no more of this,” Karen grabbed a box of matches out of a drawer behind her. She lit one and threw it into the garbage bin, setting everything in the metal container on fire. Kaden watched as the flowers turned to ash and mixed with that of the paperwork. The black dust attached to the melting plastic bag and eventually fizzed out with a whistle.
“Go to your room Kaden,” Karen said sternly, “I don’t want to see or hear anymore of this nonsense tonight.”