Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
When I woke up, a metal tray was already sitting on the nightstand next to my bed. The smell of slightly burned toast and peppered eggs greets my nose with a small notecard placed in the corner of the tray.
Have a wonderful morning! ~ Your nurse, Grace
My hand reaches for the toast and my animalistic instincts kick in. My teeth gnash the crunchy bread, flying crumbs all over the tray and myself. I down the orange juice, taking large gulps like it was my last meal and I was on death row.
The sound of footsteps reaches my door, and a dark shadow covers the bottom of my door. The shadow's owner knocks at my door softly, and a kind voice radiates from the outside.
"Mr. Hirsch?"
"Come in, Grace." I answer through a full mouth, and immediately the door opens, revealing Grace in her same uniform she wore yesterday.
She gives me a large smile. "I was going to ask you if you were enjoying your breakfast, but I think that empty plate says it all." A laugh escapes her lips, eyes crinkling at the corners.
She picks up the empty tray from my bedside, quickly exiting the room. There's a sound of metal clunking, and I assume she put the tray on a rolling rack, because when she enters, her hands are empty. Her face is devoid of happiness, and is instead her smile has slight traces of guilt.
"Are we ready to give up our phone?" She asks solemnly.
I look down to the nightstand, where my phone lays connected to a charger. Disconnecting the cord from the wall, I reluctantly give her the phone. All the while, her face grows more and more guilt-filled.
In exchange for my phone, like it's a completely even trade, she hands me lined paper and some pens and pencils, of which I'd be able to write notes to Elle.
"So when does treatment start?" I ask.
Grace seems relieved to be talking about something other than the current rules at Clean Slate. "Well, you'll have a tour of the facility by yours truly," she places both of her hands on her heart, "and then after you've had dinner we'll start treatment."
I furrow my brows in confusion. "But why can't we do it now? I've had my meal, I'm good to go!"
Grace smiles sadly. "Well, of course you're ready now, but we don't know how the medication will affect you. It's best to do it at night, when you're ready for bed. This way, if the medicine has a negative effect, you can sleep it off and we can find a better method the next day."
I nod. That makes sense. I guess I really didn't know what I was expecting. Maybe it's my nerves, but I just want to get this over with.
Sitting up from my bed, I notice that I'm still wearing the clothes I was wearing when I first got here. They now look wrinkled and dirty. Grace takes notice and briskly leaves the room, returning with some generic clothes that the woman and man were wearing when Grace showed me to my room the first day.
