Freedom of Sketch

Visitation, Part II

Daniel shows up at the hospital halfway through visiting hours the next day, wearing a wrinkled Pink Floyd t-shirt. He carries a variety of fresh flowers in a glass mason jar, which a tech promptly confiscates.

"Sorry I'm late. My GPS kept trying to send me to the middle of a cow pasture," Daniel says, sinking into a plastic cafeteria chair. "This place is way out in the boonies."

"They isolate us so our screaming doesn't frighten the locals," I say.

His brown eyes widen.

"I'm kidding, stupid." I playfully tap his leg with my foot.

He cautiously glances around. "You know, this looks more like an elementary school than an insane asylum," he muses. "I was picturing one of those towering Victorian mansions with the barred windows and lightning flashing overhead."

I snort. "You're so weird!"

"No, I'm serious. Where are the guard towers, and the shackles? Don't you feel ripped off?"

I grab his knee and lean forward. "Stop." A tech ahems and I let go.

"Wow, they're kinda strict here," Daniel observes, bowing his head to the tech, Wade. The man folds his well-defined, muscular arms across his broad chest, an action that hides his badge and the tiny mysterious key clipped to it.

"They have to be," I answer, "because we're so out of control."

Daniel glances around the room, where conversations quietly hum in the background. "I don't see any chaos or mayhem," he says.

Me: "Hehe - you caught us at a good time. Plus, no one's going to act out with The Hulk over there." I nod my head to indicate Wade.

As if on cue, a girl stands up from where she had been seated across from a woman - presumably her mother - spits a very vicious "FUCK YOU!" at her, and stomps out, footsteps as loud as her little hospital socks will allow.

Wade trades places with Tori so he can find the offending girl and try to calm her down. If he can't think of something clever, the nurses will be digging in their pharmacy in no time. Tori sees Daniel and gives him a shy half-smile. She slowly blinks and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear before taking over Wade's perch. I lean forward and whisper, "watch out... I think she likes you."

Daniel laughs out loud, such a welcoming sound. I try - and fail - to avoid staring at the mother of the girl who left, for she is now sobbing into her hands, gulping for air. Tori fishes a packet of tissues out of her scrub top pocket, shakes one out and hands it to the crying mother.

"Hey," sighs my friend, "this is so shitty. Remember that one day I said psych wards are a conspiracy? God I wish I'd been right." He hesitates, then looks up at me with stereotypical puppy-dog eyes. "Can I... can I hug you?"

I glance at Tori, who is now attempting to talk down the distraught mother.

My heartbeat increases for a short series of beats. "Uh... yeah," I say under my breath.

Daniel leans forward and wraps his strong arms around me. I wish I could wear him like this forever, flesh connecting, hearts skipping, stomachs flipping. "You're so warm," I murmur, lying my head against his.

"I think the words you're looking for are 'smoking hot'," he whispers.

"Hey, Shiloh! No touching or your visitor's gonna have to leave!" Wade is back.

"I need to be going anyway," Daniel says, quickly separating from me. "I'm supposed to be studying with Lizzie during dinner, but really, I'm going to try and make her eat dinner."

Me: "Dear God, is she still dieting?"

"This isn't a diet anymore, Shiloh." His eyes suddenly look very downcast, and he pulls his arms into his sides, tucking his hands under his armpits. He tightly closes his mouth and stares out of one of the picture windows, his gaze following a trio of ravens circling one of the stripped trees.

"What is it?" I ask fearfully. "What's wrong with you?"

He lets out a huge sigh and trains his eyes on me again. "She's surviving on ketchup and diet Coke, or diet Pepsi. Sometimes lettuce."

"Wait... that's it?"

"That's it. She looks terrible, all skin and bone. Her face looks so old and sunken. She really needs some help. She's killing herself."

Wade rises from his chair. "Visitation is over!" he booms.

"Five minutes?" I plead, on the verge of tears.

"Sorry, but no. We're already two minutes past our time limit," he replies.

I whirl around. "Get her to eat," I tell Daniel.

"How!?"

Me: "I-I don't know. Get her Chinese food or something. Talk to her parents. Please... do something!"

Wade approaches me and Daniel. "Time. To. Go."

We stand in unison and quickly give a friend-friend hug so as not to piss off Wade or any other staff lurking about. I watch Daniel's back as he leaves through the double unit doors, fading away into the white rectangle of light I so desperately want on my skin. I wish I could become a shadow, too... then maybe I wouldn't feel so empty. Maybe then I wouldn't feel anything at all.

I slowly walk down the hall.

It's time to call Lizzie down here.