Foretold

#7

Mark didn't speak. That's when I noticed that we'd reached my house.
"You want me to stay over? Today has been a long day for you." He said. I nodded. He parked the car as I woke Jim up and we walked inside the house.

We changed our clothes and sat on the sofa for some dinner. "Hey, Caroline. About what you said earlier. I don't think you should worry. It's possible in no way to have foreseen all of that. You're not a fortune teller, from what I know. It's probably your mind playing tricks on you." Mark said.

"I'm not saying I've foreseen it, Mark. What if I went there before Joanna did? At night? What if I'm forgetting things again?" I took a pause for a while before I said quietly, "What if I'm the one who killed her?" Mark stared at me blankly for a while before he coughed and said, "I was with you all night. You couldn't have gone out. And you were cured years ago."

"You sleep like a sloth, Mark. You don't wake up to your phone half the times. I could've easily left and come back. Not that the alley is very far away. And yes, I haven't forgotten things for two years now. But maybe there was a recurrence?" I said.

Mark didn't speak. He kept staring at me. "Don't worry. Madison is a psychiatrist. We'll ask her about it tomorrow when we go to see Brian." I nodded. "And what if I am the one who's killed her, Mark?" I asked, unsure of what I was saying.
"Then we'll see what to do. And come on, Caroline. You had no motive. And you don't know Mikayla. You cannot just kill some random person and forget." He said.

I nodded and we went to sleep. There was no call that night, which meant that Brian was quiet. That was good, I guess. Next morning, after a quick drop by at the station, I went to see Brian with Mark. I asked Mark to wait in the car while I went inside. Madison was waiting in her cabin. I went to see her and she smiled at me and said, "Caroline. Good that you came. Brian will fall asleep soon. You should go see him."

"Oh, yes, I will. I was wondering if you're free after I'm done?" I asked.
"Oh, Caroline, I'm sorry but I've got lots of work all day. I can see you at your house in the evening though, if it is important?"
"Oh... Won't that be inconvenient?"
"Not at all. Your house is on my way home. I'll be sure to drop by around 6."

"Thank you." I said and smiled. She got up and showed me to Brian's cell. Brian was staring out of the window. He noticed me and smiled wide at once and rushed to the cell bars and started pulling them, in an attempt to come out. "Hey, Brian." I said, "How are you?" He didn't reply, kept pulling the bars.

"Open the cell, Madison? I think he wants me inside." I said. She looked for the keys in her pocket and said, "It seems like I forgot to bring the keys. I'll send them with someone, Caroline? I've got some work to do."
"Sounds good." I said and Madison left. I looked at Brian and smiled, "So, we're alone, I guess. I never thought Brian Rogers would need my help with anything, you know? You were pretty amazing.

I don't know what made you like this. Maybe losing Sienna? She was your world wasn't she?" Brian just stared at me, the crazy grin back on his face. It didn't seem like he understood anything. Did he remember me? Or even Sienna? I continued, "It's good that you didn't try to hurt yourself last night. Thanks for listening to me."

I heard heavy footsteps and looked around at the man dressed in grey trousers and a blazer walking towards me. "What are you doing here? Or is it just that you don't have work to do except for poking your nose in my business?" I said.
"Easy, girl. I work here these days. More crazy people here than at the station, you know." Cole said.

"And what are you doing here? Brian isn't your patient." I said.
"Oh, I'm not going to touch your precious Brian, Joshua. I just came here to give you the keys." He handed me the keys and I just stared at him.
"How do you know?" I asked.
"I've always known, Caroline. I've seen how you looked at him three years ago." He said and walked away.

I opened Brian's cell door and went and sat next to him. For once I was glad that he couldn't understand stuff, for I knew he didn't understand the conversation between me and Cole. I was glad he didn't. He was still staring at me and smiling. I said, "I wish you got better, Brian. I know Sienna's death wasn't easy for you. But you have to move on, you know?" I said and realised that probably he didn't get any of what I said.

I continued, "You're going to get better. I just monitor you and talk to you, you know? Madison is the best doctor at the asylum. Her medicines are going to cure you sooner or later. And you're going to come back to the police force. And we're going to solve cases in minutes again." I said and smiled at him. My eyes were tearing up a bit. I walked out of the cell, locked the door and kept the keys in Madison's office.

I got in the car and Mark noticed something was wrong at once. "Hey, Carly. You okay?" He asked.
"Yes... Yes. I am. I don't think I'm used to seeing Brian like this, yet. Mark. I don't think I'll ever be." He sighed and took my hand in his and said, "You have me. Always."

We drove back to the station to see an unusual sight. There was an ambulance and Kaitlyn was inside, unconscious. Hitesh was seated on a chair and was being fed oxygen through his mouth.
"Oh, god." Mark said. We got out of the car and rushed to Hitesh.
"Hitesh, what happened?" I asked.
"That girl... Erica. She's crazy." Hitesh said, "She locked Kaitlyn up in the attic. And she tried to lock me up in the basement too."