Nightmare

Three

Miriam's vocal prescence at group therapy was something of an event in itself- but to actually have a friendly conversation in between with a fellow peer was something no one had expected. 

"Things have actually been going quite well for me."

There was a half of second of shock as even the presiding doctor in the room, as well as the rest of the therapry group present did a sort of jolted double take, fumbling over their rehearsed routines. Miriam reversed her ankles awkardly against the legs of the seat, her gaze glued back to the floor in some kind of bashful reticence. 

The teacher after pushing back up the same darkened spectacles that seemed to be prescriptive among the staff here had so hastily congratulated her on her 'advanced progress within the facility' and that how 'appearances could certainly been misleading.' 

Jamie looked over at her curiously,ignoring the casual patronising tone of the adults, something he had become so acquainted with in his stay there. He was still wondering how long it had been since he had heard her voice. Or if, this was the first time that he had ever even heard her voice.

"My sister's been more docile than she had been in her first stay here," she said, "sometimes she even makes some kind of a effort to talk. She hasn't had a seizure in two and half days- that's something of a record for us." 

Abigail was absent on the count of her disabilities being higher priority in that she could often self-inflict wounds on herself during her episodes and had been placed in some kind of 'safe room', or as he had heard two staff hands discuss. 

"And what do you think of these improvements?" the therapist had asked, furiously scribbling on the pad she held in her lap. 

Miriam shrugged. "It's more up to the medication than anything else, but she's definately improving. I know it's been hard for us since we came here from the states, but sometimes you need to make....make the best of it. I mean, if it makes life more bearable. Not just for my sake, either. Just for Abigail's."  

She sighed. "She's probably the only thing I have in my life now. And she doesn't even know that I....I need her probably more than she does with me." 

The others looked on with a respectful sort of quiet, a few even offering her a small show of applause, much to her blushing unexpectance, Jamie being the most voiceful of all among the others. 

He gingerly crossed a curled palm over his outstretched palm, trying to look friendly. 

"I'm Jamie, you know, from the other day.....here, I'm sorry about your sister. It's a good thing that she's getting better though." 

"It's more than I can say for my sister." 

Miriam blinked. 

"I'm so sorry for your loss." she said quietly as the next person stood up to give their progress report, "it's more to do with her mind than her body- she.....she's  differently wired. "

"The doctors have already put it in so many ways, I could list them off by the thousands. But I'm fine with her being different, just as long as she doesn't kill herself. Sometimes she screams so much about it, that it takes days for her voice to come back."

Jamie's eyebrows raised slightly. "What....what about?" 

Miriam's mournful brown gaze was affixed to the floor. 

"Ghosts." she answered, "she sees them everyday." 

He swore at that moment he felt his blood freeze over and he sharply turned away, heart suddenly pounding in his chest. Even as Miriam looked at him curiously, he felt a squirming embarrassment at being so terrified at something that could be so easily dismissed as frantic hallucinations of an unstable mind.