Mental

Part 5: Why Aren't The Doors Electronically Locked?

“Why aren't the doors electronically locked?” I found myself asking this question to the nurse who let me into my room. I laid down on my bed and she walked towards me carrying her normal tray of medicine. She grabbed a tiny pink bottle that was labeled with my name. It had an array of different colored pills. She poured the pills into my hand then filled the bottle with water. 

“Back in 2011, there was this black out, we had the electronic doors back then, all of the doors opened and patients were able to get out and run around. I personally locked myself in the nurse's office for protection so I wasn’t able to see all that was happening, however I could hear the screams. Patients and nurses, no one died but a lot of people were injured. That's why we switched to old fashioned locks and keys. Just imagine what would be going on if patients could leave their rooms whenever they wanted.” 

I’ve only been on this medication for a few days, but I can still feel their effects, I can feel them taking a toll on me. I emptied the pills into my mouth as the nurse gave me the bottle filled with water. They don’t have any taste, or maybe they do but they aren't in my mouth long enough for me to catch it. Once when I was a child, well more of a child, I took lots of advil. This new kind had a nice sweet coating so I let it sit on my tongue, it was a little too long however and the coating melted away. I could taste the gross underneath, since then I've swallowed pills right away.