All I Never Wanted (Excerpt)

Chapter Four

The Fairhaven parking lot overflowed on Sunday afternoon, and, when I spotted my mother's Lexus, I nearly turned my car around and left. Until I remembered that wasn't an option and made my own parking space by pulling half off the driveway. I inhaled the last drag of the cigarette that would help me survive this afternoon before flicking it into the bushes, then rinsed my mouth and locked my doors, but not before tossing my picking kit into the console. If I wanted to continue visiting my brother, it was officially contraband.

"Trent Moreau," I told the weekend receptionist as she slid the glass window open. "Volunteer." The word rolled off my tongue easier than expected.

The door to my left buzzed, unlocking. "Come on around and we'll get you checked in."

I glimpsed the visitation room on my way to the office. It was full of families, most in church clothes, dropping in after services. I didn't see my parents, though, who spent a few hours with Crewe after Sunday brunch, and I wondered if there was some other, more private visitation room I wasn't aware of, because that seemed like something money could buy here.

"Have you filled out your paperwork?" the receptionist asked.

"I took care of it Tuesday."

She typed a few notes into her computer, studied the screen. "It says here that Dr. Cates wants you to spend time with . . . Summer Evans?"

Convenient, right?

The inflection in her voice said everything.

Stupid Crewe and his stupid freaking files.

"That's what I was told."

"She might not be in her room. Let me see."

She picked up her phone and dialed an extension. "Dan? Did Summer check out after lunch?"

She thanked him and handed me a lanyard with a plastic card labeled VOLUNTEER. "Summer's already outside." I slipped the rope over my neck. Seemed dangerous, in a psych facility, to give someone something that amounted to a weapon. "Take the first right down that main hall where the offices are," she said, pointing the way. "Dan is at the end. You can check out with him. Keep your badge on you at all times, and don't forget to turn it in when your hours are up. You'll need to sign out with us, too. Dr. Cates has assigned three-hour sessions for the next six weeks."

"We discussed it," I muttered, twisting my lanyard, because the card kept wanting to turn—to tell everyone that I was VOLUNTEER.

"Great. Let us know if you need anything. Okay?"

On Tuesday, after Dr. Cates handed down his punishment, I asked him what I was supposed to do with her.

He'd smiled then. It was an evil smile, full of malice and loathing.

"As you've probably ascertained, Summer doesn't get many visitors. It would be nice for someone to help her pass the time. You can talk or play games. She enjoys the outdoors and drawing. There are a variety of walking trails. Or you can listen to music. Just be a friend. Help her feel normal for a few hours."

"Normal," I'd repeated, disbelieving.

"I think the two of you might be good for each other," he'd said, then he reminded me he could always call the authorities to see what they had to say about the situation. Never mind tampering with medical files was a felony.

Three hours.

Three freaking hours for the next six weeks of my life, on top of the hours I was already working off at Knoell's.

I could've killed Crewe. Then they could have locked me away for murder. And by "locked away" I meant traipsing through a rehab facility unfettered and punching perfectly innocent visitors.