Stay with me

Chapter Sixteen

“If the universe has forbid us,

let’s give them something to write about.”

—Oliver Masters

LATER THAT EVENING, I was discharged from the hospital. A security guard I’d never seen before escorted me back to Dolor. The old man, with a wrinkled face and large nose, chatted the entire hour-long drive back, and I found myself missing Stanley’s silence. The old man asked a question, then answered it himself, not allowing me a word in edgewise. Not that I would have bothered to speak, but I would have liked to have had the option.

The sun descended in the sky as day turned to night, and by the time we reached the psych ward, starless black devoured the fiery sunset. The small lady sent me through the same routine I went through the first day I’d arrived, first removing my clothes before stepping under the shower. Afterward, I dressed in the gray drawstring pants, a gray shirt, and a gray sweatshirt. I rung out as much water from my hair as I could, and once I reached my room, I curled up over the stiff mattress and closed my eyes before drifting to sleep.

Dr. Conway said she would come to see me at the psych ward upon my return, but she never showed. It was morning when the tiny lady forced me out of my dorm and into the common area among others. I hadn’t seen anyone aside from the doctors since I’d been here, only heard their cries at night.

“Dr. Conway said to get you out of your room and make you sure you eat,” the tiny lady said before she turned and left me at an empty table.

A heavy-set man with a cart appeared. He didn’t ask questions as he set the tray down in front of me before taking off. The cart squeaked until it came to a stop at the next table. Looking down at my food, there was a bowl of what looked to be oatmeal and two slices of burnt bacon.

“It’s porridge,” a voice said. I glanced up as a girl took a seat in front of me. She swept her straight brown behind her and shook her overgrown bangs from her narrow face. “I’m Maddie.”

Crystal blue eyes dressed with the infamous “Looney Bin” bags stared at me for a reply.

“I’m not much in a talking mood.” I sighed.

“Lucky for me, I like to talk …” Maddie trailed off, and I wanted to slam my face into the porridge. How was this for payback. Now I knew how Zeke had felt with me. “ … so, I have been here ever since. You’re American, ya? I’ve been to America once before. To Florida, actually. My mum and dad brought us to Disney World. It wasn’t as I hoped tho—”

I shot my palm into the air, slicing the thick Irish accent. “Please … stop talking.”

Maddie pursed her lips together. “Take the puss off ya face, I’m only codding ya! I wanted to see how long you would go before ya cut me off.”

I glanced over to Detached Tiny Lady who watched me from across the room, probably making sure I ate. Maddie turned her head to see what had caught my eye. “Ya, she’s a brutal one. If ya don’t eat, they’ll hold you down and force feed ya.”

“You’re joking.”

“Ah, I wish.” Maddie leaned back in the chair and fixed her sweatshirt. “You see that girl right over there with the blonde pony?” She nudged her head.

Turning slightly behind me, I saw a girl about the same age as me. Her hair was pulled back so tight, I wondered if she aged ten years once she released her hair tie—instant Facelift.

“Just yesterday they strapped her to her chair and fed her like a chiseler. It was a holy show.” Maddie let out a chuckle, and the thought alone made me bring the spoon to my mouth.

“There ya go. All you need is five bites, and Dr. L will leave ya be.” Maddie smiled, and I flashed her a tight-lipped grin with a mouthful of porridge in return. “Ya play cards?”

I shook my head.

“After you eat, I’ll teach you.”

As I counted down each bite, I wondered if Maddie was a secret informant hired by Dr. L to get the crazies to eat. She seemed a

After my last disgusting bite, I pushed the tray away from me as Maddie pulled a deck of cards from under the table. Had she been holding them this entire time?

“What’s the craic on campus? I haven’t been there since the summer …”

Great, Maddie liked drama. “I’m sure nothing has changed.”

Maddie shuffled the cards flawlessly like a professional. “Liam still a dick-wad?”

I laughed. “Liam is harmless.”

“Sounds like ya know from experience,” she said with amusement in her tone.

Rolling my eyes, I relaxed in the chair. “Liam is predictable. Its people like you who you have to watch out for.”

Maddie slowed her shuffling pace, and there was a small lift in the corner of her mouth. Anyone else would’ve missed the slight curve, but I didn’t, and a part of me knew I was correct about her. She was trouble.

“You and Liam together or something?” she asked.

“Nope.”

“You with anyone on that side?”

“Nope.”

“What group you attached to over there?”

What was this, twenty-one questions? My patience was thin. “What’s it to you? If there’s something you want to ask me, stop beating around the bush and ask me already.”

Maddie slammed the deck of cards on the table and leaned in. Her tone was harsh but controlled. “I’m only trying to get to know ya, pet. Nothing more. Now don’t cause a scene.” She sca

Remembering what Jake, Alicia, and Ollie had told me, I said, “I thought there were no relationships at Dolor.”

“Ours is a secret.”

“It’s not a secret if you’re telling people about it, now is it?”

She chuckled. “Ya have a point there.”

Her mood swings made me dizzy, so I didn’t bother answering any more of her ridiculous questions. After one round of poker, which she won, of course, everyone took off for recreation as I retreated to my room.

Later, I ate lunch in my room to avoid Maddie, and by the time di

“These meds are for you,” Dr. L said, handing me over a small cup containing two pills.

“No, I’m not supposed to be on meds. I’m not taking anything until I talk to Dr. Conway.”

“Alright, so be it. I’ll give you one more day. But if Dr. Conway doesn’t show, you’ll be forced to take your meds. It’s in your paperwork, Mia.”

Even though it was in my paperwork, Dr. Conway had taken me off all medication since my first office visit with her. It had to be in her notes. Where the hell was she? I couldn’t go back to the way I was. “Has anyone tried reaching out to her?”

“I’ll make a phone call.” Dr. L sighed before leaving.

“They’re serious about those meds, ya?” Maddie asked as she pulled out the chair in front of me. “Pretend to take them like I do.”