Delirium Dreams. (Runawayninja & Split_infinity)

[Split_infinity]

Daniel was feeling weary already, the weight of lack of sleep was catching up on him. He could feel the tiredness creeping ever closer. Only the cool air blowing in through the car window was keeping him awake on this cold Autumn morning. The police officers had said little to him the entire journey. But they had been nice enough to not handcuff him and they had put the window down a little when he asked. He was grateful for that but not grateful for where he was being taken. They seemed to think they were taking him to get some kind of help. His protests had resulted in some nurse dosing him with something that both made him feel tranquil and almost light headed. Things seemed more muffled and heavy. There was a warm comfortable feeling of false contentment but it was tempered by the unease of being far from anything familiar.

Beyond the window the Autumn sky was painted in a drab mix of greys. The bright of the early morning sun was muted and pale as if struggling to breath against the oppressive curtain of cloud that dominated the sky. The clouds hanginig heavy and thick steeped with the promise of later rain.

The trees that lined the road leaned in heavily reaching out with their branches as if to stop further encroachment within. Dappled hues of reds and oranges blured past as the road wound its way steadily up a hill and curved calmly in on itself. Skeletal trees having shed their leaves across the road. A distinct smell of leaf rot tinged the still air.

Nestled within the seclusion could be seen the emerging outline of a building that sat squat amongst the trees like an unwelcome guest. The trees around it hunched over as if burdened by a terrible weight. Not a single bird moved or sang against the silence of the area. Even the leaves did not seem to stir as if the vicinity were blanketed by a hushed stillness. That only his arrival was daring to disturb.

At the crest of the hill a weather worn sign came into view. Its faded and washed out letters stating simply, 'Haverham Psychiatric Unit.' Some of the lettering seemed newer in places. The faded remnants of the word 'Asylum' was still visible with a cursory glance.
 
The road straightened and the Asylum came into full unobscured view, the road turning into a gravel driveway lined by neatly tended and ordered hedge rows. The Asylum looked much like a modest sized three storey Victorian manor that had somehow been sheltered from the passage of time. It's walls were a washed out stone grey, with slight dashes of faded white to break up the brick work. The roofs were sharply angular in design and had an almost church like quality in places, especially the steeple like protrusion that formed up over the main entrance.  Only the bay windows framed in white contrasted the somewhat sombre appearance of the building. Even the windows seemed gloomy, sullied by thick metal bars that crossed over them. Even still the ornate architecture spoke of former wealth and grand designs. He could almost imagine lavish parties being held and the sound of the piano playing while crystal glasses clinked together and important people danced and gossiped.

High imposing walls ran around the edge of the grounds, forming a barrier against the world beyond. Making it difficult to tell if the walls were designed to keep patients in or the rest of civilization out. Barring the entrance was a complex in design wrought iron gate topped with a mean looking row of artitic spikes. Two weather scoured stone lions sat either side in a regal pose watching over the entrance like quiet guardians.

The Police car pulled up to the front entrance but Daniel was struggling to concentrate. Things were slipping away as they usually did. There were exchanges of voices and he could feel himself being moved and seated. Daniel felt it polite to say goodbye to the officers but his voice sounded weak. Then he was being wheeled somewhere. His gaze fell at random on various statues, for some reason birds and lions seemed to be a reoccurring motif. It was strange, a mad cacophony of old and new colliding. The regal past mingling tastefully with the modern. If he had not read the sign he could easily mistake the place for being some sort of retreat, a hotel secluded from the hassles of the world beyond. Only the bars across the windows shattered that illusion, as did the sight of orderlies. Some one was talking to him but his voice just seemed to noise that got lost as he looked up at the swirls of plasterboard moulded in the ceiling. He did not want to go to bed but they seemed to think it best he sleep.

Daniel just sighed and closed his eyes against his surroundings. The darkness greeted him with all the menace it usually did. It would have him soon enough. His eyes drifted open once more and seemingly his surroundings had jumped. He was in a sparsely furnished room, it kind of looked like a hotel room in a way. There was a warmth of color to the place and pleasant paintings of landscapes adorned the walls. If it wasn’t for the bars on the windows he would almost feel at home. The nurse seemed nice enough, the pills tasted bad even after he had washed them down with some water. Then she was gone. Leaving him to stare at a closed door. With the new found comfort of the bed The tired feeling was worsening. Something desperate and terrified wanted to fight to stay awake. But the cocktail of drugs and the days of vigilance took their toll and soon he was asleep. A new resident of the Psychiatric unit. He would not stir until disturbed.

Daniel was somewhat of an unknown to the Institution. The sparse nature of his file revealed him to be a twenty six year old of Caucasian descent. He was somewhat malnourished in appearance, thin with unkempt brown hair that had been left to grow into a wild tangle. Reading of the police reports was definitely revealing a marked impairment. A danger to others and perhaps himself. Either way going round spray painting symbols on buildings, smashing windows and removing car wing mirrors was not acceptable behaviour. But more concerning were the stalking charges, the extensive taking of photos and attempts to paint people. It would not be too unrealistic to assume the focus of his attentions had played into his persecutory delusions. It was curious that he would end up in Haverham. Considering his transient background and lack of next of kin. But the police had been expressly told to bring him to the institution. An unknown benefactor willing to cover the cost of his stay.

 

[runawayninja]

David was slowly clicking his pen in his new office. He was lucky to have been appointed here and he knew it, but that would be the end of his luck. He knew there were was hard cases in here. Cases that rich relatives wanted to tuck away in relative comfort to ease their guilty conscious for not being able to better care for or deal with their problems. It was infuriating and part of the reason why he had sought after a position here. David wasn't a medical doctor, he was a therapist and an analyst. He was a psychologist and he was supposed to conduct therapy sessions with each patient under his charge.

David brushed a loose strand of his brown hair away. He had long hair tied back in a pony tail. His green eyes scanned the page of his first assignment, "Daniel." This was one of those problem cases that he had feared. Daniel, it seemed, was nuts, even by psychological standards. This is David's first day here and he wasn't supposed to see anyone, he was going to be shown around by the head of personnel, an attractive thirty-something business woman type that looked good with her hair done up and her professional glasses. Lori.

Once out of his office he was shown the various facilities by Lori, who at first glance appeared to not be interested in David for anything more than a good employee. She was attractive and maybe something more than a working relationship could be worked out with her. David got his mind back onto work as she showed him the upper stories that contained a lot of the light therapy facilities for the milder and mostly stress-ridden and self-sustaining patients. The ground floor was mostly the gardens, spa, security areas, employee offices, the hospital area, the pharmacy, and staff rooms. The first floor was essentially the buffer zone between the "good" patients, the outside, and the "bad" patients.

There were two main basement levels operating. The first was for those that might be on suicide watch so the people upstairs could quickly get to them. It was also where the milder of the heavy cases were kept, those that couldn't socialize or handle being near other patients. The second basement floor was were those that weren't likely to leave the facility were kept. People not expected to fully recover or be able to function with others at all. They were still treated with medication and therapy, they were being paid to try, but progress wasn't likely to be made. Daniel, the interesting case, was being kept in the first basement floor for now, as his record indicated that they didn't want to risk putting him with other patients. There was a third basement floor but that was used for storage and maintenance, and he had heard it was just plain creepy.

David had asked Lori to pause the tour while he unlocked the door to Daniel's room. He slipped inside to check on him. "Daniel...? Are you awake yet?"

 

[Split_infinity]

Daniel woke up from the deep nothing of his sleep. Not having been tormented by blasted landscapes and nightmare apparitions. Or the creak of doors and footsteps moving across tiled floor. All had been rendered instead to an empty tapestry. The sleeping medication having suppressed any REM sleep cycles from occurring. It was a pleasant change to wake up not bathed in a cold sheen of sweat. Not left with lingering fears to escape something as if his life depended on it. Although it tasted like something had died in his mouth. A clinging acrid taste coating his tongue like cement.

He also felt groggy and was slow to react to the intrusion into the room. He was also vaguely aware he could hear rain but it was muffled by the pillow pressing against his ear. It was almost a shame he was awake. That state of nothing had been a welcome break. He had at least got some much needed sleep. How long he had been out for he did not know.

The churn of his thoughts began to order things and cold realization alerted him to where he was. He sat up slowly crossing his arms over himself and pulling up the blanket as if to form a protective barrier against the unknown being that was in the room with him. Daniel's own dull brown eyes ringed with dark circles swept across the figure. He momentarily looked into his green eyes then lowered his gaze. Daniel was more than a little aware he was in trouble. It was disconcerting that this person knew his name and he in return knew nothing. He despised the fact that he existed on paper. Being turned into some kind of notes to be perused and scrutinised.

They probably thought him certifiable. Attempts to explain would likely just further that view. He wasn't sure how to react. An unease was developing as he had painted himself into a corner and wasn't sure how to get out of it. A torrent of thoughts were forming into a barrage of questions that wanted to spill out in unbroken breathless sentences. But instead he took a momentary exhausted breath and composed his thoughts.

With noticeable nervousness in his tone he spoke a hushed, “Hello.” Maybe it was possible to appeal to reason. For them to let him go as he was likely wasting their resources any way. Some one in true need was without a bed because of him. He was doubtful he could explain how things would worsen if he remained in one place too long. There was a reason he had no listed place of residence. He generally did not stick around any one place long enough to settle down. “I am sure there are people in more need than me that could do with this room. Could I erm... get a drink please? What's your name?”

 

[runawayninja]

David smiled, trying his best to put on an assuring and compassionate face. "We have empty beds and room available, I can assure you that no one is going without because you're here. I'll have someone get you some water in a moment. And my name is David Tyreal. You can call me David, or Mister Tyreal, or doctor if that makes you feel better. You can call me what you wish." He stepped out to get an orderly to bring some water before returning.

"So Daniel, I'm going to be your therapist and...I just wanted a chance to meet you and get to know you a little bit. Is there anything you want to ask me?" David was mentally prepared to do some verbal gymnastics. Sometimes you had to bend the truth a bit, but as he had learned in his college classes, you never lie to a patient. You can deny them information if they ask personal questions or you can redirect their questioning, or do any number of other things, but you never, ever lie to a patient you are giving therapy to. Many of the people the public think of as "crazy" are quite clever and treating them any less could lead them to discovering something you lied about and break their trust. When dealing with the potentially dangerous, one also had to carefully choose what to say. Talking to much or giving the wrong information could put someone in danger if the patient was wily or smart enough and had the lack of restraint or compassion or simple common sense to blindly deft authority. But Daniel looked quite sedate to do any of that.

 

[Split_infinity]

It was difficult to know what to make of David. He seemed friendly enough in some ways. But then it all could just be some kind of act. People did that often enough. Pretended they were something other than what they were. People had their share of secrets that they liked to keep that way. He had observed and experienced enough to know that surface appearances were at times deceptive. Drill hard enough and ugliness could be found underneath. For all Davids apparent friendliness there could be something far more unpleasant behind it. Daniel lightly frowned in suspicion. He did not like doctors or institutions.

He had also read between the lines of there being beds available. It did not seem like they were just going to let him sign some papers and waltz out of there. That was bad news, he was in trouble all right. Now he was not so tired all he wanted to do was leave. He had things to do, places to go and people to see. He partly wished he had paid more attention to his movements so he could trace his steps out. But it was all lost in prior drug induced bliss. One thing he did remember clearly were the high walls surrounding the building. Sadly he was all out of climbing gear. Even if he got beyond those walls he would just be in the middle of nowhere. Daniel sighed more to himself than any one in particular.

An orderly entered holding a plastic cup of water. Daniel barely paid attention to him but he did take the cup of water and said a soft thanks as he departed. Daniel remained quiet until the orderly was gone and the door was closed once more. He stared into the cup and felt the coolness of the water seep through the plastic. Then he took a large sip from it. Welcoming the refreshing flow of water dispelling that unpleasant taste of before.

“Well David I would quite like to leave as I don't need a therapist. I am not mentally ill nor do I require any kind of 'help'.” Daniel had to admit that he did not know if that was true. Some times it was difficult to really know the truth of anything. Often enough it all blurred. Reality was like liquid, it shifted and changed and flowed in directions invisible to the naked eye. “My question then is why are you doing this job? Do you genuinely care or is it just a pay cheque to you? Do you honestly think the answer of the mind exist in neat little text books that you have studied?”