Behind Locked Doors: Part 2

2. Emily
[i]One year later[i]


The first months of autumn were beginning again and the leaves were changing to all kinds of reds, oranges, and yellows. Emily Bradford sat in her room gazing at the asylum’s drive, which fallen leaves covered. Emily’s blonde hair was in down and wavy.


A nurse named Jackie knocked on the door and brought in Emily’s medicine. Emily jumped up from her seat and put her fists up to protect herself. “Get out!” Emily screamed.


“It’s ok,” the nurse said. The nurse’s hands were in the air trying to calm Emily down. “I won’t hurt you.”


“I don’t like people in my room,” Emily began to sob. She threw her hands up in frustration and went over to the window. She began to claw at the window, trying to open it. Her low cut nails were not helping her though. “I want to get out of here.”


“That’s how all new patients feel. Do not worry, it will feel like home here soon. Do you want to see one of your sisters? I am sure that Lucy or Amy could use the visit. And it might help you feel more at home, especially with your sisters here,” the nurse tried to reason.


“Lucy, can I see Lucy,” Emily asked.


“Yes, you just need to take your medicine first, ok?” Jackie compromised.


“I do not want to take my medicine,” Emily replied in a whisper. She wiped some of her falling tears forcefully with her hands.


“You can’t visit Lucy if you don’t take your medicine first. Do you understand?” The nurse stated.


Emily walked over to the nurse and quacked before grabbing the medicine from the nurse’s hand. She quickly took them and then danced off into the hall in search of her sister.


Lucy was in her room talking with her stuffed animals. She was no longer wearing her beautiful dress, but she wore the white gown like all the other patients. Her blonde hair was up in a ponytail. The deep red cuts were visible across her wrists. At her sister’s arrival, she looked up and got up. Emily rushed in and hugged her sister.


“Are you up to visitors, Lucy?” Jackie asked as she followed Emily into the room. Because Emily was new to the institution, she was not allowed to visit others without supervision.


“Sure,” Lucy whispered.


Emily and Lucy sat down on the ground. Jackie took a seat in the corner of the room in the chair that was there. The sisters began to play hand games. By their actions, they could have just been two sisters playing in their younger ages. They were like little kids and not young woman in their early twenties. They were so fragile.


Fifteen minutes later, the nurse led Emily back to her room. New patients were not permitted to spend more than fifteen minutes in others’ rooms because they were not stable yet. The doctors wanted to avoid sending one of the recovering patients into a relapse. Therefore, Emily made her way back to her room where she proceeded to sing.