Prologue
“Do you think I’m crazy, doc?”
I smiled warmly at Alexis, chuckling softly as I shifted in my chair and crossed my legs. “Why do you call yourself crazy?”
Alexis giggled, then shrugged, pacing the room “Everyone says I’m crazy.”
I wrote her words down on the pad on my clipboard. “Alexis... Why don’t you sit down?”
She rolled her eyes, “I don’t like sitting, it makes me feel crazy.” She scratched at her head, “like... like... URGH!”
Alexis grabbed the back of her head with both hands and screamed. “FUCK! Get out of my fucking head you bitch!”
I stood up slowly, watching her. “Alexis...”
“NO! No, you’re not!”
The door to the council room swung open and a nurse came running in, followed by a unit ward.
“Doctor?”
I reached for the syringe and cartridge of lorazepam that the ward had and quickly filled it as two more wards and another resident, Jett, came in smirking.
“Hold her.” I said sternly to the wards.
Alexis screamed, fighting against the wards as I approached her.
“Touch me and I’ll kill you, you motherfucker!”
I quickly injected her with the lorazepam and she slumped over.
“Get her back to her room, we’ll try again tomorrow.” I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck.
“Yes doctor.”
“Well, well...” Jett scoffed.
“Shut it.” I growled, grabbing my clipboard.
“Gotta love the crazies, eh?”
“She’s not crazy, she’s mentally ill.”
Jett laughed, “Whatever man. Sad. She’s fucking hot. If she weren’t here in the nut house, I’d fuck her.”
I glared at him. “You shouldn’t talk about a patient like that.”
“Come on... she’s a babe! Oh right, you’ve got a ball and chain, I forgot.”
“I have a fiancée, yes.” I hissed, walking out of the room and down the hall.
I went into the locker room and pulled at my tie, loosening it.
“You really saying you wouldn’t hit that?”
I glared at Jett, “Why the hell did you choose to do a psychiatry rotation Jett? You clearly have no empathy.”
He shrugged, “No idea, honestly.
I slammed my locker shut, pulling my jacket on. “See, that’s the difference between you and I. I chose to do it to help mentally ill people. You chose it because you’re an asshole.”
“Wow, easy!” Jett held his hands up chuckling as I stormed past him. “Remember, I came on early to help you out! So you could get home for your anniversary!”
“You’re still an asshole!” I called out to him.
I got into my car and sighed, dialling my fiancées number, only for it to go to voicemail.
“I guess I’ll surprise you then, baby.” I chuckled.
I stopped at a local shop and bought a dozen roses before I went home, pulled into the parking spot, and ran inside and up to our third floor apartment, knowing I’d surprise her.
I knew it bothered her when I said I had to work on our anniversary, so I hoped by my getting off work at six would make it up to her. I also hoped it would end our three week dry spell and that I’d get laid tonight. Things were... rough between us lately with our schedules not lining up, but I was doing everything I could to work through it with her.
I knew it as soon as I walked in.
I could smell it, hear it. I stood in the doorway for what felt like forever before I gulped and slowly walking toward the bedroom, passing the discarded clothes on the floor along the way. Bra. Panties. Briefs... tears blurred my vision but I clenched my jaw and blinked them away as I stood outside the bedroom door.
“Oh god! Fuck!” I heard her moan.
I pushed the door open slowly and stared at them. My beautiful, curvy fiancée Cleo. Naked and riding some black guy so fast that the headboard of our bed was smashing into the wall. She never rode me like that.
“Fuck!” She panted, her head lulling back, “Anthony! Oh my god, I’m going to-”
I cleared my throat and she instantly stopped, turning to look at me.
She gasped and jumped off of this ‘Anthony’ guy and stared at me sadly as she covered her body with the blanket.
“Baby… Oh my god.” She said softly, “I…I’m so sorry.”
I stared at her, unable to look away from her beautiful, face as the roses fell from my hand and onto the floor.
“I… I never meant for you to… Oh god.” She let her head fall forward and rest in her hand, her honey brown curls cascading over her face and chest.
I couldn’t say anything. My brain wouldn’t think of the words to say. My eyes welled up again and Cleo looked at me, her own eyes filling with tears.
“Christopher… I-”
I turned and walked back down the hall, my feet crushing the fresh rose petals as I wiped the tears that fell from my eyes.
“Wait- Christopher, wait!”
I reached the door just as Cleo ran down the hall wearing only a t-shirt, a look of pain on her face as the back door of the apartment opened and closed.
“Please- Baby, please. Don’t go.” She said softly.
I finally was able to speak, the words finally came to me.
“How long?”
She bit her lip. “Not long.”
“Not- Jesus.” I scoffed, walking back to the bedroom.
“Please-”
I grabbed my gym back and threw some of my clothes into it, along with a few other personal things and walked back out to the hall where Cleo was sitting on a hall table with her head hanging. She looked up at me sadly.
“Where are you going?”
I opened the front door and turned to look at her, “I’ll get a motel room for the night…”
“Can we talk in the morning?”
I let out a harsh laugh, shaking my head as I crossed the threshold. “Fuck you, Cleo.”
“Christopher, please. I never meant for this to happen-”
“You never meant to get caught, you mean.” I spat, turning to look at her. “I’ll be by tomorrow while you’re working to get the rest of my shit. We’re done, Cleo. Leave the fucking ring on your dresser.”
She scowled at me, crossing her arms.
“If you don’t, I’ll come after you. Legally. It was my mother’s grandmother’s engagement ring. My sister’s a lawyer, don’t fucking try me.”
“Christopher-”
I slammed the door behind me as I walked out, seething in anger.
It was drizzling as I threw my bag into the trunk of my car, and I looked up before I got into my car to see Cleo standing in the window sobbing, staring down at me.
I got into my car and drove away. Away from the place that had been my home for the last nine months, away from the woman that I’d been with since I was fifteen, the only woman I’d been with. I pulled into a parking lot of a drugstore and started to sob, feeling my fangs descend as I gripped the steering wheel. I gritted my teeth, and pulled my phone out, dialled my dad’s number and waited.
“Hey buddy.”
I sobbed loudly at hearing his voice, unable to coherently form words.
“Christopher? What’s going on?” He asked, his voice full of concern, “Deep breaths. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“I…I-I lost her.” I sobbed.
“Lost who?”
“Cleo… Dad, I lost her.” I sobbed, leaning my head on the steering wheel, “I caught her.”
I heard my mom ask what was going on and dad cleared his throat, “What do you mean you caught her?”
“I caught her fucking someone. In our fucking bed, on our anniversary.”
“Jesus christ. Are you okay?”
“Do I sound like I’m okay?” I spat. “I’m sitting in the parking lot of a CVS damn near having a fucking panic attack because I caught my fiancée in bed with another man! No, I’m not okay.”
“I can be there in a few hours, I’ll get the jet-”
“No.” I sighed, taking a deep breath, “No, I’ll be… I’ll be fine in a little bit.”
“No, I’ll come down-”
“No really. It’s fine. I’ll be fine, I just got… I just got overwhelmed.”
“I’m so sorry, Christopher. Mom and I will come down this weekend like we planned, and-”
I heard a scream and turned my head just in time to see a woman get hit by a car that ran a red light.
“Oh shit! Gotta go!”
I jumped out of my car and ran toward the crown that had formed, pushing people aside.
“Move! Move, I’m a doctor!”
I knelt down beside the woman, who was drifting in and out of consciousness.
“Can you tell me your name?” I asked her, placing my fingers to the side of her neck.
She went to nod, but I shook my head.
“Don’t move.” I said firmly, “Just tell me you name.”
“J-Jolene.”
“Jolene.”
I heard the sound of sirens in the distance, “Jolene, everything is going to be okay. Just relax.”
I smiled warmly at Alexis, chuckling softly as I shifted in my chair and crossed my legs. “Why do you call yourself crazy?”
Alexis giggled, then shrugged, pacing the room “Everyone says I’m crazy.”
I wrote her words down on the pad on my clipboard. “Alexis... Why don’t you sit down?”
She rolled her eyes, “I don’t like sitting, it makes me feel crazy.” She scratched at her head, “like... like... URGH!”
Alexis grabbed the back of her head with both hands and screamed. “FUCK! Get out of my fucking head you bitch!”
I stood up slowly, watching her. “Alexis...”
“NO! No, you’re not!”
The door to the council room swung open and a nurse came running in, followed by a unit ward.
“Doctor?”
I reached for the syringe and cartridge of lorazepam that the ward had and quickly filled it as two more wards and another resident, Jett, came in smirking.
“Hold her.” I said sternly to the wards.
Alexis screamed, fighting against the wards as I approached her.
“Touch me and I’ll kill you, you motherfucker!”
I quickly injected her with the lorazepam and she slumped over.
“Get her back to her room, we’ll try again tomorrow.” I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck.
“Yes doctor.”
“Well, well...” Jett scoffed.
“Shut it.” I growled, grabbing my clipboard.
“Gotta love the crazies, eh?”
“She’s not crazy, she’s mentally ill.”
Jett laughed, “Whatever man. Sad. She’s fucking hot. If she weren’t here in the nut house, I’d fuck her.”
I glared at him. “You shouldn’t talk about a patient like that.”
“Come on... she’s a babe! Oh right, you’ve got a ball and chain, I forgot.”
“I have a fiancée, yes.” I hissed, walking out of the room and down the hall.
I went into the locker room and pulled at my tie, loosening it.
“You really saying you wouldn’t hit that?”
I glared at Jett, “Why the hell did you choose to do a psychiatry rotation Jett? You clearly have no empathy.”
He shrugged, “No idea, honestly.
I slammed my locker shut, pulling my jacket on. “See, that’s the difference between you and I. I chose to do it to help mentally ill people. You chose it because you’re an asshole.”
“Wow, easy!” Jett held his hands up chuckling as I stormed past him. “Remember, I came on early to help you out! So you could get home for your anniversary!”
“You’re still an asshole!” I called out to him.
I got into my car and sighed, dialling my fiancées number, only for it to go to voicemail.
“I guess I’ll surprise you then, baby.” I chuckled.
I stopped at a local shop and bought a dozen roses before I went home, pulled into the parking spot, and ran inside and up to our third floor apartment, knowing I’d surprise her.
I knew it bothered her when I said I had to work on our anniversary, so I hoped by my getting off work at six would make it up to her. I also hoped it would end our three week dry spell and that I’d get laid tonight. Things were... rough between us lately with our schedules not lining up, but I was doing everything I could to work through it with her.
I knew it as soon as I walked in.
I could smell it, hear it. I stood in the doorway for what felt like forever before I gulped and slowly walking toward the bedroom, passing the discarded clothes on the floor along the way. Bra. Panties. Briefs... tears blurred my vision but I clenched my jaw and blinked them away as I stood outside the bedroom door.
“Oh god! Fuck!” I heard her moan.
I pushed the door open slowly and stared at them. My beautiful, curvy fiancée Cleo. Naked and riding some black guy so fast that the headboard of our bed was smashing into the wall. She never rode me like that.
“Fuck!” She panted, her head lulling back, “Anthony! Oh my god, I’m going to-”
I cleared my throat and she instantly stopped, turning to look at me.
She gasped and jumped off of this ‘Anthony’ guy and stared at me sadly as she covered her body with the blanket.
“Baby… Oh my god.” She said softly, “I…I’m so sorry.”
I stared at her, unable to look away from her beautiful, face as the roses fell from my hand and onto the floor.
“I… I never meant for you to… Oh god.” She let her head fall forward and rest in her hand, her honey brown curls cascading over her face and chest.
I couldn’t say anything. My brain wouldn’t think of the words to say. My eyes welled up again and Cleo looked at me, her own eyes filling with tears.
“Christopher… I-”
I turned and walked back down the hall, my feet crushing the fresh rose petals as I wiped the tears that fell from my eyes.
“Wait- Christopher, wait!”
I reached the door just as Cleo ran down the hall wearing only a t-shirt, a look of pain on her face as the back door of the apartment opened and closed.
“Please- Baby, please. Don’t go.” She said softly.
I finally was able to speak, the words finally came to me.
“How long?”
She bit her lip. “Not long.”
“Not- Jesus.” I scoffed, walking back to the bedroom.
“Please-”
I grabbed my gym back and threw some of my clothes into it, along with a few other personal things and walked back out to the hall where Cleo was sitting on a hall table with her head hanging. She looked up at me sadly.
“Where are you going?”
I opened the front door and turned to look at her, “I’ll get a motel room for the night…”
“Can we talk in the morning?”
I let out a harsh laugh, shaking my head as I crossed the threshold. “Fuck you, Cleo.”
“Christopher, please. I never meant for this to happen-”
“You never meant to get caught, you mean.” I spat, turning to look at her. “I’ll be by tomorrow while you’re working to get the rest of my shit. We’re done, Cleo. Leave the fucking ring on your dresser.”
She scowled at me, crossing her arms.
“If you don’t, I’ll come after you. Legally. It was my mother’s grandmother’s engagement ring. My sister’s a lawyer, don’t fucking try me.”
“Christopher-”
I slammed the door behind me as I walked out, seething in anger.
It was drizzling as I threw my bag into the trunk of my car, and I looked up before I got into my car to see Cleo standing in the window sobbing, staring down at me.
I got into my car and drove away. Away from the place that had been my home for the last nine months, away from the woman that I’d been with since I was fifteen, the only woman I’d been with. I pulled into a parking lot of a drugstore and started to sob, feeling my fangs descend as I gripped the steering wheel. I gritted my teeth, and pulled my phone out, dialled my dad’s number and waited.
“Hey buddy.”
I sobbed loudly at hearing his voice, unable to coherently form words.
“Christopher? What’s going on?” He asked, his voice full of concern, “Deep breaths. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“I…I-I lost her.” I sobbed.
“Lost who?”
“Cleo… Dad, I lost her.” I sobbed, leaning my head on the steering wheel, “I caught her.”
I heard my mom ask what was going on and dad cleared his throat, “What do you mean you caught her?”
“I caught her fucking someone. In our fucking bed, on our anniversary.”
“Jesus christ. Are you okay?”
“Do I sound like I’m okay?” I spat. “I’m sitting in the parking lot of a CVS damn near having a fucking panic attack because I caught my fiancée in bed with another man! No, I’m not okay.”
“I can be there in a few hours, I’ll get the jet-”
“No.” I sighed, taking a deep breath, “No, I’ll be… I’ll be fine in a little bit.”
“No, I’ll come down-”
“No really. It’s fine. I’ll be fine, I just got… I just got overwhelmed.”
“I’m so sorry, Christopher. Mom and I will come down this weekend like we planned, and-”
I heard a scream and turned my head just in time to see a woman get hit by a car that ran a red light.
“Oh shit! Gotta go!”
I jumped out of my car and ran toward the crown that had formed, pushing people aside.
“Move! Move, I’m a doctor!”
I knelt down beside the woman, who was drifting in and out of consciousness.
“Can you tell me your name?” I asked her, placing my fingers to the side of her neck.
She went to nod, but I shook my head.
“Don’t move.” I said firmly, “Just tell me you name.”
“J-Jolene.”
“Jolene.”
I heard the sound of sirens in the distance, “Jolene, everything is going to be okay. Just relax.”
