A Beautiful Lie
Emergency
All week David worked and was a little happy to see the doctor again. He had so much to tell, he didn’t know where to start. After work let out, he made his way across to the psychiatric office and walked into the cold and quiet room. He walked across the familiar white carpet and signed his name on the sign in list and took a seat.
He picked a magazine and started reading the headlines. "Barker and DJ Walk Out of Georgian Hospital Recovered", "House Defeats $700 Billion Bailout", "Ellen and Portia; Meant to Be or Match Made in Hell?" Various others covered the magazine and David was starting to lose interest in the overwhelming book. Then, the nurse opened a door and called out his name. He stood up and followed her in. She sat him on the couch he sat on last week and he made himself comfortable, waiting for Dr. Gutman.
Within five minutes, the doctor walked in and greeted David.
"How did the week go?" He asked. Immediately, David’s stomach flipped.
"Uhm, well..." He took a breath. "I walked out." He finally said.
"When?"
"Friday afternoon. I was asleep and I woke up with him on top of me and I ran. I went back later on when I thought he wasn’t home and grabbed my stuff. Then he caught me, I threw a vase at him for self-defense and ran. I’m temporarily living in a hotel room and working at McDonald’s."
"Wow," Dr. Gutman said. "It’s kind of good you left for your own protection but now he’s unsupervised. Who knows what he could be doing right now."
"Not to be mean or anything, but I really don’t care. I’m just happy that I’m out of that apartment room and away from that guy."
"Well, he needs medical attention immediately. I want to talk to him personally to see if I can get into his head and see what’s wrong with him." The doctor said.
“Fine. You can call the hospital and tell them to go pick him up. I want nothing to do with it after that. I don’t want him to find out that I put him in this position. He’ll go psycho.”
“You have to tell them where you live. If Nathan doesn’t open the door, they’ll need your key. Just remember what I told you. You cannot fear him. You are in control.”
“Yeah, I remember. Look, I start work in an hour. I have to go. Thanks for your time. Just give me a call when you want my assistance.” David said standing up to leave.
“Okay, David. I’ll give you a call probably later on tonight or tomorrow.”
David gave the doctor a half-hearted smile. He knew it was going to be a bad idea but he also knew he couldn’t fight with the doctor. They always know best, right? David walked out the door, checked out and went back to his room to change for work.
“You made him mad at you.”
“It’s all your fault.”
“Nathan...”
“Nathan!”
“STOP IT!” Nathan screamed but the invisible people kept talking.
He covered his ears with his hands but that didn’t stop them from talking. He tried begging please but they were still there.
“What do you want from me?” He asked.
“You know what we want.”
“Draw it.”
“Show it off.”
“Draw what? Show what off?” He cried. “What am I supposed to do?”
He ran over to a desk and pulled the handles on the drawers, spilling everything onto the floor. He grabbed scrap pieces of paper on the floor and picked up a marker and started writing down what everyone was saying. It was all too much at once and he didn’t have enough room on the paper so he ran to the wall and starting writing. One word kept repeating itself, “DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE...”
“Who’s supposed to die?” He asked.
“You.”
“Welcome to McDonald’s, how can I help you?” David asked the next customer in line at the counter.
“I’d like a-uh... Double Quarter Pounder with cheese, uh... Cinnamelt, a large fry, and a diet Coke.”
“Will that be it?”
“Yup.”
“$6.25, please.”
His co-worker Donna walked up to him and told him he had an emergency phone call and she’d take over his spot.
“Okay, thanks. Do you know who it is?” He asked.
“No, all I know is it’s for you and it’s an emergency.”
He wondered who could be in trouble as he walked to the back room where the manager stays. He talked to his psychiatrist, he doesn’t talk to his parents, and he doesn’t talk to Nathan anymore. Who could it be? He walked into the room and saw his manager sitting there with the phone on hold.
“Do you know who it is?” He asked her.
“Here,” She handed him the phone. “Talk.”
“Hello?” He asked after he took it from her hand.
“Is this David Black?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Your number was in Nathan’s emergency contact list in his phone. We’re going to need you in the emergency room immediately. We need to ask you some questions.”
“Why? About what?”
“Just please come. We’ll explain the rest when you arrive.”
“Fine.” He said and hung up. Then he looked at his manager and said, “I have to go to the hospital. Can I-”
“Just go, I’ll clock you out at your normal time.” She cut him off.
“Thanks a lot.” He said and walked out.
He got inside his car and immediately called Dr. Gutman and informed him that he was needed at the hospital and something happened to Nathan. The doctor moved quickly and cancelled his afternoon sessions and got in his car. They met at the hospital in five minutes and walked in together. The doctor met up with Nathan’s doctor and started asking questions immediately.
“Sir, you need to wait. I’ll ask the questions first.” He turned to David and asked him for his name.
“What is this all about? Is Nathan okay?” David asked.
“He’s fine right now but we need to ask you some questions.”
“Okay, let’s start.”
“When was the last time you saw Nathan?”
“Oh, God, I don’t know. I moved out a couple weeks ago.”
“Is or was Nathan suicidal?”
“No, I don’t think so. Why? Did he try committing suicide?”
“We’re not sure.”
“I’m a certified psycho therapist.” Dr. Gutman interjected. “Is Nathan available to talk right now?”
“It’s only immediate family allowed right now.” Nathan’s doctor said.
“Listen, I am certified and I need to talk to Nathan. If he is suicidal then I need to help him before he does anything else to her himself or someone else. So let me in to help.”
There was a silence for a minute until the doctor said, “You have ten minutes.” David followed Dr. Gutman into the room and saw Nathan lying in the bed hooked up to an IV.
“Hay, Nathan. I’m Dr. Gutman.” The doctor said sounding friendly. Nathan looked up at him and then looked at David. David tried to stay strong but it’s been so long since he’s looked into those icy gray eyes and got lost. He sat in a chair so his legs wouldn’t give out underneath him.
“Nathan, how are you feeling right now?” The doctor asked. Nathan didn’t respond.
“Nathan, you have to answer Dr. Gutman. He’ll help you.”
“Nobody can help me.” Nathan said quietly. “I have to wait for judgment day. That’s what they told me.”
David and the doctor looked at each other and the doctor asked, “Who told you that?”
“The invisible people.” Nathan said and sounded very troubled. “I can’t see them, but I can hear them. I tell them to stop but they don’t so I have to hurt myself.”
“What do they tell you?” He asked.
“It’s cold in here. I don’t like hospitals. Approximately 90,000 people die in hospitals each year. It’s raining outside. The weather is horrible today. I hate my job. Nobody understand me-”
“Nathan!” The doctor yelled and got his attention. “Focus. This is important.”
“They’re coming back.” Nathan whispered.
“The voices? What are they saying?”
“You can’t help me. Someone has to die. Die, die, die!” He grabbed a pad of paper and a pen off the table next to him and started writing ‘DIE’ repetitively on the paper.
“Time’s up!” Nathan’s doctor yelled and escorted David and the doctor out of Nathan’s room.
“What’s wrong with Nathan? I’ve never seen him like that before?”
“I need more evidence to make my diagnosis. It could be a severe case of OCD, it could be a personality disorder, but I need more facts.” The doctor turned to Nathan’s doctor and asked, “Where was Nathan found?”
“An apartment neighbor called 911 because of loud, obnoxious noises coming from his room and we found him on the floor in the living room. The place was trashed like he’d been robbed. That’s why we’re not sure if it’s attempted suicide or attempted homicide.”
“Take me to your room.” The doctor told him and they thanked Nathan’s doctor and said goodbye. They went to their cars and Dr. Gutman followed David to his apartment room. They walked up the stairs and noticed caution tape across the door and it was wide open with policemen standing inside.
“Oh, my God, this is horrible.” David said quietly.
“Holy shit.” The doctor said once he saw the room when they walked in.
He picked a magazine and started reading the headlines. "Barker and DJ Walk Out of Georgian Hospital Recovered", "House Defeats $700 Billion Bailout", "Ellen and Portia; Meant to Be or Match Made in Hell?" Various others covered the magazine and David was starting to lose interest in the overwhelming book. Then, the nurse opened a door and called out his name. He stood up and followed her in. She sat him on the couch he sat on last week and he made himself comfortable, waiting for Dr. Gutman.
Within five minutes, the doctor walked in and greeted David.
"How did the week go?" He asked. Immediately, David’s stomach flipped.
"Uhm, well..." He took a breath. "I walked out." He finally said.
"When?"
"Friday afternoon. I was asleep and I woke up with him on top of me and I ran. I went back later on when I thought he wasn’t home and grabbed my stuff. Then he caught me, I threw a vase at him for self-defense and ran. I’m temporarily living in a hotel room and working at McDonald’s."
"Wow," Dr. Gutman said. "It’s kind of good you left for your own protection but now he’s unsupervised. Who knows what he could be doing right now."
"Not to be mean or anything, but I really don’t care. I’m just happy that I’m out of that apartment room and away from that guy."
"Well, he needs medical attention immediately. I want to talk to him personally to see if I can get into his head and see what’s wrong with him." The doctor said.
“Fine. You can call the hospital and tell them to go pick him up. I want nothing to do with it after that. I don’t want him to find out that I put him in this position. He’ll go psycho.”
“You have to tell them where you live. If Nathan doesn’t open the door, they’ll need your key. Just remember what I told you. You cannot fear him. You are in control.”
“Yeah, I remember. Look, I start work in an hour. I have to go. Thanks for your time. Just give me a call when you want my assistance.” David said standing up to leave.
“Okay, David. I’ll give you a call probably later on tonight or tomorrow.”
David gave the doctor a half-hearted smile. He knew it was going to be a bad idea but he also knew he couldn’t fight with the doctor. They always know best, right? David walked out the door, checked out and went back to his room to change for work.
“You made him mad at you.”
“It’s all your fault.”
“Nathan...”
“Nathan!”
“STOP IT!” Nathan screamed but the invisible people kept talking.
He covered his ears with his hands but that didn’t stop them from talking. He tried begging please but they were still there.
“What do you want from me?” He asked.
“You know what we want.”
“Draw it.”
“Show it off.”
“Draw what? Show what off?” He cried. “What am I supposed to do?”
He ran over to a desk and pulled the handles on the drawers, spilling everything onto the floor. He grabbed scrap pieces of paper on the floor and picked up a marker and started writing down what everyone was saying. It was all too much at once and he didn’t have enough room on the paper so he ran to the wall and starting writing. One word kept repeating itself, “DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE...”
“Who’s supposed to die?” He asked.
“You.”
“Welcome to McDonald’s, how can I help you?” David asked the next customer in line at the counter.
“I’d like a-uh... Double Quarter Pounder with cheese, uh... Cinnamelt, a large fry, and a diet Coke.”
“Will that be it?”
“Yup.”
“$6.25, please.”
His co-worker Donna walked up to him and told him he had an emergency phone call and she’d take over his spot.
“Okay, thanks. Do you know who it is?” He asked.
“No, all I know is it’s for you and it’s an emergency.”
He wondered who could be in trouble as he walked to the back room where the manager stays. He talked to his psychiatrist, he doesn’t talk to his parents, and he doesn’t talk to Nathan anymore. Who could it be? He walked into the room and saw his manager sitting there with the phone on hold.
“Do you know who it is?” He asked her.
“Here,” She handed him the phone. “Talk.”
“Hello?” He asked after he took it from her hand.
“Is this David Black?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Your number was in Nathan’s emergency contact list in his phone. We’re going to need you in the emergency room immediately. We need to ask you some questions.”
“Why? About what?”
“Just please come. We’ll explain the rest when you arrive.”
“Fine.” He said and hung up. Then he looked at his manager and said, “I have to go to the hospital. Can I-”
“Just go, I’ll clock you out at your normal time.” She cut him off.
“Thanks a lot.” He said and walked out.
He got inside his car and immediately called Dr. Gutman and informed him that he was needed at the hospital and something happened to Nathan. The doctor moved quickly and cancelled his afternoon sessions and got in his car. They met at the hospital in five minutes and walked in together. The doctor met up with Nathan’s doctor and started asking questions immediately.
“Sir, you need to wait. I’ll ask the questions first.” He turned to David and asked him for his name.
“What is this all about? Is Nathan okay?” David asked.
“He’s fine right now but we need to ask you some questions.”
“Okay, let’s start.”
“When was the last time you saw Nathan?”
“Oh, God, I don’t know. I moved out a couple weeks ago.”
“Is or was Nathan suicidal?”
“No, I don’t think so. Why? Did he try committing suicide?”
“We’re not sure.”
“I’m a certified psycho therapist.” Dr. Gutman interjected. “Is Nathan available to talk right now?”
“It’s only immediate family allowed right now.” Nathan’s doctor said.
“Listen, I am certified and I need to talk to Nathan. If he is suicidal then I need to help him before he does anything else to her himself or someone else. So let me in to help.”
There was a silence for a minute until the doctor said, “You have ten minutes.” David followed Dr. Gutman into the room and saw Nathan lying in the bed hooked up to an IV.
“Hay, Nathan. I’m Dr. Gutman.” The doctor said sounding friendly. Nathan looked up at him and then looked at David. David tried to stay strong but it’s been so long since he’s looked into those icy gray eyes and got lost. He sat in a chair so his legs wouldn’t give out underneath him.
“Nathan, how are you feeling right now?” The doctor asked. Nathan didn’t respond.
“Nathan, you have to answer Dr. Gutman. He’ll help you.”
“Nobody can help me.” Nathan said quietly. “I have to wait for judgment day. That’s what they told me.”
David and the doctor looked at each other and the doctor asked, “Who told you that?”
“The invisible people.” Nathan said and sounded very troubled. “I can’t see them, but I can hear them. I tell them to stop but they don’t so I have to hurt myself.”
“What do they tell you?” He asked.
“It’s cold in here. I don’t like hospitals. Approximately 90,000 people die in hospitals each year. It’s raining outside. The weather is horrible today. I hate my job. Nobody understand me-”
“Nathan!” The doctor yelled and got his attention. “Focus. This is important.”
“They’re coming back.” Nathan whispered.
“The voices? What are they saying?”
“You can’t help me. Someone has to die. Die, die, die!” He grabbed a pad of paper and a pen off the table next to him and started writing ‘DIE’ repetitively on the paper.
“Time’s up!” Nathan’s doctor yelled and escorted David and the doctor out of Nathan’s room.
“What’s wrong with Nathan? I’ve never seen him like that before?”
“I need more evidence to make my diagnosis. It could be a severe case of OCD, it could be a personality disorder, but I need more facts.” The doctor turned to Nathan’s doctor and asked, “Where was Nathan found?”
“An apartment neighbor called 911 because of loud, obnoxious noises coming from his room and we found him on the floor in the living room. The place was trashed like he’d been robbed. That’s why we’re not sure if it’s attempted suicide or attempted homicide.”
“Take me to your room.” The doctor told him and they thanked Nathan’s doctor and said goodbye. They went to their cars and Dr. Gutman followed David to his apartment room. They walked up the stairs and noticed caution tape across the door and it was wide open with policemen standing inside.
“Oh, my God, this is horrible.” David said quietly.
“Holy shit.” The doctor said once he saw the room when they walked in.
♠ ♠ ♠
Sorry it took so long. I had sort of a hiatus/writer's block. I hope this is okay.