The Katahdin Mental Institute

Chapter Forty-Six

2010-07-29T16:50:00.000-07:00

Stephanie is sitting on the bed alongside her mom as the two are finishing up a couple of sub sandwiches that Deb brought them.
“That was awfully nice of Deb to bring us something to eat, wasn’t it mom?” Stephanie asks.
“Yes, dear it was,” Violet responds, but stoically.
“I do need to get home and get some rest, mom. You should try to relax and get some rest yourself,” Stephanie says. The nurse is hoping to coax her mom into relaxing.
“I don’t know if I can,” Violet says softly.
“Well, you should try,” Stephanie says as she scoops up the sandwich wrappers in her hands and removes them off of the bed to make room for her mom to lie down. Stephanie walks over to the trash bucket and drops the wrappers into it, glancing out the window at the same time and hoping that her mother doesn’t notice her looking.
She doesn’t.
Violet is fluffing the pillows a moment before she sets herself back against them.
“I think you will fall asleep shortly mother. It’s been a rough twenty-four hours for you,” Stephanie says. The nurse walks over and reaches for her mother’s hand, lifting it up to kiss the back of it. “I will see you shortly, O.K.? I just need to go get some sleep myself and clean up.”
Violet nods her head yes but is silent.
“I will make sure that Dr. Ramsey checks on you,” Stephanie gives a reassuring smile to her mom. “He’s a great doctor mom, and he’s kinda cute.”
Violet smiles, but she remains silent as Stephanie leaves the room.

Ryan approaches Dr. Ramsey sitting at the front entrance nurse’s station. “You’re still here?”
“Yeah, this place seriously needs to get some new people hired,” Dr. Ramsey says.
“Agreed. Anyway, I took a walk around the property and I didn’t see anything unusual,” Ryan walks up next to the desk closer and leans against it. “I walked by Bob’s room and he was fine.”
“Good. I was worried about him after running into Claire,” Billy shakes his head, “which I can’t blame him. Of all people, he should have been told she was coming back.”
“Well, I have heard about what happened and I don’t see how she can still be allowed to work here after all that happened before,” Ryan says.
“Yeah, I’m not sure what’s up with that?” Billy wonders out loud.

Claire is in her small apartment on Cedar Street sitting on the couch. The woman is looking out the front picture window where she can see the top of the Katahdin Mental Institute in the distance.
She reaches over and picks up her phone and dials. After a brief pause she begins, “Yeah. It’s me. I need your help…”

2010-07-22T15:53:00.001-07:00

TKMI will be back next week with a new chapter. Stay tuned....

Chapter Forty-Five

2010-07-15T05:33:00.000-07:00

Bob’s voice is muffled as he tries to say something. The mysterious figure pulls Bob away from the door and then pushes him up against the wall.
Bob sees an older man in his late sixties with graying hair and badly wrinkled skin around his eyes. The man looks tired and weary.
The man holds up a finger to his mouth motioning for Bob to be quiet and Bob nods his head yes as the man then reaches over and closes the door completely.
“I won’t hurt you,” the older man says. His voice is gruff.
Bob stays silent.
“I just need a place to think for a moment,” the man says.
Bob nods his head yes, but still remains silent.

Dr. Trask and Stephanie are stepping outside Violet’s room into the hallway as Stephanie closes the door behind them, but not completely.
“What’s going on?” Stephanie asks, almost in a whisper.
“I just wanted to let you know that Claire tried to come back to work,”
“Are you kidding me?” Stephanie asks. This time the woman’s voice was not a whisper.
“It’s a long story, but yes. But, I wanted to let you know that I’ve placed a restraining order against her and she was removed from the building by Officer Kirkland,” Dr. Trask states calmly.
A big grin forms over Stephanie’s face, “You go.”
“She shouldn’t be back for at least seventy-two hours anyway,” Dr. Trask says as she looks around the hallway as if to see someone else standing there. “This will give us a little time to find another way to get her out of here for good.”
“If I can do anything to help with that, let me know,” Stephanie says eagerly.
“I will,” Deb says, and then, “Have you even eaten anything at all today?”
“No,” Stephanie lets out a small laugh, “I haven’t even left the room.”
“That’s what I thought. I’ll get you something,” Deb says. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Thank you. I owe you,” Stephanie says before Deb walks away down the hall and Stephanie steps back into her mother’s room.

Ryan is stepping out from the stairwell and into the hallway as he radios Billy. “Hey Dr. Ramsey, I’m on Bob’s floor. I am about to check his room now.”
A static filled voice comes back over the walkie, “O.K. Thanks, Ryan.”
The security guard clips the walkie back to his belt as he approaches Bob’s room and looks through the window. Ryan looks through to see Bob sitting cross-legged on his bed smiling back at him.
Ryan gives a thumbs up to the patient and receives one in return with a smile across Bob’s face.
Ryan walks away not realizing that a mysterious man is crouched down in the room, just below the door's window.

Chapter Forty-Four

2010-07-08T05:24:00.000-07:00

“Is everything O.K.?” Billy asks Dr. Trask on the phone from the front nurse’s station.
“Yes, Dr. Ramsey,” Deb answers, “Everything is O.K. with Violet. She just got a little spooked that’s all.”
Everyone about Violet’s room lets out a silent sigh of relief to realize that it is Dr. Ramsey on the phone this time and not that of a supposed dead man.
Dr. Trask hangs up the phone. “Just Dr. Ramsey checking out you, Violet,” the doctor says with a smile and then a wink toward Stephanie.
“See mom,” Stephanie brushes a couple strands of blonde hair out from in front of her eyes, “I told you that the people here would take care of you.”
Violet is sitting on the bed with her knees up in a fetal position as if to help protect her from whatever is out there.
“I will take another walk around and see if I can find anything,” Ryan says. The guard then walks out the door and down the hallway back toward the nurse’s station.
“Just get back in bed mom,” Stephanie urges, “Everything is gonna be fine. Just get some rest.”
Dr. Trask motions for Stephanie to step outside of the room for a moment while her mother is slipping herself back into bed.
“I will be right back, mom,” Stephanie says as she takes a few steps toward the door. “Dr. Trask and I have to go over my schedule.”
“O.K. hun,” Violet half mumbles while keeping an eye on the outside through the window. The woman is still half expecting her dead husband to pop up into view at any moment.

Ryan approaches Billy still at the nurse’s station. “So looks like you are the new receptionist.” Ryan says while cracking a smile at the doctor.
“Afraid so,” Billy says. “At least until I can get Marilyn to come in and take over. Her day off though, so not sure she will answer.”
“Good luck,” Ryan says as he heads for the front entrance.
“Where you going?” Billy asks.
“I’m gonna go take another look around and see if I can find anything. I know I looked before, but you never know.”
“Alright, let me know if you find anything,” Billy starts looking through some of the files on the desk that need to be put away. “Oh, hey, when you get back will you check in on Bob’s room? I’m sure he’ll be fine now without Claire around, but I’d still like to know he is O.K..”
“I sure will,” Ryan says as he walks out the front door.

Bob is returning to his room and walks in. Bob was recently moved to a lower security room where he can come and go as he pleases, however, he must be placed in his room and locked in for each night. The room is set for three people to occupy, but so far, Bob has been able to have the room on his own.
The man has a full size bed placed up against the wall in the corner and a small nightstand next to it with a flat-screen television placed on it. Bob loves watching cartoons and spends most of his days alone in his room watching them.
The bald patient steps into his room and turns back around to close the door behind him.
A hand reaches around Bob and covers his mouth as someone grabs him from behind.

Chapter Forty-Three

2010-07-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

“Fine. I’ll leave, for now,” Miss Hudson says from behind the nurse’s station. She reaches down and picks up her purse placed under the desk. “I will be back shortly though. This little plan of yours is not gonna work Reginald.”
“Oh, it will work just fine,” Officer Kirkland adds as Claire steps past him and toward the front door. Now to Billy, Reginald says, “If I can be of any further assistance just call me.”
“Thank you,” Dr. Ramsey says with a grin forming on his mouth.
“Sh-sh-she going?” Bob asks.
“Yes, Bob,” Dr. Ramsey says, comforting the patient. “Nurse Hudson is leaving and she won’t be able to bother you anymore. O.K.?”
“G-Good,” Bob says. The bald man is still holding the jagged piece of glass in his hand.
“It’s alright now, Bob. You can put down the glass,” Dr. Ramsey says.
“S-s-sorry,” Bob looks over at the broken vase broken into pieces. Some of the pieces still scattered across the desk while some made it’s way to the white, tiled floor. “I-I’ll clean it up.”
“No, it’s alright, Bob,” Dr. Ramsey says calmly. “I will take care of it. You just set that piece of glass you are holding down carefully. I don’t want you to cut yourself.” Dr. Ramsey takes a couple steps closer to Bob. “You just head back to your room and everything will be alright now. O.K.?”
“O-O. K.,” Bob says as he places the jagged piece of glass down onto the desktop. “I-I will go now.” Bob looks down at the floor as if ashamed of himself as he walks away into the direction of the stairway.
Billy takes a moment to catch his breath as he tries to grasp all that has just gone down in the past several minutes. As if dealing with Nurse Hudson wasn’t bad enough but then the incident with Bob. Billy is upset with himself for not realizing that if Bob saw the woman he would have a bad reaction.
I should have walked him back to his room myself.
Billy walks over to the desk and looks at the mess of glass scattered about.
“Nice,” he whispers to himself. The doctor carefully reaches behind the desk and lifts up the small trash bucket to the edge of the desktop and slides the glass into it with a folder. The process takes him several swipes with the folder before he gets all of the pieces into the bucket. He then kneels down onto the floor and lays the bucket onto its side and uses the folder to push the fallen pieces into it.
And then the scream from Mrs. Trask’s room. I wonder what is going on?

“I’m not sure,” Ryan answers Stephanie. “It’s impossible for someone to call into this room from an outside line if no one is at the switchboard to transfer it.” The guard looks over at Stephanie, and then a look at Violet.
“Do you think it was someone inside?” Stephanie asks.
“Inside?” Ryan had not thought of this. “You mean like another patient dialing into the room?’
“Or staff member,” Stephanie adds. “You don’t need to go through the switchboard if you are dialing room to room.”
Dr. Winters steps into the room and overhears the conversation that is in progress.
“True,” Ryan says as if pondering the idea. “But none of the other patients even know your mom, and why would another staff member call this room?”
“They shouldn’t,” Dr. Winters adds, “I’m the primary doctor for this patient. Unless it is an emergency, any consulting should be done through me.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Stephanie says.
The phone rings.
“NO! NO!,” Violet again quickly becomes agitated. “I don’t want to talk to him! Keep him away.”
“Mom, calm down,” Stephanie steps over next to her mom and places a hand on her shoulder.
“Keep your father away from me!” Violet cries out loudly.
Dr. Winters takes a few steps forward to get to the phone and picks it up.

Chapter Forty-Two

2010-06-24T17:43:00.000-07:00

Everyone is stunned momentarily as they look down the corridor toward Violet’s room.
“Mrs. Trask,” Ryan shouts out as he sprints down the hallway toward the patient’s room.
Bob watches the guard swiftly moving away, “Wh-wh-what’s he doing?” Bob asks.
“He’s just going to check on another patient, Bob, “Dr. Ramsey begins, “another patient just like yourself needs some assistance. Don’t you think Ryan should help her?”
“Y-Yes,” Bob says. The pudgy, bald man looks down at the floor as if he has done something wrong. “I-I need help too. Right, Dr. R-R-Ramsey?”
“I’m gonna go with Ryan and see if Mrs. Trask is alright,” Dr. Winters says before moving away and down the hallway. “Take care of her!” she shouts back at Officer Kirkland before getting too far down the hallway.
“What is she talking about,” Billy asks.
Officer Kirkland walks closer toward the group and directs his attention to Miss Hudson as he is slipping a folded piece of paper out of his back pocket. “She is referring to this,” the man begins while unfolding the paper. “This is a restraining order placed against Miss Hudson that requires you to remain one hundred yards from The Katahdin Mental Institute…”
“What!?” Claire is completely shocked. “Who….”
“And,” Officer Kirkland continues, “You are to remain at least one hundred feet away from Debra Winters at all times.”
Billy smiles.
“You can’t do this!” Claire begins to shout. “What cause does she have?”
“Harassment,” Officer Kirkland answers. The officer hands Claire the piece of paper and she quickly yanks it from his grip, looking it over as if the document is fake.
“Trust me,” the officer continues again, “It was signed by Judge Andrews about 20 minutes ago.” The man steps closer to the nurse and motions with his hand for her to leave the area.
“This will not work. I guarantee you,” Claire spits out.
“Maybe not,” Officer Kirkland says, “But if you refuse to leave right now, you will be placed under arrest for violating the order.”
Now it is Officer Kirkland who is smiling.

Stephanie is picking up the phone from the floor and places it next to her ear.
Nothing.
“Mom, calm down,” Stephanie says.”
“It was your dad. It was Stephen. I know it was,” Violet says as her hand is shaking horribly while pointing at the phone. “It was him. Him on the phone.” Tears are streaming down the woman’s cheeks.
Ryan rushes into the room just as Violet is asking, “Why is he doing this to me? Why?”
“What’s going on?” Ryan asks, partly out of breath. “Is everyone O.K.?”
“Yes,” Stephanie begins to explain as Violet is still sitting on the bed, tearing up. “Someone just called here and my mom thought it was my father on the line. It scared her that’s all.”
“It was him. I know it was! Why won’t you people believe me?” Violet is getting more irritated.
“How long was the phone call?” Ryan asks.
“Just a few seconds,” Stephanie answers. “It rang and then my mom picked it up. Why? It was too short to try tracing.”
“That’s not what I was getting at,” Ryan pauses. “Umm…I was just standing at the nurse’s station.”
“You know who called?” Stephanie asks.
“Well,” Ryan is not sure how to go with this, “Not exactly. I mean, there was no call. I was standing right there in view of the switchboard. There was no call.”
“What do you mean?” Violet looks at the guard.
“I would have seen if there was a call that came through and was transferred,” Ryan looks at Stephanie knowing she would understand that no room can get a call unless the person on duty at the first floor nurse’s station transfers it.
“Then how did someone call this room?” Stephanie asks.

Chapter Forty-One

2010-06-17T05:35:00.000-07:00

“H-h-her! What is sh-she doing here?” Bob is visibly agitated by seeing Claire.
“Bob, it’s O.K., you will be O.K.,” Billy slowly steps over to Bob.
“She h-h-hurts me,” Bob’s voice is getting as shaky as the hand that is holding the broken glass.
Dr. Ramsey notices a flower vase has been shattered on the floor. The vase’s flowers now scattered about the floor in a puddle of water.
“Hand me the glass, Bob,” Billy says trying to plead with the patient.
“I ca-can’t. She will h-h-hurt me,” Bob insists.
Claire is standing up behind the nurse’s station believing that Bob is the one that is going to hurt someone. “Get away from me. You need help.”
“Claire,” Dr. Ramsey says sternly. “Knock it off.”
“Me? Who knows what he will do?” Nurse Hudson responds.
“What do you expect after what you did to him?” Billy now focuses on Bob once again. “Bob, please, just stay calm.”
“Dr. R-Ramsey?”
“Yes, Bob, what is it?” Billy asks.
“Why is sh-sh-she here after what she did to me?” Bob asks. The man reaches up behind his still bald head and begins rubbing it. “Sh-she shouldn’t be h-here.”
“I know, Bob, we are working on that,” Dr. Ramsey says.

Ryan has now left the Stephanie and her mother alone again in Violet’s room.
“Mom, you need to come out from under the bed,” Stephanie presses.
Violet slides forward slightly enough to stick her head out from under the metal frame. “He’s gone right?”
“Ryan, yes.”
“No, not the guard,” Violet looks around the room, “Your father.”
“Yes, mom,” Stephanie decides to play along, “He’s gone.”
Violet slides the rest of the way out from under the bed but is still cautiously looking around the room as she stands up alongside the bed. Once she sees no one else is around besides her daughter she sits down onto the bed.
“I don’t know what he wants from me,” Violet seems to ponder out loud while looking down toward the floor as if in shame. “I wish he’d just leave me alone.”
“He’s not going to get to you mom,” Stephanie tries to go along and reassure her mother. “Trust me.”
Just then the phone next to the bed rings startling the two.
“It’s probably just Ryan letting you know everything is fine,” Stephanie says as she nods toward the phone as if to signal for her mom to pick it up.
Her mother does.
When the older woman holds the receiver up to her ear she quickly drops it and screams.

Ryan has approached the commotion going on at the first floor nurse’s station and see Bob still holding a piece of jagged glass. “What’s going on here?”
Billy motions with his hand for the guard to stay where he is, “It’s O.K. Ryan, Bob here was just a little startled when he saw Claire standing here. Understandable.”
“What do you need, Dr. Ramsey,” the guard asks.
“It’s all fine right now, Ryan,” Billy says calmly. “Bob isn’t going to do anything, are you Bob?”
The front doors to the institute open and Dr. Winters is walking in with Officer Kirkland. The officer notices Bob as they approach the crowd and he instantly grabs the gun out of his holster. “Hey, step back now.” The officer says loudly almost shouting.
The loud voice scares Bob and he starts shaking and stepping back-and-forth in front of the desk.
“I-I-I don’t wanna g-g-get hurt again,” Bob says agitated. “J-Just leave me al-alone.” The patient raises the piece of glass higher in front of him to keep everyone away.
Officer Kirkland raises his gun and points it toward Bob, but before anything else happens they are all caught by surprise when they hear Violet’s screams from the other room.

Chapter Forty

2010-06-10T05:39:00.000-07:00

Billy is sitting at the desk in his office flipping through a patient’s file when he hears, “Dr. R-R-Ramsey…” The doctor looks up and is pleased to see Bob standing in the doorway.
“Bob,” Billy smiles, “Nice to see you. Please come in.”
“Th-thank you, Dr. R-R-Ramsey,” Bob says as he enters further into the room.
Billy makes a motion with his hand, signaling Bob to sit in the chair on the other side of the desk in front of him and the patient does.
“What can I do for you today, Bob?” Dr. Ramsey asks.
“I was just ow-ow-out for my exercise too-too-day.”
“Bob, I’m glad to hear that,” Dr. Ramsey closes the folder he was looking through and sets it on the corner of his desk. “You feel safer now, I hope.”
“I do, b-b-but is it really o-over, sir?” Bob asks.
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about Bob,” Dr. Ramsey gets up from his chair and makes his way around the desk to stand next to Bob. Placing a reassuring hand on the man’s shoulder, “You will be just fine, Bob. Now we can concentrate better on you and getting you well.”
Bob grins. “Th-th-thank you.”
“Should I have Officer Ryan walk you back to your room?”
“N-No. I’m O.K.” Bob stands back up from his chair and walks out of the office.

Debra Winters steps into the Municipal Building and up to the receptionist’s desk. “Hi. I called a while ago. I’m here to see Officer Kirkland.”
“He’s expecting you,” the receptionist says. “Please wait just a moment and I’ll buzz him.”
Dr. Winters takes a step to the side of the lobby and leans against the wall. She looks around at the paintings of Mount Katahdin that seem to be hanging everywhere on the walls.
“Debra,” the deep voice of Officer Kirkland startles the woman for a moment.
“I need to talk to you,” Debra says.
“I gathered by your phone call. Take it that you don’t like Miss Hudson being back to work at the institute,” Officer Kirkland surmises correctly.
“I do not. I thought I was free from that woman after all that she did, but now she’s back.”
“Well, Dr. Ramsey has already be here and I will tell the same thing that I told him,” Officer Kirkland begins. “I have no cause to remove her.”
“You will if I file a restraining order against the woman for harassment.”
“She’s been harassing you?” Officer Kirkland has now moved over next to the wall and leaned against it to face Debra. “How?”
“Oh, I think we can come up with something,” Debra reaches a hand out and rubs the side of Officer Kirkland’s arm. “Don’t you think, Reginald?”

Billy is back sitting down at his desk when he hears a loud commotion outside of his room. He quickly jumps up to the sound of breaking glass coming from down the hall.
Dr. Ramsey can hear a woman’s scream as he approaches the nurse’s station and looks around the corner of the hallway wall to see Bob standing in front of Claire with a broken vase. A piece of jagged glass is being held up in front of him in the direction of the nurse.
“Bob stop!” Billy shouts out.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

2010-05-27T05:29:00.000-07:00

Stephanie is not sure how to take what her mother just said. “Dad?”
“Yes, Stephie. Your father.” Still a whisper.
“Mom, you know that dad was not just outside. He can’t be,” Stephanie says in a soothing voice trying to calm her mother down. The young woman now reaches her second hand to grab a hold of her mother’s hand, trying to pull her out from under the bed with a bit more of a tug.
Her mother is still resisting.
“I’m not coming out until I know he is no where around here. He can’t see me,” Violet still insists.
Stephanie decides not to push right now and lets go of her mother’s hand. Instead she fully sits down on the floor to speak to her mother calmly, “Mom, I’m worried about you. What can I do?”
“Just keep your father away from me,” Violet looks her daughter in the eye. “Please?”
“I can do that. I promise,” Stephanie says. Of course, her father being dead helps her sound convincing.
Suddenly, Ryan rushes into the room, “Are you ladies O.K.?”
Stephanie is startled and looks up over the bed. “What?”
“Oh, sorry,” Ryan steps over around the bed. “Are you ladies O.K.? Did that man try to do anything to you?”
“Man?” Stephanie asks. “What man?”
“The office downstairs paged me and said there was a man outside the window to this room. When they noticed him on the camera it looked like he was crawling out of the room,” Ryan says as he makes his way over to the window and looks out it.
No damaged appearing around it.
“Are you serious?” Stephanie says standing up alongside the bed.
“Very,” Ryan answers. “So the man was never in here?”
“I don’t think so,” Stephanie says as she looks under the bed toward her mother who is shaking her head no.
“Did you see who he was?” Ryan asks Stephanie. “Did you get any look at him?”
“No, not at all,” Stephanie answers.
Out from under the bed comes another whisper, “I told you it was your father.”

Chapter Thirty-Eight

2010-05-20T04:51:00.000-07:00

Dr. Winters is approaching the nurse’s station where she sees Claire Hudson sitting behind the desk and filing some patient’s forms. Without any kind of warning, the doctor walks around the desk and yanks the forms out of the nurse’s hands before scooping up the folder off of the desk.
“You, my dear, will not be touching any patient material in this place ever again,” Dr. Winters huffs.
Claire practically is pushed out of the way as her chair spins a bit to the left, “Excuse me?” The woman flips her hair back.
“You heard me,” Dr. Winters calmly places the papers into the folder then turns behind her to file them in the cabinet. “You will be out of here before you can say conspiracy.”
“Oh Debra, don’t be jealous,” Claire smiles. “You’ve been wanting me out of here for a while just because you are threatened by my looks. Not the prettiest one around anymore are you?”
“What are you talking about?” Dr. Winters closes the filing cabinet drawer and turns back around to face Claire.
“You’ve hated me ever since I got here and the other doctors paid attention to me,” Claire winks at Debra, “more than you.”
“Wow. What has happened to you?” Debra shakes her head. “I think you should check yourself in. First, you get involved in some terrible situation that involves stealing body parts and now you think I’m actually jealous of you.” Dr. Winters lets out a laugh. “You pretty much are certifiable.”
The doctor starts to walk away when she turns back to Claire, “Remember, I do have pull with the board to this institute. You’ll be out.” The doctor takes a few steps closer to the phone and picks it up.
Claire smirks, “Poor Debra, what are you gonna do? Call the police to remove me? Dr. Ramsey already tried that and found out there is no proof I did anything wrong regarding my job.” Claire slides her chair back up closer to the desk to resume working. “They aren’t going to do anything.”
“Maybe not for that,” Debra says as she begins calling, “But, I can always file a restraining order to keep you away from me.” Now it is Dr. Winters that is smiling.

“Mom,” Stephanie walks over to the bed and kneels down next to it to look at her mom underneath it. “What in the world are you doing underneath the bed?”
Violet points at the window with the bright day’s sunshine filtering through, “Shh. He’s out there.”
“Mom, what are you talking about?” Stephanie reaches under the bed to take her mother’s hand. “Who is out there? Outside?”
“Yes,” her mother still says, whispering, “He was outside the window. He is coming for me.”
Violet tries to slide back further underneath the bed as if not to be in view of the window.
Tugging on her mother’s hand to get her to stop, “Mom, this is not right. You are perfectly safe here.”
“No. He’s outside,” Violet still says in a whisper.
“Who mom?”
“Your father.”

Chapter Thirty-Seven

2010-05-13T07:54:00.001-07:00

Dr. Winters takes a moment to look over her patient’s vital signs before turning to Stephanie, “Can I speak to you for a moment?” the woman asks as she nods toward the hallway.
“Sure,” Stephanie gets up from her chair and reaches a hand out to place on her mom’s. “I’ll be right back, mom.”
Violet turns her eyes away as if still disgusted with her daughter’s disbelief.
Once out into the hallway, Dr. Winter’s closes the door behind the two. “I don’t know what is going on here, but your mom appears to be fine now. At least physically.”
Stephanie is standing about four inches taller than the doctor, “I’m still worried about her. It is not like her to be like this. I can’t believe she thinks she has seen my father.”
“Maybe it was just a really bad nightmare that seemed real to her,” Dr. Winters says, trying to surmise the cause. “Maybe it frightened her so bad she got disoriented.”
“Maybe,” Stephanie says but her voice does not sound like she agrees. “Is there anything we can do?”
“Well, physically there is no reason to keep her here and now that she has seem to have calmed down I am not sure what we can do,” Dr. Winters says. “I can request keeping her for another day at least just to keep an eye on her, but she may have to be released soon.”
“I understand. Thanks,” Stephanie reaches over and opens the door. The off duty nurse enters and closes the door behind her.
Dr. Winters is about to walk away when Ryan approaches the doctor. “Good morning, Debra,” the officer says.
“Morning. How are you today?”
“Well not bad, I guess,” Ryan smirks, “I’m better than Dr. Ramsey right now I gather.”
“Oh? Why is that?”
“You haven’t heard either I take it?” The guard asks. “Nurse Hudson is back on duty.”
“Excuse me!?” Dr. Winters raises her voice. “That’s impossible.”
“Afraid not,” Ryan says. “She’s at the front nurse’s station as we speak.”
Dr. Winters angrily storms off toward the station.

When Stephanie stepped into her mother’s room and turned around to close the door behind her, she had not noticed until a few moments later.
Her mom was no longer in the bed. She was gone?
“Mom?” Stephanie asks. “Where are you?”
A startled Stephanie looks about the room. She couldn’t have gone far.
Stephanie walks over to the small closet on the side of the room and slides the door back. Not there. Where could she be?
Stephanie takes another look about the room.
Oh no! The window?
Stephanie moves quickly to the window of the first floor room and leans forward to see if her mother ran out when she hears her mother’s voice screaming.
“No Stephanie! Stay away! He’ll get you!”
The nurse is startled half to death by the sudden outburst and spins back around to see her mother’s head sticking out from under the bed.
“Quick Stephanie. Under here so he won’t get you!”
“Mom, what are you doing under the bed?” Stephanie looks at her mom confused.

Chapter Thirty-Six

2010-05-06T05:42:00.000-07:00

“Why don’t you believe me Steffy?” the older woman says from her bed. Her voice is slightly cracking.
“I’m sorry, mom,” Stephanie begins, “but there is no way that these can be dad’s. These have to be fake.” Stephanie shakes her head in disgust. “Who would do such a thing like this to you?”
Stephanie’s mom begins to tear up as Dr. Winters steps into the room, “Oh dear, what seems to be the problem?” she asks.
“My daughter thinks that I’ve lost my mind.”
“Mrs. Task, you have not,” Dr. Winters begins, but is cut off.
“Will you please call me Violet?” the woman asks while giving a bright smile.
“Why sure, Violet,” Dr. Winters says, “You are fine. You were, however, extremely dehydrated from being out in the sun wandering on the highway. Dehydration can do wonders on someone’s thinking ability at the time.” Dr. Winters turns to Stephanie and gives a wink.
“See mom, I told you that you were fine,” Stephanie says but her mom does not believe she said any such thing.
“You think I’m crazy,” Violet says as she reaches her hand out to Stephanie, “Give me those back!” The woman is clearly agitated.
“Hey,” Dr. Winters is surprised at the quick turn, “Now calm down. You don’t need to get all worked up again.”
Stephanie hands her mother the dog tags.
“What have you got there?” Dr. Winters asks.
“They are my husband’s dog tags. He gave them to me yesterday,” Violet looks at Stephanie as if posing a challenge and her daughter takes it.
“Dr. Winters, my father has been dead for years,” Stephanie says.
“Oh, I’m sorry dear.”
“You don’t understand,” Stephanie is not sure how to move forward, but just does anyway, “My dad is dead. He was buried with his dog tags around his neck.” Stephanie can see that Dr. Winters is starting to get the picture. “My mom here says that my dad gave those to her….yesterday.”
“I see….” Dr. Winters says, her voice trailing off.

Billy approaches the nurse’s station again and nods towards the guard, Ryan. “You’re all set, Ryan. Thank you. I’m good now.”
“O.K., no problem,” Ryan begins walking away, and adds, “if you need anything else just page me.”
“Will do,” Dr. Ramsey says before making his way over closer to Claire. “So, you left out the part about tampering with files, huh?”
Claire looks at the doctor and smiles, “So you talked to Officer Kirkland, huh?”
“I did.”
“Since I was not charged with anything , nor the fact that there is anything proving I tampered with files,” Claire looks Billy in the eye, “There is no immediate cause to fire me.”
“We will see about this,” Billy says. “I think the board here will have something to say about you being here at the Institute.”
“Well, until then,” Claire baits, “Enjoy your day Dr. Ramsey.” The woman smirks.

Chapter Thirty-Five

2010-04-29T08:45:00.000-07:00

Billy can not believe his eyes as he is looking over at Claire sitting at the nurse’s station as if nothing has even happened.
“Hi, Dr. Ramsey,” the nurse says with a smile.
A security guard is standing up beside her, his hand placed on the back of her chair. “We thought it was best to call you first, Dr. Ramsey.” The guard nods toward the nurse, careful for her not to notice. “I am Ryan, by the way.”
Billy steps up closer, still wearing blue jeans and a black polo shirt. The man barely had time to get dressed let alone fix his disheveled hair. “Do you mind if I see an I.D.?”
“No, not at all,” the guard replies as he reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his identification. “I completely understand. I am new to the company. Just started today a couple weeks ago.”
Billy looks over the identification and takes a glance at the man’s badge clipped to his shirt and is satisfied with what he sees. “Sorry, after what has gone on since I’ve been here, just want to make sure.” Billy smiles at the guard.
The guard is easily standing four inches taller and his shoulders are broad. The all black security uniform makes him look very intimidating even if he is a nice guy, Billy thinks.
“I am aware. I was over at Regional for my first couple weeks, but was bumped over here,” Ryan says.
Claire has been sitting patiently while listening to the conversation between the other two but now Billy leans against the desk. “Claire, you do realize that you are no longer working here, don’t you?”
“Actually…” Claire brushes the bangs of her newly cropped red hair out of her eyes, “I checked and the institute can not terminate me.” She smiles.
“Excuse me? And why not?” Billy asks.
“I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Billy looks over at the guard with a look like is this woman serious and the Ryan shrugs.
“Umm…you were involved in a police investigation regarding missing body parts from patients at this very facility,” Billy says as if reminding the nurse.
“I was never charged with anything,” Claire says flatly as she reaches into a drawer and pulls out a file folder and begins organizing paperwork on the desk.
“You tampered with files.”
“Was it proven?” Claire counters.
“You admitted to it,” Billy says, his voice now getting a little louder.
The phone rings at the switchboard and Claire answers it as if nothing else is happening and transfers the call.
“Now, Dr. Ramsey, I don’t believe I did any such thing as tamper with files,” Claire turns and looks the man in the eye. “If you would like, you can check with the police department and Officer Kirkland. They have my statement.”
“Oh, believe me. I will,” Billy says before looking at the guard. “Stay with her. I’ll be back.”

“Mom,” Stephanie says in her mother’s room at the institute. “I think you are just confused.”
“Stop it, Steffy,” the older woman raises her voice as she becomes more agitated in her bed. “I know what I saw. You’re father is still alive and I saw him with my own eyes.”
Stephanie gives a look to her mom that tells her mom that she is just going with the story for now.
“I see that look,” Stephanie’s mother continues, “You think I’m just an old woman that is losing her mind.” She reaches up and runs a hand through her stringy gray hair trying to make herself more presentable. “I’m telling you, I saw your father. How else would I have this?”
The woman reaches under the sheets and pulls out a set of military dogtags and hands them to her daughter.
Stephanie takes them from the woman’s wrinkled hand and looks them over. She is shocked to see the name: Stephen Task.
“Mom,” Stephanie’s hand begins shaking while holding the dogtags, “where did you get these?”
“I keep telling you, I saw your father,” her mother shakes her head in frustration from no one listening to her.
“Mom, these can’t be dad’s dogtags. He was wearing them when he was buried.”

Chapter Thirty-Four

2010-04-22T19:22:00.000-07:00

Billy is waking up in his small, one bedroom apartment on Katahdin Avenue. The man shakes his head as if clearing his thoughts from a long sleep. Lying on the bed, the doctor realizes he still has not settled into his apartment.
Boxes are piled in the corner of his room and dirt is along the floor from carrying the boxes in. There must be at least eight boxes of items, mostly clothes. The red painted walls have areas of chipped paint peeling.
“Has this all been a bad dream?” Billy rubs at his eyes as he is trying to become more focused on beginning his day. “Please,” the man looks to the walls as if expecting them to answer, “tell me that no one really took body parts to form another human?”
No answer.
A cell phone rings in the distance and the doctor looks over to another corner of his bedroom to see his phone lighting up on top of a pair of jeans.
“Damn,” he says out loud to the quiet walls when he realizes his phone is way over there.
Billy swings his feet around off of the side of his air mattress and places them on the floor before crawling out of bed and making his way to his phone.
He answers with a “Hello,” before a brief pause, and then, “You have got to be kidding?” The man shakes his head. “I’ll be right in.”

Stephanie is sitting in her mom’s room at the institute alongside the bed when the older woman begins to stir. A smile forms as she realizes that her daughter is sitting next to her.
“Morning mom,” Stephanie says. “Are you feeling better this morning?”
The elder woman sits herself up in the bed better. Her arms are still strapped to the side of the bed making it difficult for her to move.
“Yes, I’m better. Why am I still strapped in?” She asks.
“If you are O.K., I will take them off,” Stephanie says and her mom nods yes in response so Stephanie gets up from her seat and takes the straps off of her mom’s wrists. The woman reaches her hands together and massages her wrists.
“Sorry, but the way you were acting last night, we had to mom,” Stephanie apologizes while taking her seat again next to her mom’s bed.
“Have you been here the whole night, dear?”
“Of course,” Stephanie replies. “Where else would I be? I haven’t seen you in years and then you are brought to me in the condition you were. What else was I going to do?” Stephanie pushes some of her blonde hair out of her face.
“I’m sorry,” the woman looks away from her daughter as if ashamed.
“Don’t be sorry. I’m just worried about you. What the Hell caused you to be wandering the highway in the state that you were in?”
The older woman turns and looks her daughter in the eye and a deep panic comes across the woman’s face again. “I saw your dad.”
Stephanie reaches a hand out and places it over her mom’s hand. “Mom, you know that didn’t happen.”
“Yes, Stephanie. I swear to you. I saw your father standing right in front of me,” the woman insists.
“Mom, dad died years ago.”

Billy walks into the front entrance of the institute and although the man just slept twelve hours he still feels like he just left the building. He makes his way through the doorway and looks over at the nurse’s station where he sees what the phone call was about.
It is Claire in her nurse’s uniform.
And she is sitting behind the desk.

2010-04-15T18:03:00.000-07:00

The Institute will be back next Thursday with a new episode....

Chapter Thirty-Three

2010-04-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

Billy approaches Stephanie and leans in behind her, “This is your mom?”
Just as she turns to answer him, Dr. Winters steps into the room and quickly approaches the woman on the bed. “What’s the story?”
Stephanie and Billy give each other a glance before he says, “Well, I’m going to let you guys handle this one. I’ve had a long day and I’m off duty.” Billy gives Stephanie a reassuring grip on the shoulder a moment before turning to leave. “See you soon.”
“This woman was just brought in by a Waterville paramedic team,” Stephanie begins. “She was found wandering on the state highway and was extremely agitated until a few moments ago.”
“What changed?” Dr. Winters asks as she reaches down to take the woman’s vitals.
“I’m not sure,” Stephanie is careful of what to say. “She heard my name was Stephanie and then just seemed to gravitate to me. She instantly calmed down and hasn’t stopped staring at me.”
The woman on the bed now turns to look at Dr. Winters. The doctor is in her mid-forties with short, black hair cut above her shoulders. Her blue eyes almost piercing as she looks over the woman in the bed.
“Well, she seems fine now. Maybe we should just let her be for a bit?” Dr. Winters says as she heads for the door. “We can get her a mild sedative to help her through the night and check on her in the morning.”
“O.K..” Stephanie starts to walk out of the room when the woman quickly becomes agitated again and thrashing about in the bed. “Stephanie..don’t leave me! Don’t! Not again!” the woman screeches at the top of her lungs.

Claire is stepping out of the front door of the Municipal Building and takes a deep breath, “Thankfully that is all over.” After a moment, Claire begins walking up the street and notices someone acting strange. Stopping again to get a better look, she notices the man on the other side of the street starting to walk one way and then the other and turning back around again as if trying to figure out which way that he should be walking. This time he turns just right and she sees a better look of his face.
“Greg?”
She can not believe her eyes and quickly crosses the street to approach the man.
“Greg? Are you O.K.?” Claire asks the disoriented man.
The man turns and looks the Claire directly in the eyes but is slow to respond. She can see some faint scarring on his face and around his scalp.
“Greg? Do you know who I am?” Claire questions.
“Claire?”
“Yes. You do recognize me?”
“Yes, Claire,” the man begins almost in a mumble, “I know who you are but why do you keep calling me Greg? It’s me…. Dr. Johnson. Brad’s brother-in-law.”
Claire is speechless as she sees Greg’s body turn in front of her and walk away.

Chapter Thirty-Two

2010-04-01T07:29:00.000-07:00

Anne is sitting in her jail cell adjacent to her brother’s when he asks, “Anne, what happened?”
Anne stoically walks over and sits down on the cot in her cell and looks up at the cement ceiling with chipped paint. “I was almost there, Brad. Almost there.”
Brad walks over to the bars between the two cells and grabs a hold of them, “You mean….did it work?” Brad asks, almost in a whisper.
“I don’t know,” Anne replies. “I had to leave him to recuperate from surgery and I never got to get back to find out.”
“So you don’t know if Greg is O.K.?” Brad shakes his head from side to side. “You know they are going to find out that you took him out of the institute.”
A smile forms on Anne’s face, “Greg will never be able to tell.”
The woman starts laughing loud enough for it to echo throughout the basement.

Stephanie is leaning against the beige wall as everyone has become completely silent and looking at her, when she hears Dr. Ramsey’s voice.
“Stephanie, do you know this woman?”
Silence.
Tears start forming down the woman on the stretcher’s face but she has stayed calm since focusing on Stephanie.
“Let’s get this woman on the bed, now,” one of the paramedics shouts out. He’s an older man with a stethoscope around his neck and taking charge as if the leader of the team.
The four paramedics are lifting the woman onto the bed. One each has grabbed an arm or a leg to help lift the woman’s weight.
“Stephanie, answer me,” Billy protests to the nurse but she can not stop staring at the aged woman on the bed.
The crowd in the room is quickly strapping down the woman onto the bed with no resistance.
“Is that necessary?” Stephanie speaks up now enough to be heard.
“This woman is crazy,” proclaims the leader of the paramedics. “She was encountered on the highway south of Waterville just wandering. She was lucky she didn’t get hit by a car on that highway.”
“Wandering like that?” Stephanie asks while motioning to the woman. The woman appears like she is in her light eighties with her overly wrinkled skin and puffy bags under her eyes. She has on a pink bath robe that was once fluffy but now so worn there are holes where stitching is coming apart. The slippers on her feet were once a matching set, but now caked in mud and the soles are half ripped away. “She wouldn’t go out wandering like this?”
“So you do know her,” Billy states.
“She’s all yours now,” the paramedic says and motions for the others to follow him out the door.
With the room all but cleared out, Stephanie approaches the woman and leans down next to the bed.
“Stephanie,” the woman whispers, “Why are they doing this to me? I’m fine.”
Stephanie reaches over and places the woman’s hand in hers. “I’m sure you are, mom.”

Chapter Thirty-One

2010-03-25T08:30:00.000-07:00

Detective Miller is escorting a crying and upset Anne into the Municipal Building. The handcuffed woman is disappointed that she was so close to getting what she wanted and it has now been ruined.
“Why are you doing this to me?” she pleads. "What is so wrong about wanting my husband back in my life?”
“There was nothing wrong with that,” Detective Miller starts, “until you started killing innocent people in the process. Now you need to pay the consequences.”
Anne is being led into the cell area in the basement by Detective Miller who has a tight grip on her arm. She is walked over to an empty cell next to her brother.
“Anne! Are you O.K.?” Brad shouts out to his sister while jumping up off of his cot.
The former doctor does not respond as she is placed in the cell.
“We will get you for your statement later,” Detective Miller says before sliding the metal grate back into place. The metal clicks into the locked position.

Officer Kirkland walks into the room upstairs where Claire is still handcuffed to the desk. “You are free to go Miss Hudson, for now. Anne Johnson is in custody, but I wouldn’t venture too far.”
The officer unlocks the cuffs and Claire stands up, “Oh, thank God. Believe me, I have no intention of going anywhere. I just want to walk back to my apartment and be glad that this whole nightmare is over with.”

Detective Miller is calling Dr. Ramsey from his cell phone, “We have her now Dr. Ramsey. She’s in custody, so you can let everyone over there know they can relax and now hopefully your new job can be settled into with some kind of normalcy…take care,” the detective says before closing his cell shut.
Billy hangs up the phone from the receptionist’s desk at the entrance of the institute. “She’s been captured,” he says to Stephanie sitting next to him.
“Good. I am so glad this is over,” the nurse says.
“Me too and now that Dr. Winters is in, I am heading home for some sleep,” Billy says.
“You should. Have you slept at all the past several days?” Stephanie asks.
“Hardly,” Billy laughs as he smiles at Stephanie and heads for the door. “Call me if you need me, but please don’t need me.” The doctor laughs.
“I’ll do my best,” Stephanie replies.
Billy is reaching for the door of the front entrance when it is slammed open by paramedics rushing someone in on a stretcher. The woman is strapped down and convulsing wildly.
“Let me go! Let me go now!” the woman yells so loud she is piercing people’s eardrums. Her long, graying hair is growing through her brown dye job. Tears are running down her face as she is squirming more and more to get free.
“This way right now,” Billy says jumping into action. “There’s an empty room right around the corner over here.”
Billy leads them around the corner to the left and Stephanie runs over in case they need help. The four paramedics quickly push the wheeled gurney across the tile floor and around the corner to the room. They get next to the bed and get into position to lift the patient onto it.
The woman is still wildly squirming and thrashing about, “Stop it! Stop touching me!” the shrieks keep continuing until all of a sudden she sees something that catches her eye and she stops moving, “Stephanie? My dear, Stephanie, is that really you?”
The crowd becomes quiet and turns to look at the nurse standing off to the side of the room.

Chapter Thirty

2010-03-18T05:29:00.000-07:00

“Yes, I’m still here,” Anne answers from her end of the phone in her old office. “I need to know what your next flight out of town is,” a brief pause, “That’s fine. I don’t care where. Just book me a ticket and I’ll be right there.” Anne gives the travel agent her information over the phone and charges the ticket to her credit card. A card she has memorized the number too, but doesn’t have on her.
Anne hangs up the phone and starts to get up from the desk, but then sits back down. Once again, she picks up the phone and dials. This time the woman knows the number.
“Yes, I need a taxi at the west side exit of the hospital please,” and after brief pause, “about how soon?”
Now the doctor places the phone back down and gets up from the desk. She takes a few steps over to the window and cautiously looks outside and down along the building toward the west side exit and does not see anyone or anything suspicious.
“Five more minutes, that’s all I need,” Anne says to herself as she looks down at her watch. “In another 30 I can hopefully be out of this town for good.” After another quick glance out the window, she makes her way across the room and to the door. Slowly, she opens the doorway and checks out her path down the hallway to the exit door. With no signs of trouble, the woman exits her old office for the last time and slowly walks down the hallway, keeping her head down and focused on the white tile floor trying to keep her face hidden from view.
Approaching the door, Anne notices through the window that a Katahdin Taxi is driving up to the door. She steps outside and quickly flags the driver down and the car pulls up and stops. The woman opens the door to the backseat and jumps in closing the door behind her. As she is strapping on the seatbelt, “To the airport please. Quickly.”
Her seatbelt snaps into place when she hears a male voice say, “Sorry, Anne but there is a change in plans. You will be going to Penobscot Avenue.”
“Excuse me?” Anne says as she looks up to see Detective Miller sitting in the driver’s seat looking back at her.
“Hi, Mrs. Johnson. I’m Detective Miller with the State of Maine Police department and you are under arrest for your involvements regarding The Katahdin Mental Institute,” the detective smiles proudly while saying the words.
“Like Hell,” Anne quickly grabs at her seatbelt but before she can get it unclasped, the detective steps on the gas hard and the woman falls back onto the seat.
The taxi speeds quickly out of the drive leading to the west side of the hospital and rounds the corner causing Anne to slide into the window next to her. She spots two police cruisers moving up behind the taxi as it rounds the corner.
“You can jump if you’d like,” Detective Miller says, “But I wouldn’t advise it.” The detective laughs as the taxi speeds down Somerset headed to the station.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

2010-03-11T07:35:00.000-08:00

Claire has finished her statement while sitting at the Municipal Building. After over an hour of recalling the events that she knows and writing them all down on paper the woman is shaking the cramps out of her hand.
The nurse has named Anne Johnson as being responsible for Bob’s in-room surgery, and for the death of George Peterson. Brad, the nurse also claims, was responsible for coming down on Ray by badgering him about keeping quiet with his knowledge of Bob’s surgery. This Claire suspects helped to directly lead to Ray taking his own life from the roof of the institute.
“Excuse me?” Claire says to the secretary on the second floor. “I’m done with my statement.”
The woman probably in her early 50’s gets up from a desk just outside the room and enters, walking over to where Claire is seated.
A bright ray of sunlight reflects in through the window and illuminates the woman’s navy blue skirt as she approaches the nurse. Just as Claire is passing her statement to the woman, the two hear an announcement come on over the scanner at the secretary’s desk.
“We’ve lost her. Last seen at the stairway in front of The Katahdin Mental Institute. Whereabouts now unknown. All available personnel keep looking for a Mrs. Anne Johnson. A description and photo are available on your vehicle computers,” the deep man’s voice says.
“What?” Claire blurts out. “This can’t be happening.”

Anne still dressed in her doctor’s attire is now in her former office at Millinocket Regional Hospital. It’s an office that has not been used since her firing and with there being such a turnover at the hospital few current employees would recognize her anyway.
She makes her way over to the bare desk that only has a phone sitting on it and sits down in the chair behind it on the other side. The office chair on wheels creaks a bit as she sits down and it startles her for a moment. She looks around as if waiting for someone to instantly charge into the office upon hearing such a loud noise.
No one.
“What am I going to do?” Anne folds her arms onto the top of the desk and lays her head down on top of them trying to think of a way out of there.
After a brief moment she lifts her head and grabs the phone, dialing “O” for the operator. “Yes, I need the number for Millinocket Travel Service..yes, I’ll hold...”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

2010-03-04T10:09:00.000-08:00

Detective Miller shouts to Officer Carey, “Come take this guy to the station and then come back and help us look for Mrs. Johnson!”
Officer Carey quickly moves to the top of the stairs and Brad is passed off to him. Another officer helps escort the man to the cruiser’s backseat.
“We’ve got to find her,” Detective Miller says, “before she does anything else to anyone.”
The group move back inside the doors but Officer Kirkland has already bolted down the hallway to the emergency stairway hoping to find the woman.
“Dr. Ramsey, you and Stephanie stay here at the front desk and watch this door. I doubt she will come back this way, but just keep an eye out,” Detective Miller instructs. “I’m gonna go this way and see if I can find her,” the detective announces as he heads off in a different direction than Officer Kirkland.
Stephanie and Billy walk over to the nurse’s station and try to comprehend what is happening.
“This is too weird,” Stephanie states flatly.
“Yeah, it is.” Billy shakes his head as he pulls out a chair and sits down. “So much for it being a slow weekend…”
“And leaving you here on your own,” Stephanie laughs.
“Yeah,” Billy starts mimicking voices, “You’ll be fine by yourself” and “Nothing ever happens here in this place so don’t worry”.
The doctor grabs a stack of patient files, “I barely even got into my office…” again shaking his head as Stephanie lets out another giggle.
“I’ll redo that page in George’s file,” Stephanie offers her help, “That’s the only thing that needs to be done, right?”
“I hope so,” Billy says as he hands the nurse a file.
“Well, at least they know who was responsible now,” Stephanie says while brushing her hair back over her shoulders.
“IS responsible,” Billy corrects, “they haven’t gotten her in custody yet.” The doctor looks up and down the halls as if hoping to see the woman dart out in front of him.
“What’s gonna happen to Bob now?” Stephanie wonders aloud.

Anne is once again outside and running along Somerset Street toward Millinocket Regional Hospital. “Hopefully, they will still think I’m in the institute,” she says, darting out in front of an old Chevy Blazer. The Blazer’s horn blares as it just misses her.
Startled, the woman stops a moment to catch her breath. “I’ve got to find a way out of here.” She sees the hospital that she once worked at up ahead in the distance, and slowly she starts moving again.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

2010-02-25T10:14:00.001-08:00

Claire rushes in through the front door of the institute just as Brad is being led out in handcuffs by Detective Miller. Dr. Ramsey, Stephanie, and Officer Kirkland are all walking the security guard out like he has his own personal entourage. In the chaos, Claire easily ducks aside, leaning her head down to avoid them as she steps around.
“Oh, excuse me?” the woman in a white doctor’s overcoat says, in a bad fake accent.
“Sorry miss,” Officer Kirkland says as he steps between the woman and Brad as if protecting her from the guard.
Anne quickly ducks by the group and rounds the corner before anyone notices her.
Detective Miller has opened the front door, holding it for the rest to go by. He is shocked to see that there are members of the Millinocket Police Department pointing guns at him in the doorway. “Whoa! Whoa!” Quickly grabbing the handle on the door, the detective is physically pushing back people as he yanks the door closed.
“What the Hell?” Dr. Ramsey asks out loud.
Detective Miller sees through the glass door that the officers have put down their weaponry and he slightly opens the jar enough to yell out. “What is going on?”
“It’s Anne Johnson, sir,” Officer Carey yells back to his detective. “We were following her. She just went inside!”
“What?” Detective Miller opens the door wider, not sure he heard the officer correctly. “Did you just say Anne went inside?”
“Yes, sir. She must have just walked right passed you!”
The detective turns back around and looks into the institute. “Where did she go?”
“Who?” Billy asks.
“That woman,” the detective says raising his voice almost to a shout. “That woman that just walked by here. Where did she go?”
“I think she just walked around the corner, detective,” Officer Kirkland states. “Why?”
“That woman is Anne Johnson!” Now the detective is shouting.
A loud laughter makes its way out of Brad. “You guys are classic.”
“Shut up!” the detective shouts into Brad’s face as he eyeballs the man.
“Are you kidding?” Dr. Ramsey asks as he strains his neck to look back behind them. “Which way did she go?”
“I didn’t see,” Officer Kirkland says as he steps passed Stephanie and away from the pack.
Again, Brad lets out a laugh.

Chapter 26

2010-02-11T08:27:00.001-08:00

Claire has been escorted to the Municipal Building located on Penobscot Avenue. She is still in her nurse’s uniform while sitting at an officer’s desk. Yawning, the woman is trying to stay awake after her long double shift and ordeal at the institute.
Claire was placed at the table to write out her statement in regards to what she has knowledge of. She takes a moment to rub her hands as they have begun to cramp up from her long stint at writing, and she still hasn’t finished her statement with all the details that she knows.
The nurse is sitting in the open room surrounded by other desks with no one sitting at them. A lady secretary is standing in the doorway to the large room keeping an eye on the woman. Not that Claire can get far since her left wrist is handcuffed to the chair she is sitting in.
Claire stretches her legs forward as she takes a look out the window to her right. The window overlooks Penobscot Avenue even though there is not a lot to overlook. The nurse is letting out another yawn when she spots someone exciting an abandoned store front. The woman she is watching is acting peculiar and obviously trying not to be seen coming from the store front. When the woman on the street turns to look ahead of her, Claire gets a glimpse of the woman’s face.
Claire lets out a yell, “That’s her!”
The secretary in the doorway is startled and lets out an audible gasp while trying to catch her breath. Officer Kirkland quickly appears and enters the room to see Claire pointing outside the window with her uncuffed hand.
“Claire, what’s going on?” Officer Kirkland asks as he makes his way over to the window, looking down onto the avenue below.
“There!” Claire is still pointing. “That woman over there in front of the old jewelry store walking up the street. That’s her! That’s Ann Johnson.”
“Are you sure?” the officer questions.
“Yes, I’m sure! I saw her. Go get her!”
Officer Kirkland runs out of the room, leaving Claire cuffed to her chair.

Anne has quickly made her way up most of Spruce Street. “I just need to get to the institute now and change a few more records, and I’ll be all set.”
She can hear sirens in the distance approaching closer. She turns around to see two police cruisers turning onto Spruce Street with their lights flashing and she makes a dart for the institute. The woman is barely in front of the cruisers as she leaps up onto the steps headed for the front door. The cars coming to a screeching halt and the doors fling open so the officers can jump out.
“Stop right there!” Officer Kirkland yells at the woman.
Ignoring the officer’s command, Claire opens the front door of the institute and runs inside.

Chapter Twenty-Five

2010-02-04T08:31:00.000-08:00

“Uh oh,” Bob says out loud when he notices that the detective and officer are standing outside the room. “Th-th-this can’t be go-good.”
“Quiet,” Brad says quickly, while turning back to look at Bob. “Remember what I just said.”
Brad moves over to the door and opens it, stepping out into the hallway. “What can I do for you gentlemen?” The guard asks, but seemingly more nervous than he should be.
“You’re Brad Johnson, correct?” Detective Miller asks.
“Yes, something wrong?” Brad asks. He tries to cover his nerves by turning around and closing the door to Bob’s room. The man then carefully locks it and tries to appear as if everything is normal.
“We need to have a talk with you, Brad,” the detective states.
“Fine,” Brad has finished locking the door and motions with his hand toward the stairs. “We can go to the guards’ room.”
“Actually,” Officer Kirkland pipes up, “Let’s go to Doctor Ramsey’s office instead.”
“Umm…O.K.,” Brad smiles. “You still haven’t told me what this is about. Did you find Greg?”
The three men walk over to the stairway and open the heavy, metal door leading to the stairs. “We know Brad,” Detective Miller starts as they make their way onto the landing and begin down the stairs. Officer Kirkland is in the lead with Detective Miller following Brad from behind. “We know your sister, Anne, is behind what’s going on here so give it up.”
Brad stops descending the stairs, caught off guard, “Excuse me?”
“Where is she, Brad?” the detective asks. “We need to know where she is.”

“There. All complete,” Anne says while standing over an old sink scrubbing her hands clean. Blood rinses away over the grime of the abandoned, white sink in the basement. “Not the most sterile of environments, but it worked,” she says to herself as she finishes cleaning.
“In about another hour he should start to come awake and be just like new. Well, almost.” Anne grabs a roll of paper towels and rips off one to dry her hands. “Then, my life will be back to the way it should be before it all got destroyed.” Anne tosses the crumpled piece of paper towel onto the floor and walks away.

Billy is sitting at his desk in his office when the three gentlemen walk in. “Have a seat, Brad,” Billy says.
Brad walks over and sits down in the chair across from Billy’s desk. The sun is again setting in the distance on the other side of the window behind Billy.
“We know you were in the room when Bob was given his….surgery,” the detective begins again, flatly stating the facts. “We know you intimidated Ray right before he jumped off of the roof. Your former girlfriend, Claire, told us all about it.”
Brad shifts uncomfortably in his seat, realizing that Claire ratted him out.
“She told us how she had gotten in on Dr. Johnson’s good side by dating you, his brother-in-law, so she could land a promotion,” Detective Miller continues.
“That…”
“Hey!” Billy cuts Brad off. “She’s done a lot less wrong than you have.” Billy says, sticking up for the nurse.
“You can either help us find your sister, Brad, or anything that happens from this point on we will just consider you an accessory for.”
Brad turns and looks at the detective, who has formed a big smile on his face.

Chapter Twenty-Four

2010-01-28T15:14:00.000-08:00

Anne is standing in the basement of the abandoned building on Penobscot Avenue. She is leaning over the stretcher looking at Greg’s naked body lying across it. A tray is set up next to Anne on a cart with wheels. All of her necessary tools have been placed on the tray for her use.
All of the tools she needed to perform surgery.
“Just a couple more hours and my dear, dear husband will be back to join me.”
A smile forms across her lips.
“Then we can get out of this God forsaken town.”

Brad has returned to Bob’s room and is unlocking the door to the room. As he enters, Bob begins stirring on his bed.
“W-w-what are you doing here? W-w-where is G-g-greg?” Bob asks nervously.
Brad steps inside the room and closes the door behind him before walking over alongside Bob’s bed. He sits down next to the patient, “Don’t worry about Greg,” Brad says as he places an arm around Bob’s shoulder.
“B-b-but it’s midnight. Why isn’t h-h-he back yet? Was that r-r-really his psy-psy-shrink?”
“That’s what I’m here for Bob, to discuss that with you,” Brad says as he pulls Bob in closer to him, keeping his voice low, “You can not tell anyone where Greg is or who he left here with. No one. O.K.?”
“Why n-n-not?”
“Greg’s trying to get over his difficulty accepting that his best friend, Ray, is gone,” Brad lies. “He is not coping very well so he has gone to be by himself and away from here and this room. I mean, the memories and all that remind him of Ray.”
Bob nods but is not sure he should really be quiet.
“Now remember,” Brad says as he lets go of his grip on Bob and stands up from the bed, “Don’t tell anyone about Greg. He does not want to be bothered right now. So, no one, not even Dr. Ramsey.”
“I…I…I won’t.”
“Good then,” Brad turns to face the door and sees Detective Miller and Officer Kirkland standing on the other side of the glass.

“Almost done,” the doctor says as she finishes the stitches on her new patient. “The healing can begin.”
The woman sets down the sutchers back onto her tray and pulls off her surgical gloves, tossing them in a small trash can nearby. “I can’t wait ‘til you are back by my side, honey,” she says as she leans down and kisses her patient on the cheek.
Fresh stitches can be seen along the hairline.

Chapter Twenty-Three

2010-01-21T14:46:00.000-08:00

"I can’t believe we have not seen Greg anywhere throughout this institute?” Billy says looking up from the security cameras. “What is going on here?”
“We have some men looking around the outside grounds now,” Detective Miller says. The lines forming around his aging eyes seem to have grown more in the past few minutes. The detective followed the doctor and his officer from the office with Nurse Claire in tow.
Billy looks over at Claire, “Do you know where he is?”
“I don’t know for sure, but I may have an idea,” Claire looks down at the floor as if ashamed to look the doctor in the eye.
The detective grabs Claire by the arm and leads her back toward the office, “I think we need to finish our conversation.”
“I’m coming with you,” Billy says, before adding to Stephanie, “keep an eye out here and keep us posted if anything comes up.”
“Sure, doctor,” Stephanie replies as she pulls a chair back and takes a seat in front of the cameras.
“Officer Kirkland, stay here with her please,” the detective adds.
The other three have returned to Billy’s office and Claire is led over to a chair in front of the desk, “Sit, Miss Hudson,” Detective Miller says sternly. The man turns to face her and leans back against the desk as Billy rounds the other side and takes his usual seat.
“So…let’s hear it,” Detective Miller prompts.
“If you want to know where Greg has gone off to, I would have a discussion with Bradley dearest,” Claire says plainly.
“You mean the guard out front watching the entrance?” Frank looks puzzled. “Are you saying he is involved with what is going on?”
“Let me put it to you this way,” Claire begins, “The person you are really looking for, the one behind all of the missing…umm…parts…” she pauses.
“Yes, Claire? Go ahead,” Billy tries to offer encouragement. “It’ll be O.K., just tell us.”
“The person responsible is Bradley’s sister.”
“Are you sure?” Detective Miller asks.
“Her name is Ann Johnson, and Brad is well aware of what her plans are,” Nurse Claire says. “I’m sorry, Dr. Ramsey. I should have told you all of this before.”
“Just tell us now, Claire,” Billy says, “all of it.”
Claire continues with the rest of what she knows, “Her husband, Dr. Merle Johnson, was this institute’s director up until about a year ago. He had been counseling a patient when one day during a session, the patient got angry and there was a confrontation. It ended with Dr. Johnson’s death.”
“I think I remember that in the papers,” Detective Miller interjects. “His wife was a surgeon at Millinocket Regional and had to take a leave of absence, didn’t she? Because she wasn’t focusing during surgeries or something? They were afraid of a lawsuit.”
“Right, that was Ann,” Claire begins again. “She didn’t handle the death too well, obviously, and then to lose the job she had enjoyed for years. I heard she started acting odd, aloof even. But then..." Claire pauses briefly, "And then she came up with an elaborate plan to regain her life. A very over the edge plan.”
“What kind of plan?” Billy asks.
“A project to try and get her husband back?”
“Back?” Detective Miller asks. “I’m confused. I thought he died.”
“He did, but,” Claire pauses again for a moment not being able to believe she is even about to say this, “She is trying to recreate her husband by using other people’s body parts.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

2010-01-14T15:21:00.000-08:00

Greg is now being led into the abandoned building on Penobscot Avenue by the female still in doctor’s garb. She has a firm grip on her gun but is careful to keep it concealed under her white coat.
The woman forces Greg into the building and quickly locks up the doors behind her by closing the padlock.
“How did you even get into this place in the first place?” Greg asks.
“I broke in. How else?” The lady smiles while wrapping her arm around Greg’s and escorting him to the basement. Her other hand now placed back on her gun. “There are so many abandoned buildings in this town. Do you really think that the police have time to routinely check all of them? As long as nothing looks disturbed from the outside, they will never come in here.”
The two round the bottom of the staircase and into the basement. Greg is lead over toward the storage freezer where water dripping down from the ceiling has made a puddle next to it.
“You remember how that young man down the hall from your room, the one in #319, was supposed to be our final part of the project?”
“Yeah, I remember,” Greg asks unaware of where the conversation is going.
“Well,” the lady laughs, “I’ve changed my mind. I’m now going to use you instead.”
“What?!” Greg turns quickly to face the woman and sees that she is holding the gun outright in front of him.
Three musclemen wearing ski masks and dressed in black appear out from the dark corners of the basement. They start walking toward Greg.
“NO!” Greg yells to no avail. “NO! You can’t do this to me!”
The lady doctor just quietly smiles.

Dr. Ramsey is at the nurse’s station in the lobby. He is standing there with Officer Kirkland as Brad is back on guard at the front door nearby. The two are looking at the recently installed security camera system. Slowly and carefully, the two are switching the screens from camera to camera trying to spot Greg somewhere within the institute.
“He couldn’t just have disappeared, Brad,” Billy says, raising his voice loud enough for Brad to hear, his frustration obvious.
“You’re sure that he is not anywhere in this building that you can see, Dr. Ramsey,” Officer Kirkland asks while looking at the monitors as well. However, not sure he is any help since he is unaware what the man actually looks like.
“I don’t see him,” Billy says, before adding, “Our entire personnel on staff right now are currently searching everywhere. Closets. Unused offices. No one is reporting seeing him anywhere.”
Officer Kirkland looks up at Billy, “Well, he couldn’t have just walked off.”

Greg is now strapped down onto a stretcher. The three musclemen are surrounding him as the lady wheels over a cart. She lifts up the face mask and turns on the gas.
“I said I would set you free, Greg, and I am. Just a little different than what was originally planned, that’s all. In a few moments, you will be free off all of this and your demons. Isn’t that what you want? To be free of the institute?”
“You are crazy! This will never work…” Greg starts squirming on the stretcher, “I hope that you rot in…”
The lady quickly shoves the mask down over Greg’s nose and mouth and Greg makes a few last gasps of air before becoming motionless on the stretcher.

Chapter Twenty-One

2010-01-07T04:54:00.000-08:00

The mysterious doctor is now walking Greg down Spruce Street and back toward Penobscot Avenue from where she came earlier.
“Where are we going?” Greg asks. “I didn’t tell anybody anything. I swear.”
“I know you didn’t. I intended to keep it that way,” the lady smiles at Greg. Her long, dark hair now flowing freely over the back of her doctor’s uniform. “You know how the original plan called for you to be released in return for helping us out in this little plan?”
“Yes,” Greg replies anxiously awaiting his freedom. “Are you letting me go? Did you just break me out?”
The woman reaches inside of her doctor’s gown and pulls out gun, revealing it enough to show Greg, “Well, that plan has changed.”
“What?” Greg’s eyes are fixed on the gun. “What are you doing?”
“Just keep walking,” the doctor says sternly. “You’ll find out.”
The woman’s laughter begins as the two continue walking down the street.

Claire walks further into Billy's office and sits down across from him at his desk. “You were discussing me?”
“We have some questions for you , Miss Hudson,” Detective Miller starts, “Questions like: Did you tamper with George Peterson’s file here? How did Ray’s eyeballs turn up missing during your shift without you being aware?”
Claire looks over at Billy, not sure how to respond.
Billy starts to shake his head with a look of disgust coming across his face, “You do know something about what has been going on, don’t you?”
“Yes, but…” Claire stops herself.
“We can keep you completely out of this, Claire,” Detective Miller begins. “Just help us take care of this and we can see that you get very little punishment, providing you were not directly involved.”
“Really?” the nurse asks, not sure if she should trust the man or not.
Detective Miller stoically nods his head.
“O.K., I’ll tell you what I know,” Claire begins her story but is interrupted when by Brad pushing open the office door and rushing in.
“Dr. Ramsey!” Brad says appearing rattled.
Billy is startled himself and quickly stands up in reaction to his guard, “What is it?”
“Greg Carter is missing.”
“Missing?” Detective Miller asks. “What do you mean? Missing?”
Ignoring the detective and looking at Billy, “He’s gone Dr. Ramsey. He’s not in the institute.”

Chapter Twenty

2010-01-02T06:59:00.000-08:00

The lady in a doctor's uniform turns around to see Brad is the one that grabbed her. "God, You scared the crap out of me!"
"It's you," Brad says before lowering his voice in the lobby. "What are you doing here? It isn't safe." Brad pulls on the lady's arm, leading her to the side.
"Shh!...I need one more thing," the lady responds.
"This is too risky right now. There are more guards everywhere," Brad tries to compel her to change her mind.
"I'll get by them. I'm a doctor, remember? She flips her Katahdin Mental Institute I.D. badge at the guard. "Where is he?"
"His room, but be careful, please?"
"I always am," the doctor flashes a smile and walks away from Brad.

Back in Billy's office, they're still discussing what do to about Claire, when she opens the door and peeks her head in, "Dr. Ramsey, can I come in?"
"Sure Claire," Billy responds as he motions for the woman to enter his office. She has not yet seen the two gentlemen on the other side of the door. She steps in and turns to close the door behind her, when she sees Detective Miller and Officer Kirkland standing in the room, startling her for a moment.
Detective Miller steps up to Billy's desk and then turns to face Claire, leaning back against it, "Just who we were discussing, Miss Hudson."

Bob and Greg are in their room both sitting on a bunk bed.
"Sure is quiet without R-R-Ray around. Y-Y-You miss him, don't you?" Bob asks.
"Yeah, I do," Greg grabs a cigarette from the pack in his shirt pocket.
"Why did Ray h-hurt me like th-that? Hold me down, I m-m-mean. Why d-d-didn't he like me?"
Greg pulls out a lighter and lights his cigarette, then begins puffing on it.
"Y-You can't d-d-do that in h-h-here."
"I don't care about the rules anymore, Bob," Greg looks over at his fellow patient, with a bit of sadness in his eyes. "It wasn't anything personal, what Ray did. It would have happened to someone else if not you."
Another puff on the cigarette.
"W-w-what do you mean?"
A lady doctor approaches the front of Room #313 and flashes her I.D. to the guard. The guard lets her in.
"W-w-who are you?" Bob asks, not having seen this doctor before.
"I'm Greg's psychiatrist, right Greg?" The lady looks over toward Bob's roommate and he nods yes. "And it's time for our session."
"Greg, y-y-you don't have a sh..sh..shrink."
The doctor raps on the door for the guard to let her back out and he does. She escorts Greg out of the room with her.
"I'm sorry, Bob," Greg says. "I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me?"
The lady tugs hard on Greg's arm, pulling him away quickly. As she escorts him down the hall, the guards close the door and lock them once again.
The two arrive at the front door and meet up with Brad, "That was quick," Brad says.
"I told you that I would be careful. Now you know what to do, right?" The lady questions.
"Of course," Brad answers before letting them leave the front of the institute.

Chapter Nineteen

2009-12-28T13:14:00.001-08:00

The mysterious figure exits the front of an abandoned building on Penobscot Avenue and turns to her right before walking down the street. She passes a few storefronts including Katahdin Karpets. Cars pass by her in the noon sun as she continues walking. She has made it to almost the end of Penobscot Avenue when she turns onto Spruce Street and continues.
Spruce Street. The institute is located on Spruce Street.

Detective Miller is now in the patient room #313 with the institute's security guard, Brad, and Officer Kirkland. Greg is being asked some questions.
"I told you that I don't know anything," Greg looks over at Brad. "You believe me don't you? Why won't you people leave me alone? Ray was my best friend," Greg looks away, down at the floor before continuing, "the only one I had in this place. Just leave me alone."
Greg sits down on his bunk and places his hands over his face as if he is about to cry.
"We are not done with you yet, Greg," Det. Miller motions for Officer Kirkland to follow and then the two leave the room. Brad staying behind. After the two others have stepped out, Brad steps toward Greg and taps him on the shoulder, "They're gone now."
Greg pulls his hands away from his face, "Think it worked?"
"I don't think that they bought it. Maybe Ray had the best idea after all."
"What do you mean by that?" Greg asks nervously.
Brad turns and walks through the doorway before looking back at Greg, "At least with Ray we don't have to worry about him cracking." Brad winks at Greg and then proceeds to close the door, locking it.

Dr. Ramsey is in his office where Detective Miller and Officer Kirkland have just returned. Billy is handing Frank the file of George Peterson.
"Take a look at the highlighted page, Det. Miller," Billy waits for the detective to get to the page he mentioned. "Nurse Stephanie pointed it out to me. The very faint line across the middle. We think that the file may have been altered, then photocopied and placed in the file as if it were the original."
"Do you have any idea who may have done this?" Frank asks.
"Nurse Stephanie and I think that it might be Claire, or at least she may know. She's really the only other nurse on staff who works any shifts by herself. K.M.I. usually insists on working in pairs until they feel the nurse is experienced enough to be on her own. Most staff do not stay here long enough for that to happen." Billy smiles.
"Claire has access to the entire building, correct?" the detective asks.
"Yes," comes Billy's answer.
"Including the morgue?"
"Correct."

The lady approaches the front steps of the institute wearing a white doctor's uniform. She gets to the front steps leading into the entrance and hesitates a moment. "I guess it is too late to back out now," she says to herself while summoning the courage to go on with her plan. "I just wanted my life back. Is that so bad?"
She begins walking to the door, "I just need one more thing," she says as she opens the door and enters inside. She turns to quietly close the door behind her. As she lets go of the door and turns to face the receptionist's desk, a security guard grabs her.

Chapter Eighteen

2009-12-18T12:08:00.001-08:00

"Dr. Ramsey, we have even more distressing news," Officer Kirkland says.
"What could be worse than this?" Billy gives the man a quizzical look.
"It seems that the Katahdin Mental Institute is not the only place that has had some strange occurrences," the officer replies.
"Meaning..."
"The Bangor Mental Health Institute has just reported the disappearances of a liver and a kidney. Stolen, they believe, right from the bodies of patients that had been placed in the morgue."
"You have got to be kidding?" Billy still thinks he is dreaming. A dream that has landed him into an episode of The Twilight Zone.
"I assure you doctor that I am not kidding," Officer Kirkland and the detective turn slightly toward the door, but before leaving the officer adds, "I would add as much security around your patients in this building as you can, sir."

Someone in a doctor's uniform is entering an abandoned building on Penobscot Avenue. The figure quickly moves across the dusty floors and hanging cobwebs to the stairway, entering down into the basement. Once in the basement, an upright freezer is approached and the door is opened. Light floods out from the inside giving the abandoned room some illumination.
The room is completely empty except for some old columns here and there holding up the floor above them. The paint having cracked and fallen off most of them. Then, of course, there is the metal table near the corner. A metal table one would use to place a body on during an autopsy in a morgue.
Looking into the freezer now, the mysterious figure sees that the jars are still there. Jars that are lined up neatly in a row and each one of them having its own labels.
Kidney.
Liver.
Brain.
Eyes.
Tongue.

Dr. Ramsey and Nurse Stephanie are standing at the nurse's station and can see there are newly placed security guards standing at the ends of each hallway that extend from the station. The two can be seen from every angle and it makes Dr. Ramsey uncomfortable.
"Stephanie, have you ever heard of such a thing?"
"Not in the four years that I have been here has anything even remotely like this happened. It seems so surreal."
"Have you noticed anything unusual lately? Or anything that sticks out in your mind as odd?" Billy asks.
"Well, I did notice something a couple days ago that I did notice as odd but I didn't think much of it at the time," the nurse turns around and reaches into a filing cabinet.
"What is it, Stephanie?"
The young woman reaches into the cabinet and pulls out a file, handing it to Dr. Ramsey. "Look at page ten."
"George Peterson's file?" Dr. Ramsey looks at Stephanie and she nods.
The doctor opens the file and begins flipping through the pages to find page ten. "What about it, Stephanie?"
"Look in the middle of the page...closely."
"There looks like a faint line," Billy says.
"Right. It looks like it was two pages, maybe photocopied as one?" Stephanie points out as a question.
"You mean, maybe someone changed the file and put their own version together?"
"I'm not sure, Dr. Ramsey. I just noticed it the other day and thought it was odd. I've never seen any paperwork here have a line across it like that before," Stephanie says.
"And they wouldn't if the whole page was copied as is," Billy says, seemingly to agree. "Looks like someone tampered with this file on purpose."

Chapter Seventeen

2009-12-08T15:33:00.000-08:00

John steps into Dr. Ramsey's office and closes the door behind him. The medical examiner approaches Billy's desk, "At first, this seemed to be a typical autopsy. Death was determined by multiple stab wounds with a sharp object," the man says before trailing off.
"But," Billy asks, "Why did it end up not to be typical? What did you find?"
"It was when I started the dental examination just to reaffirm the identification, and, well, the tongue was gone."
"What?" Billy is surprised.
"Yes," John continues, "It looks like it was cut right out of the mouth."
"What do you mean cut out?" Billy can not believe he is even having this conversation. Did he really move to Millinocket, Maine, or is he just having a long, bad nightmare? "How would someone have cut out the man's tongue without someone in this institute knowing? He was right here! Correct?"
"I am not sure," John replies flatly.
"Sorry, I know. I just can not believe this," Billy looks off in the direction of the window.
Detective Miller returns to the room with Officer Kirkland and the officer looks really pale. The two do not realize that someone has walked up to the door behind them, choosing to stay in the hallway and listen.
"We have a problem, Dr. Ramsey," the detective walks over closer to the other two men.
"Hang on a minute," Billy pleads, "I should tell you something about the autopsy on George Peterson."
"O.K., what did you find, sir?" The detective looks toward John realizing that he must have been the one to bring in the results.
"Mr. Peterson's tongue has been removed," John answers.
"His tongue?" The detective and Officer Carey exchange an odd look amongst each other. "Are you sure? Is that....all that was taken?"
"I was very thorough," John answers.
"Wait..." Billy picked up on something the man said, "Taken? What do you mean taken?"
Again, another look between detective and officer.
"What's going on, gentlemen?" Billy asks, his voice a bit more stern.
Officer Kirkland pipes up this time, "I was just downstairs with Nurse Claire, is it?"
"Yes, Claire," Billy reaffirms.
"It's the body of the man, Ray. The one that jumped off of the roof," Officer Kirkland stops a moment to look at the detective again and the man gives him a nod as if to say he should continue, "The eyes are gone."
Billy is downright shocked now, "What?!"

Claire is rushing back to her desk at nurse's station and sits down, quickly picking up the phone to dial.
"Things are starting to unravel here. They know that George's tongue is gone and also found out about Ray's eyes. You might want to think about getting yourself away from here before you get discovered too..." The nurse looks around to see if anyone has approached, "O.K...Yes, I'll do my best."
Claire hangs up the phone.

Chapter Sixteen

2009-12-01T12:33:00.000-08:00

Claire is walking up the steps in the stairway leading from the morgue in the basement of the institute. She stops a moment to look through the window on the door and realizes that all appears quiet. The nurse pulls the door open and quickly steps into the hallway in order to leave little time to be seen coming from the stairway. She proceeds down the hallway to her desk and approaches Dr. Ramsey's office along the way.
The woman notices the man's office door is ajar and she spies him with his head down on the desk. Wondering if the doctor is alright, she stops.
"Dr. Ramsey?"
Billy flinches at hearing the sound of her voice and struggles to come to his natural senses.
"Are you alright, Dr. Ramsey?" Claire asks.
"I am fine, thanks. I must have fallen asleep," Billy says as he realizes that the sun is rising on the other side of the window behind him.
Another man approaches the two and Billy struggles to focus his eyes on the man. "What time is it?"
"It's 7:15," the blurry man says. "I'm Frank Miller with the State Police and we are here to investigate this institute."
"Investigate?" Dr. Ramsey says as his vision has suddenly become clearer.
"Two deaths in two days, sir," the man says sternly. "That's a cause for investigation, plus, we hear now that someone has been claiming he was given brain surgery in his room. Is it true he thinks his brain is missing?"
"Mr. Miller," Billy begins while looking over the middle-aged man, hair graying. "I can assure you that there is nothing to worry about here."
"I hope not, Dr. Ramsey, and it's detective Miller," the man smiles. "Some of my team are just going to have a look around. Ya know, ask a few questions."
The detective turns and walks out of the room, not waiting for permission. As he takes a step down the hall, the medical examiner, John, is on his way to Billy's office with the results of the autopsy.

Two state police are being shown around the morgue by Claire.
"Their are no autopsy tables down here?" the officer asks.
"No, sir. We don't really do any down here. Millinocket Regional has a staff that will do an autopsy when needed. We just have this space to hold," Claire is not sure how to proceed correctly with the statement, "umm...bodies until they can be transported there."
To the far right corner is an elevator lift.
"That is used for what purpose?" one of the officers asks.
"That is used to transport bodies from floor to floor. Saves on physically carrying them, but it is also used as a laundry shoot of sorts," Claire answers.
"Laundry?"
"Yes," Claire says. "Some of our staff prefer using this way to bring laundry back and forth from floor to floor by the stairs, but they shouldn't be down here." The nurse noticing the man's nametag says Carey.
"I see it needs a key to operate. Who has access to the key?" the questioning officer asks.
"Several people. Most of the staff including nurses, doctors, and even the guards."
Officer Carey starts to walk over to the side of the room, "And over here are the slab drawers?" The drawers are aligned three high and three across. "The gentlemen who jumped off of the roof last night, is he in one of these drawers?"
"Yes," Nurse Claire responds. "Drawer Number Two."
Officer Carey approaches the drawer and reaches for the handle before pulling it all the way open. The man quickly grabs his stomach and looks away, "Oh my God!"

Chapter Fifteen

2007-08-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

It's now dusk and another day is coming to an end at The Institute. The sun is setting on the other side of the window behind Billy. He sits in his office, alone, thinking about the previous events.
"How can someone perform unauthorized surgery in this place and no one know?" Billy again asks the walls.
Billy flashes back to the first time Bob entered his room and showed him his scar. The doctor thought that was bad, but then someone was found over the body of George Peterson.
No one claims to know anything about what is going on.
"I hope the autopsy tomorrow can explain something," Billy sighs, then has a quiet yawn.
The young doctor places his head down onto the desk, and before you know it is drifting off to sleep.

Ray and Greg are outside on the top of the roof with Matthew standing guard. They are the only ones out there because Matthew has let them have a recreation break without signing them out.
Sitting along the edge of the roof the two are talking as Greg puffs on a cigarette.
"I need to do something, Greg. I think they are on to me now," Ray swats at a fly buzzing around his face.
"Oh, stop," Greg blows smoke from his mouth,"They don't know anything, so just stay calm."
"Look at him over there all smug. You know he'll turn on us in a second."
"Who? Matthew?" Greg looks over at the guard. Matthew is looking over the roof at a car driving up to the front of the building.
"Matthew. I don't trust him. I think he's gonna turn on us to save his own neck." Ray says.
"Why would he do that?" Greg drops the butt of his cigarette onto the ground and steps on it. "He'd be in just as much trouble as us..and that's from his boss. "
"They're gonna come after me. They all will. I need to get out of this somehow."
Ray starts jogging away from Greg.
"Hey!" Greg stands up next to the edge. "What are you doing?"
"I'm just trying to think," Ray shouts back as he rounds a corner of the roof.
"By running?" Greg pulls another cigarette out of his pack. "I could think of other ways to think."
Ray keeps jogging in a square around the edges of the rooftop.
"No, really, Ray. Quit it and come over here," Greg pleads to Ray. "Just calm down."
"I just can't go on like this anymore!" Ray shouts between deep breaths.
Ray continues running around the rooftop, and then stops for a second. He turns his head and looks toward Greg.
"Just get over here, Ray and we'll talk."
"About what? What is there to talk about anymore, Greg?"
Ray starts to jog toward Greg, then picks up speed. He is running at full sprint when he gets to Greg and jumps up onto the ledge catapulting himself right over the side.

Chapter Fourteen

2007-07-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

Billy looks around his office and sees a small, surgical knife on the corner of his desk. Grabbing the knife, Billy then opens his deskand pulls out a bottle of alcohol. The doctor then pours the alcohol across the knife before walking back to Bob.
"W-What are y-y-you doing?" Bob asks.
"Just sit still, Bob. It's very important you do not move your head. O.K.?" Dr. Ramsey raises the knife to the back of Bob's head and slowly slices a cut into Bob's wound. There is a small piece of string that raises up through the skin.
"I can't believe you just did that, Doctor," Brad says.
"Are you O.K., Bob?" Billy asks the patient.
"I'm al--al--alright," Bob responds.
"It's definitely the same string as was found in Bob's room," Dr. Ramsey professes.
"So--so--you believe me?" Bob asks.
"I was believing you before, Bob," Dr. Ramsey walks back over to his desk and places the knife back down just as the phone rings.
Billy answers, "Hello."
"Tomorrow? You can't give me anything at all until tomorrow?" The doctor asks into the receiver. "You're certain of that though? Multiple stab wounds?" A brief pause. "O.K., I'm anxious to see you in the morning. Thank you."
Billy hangs up the phone.

A little while later......

Billy approaches the nurse's station. "Is Bob back in his room?"
"Yes," the nurse on duty responds. "He's still afraid to go outside during recreation time with the others."
"Can't say I blame him," Billy adds before asking, "Have you seen anyone go in or out of my room lately when I have not been around?"
"No, Doctor," the nurse answers. "Why?"
"Someone left a note on my desk while I was out earlier. Was just wondering whom it might be from, that's all." Billy says flatly. "Who was on duty before you?"
"Oh, that was Nurse Claire."
"Thank you," Billy says before walking back to his office.

Bob is in his room stretched out in his bed, trying to take a nap. He starts having a nightmare about what happened to him the night he woke up to find his head had been shaved and stitched up. He flashes back to a bright light being shined into his eyes. A spotlight. Like a light from an operating table. There are flashes in his memory of people in the room holding him down until his arms and legs are strapped onto the table. He is kicking and yelling asking why everyone is doing this to him, but no one answers.
The faces of the people in the room remain blank at first as he stuggles to remember who they are.
Bob starts twisting and turning in his bed. He grabs at the blanket and pulls it up over his head in his sleep. The man now remembers someone leaning over him to give him sleeping gas, placing it over his nose and mouth. Just as Bob starts to feel the effects of the gas in his dream, he remembers the face of the man applying it.
It's Ray.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

2007-07-03T11:19:00.000-07:00

Billy gets up from his seat and walks to the door to his office. He opens it and peers out looking for Brad.
"Brad!...Brad!"
Billy sees the man appear around the corner at the end of the hallway. The guard is walking toward him.
"Brad, I need you to sit with Bob for a moment while I go do something." Billy is practically yelling down the hallway before the guard approaches.
"Sure, Sir. What's wrong?" The guard asks.
"I'll tell ya if I find out something." Billy quickly sprints off.

Billy is now in the Bob's room, laying on the floor. The doctor is reaching under the bed and finds the hole that Bob mentioned. With his hand all the way inside, he can't find anything in the mattress.
"Where are they?" Dr. Ramsey asks.
"What are you talking about?" Ray pretends to be confused as he is standing next to another security guard in the room. Greg is sitting on the other bed to the side.
"You know what I'm talking about guys. I want to know now. Where are they?" Dr. Ramsey gets up from the floor and walks over to Ray, staring at him. "Don't play games with me.""I don't know what you are talking about. I swear!" Ray is obviously agitated.
"Guard, I want this room searched from top to bottom, and....I want everything in here cataloged."
"Everything, Sir?" The guard asks.
"Everything. I want every piece of toilet paper, and every toe nail clipping on the floor logged in. Got it?"
"O.K. Sir. "
Billy lets himself out of the room as the guard grabs his radio and asks for assistance.

Billy has rejoined Brad and Bob in his office.
"Bob, we I didn't find the scissors or scalpel in your room. I just looked." Billy walks around his desk and once again sits down.
"Th..The....They were there. I promise." Bob starts to get upset and shifts in his chair.
"I believe you, Bob. I found the hole you were talking about, but they've been moved from the mattress."
"Fu...fuckers."
"Bob, I'm having your room searched right now. I, also, am having the guards catalog everything in your room so I can find out what's there."
"O...O...O.K." Bob rubs at the back of his head. "I ..I wanna know why they did this?"
"I do too, Bob. We will."

The guards start to clear out of the patients' room. A couple of confiscated items and lists of what else is there in their hands.
"C'mon. We need to go get this stuff to Dr. Ramsey," One of the guards says.
They leave the room single file, as the last guard turns back around to lock the door.
"Look guys, Dr. Ramsey is obviously suspicious of you now. It's imperative that you do not say a word or let on to anything. Got it?" Matthew asks.
"I don't think they will find out anything," Greg says.
"You don't think?? You better know that they won't. You hear me?" Matthew whispers, but loudly.
"Umm...." Greg starts.
"I knew you guys wouldn't be capable of this." Matthew quickly closes the door behind him and locks it.

Back in Billy's office, the guard that was initially with Billy in Bob's room enters the office.
"Sir, we have a few things here that they shouldn't have, but it's nothing really suspicious." The guard says.
The guard sets the items down on top of Dr. Ramsey's desk.
"This is it?" Billy runs his hands over the items as if trying to find something. "I thought for sure we would find something.""Well, Sir, there is something kind of odd."
"What's that?" The doctor asks.
"We found a spool of string. It looks like string that you would use to sew up stitches." The guard pulls the string out of his pocket and hands it to Dr. Ramsey. Billy takes it into his hand and looks it over.
"This is odd. Why would this be in their room?"
Dr. Ramsey gets up from his desk and walks over behind Bob.
"Just look forward, Bob. Don't turn your head."
"O..O..O.K." Bob complies.
The young doctor holds up the spool of string to the back of Bob's head and rubs the patient's head with his other hand.
"Looks like freshly healed over stitches."
"Are you thinking what I think you are, Sir?" The guard asks.

Chapter Twelve

2007-06-19T14:20:00.000-07:00

Billy arrives back at the institute and passes the nurse's station.
"Hey, Stephanie. You still here?"
"Yeah, twelve hours for me. Why are you back so early?" Stephanie pulls out the elastic from her ponytail, letting her long, black hair drop over her shoulders.
"I'm trying to figure out some stuff. Can you have one of the guards bring Bob to my room?" Billy asks.
"Sure, but the patient probably isn't awake yet."
"Then wake him," Billy says flatly.
The doctor walks down the hallway to his office and walks in. Billy immediately notices the photo of his parents has been moved, and stops. Cautiously, Billy looks behind the door and around his room to see if anyone is still there. Not seeing anyone, Billy quickly steps in and closes the door behind him before he makes his way to the desk. Billy picks up the photo and resets it. He sees the note tucked under it: GO BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM BEFORE YOU GET HURT LIKE THE OTHERS.

The guard taps on Bob's door and wakes up the three roommates.
"C'mon on Bob, your appearance is requested." Brad, the guard says.
Ray pulls the sheets down from around his face. "What's this about, Brad?"
"Dr. Ramsey needs to speak with Bob."
"M-m-me? Why?" Bob asks while sitting up in his bed.
"I'm not sure, Bob. He just wants you in his office right away."
"O-O-O.K." Bob slips his feet into green slippers that match the color of his pajamas. "I'm ready."
Brad unlocks the door and Bob joins him in the hallway. The guard locks up the door before the two head off to Dr. Ramsey's office.
"I wonder if we are in trouble?" Greg asks.
"I hope not," Ray answers.

Brad raps on Dr. Ramsey's door before entering.
"Here's the patient, Dr. Ramsey."
"Thanks," says Billy. "You can leave him with me, thanks."
Brad steps out of the office, closing the door behind him.
"I apologize for waking you up so early, Bob," Billy starts. "But I need to talk to you. I need to know more about what happened to you. Is there anything you can tell me?"
"I--I--I"
"It's O.K. Bob. I promise what you tell me will stay with me." Billy tries to reassure Bob.
"Well...I--I think Ray and G--Greg know something."
"You do? Why do you think this, Bob?" Billy asks.
"I found some things under the mattress." Bob says.
"On the floor?"
"N--N--No. In a hole, under the mat--mattress."
"Hidden? What did you find, Bob? Please, you've got to tell me."
"It...it..it was a scal...scalpel and some scissors."
"What?" Billys says louder than he thought. "What would they have a scalpel and scissors for..unless...."

Chapter Eleven

2007-05-24T12:38:00.000-07:00

Bob can now be heard snoring from under the blanket. His white, slip-on sneakers sticking out at one end.
Greg slides down onto the floor next to his bunk and reaches up under the mattress to retrieve the scalpel and scissors from the hole.
"I don't know how we haven't been caught," Ray says.
"I know." Greg stands up and walks over to the front of his room.
Matthew unlocks the door and extends his arm around it for Greg to place the items in his hand.
"Thanks," says the guard. "You've done your job. All you have to do now is keep your mouths shut."
"No problem," the two patients say in unison as Matthew closes and relocks the door.

Billy shuts off his laptop and closes the top.
"This is weird. I thought this type of stuff would happen in a big city like New York or Chicago, not a small town like this."
Billy gets up from the couch and brings his unfinished Diet Coke back to the fridge.
"All this stuff makes me feel like I need a shower."
The young doctor picks up a bag off the floor next to the fridge and heads for the bathroom.
A few moments later, the sound of running water starts.

There's a knock on Billy's office door, to which there is no answer. The doorknob turns slightly. The door is pushed open. There's a gloved hand opening the door, before a figure dressed in doctor's scrubs steps into the office. The figure looks around inside the office to make sure no one is in the room, then steps all the way in, closing the door.
The mysterious person walks over to the desk and sits down, opens each and every drawer as if looking for something.
A hand reaches for the picture of Billy's parents and sets the photo facedown. The figure stands up, reaches into the waistband of the pants, and pulls out a piece of paper. The paper is placed on top of the photograph of Billy's parents.
A moment later the the door is closed as the mysterious person leaves the office.

Outside in the hallway, Matthew walks up to the person in doctor's scrubs.
"Here's what you want."
The guard hands over the scalpel and scissors.
"Will they continue to cooperate?" The figure asks flatly.
"Yes, I don't think they will be a problem. They are too scared." Matthew grins as he walks past the figure down the hallway.

Chapter Ten

2007-05-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

The new link pops up on screen with newpaper articles listed. Billy opens the first article to see the headline : PATIENT'S LIVER DISCOVERED MISSING.
Reading more...Mickey Walls, age 26, was found dead in his Bangor Mental Health Institute's hospital room last Tuesday. Cause is still yet to be determined. Mr. Walls was admitted to the care of the institute at age 5 with severe behavioral problems. Never becoming able to function in a normal society, Mr. Walls spent most of his life under treatment.
...Tuesday morning while doing rounds, a nurse discovered the young man's body in an upright position at his desk. A pool of blood was reported to have been at the man's feet. Although the autopsy has not been released officially, we have a source that states it was discovered during the autopsy that the patient's liver had been removed.

"What the Hell?" Billy can't believe what he's reading.
The doctor clicks the back button to return to the list of articles. Billy clicks on another headline...
SECOND PATIENT FOUND DEAD AT B.M.H.I.
...Just last week we reported about a patient, Mickey Walls, 26, found dead at the Bangor Mental Health Institute. Today, we have learned there has been a second body found lifeless at the hospital. Gregory Miller, age 31, was found in his room on the floor. The body was discovered by a nurse delivering dinner to the patient. Mr.Miller was serving time at the facility after it was determined he was not fit to stand trial for the murder of his mother. Mr. Miller is a native of Bangor. ...
...Our inside source is reporting something has turned up during the autopsy that will link this to the death of Mickey Walls. As soon as we know more, we will get it to you.

Billy gets up from his sofa and walks over to the fridge. Opening it to see a half-filled carton of milk and a couple of two liters of Diet Coke, he realizes he never stopped on the way home to get food.
"I guess it's just me and Diet Coke for dinner again."
Billy closes the door and makes his way back to the sofa, pulling the laptop to him.
"What kind of place is Maine anyway? Maybe all those Stephen King stories aren't fiction."
Billy again goes back to the list of articles and sees a new one just posted.

CONNECTION IN B.M.H.I. DEATHS REVEALED
Billy clicks on the link and begins reading.
...The Morning Star has just learned the deaths of Mickey Walls, 26, and Gregory Miller, 31, are said to be connected. We now know that during the autopsy performed on Mr. Miller, it was discovered his right kidney had been removed. It has been determined that the missing liver of Mr. Walls and the missing kidney of Mr. Miller were both surgically removed after their deaths. The removals have been said to be done with textbook precision, leading authorities to believe it may be someone on the inside with surgical experience. At this time security at Bangor Mental Health Institute has been stepped up. We will report more as soon as we know it....

"I can't believe this!" Billy says out loud. "This is weird....wait..." Billy grabs his two liter of Diet Coke and downs some before placing the bottle back onto the coffee table.
"Why is this linked as related to Peterson? No way!...They've moved on to K.M.I.!"
....

Chapter Nine

2007-04-27T12:43:00.000-07:00

Ray and Greg are sitting on the lower bunk in their room, looking voer at Bob. Bob has pulled the blanket up over him, huddling underneath. As soon as they all heard the scream down the hall, Bob hid, and has stayed there since.
Ray flicks his cigarette into an ashtray setting on the tile floor.
"It's very quiet out there now," Ray says. "I wonder what the scream was all about?"
Ray takes another puff of his cigarette.
"Yeah, me too," Greg says. "Hey, maybe someone else just lost their mind."
Ray and Greg laugh.
Bob's voice is heard muffled from under the blanket. "That's n-n-not funny."

"I'm qonna try to head home again." Dr. Ramsey says while walking toward the door.
"Now?" Claire asks.
"What is your problem, Claire?" Billy asks.
"We know George died from a stabbing. Why do we need an autopsy?"
"Well, we might find something that will lead to who did it." Billy says flatly.
"Are you looking for anything else?"
Claire keeps the questions going.
"We won't know until we get the autopsy back, Claire." Billy places a hand on the door, "Now if you're done, it's been a long day."
The doctor pushes open the door and walks out before waiting for an answer, letting the door close on its own behind him.

Claire picks up the phone at her desk and dials a number.
"I tried," Claire begins. "I swear, but he won't listen. The autopsy is being done...I know...but I couldn't change his mind....No, changing the file won't matter. I know, but don't yell at me. There's nothing I can do now, so just be prepared. People are going to find out what happened to George."
Claire slams down the phone.

Dr. Ramsey has walked back to his apartment on Penobscot Avenue. It's a small studio on the second floor.
He pulls off his backpack and tosses it onto the floor, next to his shoes and hiking boots.
Billy casually walks across the room to the sofa facing the window and sits down. The sofa fabric torn in the back as if someone started to peel it off then changed their minds.
"I can't believe this day. Is this for real?" Billy asks out loud before looking up toward the ceiling. "Please tell me this is some kind of bad nightmare, and I'm gonna wake up soon. What the Hell have I gotten into?"
Billy sets his feet up onto the coffee table. The table's legs taped on with duct tape, because the screws have long ago been lost. He reaches for his laptop on the phone stand next to him. He flips up the screen and turns it on, the blue glow coming to life.
"What was that paper again?"
The young doctor signs in.
"Oh yeah."Billy types in Magic City Morning Star into the search engine to find the link.
He is surprised by the paper's latest article. It's about a dead body found at The Katahdin Mental Institute.
"Wow. That didn't take long. Gotta love technology."
The story is pretty basic with few current details. George Peterson. Age unknown. Found stabbed. Dead on arrival.
"What's this?"Billy notices the link at the bottom for "Related Articles".
"Related articles?" How can this be related to anything?"
Billy clicks on the link.

Chapter Eight

2007-04-19T13:41:00.000-07:00

George Peterson's body is laying on the floor, stabbed several times. His white, t-shirt covered in red as a pool of blood surrounds his waist on the floor.
Nurse Stephanie was doing her rounds on her floor when she looked through the glass window to George's room and let out a bloodcurdling scream.
"I found him like this," Stephanie starts. Her body still physically shaking. "On the floor like that. No one else was in the room when I got here."
"Did you see anyone else in the hallway?" Dr. Martin asks.
"No. It was empty." Stephanie states.
Billy has now entered into the room and begins looking around. An old, metal, schoolhouse style desk is over against the wall. The desk with a picture on it of an older couple, presumably George's parents. The walls in the room are bare compared to the normal plastering of posters and drawings.
Billy scans over the still body. Something seems out of place. But what?
Billy continues observing the room when he sees the patient's wheelchair over in the far corner facing the wall.
How could a paralyzed George have gotten across the room on his own without the wheelchair?
Billy walks over to Dr. Martin to ask that very question when abruptly the police and paramedics arrive on scene, pushing all of the institute's personnel out of their paths.
The stretcher is wheeled over to the still body and four men carefully lift up George's body, placing him onto the stretcher. The mass of people quickly lead the patient out the door as a technician yells out something about not finding a pulse.
Officer Kirkland takes over the scene. "Who was first to find the victim?"
"I was." Nurse Stephanie pipes up. "I was the one that found him laying here."
The Officer pulls Stephanie aside to ask her some questions as Billy and Dr. Martin step out into the hallway. Billy leans back against the wall, sliding a hand through his hair.
"Not a great first day, huh?" Martin asks.
"No, Not really."
"Are you O.K.?"
"I'm not sure. It's just..." Billy stops.
"What? It's just what? Billy." Dr. Martin asks.
"It's just...did you notice George's wheelchair?"
"No. What about his wheelchair?" Dr. Martin is obviously curious.
"It was in the corner of the room facing the wall." Billy states.
"Umm..O.K."
"Well, how could George have gotten to where he was in the room without his weelchair?" Billy ponders out loud.
"Maybe when he fell to the floor he pushed into it and it rolled across the floor." Martin speculates.
"Maybe." Billy says. "But without any blood on the wheelchair or any tracks leading out of the pool of blood on the floor?"

Billy decided to keep his thoughts to himself when talking to Officer Kirkland. Now leading the officer out the front door of the institute, Billy wishes him a good evening before returning to the reception desk.
Claire is standing and leaning against the side of the desk.
"Claire let me know as soon as they call with the autopsy results. If I'm not here call my cell."
"Autopsy? Who's doing an autopsy?" Claire is sounding nervous.
"It's procedure, Claire. I imagine it will be done at Millinocket Regional Hospital." Billy surmises. "Someone was stabbed. There's always an autopsy."
"I know. But...but..Billy you've got to stop it. Stop it now."
....

Chapter Seven

2007-04-09T12:35:00.000-07:00

George Peterson was a young kid at the age of eighteen, the youngest ever when admitted to the institute. He was once an unruly youngster who would often get into trouble. That is until one fateful night he and his buddies were out drinking and partying. The five of them piled into Josh's car since Josh had just received his driver's license the day before. Josh with the cocky attitude of most teenagers was bragging about how he could handle driving after drinking.
George was then fifteen.
While driving around with the stereo blaring to the latest hit song, the teens were carrying on too much for Josh to be paying attention to the road. The sharp curve came upon them quicker than he realized and the car tumbled down over the ravine. With the dry summer most of the water had drained from the ravine, causing a harder impact but less water to submerge the car. However, the car slammed head on into the ground and rolled over like a bowling pin several times before resting right side up.
The water not even coming up to the dashboard.
George was seated in the middle of the back seat, legs pinned from the front being crushed backward. His two friends, Josh and Pete, in the front of the car died on impact, as did Matt on the right side in back. Andy, a fellow sophomore, would live for a short time after the crash, but died from loss of blood. The car was not found until the next morning when a jogger noticed the tire tracks in the road leading to the embankment. Realizing the marks weren't there on his run the day before, he stopped to look things over. He was mortified to still see a car down in the ravine and called the police.
George was the lone lucky survivor.
If you want to call him lucky.
George was now confined to a wheelchair, and severely scarred from flying glass and debris. Shortly after being admitted to The Katahdin Mental Institute, George tried to commit suicide on several occasions. Yelling out that he wanted to be with the rest of his friends, and that he didn't deserve to live. Seeing his friends die in that accident left its mark on George. He would have vivid nightmares with flashbacks of the scene inside the car before awakening with alarming screams. Screaming at extremely loud levels.
Until a couple weeks ago when the screaming suddenly stopped.

Billy was walking by the nurse's station as his first day of work had now come to an end. He sees Nurse Claire at her desk.
"Night Claire."
Claire is surprised by the doctor and slightly shakes."Oh, hi Dr. Ramsey."
Claire tries to set the folder and scissors down without causing suspicion."Done for the day, Dr. Ramsey?" The nurse asks.
"Yes," Billy answers while adjusting the backpack over his shoulder, "Has seemed like a long one today."
"They get better, promise." Claire says with a wink.
"Good to hear."
Billy walks out through the front door.The sun is beginning to set in front of him, taking a moment to look it in before his walk around the building to the parking lot. He takes a few steps and turns back to look at the brick building. Each window has black, steel bars on them.
Billy takes a breath of fresh air and notices dark, puffy clouds are rolling in over the mountain.
"Great...a storm? That's all I need to end this day on?"
Billy is about to round the corner of the building when he hears a blood curdling scream bellowing from the building.
He instinctively drops his backpack and runs back to the building and through the front door. Billy passes by Andrea at the nurse's station and hears her say something about the second floor and George Peterson's room. Not knowing what is going on, Dr. Ramsey runs around the nurse's station and down the hallway to the staircase, not wasting time with the elevator. Billy runs out into the second floor hallway and sees a gathering in front of a room a few doors down, including Claire and Dr. Martin.
Billy approaches.
Dr. Martin steps in front of Billy.
"I'm not sure you want to see this Dr. Ramsey."
....

Chapter Six

2007-03-29T11:42:00.000-07:00

"What's going on?" Dr. Martin asks.
Billy turns around from the window with the X-Ray in hand.
"Umm..part of his brain isn't here," the doctor says, shaking his head at the same time.
"I don't get it," Dr. Martin says, with the look of a man that isn't in on the joke.
"I don't either," Billy replies. "By the show of this X-Ray, Bob's brain is one fourth the size it should be."
"I've got to get back to my desk," Claire states before walking out of the office.
"This doesn't make sense to me, Dr. Martin," Billy pulls the chair back from his desk and sits down. He picks up the picture of his parents, setting it back into place. "How can someone's brain be that small?"
"Well, Dr. Ramsey, you know that some people's brains don't fully develop."
"Yeah, but, they don't walk and talk as well as Bob does," Billy puts the X-Ray back into the folder and closes it. "How can he have such good motor skills? Hell, How can he have any motor skills?"
"I'm not sure on that one," Dr. Martin looks to Billy with a grin. "I guess you have gotten yourself your first case."

Claire is back at the reception area sitting at her desk.
Andrea gets up from her seat and starts around the counter. "I need a doughnut." The woman states as she adjusts her pants. "I'm heading to the kitchen. Want anything?"
"No, I'm fine. Thanks. Have a big jelly one," Claire says.
"Oh I will, and probably two."
Andrea heads down the hallway giggling as Claire picks up her phone and begins dialing. She ignores the incoming call.
"Hey, it's me. I did what you wanted and Dr. Ramsey saw the X-Ray." The nurse rubs her temples to try and relieve some of the tension. "You can't be serious? You want me to what? I can't change a patient's file like that. I'm in enough trouble already." Claire looks around to make sure no one is there. "O.K., O.K., Whatever you want."

"You sure you weren't up to anything there, Bob?" Ray asks.
"I...I..." Bob stammers.
Greg reaches over to the back of Bob's head and runs his fingers over Bob's scar. "Looks like a nasty scratch you've got there. Is that why you were on the floor?" Greg asks. "Did you fall and bump your little head?"Ray laughs.
"No. I...I...wasn't doing anything," Bob starts. "I woke up with tha...tha..that scar."
"Oh, really?" Ray fakes his surprise. "Just this morning?"
"Yes. It..it...it was this mo..morning."Bob answers.
"I wonder what happened?" Greg asks.
"Gee, it could be anything, huh Greg?" Ray adds.
The two friends look at Bob and laugh.
Bob stands up quickly and takes a step forward before turning back around to face his roommates. "Do..do...do you know what happened to..to...to me?"
"Ma...ma..maybe. Ma..ma..maybe not." Ray says before laughing again.

Claire slams the receiver down and slides her chair back against a filing cabinet, stands up, and opens the drawer labeled "P". The nurse flips through the files before pulling out a folder tagged GEORGE PETERSON. Claire closes the drawer and slides herself back up to her desk.
"I wish I had never met that man. I had to go for a promotion. I was better off as just a receptionist than a head nurse."
She opens the folder on her desk.
"This is too much stress."
Claire reaches into her desk and pulls out a pair of black handled scissors. She lifts up a page from the folder and brings the scissors to it.
"I can't believe I'm going to do this."
...
stay tuned...

Chapter Five

2007-03-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

(scroll down for previous chapters)

Matthew leads Ray and Greg back to their room after the recreation time is over. The three men are entering the second floor hallway, and the patient in the first room to the right has the television on. Gun shots ring out, and Ray drops to the floor, looking around the hallway.
Greg leans against the wall laughing hysterically. "Oh my God, dude," grabbing at his stomach. "That's so funny."
Even Matthew is smiling.
"C'mon guys," Matthew says. "Enough playing. Knock it off. Back to your rooms."
Ray slowly stands up, still looking around the hallway. The man not looking like he was playing.
The three men resume their walk down the beige colored hallway until they approach George Peterson's room. Greg stops and looks in through the glass panel on the front.
"Poor guy." Greg says.
"Umm..yeah..," Ray adds, looking at Greg with a smirk. "Poor guy."
Bob hears the men approaching from the hallway and quickly shoves the items back into the bag. He ties off the string at the end before stretching himself under the bed, putting the bag back into the mattress hole.
Bob is just standing up on his feet as the three men step in front of the glass panel.
Matthew grabs the keys clipped on his belt and twirls them around his index finger. Ray opens the door and the two patients step into the room.
"What?" Ray asks. You're gonna lock us in? You can't do that?"
"I never said I was," the guard replies. "Misbehave though and I will."
"Fine. Whatever." Ray snarks back.
Matthew's footsteps become more faint in the background as he walks away down the hall.
Greg and Ray both turn to look at Bob.
"What were you up to?" Greg asks.
"Na-na-nothing." Bob fails to hide his nervousness.
"Looked like you were getting up off the floor." Ray states.
Bob moves over to his bed and sits down on the lower bunk.
"Gee, were you doing push-ups?" Ray continues.
Greg laughs.
"No. I ..I..I wasn't do..do..doing anything." Bob stammers.
"You...you...you sure, Bob?" Greg questions.
Ray and Greg move over to Bob's bed and they each sit down on a side of him.
Bob looks toward the ceiling.
"I think he's lying," Ray says. "Wanna bet he's lying, Greg?""No. No. No. I'm not." Bob states, still obviously nervous.
"I think I'd lose that bet, Ray." Greg leans forward to look across at Ray.
Billy takes the folder from Claire and opens it.
"Cool." The doctor lifts an X-Ray up in the air above his head.
"Wait. This can't be right." Billy says.
"What's going on?" Dr. Martin inquires.
"Oh, Dr. Ramsey here heard Bob's 'Someone stole my mind' speech and wanted an X-Ray." Claire begins.
"An X-Ray? Whatever for?" Dr. Martin asks.
Billy is walking around his desk to the window, keeping the X-Ray in his hand. He tosses the folder onto his desk, knocking over the newly placed picture of his parents.
"He figures he can calm Bob down," Claire continues. "By showing his brain is still in his head."
"Oh." Martin chuckles. "Interesting approach." Dr. Martin turns to Billy. "So, what's the prognosis, Doc.? Bob still got his brain?"
Billy has now placed the X-Ray against the window.
"Umm...not exactly." Billy says.

....stay tuned....

Chapter Four

2007-03-16T11:28:00.000-07:00

Ray and Greg are outside on the roof. Mount Katahdin protrudes into the horizon as the two have their cigarettes.
The two have been roommates since Greg was admitted seven months ago for throwing his sister out a three-story window during a fit of rage. She lived, although paralyzed from the waist down. Greg's attorney suggested an insanity plea, so here he is instead of prison.
Ray takes a puff of his cigarette, "You think anyone will find out?"
"About Bob?" Greg asks while looking out over the town.
"Yeah. This is kind of a wild experiment."
Greg tosses his cigarette over the side not caring if it starts a fire. "Maybe we really are insane."
Ray laughs before starting to cough. He gets himself under control, "Ya think?"
Claire is on the phone at the nurse's station while Andrea is talking to an elderly couple on their daily visit to see their daughter.
"I know. I know." Claire continues, "Calm down. The X-Rays are back already. What should I do?"
Billy's standing in front of his desk. The backpack now on top of the desk unzipped, as Dr. Ramsey reaches in to grab something there is another rap at his door. Billy turns to see an older man in a white lab coat, "Hi."
"You must be the new Dr. Ramsey." Martin states from the doorway.
"Well, I don't know how new I am," Billy grins. "Come in."Dr. Martin walks into the room and approaches Billy.
"I'm Dr. Martin." Martin reaches out his hand and the two gentlemen shake hands. "You can call me Marty."
"O.K., Billy here."
Noticing the photographs placed on the desk, "This your family?" Dr. Martin asks.
"Yes, I was just trying to unpack a few things so this room doesn't seem so bare."
"Can't say I blame ya. So where are you from?""I'm from Chicago," Billy starts, "But, I studied at Illinois University."
"Nice. Must be a bit of a culture shock then, to be in Millinocket."
Billy laughs, "I'm thinking it will be. My apartment building in Chicago could have housed this whole town." Billy pauses. "There is a town here, right?"
"Yes, there is." Martin answers. "Not a lot here, but it's a nice, quiet town."
Billy reaches into his backpack and pulls out a bunch of booklets, tossing them onto his desk. "I've done some research."
"Ahhh, travel guides of Maine. There's more to Millinocket than you'll find in books." Dr. Martin says.
"Oh, I'm looking forward to it." Billy says. "I've always been a fan of backpacking through the mountains so I can't.."
"Excuse me," Claire interrupts, peeking in from around the corner.
"Yes?" Billy asks.
Claire steps into the room carrying a manilla folder.
"The lab just brought this to me." Claire looks over toward Dr. Martin.
"It's O.K. Claire." Billy says, stepping toward her.
"Here are the results of Bob's X-Rays."Claire hands the folder to Dr. Ramsey.
...stay tuned

Chapter Three

2007-03-11T12:25:00.000-07:00

....stay tuned....Claire sets the phone down as one of the guards is leading two patients by the station.
"Hi, Claire," Matthew says.
"Hey, where did you come from?"
"It's Ray and Greg's recreation time."The guard is standing about six feet tall, wearing a typical light blue security guard outfit. A nightstick tucked on his left hip, but no gun.
"We just took a walk around the grounds, and heading for the roof now."
"Yeah, we like the roof," Ray interjects.
"Quiet," Matthew says, tapping the man on the arm. "Or we won't be going to the roof. You'll be going back to your room."
"Oh, please, not with ba..ba..Bob." Greg jokes. "That's cruel and unusual punishment."
"Quit it," Matthew says sternly.
The three men start down the hallway behind the nurse's station. Their are several patients that are raising their voices and moaning as if in pain. The patients in this wing are all one-to-a-room.
As the three pass the door to one of the rooms, it opens and Dr. Martin steps out. "Hi gentlemen."
"Hi, Dr. Martin," Matthew says. The doctor is in his late forties with salt-n-pepper hair. The white doctor's coat bigger than it should be makes him look like a superhero in a cloak.
"Just on our way to the roof," the guard continues.
"Enjoy the fresh air. It's a nice one out today."
Dr. Martin approaches the first floor nurse's station just as Andrea returns from her quick smoke. "Another cigarette, Andrea? Aren't you ever going to quit?"
"Hey, this isn't that kind of hospital, alright? Back off Buster." Andrea slips her sweater off and slings it across the back of her chair.
"He has a point," Claire adds. "It would be better if you stopped that."
"Look people, like I'm gonna take advice from a shrink named Martin Martin. I think he needs to worry about other things."
"Hey," Marty pipes up. "My parents thought it'd be funny."
"No wonder you turned to psychiatry," Andrea laughs, as she grabs the ringing phone.
"Claire, has Dr. Ramsey come in yet?"
"Oh yeah," Claire rolls her eyes. "He's here."
"What's that look for?" Dr. Martin questions.
"Excuse me," Andrea interrupts. "Dr. Martin, you have a call on line one."
Bob Newman is back in his room after his visit to Dr. Ramsey's office, and his stop to the X-Ray area. Bob is too scared to be outside with his roommates during recreation time, so he was allowed to stay behind.
There is a bunkbed up against each of the side walls. Bob's is on the left, while his roommates, Ray and Greg, share the one on the right.
The room with its three beige walls and glass panel front to the hallway make it look more like a cell than a room.
Bob decides to take this quiet time without his roommates around to try and remember what happened to him. He begins pacing the small sized room, picking up his pace without realizing it.
Bob still can't remember anything about the night before.
The patient spins around to walk back across the room causing a dizzy spell and he drops to the floor, falling into Ray and Greg's bunk. Bob rubs the back of his head instinctively even though he never bumped it. Taking a moment to regain clarity, he stretches out onto his back on the floor when he notices part of the cloth from the underside of the mattress is hanging down.
Bob reaches his hand in under the bed and feels a lump on the underside of the mattress. He stretches forward so he can reach up, and in doing so, grabs a bag out from the hole.
He pulls the canvas bag to himself for better inspection, and is horrified to see what's inside.
A scalpel and a pair of scissors.
There's recently dried blood on them.

CHAPTER TWO

2007-03-02T11:57:00.000-08:00

"Well, I seriously doubt that, Sir," Billy responds.
"I..I..I..need to know what ha..ha...happened, Doctor."
The patient starts pacing while rubbing the back of his head.
"I..I..don't feel safe."
Dr. Ramsey walks around his desk, stepping over to the patient, and placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're safe here. I promise."
The bald man looks at the doctor, "Safe?"
"Yes. Safe." Billy leads the man to the door. "Now, you should get back to your room."
"B...B...But, someone stole my mind, Doc." The man states again.
"I'll look into it. I promise we'll find out what happened." Dr. Ramsey says to still try and comfort the patient.
"O.K.," the response before entering the hallway and walking away. The sound of footsteps echoing down the hall.Billy closes the door.
"Wow."
Shaking his head, Dr. Ramsey walks back over to his desk and sits down.
"What did I get myself into?" The doctor laughs out loud. "Gee, maybe my parents were right. Maybe I should have studied harder."
There is a rap at the door before it opens, a female voice is heard.
"Doctor Ramsey?"
"Yes, come in," Billy answers.
A slim lady appearing to be in her late thirties enters, "Is it alright I come in?"
"Of course," Billy says as he stands up.
"I'm Claire, one of the day nurses." The lady's long, flowing, red hair, is draping over her shoulders, "I see you just met Bob."
Billy laughs again, "Is that his name?"
"Yes and I'm assuming you heard his 'Someone stole my mind' speech."
"Yeah, I heard it," Billy steps around to the front of his desk before leaning back against it. "Dare I ask what he's here for?"
"Well, he sent letters to the Millinocket Police Department and the F.B.I. claiming the hotel he was staying at was holding him hostage." Claire rolls her eyes.
"Oh?" Billy grins.
"Yeah, and when the police went to investigate, Bob said that the kids over in the McDonald's parking lot were really Russian spies making sure he didn't sneak away." Claire tucks her hair back behind her ears.
"So, I am assuming the hotel was not holding him hostage, " Billy is still smiling.
"Yeah, right. They couldn't get rid of him." Claire now laughs too. "But other than a little lunacy, they didn't have a reason to not rent to him."
"Are you sure I'm suppose to be in this office?" Billy asks, changing the subject.
"Afraid so. It's the only open space we have right now." Claire looks around the room, "What? You don't like?"
Billy grins. "It'll do. For now."
"Well, let me know if there's anything I can do. I'm at the first floor reception with Andrea until 4."
"O.K...well...actually, there is something you can do for me. Can you schedule a X-Ray for Bob?"
"But Dr. Ramsey.."
Billy cuts the nurse off, "Please, Claire. We can show him nothing's wrong, and he's safe. The sooner we get him calm, the better."
"But, Sir, he's a mental patient. That's what's wrong with him." Claire argues.
"Please, Claire, just do as I ask, and I want it done soon."
Claire returns to the first floor reception desk. Three hallways branch off, one to the left, one to the right, and one around the desk and straight back. From the reception desk one can see all of the institute's hallways.
Andrea stands up from her post, "Hey Claire. You back? I need a cigarette." The plump brunette states while walking away, not even waiting for an answer.
Claire makes her away into the middle of the station and sits in front of the switchboard, quickly scanning all three hallways before picking up the phone. She dials, then quickly starts talking, "It's me. The new kid could be trouble...Yes. He wants an X-Ray done....of Bob's head. Yes, I'm serious!" Claire looks around again, realizing she raised her voice. The coast clear, "I know. We've got a big problem. What can I do?"

CHAPTER ONE

2007-02-23T17:33:00.000-08:00

Dr. Ramsey has walked down the narrow hallway to the door marked OFFICE, which is painted the same stale beige color as the rest of the place. Located at the very end of the hall, next to the emergency exit, most people would believe the room to be a broom closet, and that's about the size of it. If it weren't for the brown plaque stating OFFICE, the new staff member would never have guessed to find his desk here.
Dr. Ramsey adjusts the backpack flung over his right shoulder before reaching for the doorknob, twisting slightly.
"Unlocked. Great."
He slowly pushes the door forward and cautiously looks in before entering. The room is virtually empty. A lonely, wooden desk sits to the far side in front of the window. Many visible scratches and nicked oak shows that no one was interested in impressing their new doctor.
The window panes were broken down into squares, of course separated by beige colored wood.
Dr. Ramsey steps into the room now, and sets his backpack onto the wooden finished floor. The floor with as many scratches as the desk, and not looking like it had ever seen a drop of wax.
The bookcase on his right against the same wall as the door is completely empty. The only chair in the room is a old, swivel computer chair being held together with duct tape. There is not even a second chair for a patient to sit in. There is no phone, no lamp on the desk, and, of course, beige colored walls.
"Wow," the doctor says to himself. "No fanfare here."
The man picks up his backpack and walks over to the desk, setting the bag down onto the oak wood. He moves around to gingerly sit onto the chair, being careful to hang on to the desk at the same time just in case.
The sun struggles to shine through the glass of the windows behind him. His dirty blond hair not lighting much from the sun.
"I can not believe, I, Billy Ramsey, with a Master's degree in Behavioral Science from Michigan State end up here in this little spit of a town in the woods." The man says this to his backpack as if it can sympathize. "Oh, but Millinocket, Maine, is the gateway to Baxter State Park. Think of all the recreation, I said." Billy shakes his head, and carefully turns around to look out the window.
"Trees." Dr. Ramsey lifts his arms in the air and shrugs. "All trees," the young man says before turning back around.
"This is just great."
The backpack not seeming to disagree.
Billy decides to check out the three drawers on each side of his desk, secretly hoping to find a plane ticket to the Bahamas? Greece? Anywhere? No such luck.
The recent college graduate is closing the bottom, left drawer when he hears a voice startling him.
"Hey, What's up, Doc.?"
Ramsey sits straight up, and sees a burly, bald man standing on the other side of the desk in front of him. The man is probably in his middle thirties.
The man continues in a high pitched voice like a child, "You must be our new Doc. Right, Doc.?"
"I'm Doctor Ramsey, yes." Billy stands up and reaches out his hand to shake, but no response.
The bald man continues talking, "H-Hi, Dr. Ramsey. I..I ...I think I...I..I've lost muh..my mind."
Billy grins while thinking to himself, haven't they all, before asking, "Why do you think that?"
"Well, I wo..wo..woke up in my roo..room..this morning, and I could not ree..ree..remember where I was." The man rubs his bald head as if confused.
"Sir, You're at the Katahdin Mental Institute." Dr. Ramsey calmly responds.
"Yes. Yes. Nurse Ha..Ha..Hudson told me, but," the man still rubbing his head while looking down at his feet. "I don't remember how I got here."
"You think you've lost your mind 'cuz of this?" the doctor asks.
"Not just lost my mm..mm..mind, doctor," the patient leans forward, halfway over the desk, before whispering, "I think someone sto...sto...stole it."
"Stole it!" Ramsey blurts out louder than he would have wanted, trying to contain his laughter. Billy looks the patient up and down. The other man's green patient outfit would have resembled a convict's if it were orange. The doctor, also, noting the bald man was barefoot.
"I'm not sure why you would think that," Dr. Ramsey says.
"Be..be..because of this."
The patient turns around to face the door. There is a long, jagged scar from the top left of his head across to the underside of his right ear. Freshly dried blood and a red infection are barely covering a bad stitching job.
The bald man turns back around. "I know this sounds like I'm crazy, Doc., but I..I..I was fine last night when I went to ba..ba..bed. Then, I wake up this more..more..morning and my head's sore. I go to rub my my my head and my head's been shaved." The patient rubs his head as if to emphasize his point. "I have this scar. I ..I ..I can't remember what happened? Where I am? I can't ree..ree...remember who I am, Doc." The patient shakes his head side to side. "Please help me find them. Someone stole my mind."

stay tuned......