�When will I be allowed to shower? Louise, my dear, I want to look my best for you today. I mean, now that we have shared this special relationship.�

�All in good time, Mr. Denby.� Nurse Ratched left brusquely, tossing a little wink and a chuckle over her shoulder.

On cue, two rather burly young men in white scrubs came into the room and unhooked Denby from his horizontal cell. They lifted him to a seated position, then to his feet, supporting his arms over their shoulders. They let his legs become reacquainted with gravity for a moment, then they took him to the bathroom, where he was allowed the use of the toilet and the shower. He swallowed his Tylenol with water when he emerged from the refreshing rains. He was grateful for this merciful return to dignity. When it became obvious that he was not going to be a danger to himself, the smaller of the two orderlies left to attend to other patients. The remaining orderly, a large Hispanic weightlifter, supervised Harry while he struggled into pajamas, then watched him even more closely as he shaved with a freshly opened disposable razor. Harry had grown to appreciate this as among life�s greatest luxuries in recent days.

When Harry stepped out of the bathroom, Hector guided him into a wheelchair and cuffed his hands to the arms of the chair.

�Okay, Mr. Denby. We goin� to your next room,� Hector said, with a strong accent. �You don� need to be in intensive care no more.�

�Thank you, driver. Please, let�s take the scenic route, and as smoothly as possible.� Harry hadn�t felt this clean and refreshed in a long time. And he felt something almost foreign in his gut instead of the nausea that had become his constant companion. He actually felt a little hungry. �Any chance we might stop at a restaurant for a quick bite?�

Hector chuckled and pushed Harry out into the hallway, toward the elevators. A guard in a gray and black uniform grabbed Harry�s chart from the back of his chair, initialed, and then let Harry and Hector enter the elevator. The guard reached in, inserted and turned a key, pressed the number 6, turned the key again, and then pulled it out. He stepped back out in time for the doors to close, and they were on their way as he radioed ahead to alert the sixth floor guard of their impending arrival.

On the sixth floor, Hector parked Harry in front of the nurses� station while he checked Harry into his new abode. Harry saw a waiting room opposite the nurses� station. It was occupied by half a dozen scary looking characters, similarly chained to their transportation, staring with bleary eyes at the hypnotic blue light emanating from the dummy box in the corner. On the light gray walls hung posters touting the text of twelve steps, a prayer for serenity, a weekly schedule and some House Rules. He couldn�t envision himself sitting in a support group with those individuals, spilling his guts and begging for forgiveness. He shuddered. This was going to be an unbearably long two months.