| "Ms. Smith?" "Yes?" Tammy responded, sitting up to face Dr. Swartz. "We would like you to come into the psychiatric ward for a few days, just to make sure everything's alright before we discharge you home." "But...You can't! I.....I'm not crazy, I don't need to go to the psych ward!" "I know you're not crazy. But we're not comfortable discharging you at this time. you hurt yourself quite badly adn we'd like you to come down to our ward for at least a few days." He paused momentarily. "I think it would be much easier if you were to sign yourself in voluntarily." "If I don't will i be there anyway?" She asked bitterly, unable to imagine the horrors that faced her in the psych ward. She wondered how long she'd last with the crazy people there. "Yes, at least for a few days." "Fine, I'll go in voluntarily, as long as we both understand it's only for a few days." Dr. Swartz nodded. "Alright then, i'll see you downstairs." Tammy watched him leave, unable to believe what had just happened. The young woman who'd come in with Dr. Swartz returned with some papers for her to sign, and then left with them. A couple horus later another person came in with a wheelchair. "Afternoon," He said. "I'm here to take you downstairs." Tammy settled herself into the wheelchair, trying desperately not to shake as she was wheeled down to the psych ward. Countless horrors of what she would find down there raced through her head. Feeling the need to throw up, she huddled in on herslef, unable to watch where she was being taken. Christa was bored. Boredom and frustration didn't go well together. She'd already been in the hospital for a week, and nothing would please her more than going home. But of course they were taking their sweet time discharging her. One thing that could definitely be said of psychiatric wards was that they were boring. YOu pretty much just milled around aimlessly, except for when there was a group. The groups were usually pretty much the same, but at least they provided something to brak up to monotony of the day. Donne, one of the PCA's stepped into the dayroom, carrying a clipboard. Rounds were done every hour, more often for more serious cases. "Might as well look elsewhere," Christa said, glancing up from the puzzle she was working on. "None of us are really here. We're just figments of your psychosis." Donna laughed. "I know, but i'm humoring the psychosis today." She made some marks on the clipboard then left the room. "Ugh," Christa leaned back, stretching to loosen up some muscles. "I'm so friggen bored!" "Tell me about it!" David said, glancing away from whatever television show he was watching. He glaned out the door. "Incoming." Christa turned to see who was coming in. A woman, appearing to be in her early twenties was being wheeled in. "Oh no, please tell me I'm not getting a roommate! I love having a room to myself!" She knew it was only a matter of time until she found herself with another roommate. The fact that she'd had a room to herself for four days now was amazing. She watched as the woman was wheeled into a room. "grrr, doesn't it just figure? Hope she doesn't snore.........although i've been informed that I snore, so i suppose that would be a fair trade off." David chuckled. "Now your'e just like the rest up us, shacked up with another loony" Christa couldn't help but shake her head. When David had first come onto the ward, he'd been nervous, jumping every time somebody spoke to him. The first time he'd heard Christa refer to herself and the others on the ward as psycho's he'd protested the term angrily. It hadn't taken long for Christ to make him see that she was joking. And he now used her terms often. "I think I'm going upstairs today," David moved over to sit at the table that Christa was assembling her puzzle on. He moved a couple pieces around. "Hey!!" Christa scurried back over to the table to defend her puzzle. "Get your own!! There's a cabinet full of them!" David smiled as he attached a puzzle piece to the puzzle. "Yeah, but I wouldn't get the rise out of you with those puzzles that i do when i try to help you with your puzzles." "You want to get discharged tomorrow don't you?" Christa asked sweetly. "I AM getting discharged tomorrow!" "Not if you don't leave my puzzle alone you won't!" "You wouldn't!" David quickly leaned away from the puzzle. "True, but i got the desired reaction out of you!" Christa rapidly placed several piece3s into their proper places. "Heads up, walking body odor is coming through." David glanced up, grimacing. "I think there's something in my rooms that needs my attention!" The woman who'd entered the room was rarely called by her given name. She very rarely showered, an didn't seem to believe in using deodorant. Whenever she enterred the dayroom, it emptied rapidly. "Yeah, i think i need to make sure my bed isn't lonely," Christa rose rapidly to her feet, exiting the room on David's heels. She'd forgotten about the new girl that had come in. It startled her to enter her room and see a stranger lying in the other bed. Her new roommate looked over at her, her eyes a bit wild. "Heya," Christa plopped down on her bed, grabbing her book off the nightstand. "I'm Christa, i'll e your roommate this time thorugh the loony bin." "Tammy," The young woman said. Christa opened her book and sat back, propping herself up with the thin little pillows the hospital offered. "Don't look so scared. It's really not too bad once you're used to it here. It's boring as hell, but it's not too bad. Don't have any real nuts in here this time around either. Except maye for the walking body odor." "This time around? Have you been here before?" Christa chuckled. "A few times. They are well familiar with me here. They've definitely come to realize that I'm a smartass. It's fun when they get new staff on though." |
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