Out of Their Minds

Gregor chuckled. "Oh Klesps, I don't know how you do it or where you find the time. SKy, "he said turning to the girl, "Ambriel used to work here. Tell me, how do you like it on the other side of the bars, so to speak?" Before the former nurse could answer Gregor added, "Skye how do you like it here?"

 

Skye gave Ambriel a bright smile, as her eye gave a violent twitch.

“Apple on a stick!” her voice rang. She gave a giggle.

“I’m doing…” she started, as she looked at the spot on the wall. She still had yet to get it off, she shrugged it off and looked back at the woman, “I’m… here.” She said. She knew she wasn’t going to lie. She obviously wasn’t fine. She was filthy and wet. In fact, if she wasn’t amongst friends, she would have torn someone’s head off by now.

She looked back at Gregor, as her eye gave another twitch. She wanted nothing more then to clean him up. But she thought otherwise.

“I don’t like it here much.” She said, “But I don’t like it much anywhere.” She thought of her homes. Her abusive father, the stuff he did to her. A shiver went down her spine as she thought of those disgusting hands on her.

She bent in close to Gregor, and took the butter knife from her pillow. It gleamed in the light.

“Though, it’s much better with the company.” She smiled.

She bent over and whispered into his ear. “Thanks.”

 

Noah stood and walked away, soon coming back and holding a small tower to Greg.

"Here doctor. There's a little...blood on you. Did the surgery go well?"

 

Gregor shook his head patiently. "The suregry went wonderfully, but you must be mistaken my friend, I always scrub up before and after surgery. Hmm ... I guess no one's perfect." Gregor looked at Noah, Skye, Amriel, and Dr. Klesps. "Did I miss a spot?

"Noah, why don't you join us for a game of cards? Take a seat, I believe the orderlies will be busy for a while yet. Hrum .... dinner might be late. I am sorry Dr. Klesps, I know how you hate when that happens. But look at the wonderful company we have to pass the time with."

 

As she sat across from her new friends...Ambriel thought of Niel, she wondered if he would be as accepting of them...or even as tolerant, as she had been. Chaos would never give into Gregor's friendly demeanor, that was for sure.
"Chaos", she thought, as she smiled to herself.


Gregor's question to her was raw and left her feeling vulnerable...she was so glad she had always taken the time to be friendly and cordial to all of the patients. She never knew this day would find her.

"It is an interesting discovery to find one's own-self on this side of the bars, Gregor." She swallowed hard and tried to hide her sudden unease. The need to avoid eye contact was beginning to take hold again as she felt naked in front of him.

Turning her attention to Skye she noticed the young girl's closeness to Gregor, he was her protection for sure....everyone was protected but her. Ambriel felt alone and wanted to retreat back to her room. The thought of abruptly leaving the table felt rude; however, Gregor might not appreciate the sudden up and run. The girl caused her more concern however.

"I am sorry you are not happy here Skye, secret..." Ambriel looked at Skye and smiled as her nose wrinkled just a bit..." I don't like it here either." She hoped that Skye would trust her, but a girl with the problems this girl had been through...would find trusting anyone virtually impossible.

 

Noah smiled. "Really? I'd love to." He walked around and sat on the only vacant spot. The other was currently used by Dr.Gregor's friend, and it wouldn't do to make Dr.Gregor, or his friend, angry.

"What are we playing? I'm pretty bad at card games though."

 

Chaos looks down at his shirt and says "Damn it to hell, that nutjob got a bunch of blood on my shirt." As he walked to his room, he decided to check out the playroom first. When he goes into the playroom he sees Ambriel sitting there and wonders to himself "Shouldn't she be back in her room by now." He also sees Gregor there covered in blood and instantly realized who set this whole thing up. Chaos waves toward Gregor and says "Hey doc, how has your day been."

 

Gregor smiled as he shifted his cards around. He dropped three and waited for Klesps to replace them. Klesps was getting slower in his old age. There was a time his friend could shuffle the cards with such speed that everything was a blur. Klesps floated over to Gregor and whispered something in his ear. "Do you really think so? Oh my ... but after we fixed Jerold for her. WOuld she? I ... guess you are right. You usually are." He turned to the former nurse. "Dr. Klesps has pointed out my question might have been rude. If I offended you, I am truly sorry. Regardless of what you once were, you're one of us now and we take care of our own.

"Klesps! Would you please give me three cards already."

 

Skye looked over at Ambriel. She liked her tone of voice and the way she carried herself. She wanted nothing more then to crawl into her lap and hide from the chaos that she could still hear even through the closed door. She shoved the urge from her mind.

She gave the newcomers a quick wave and looked around the playroom for the towels she had with her earlier. She had to clean him before she went insane. She found two of the towels, just below the now closed grate. She took them in her hands, and fluffed the dust from them.

She ran into the hall, where the water still freely fell. She held out one of the towels, letting it get soaked, just enough. She quickly closed the door again, and in her chair. She scooted it closer to Gregor.

“Do you mind?” she asked with hopeful eyes.

 

"We're playing poker Noah. Klesps will explain the rules. Chaos! You look like you've been having a grand old time. Sit relax, it's always important to take occasional breaks when exercising. Can I deal you and Niel in?"

Gregor took the cards from Klesps. "Now Noah, what are you in for? We don't have anu secrets here."

 

"Man, what the heck are you talking about?" the orderly who had remained next to Glenny said, an irritated tone in his voice and an annoyed expression on his face.

"I don't know, but there's something bad out there. I think we'd best check it out and make sure everything's okay."

"What are you, stupid? And leave this guy here alone? You'll get us both fired!"

Glenny rolled his eyes again and fell back on his pillow, exasperated.

".. do something Glen .."

He took a pilow and threw it into the air.

"What the heck do you want me to do Ramses?"

"I don't know, I just want out of here."

"So do I!"

"Then do something!"

"How about you give me some ideas since you're so smart!"

He fell silent. Glenny layed there with his eyes closed for a second, and soon, an idea began to crawl into his head. He sat up abruptly and looked to the overly agitated orderly.

"Um, sir, my medication."

"What?"

"My nurse didn't tell you? Here." he opened the small drawer in the table next to his bed and pulled out a tube with a long needle at the end of it.

"It's some kinda shcizo-stuff." he handed it to him.

"It'll stop my unruliness, honest." he grinned.

 

Gregor held up a blood soaked hand. "Seriously my dear, I am clean enough to operate again without scrubbing. WHat's that Klesps? You think you see a smudge?! Oh you're just saying that because of you-know-who. I swear you get a new crush every week and .... oh don't sulk. Fine, I'll humor you this once." Handel smiled, thin lines of blood slowly dropped from his nose to his lower lip. "To humor my friend, you may clean me off." He whispered to Skye, "Thank you for going through this charade, Klesps can be impossible sometimes."

 

"What I'm in for? In this game, in this ward, or something else?"

 

Chaos looks at Gregor and says "Sure we'll play." Chaos goes over and sits down at the table. He looks at the empty chair and says "Hey Dr. Klesps, I hope you've been doing well since we last talked." Chaos looks over at Ambriel and notices that she is looking at the blood on his shirt. "Don't worry about the blood, none of it is mine. I got attacked by a patient when I was trying to figure what the hell is going on in this place all of a sudden, so I had to....deal with him."

 

Gregor locked eyes with Niel, "Why the ward of course. Why did they bring you here, maybe I can help?" He passed CHaos two sets of cards. "One for you and one for the roommate in that marvelous head of yours. So I see you've been introducing yourself."

 

Ambriel saw Niel wave from across the room, but th direct response to Gregor threw her for a moment...she never would have expected him to respond in such a friendly manner...hmmm. She thought deeply about it for a moment and decided to let it rest for now.

Turning her attention to Gregor and the invisible yet remarkably prominent Dr. Klesps, she responded to his apology. "I uhm...well, to be honest...I am used to only hearing that question from Orderly Jerold."
The reality of Jerold hit her hard and for the briefest of moments she felt her stomach turn over. But the memory of his often bad behavior and many inappropriate innuendos caused a feeling of relief.

Skye seemed quiet and reserved as Ambriel noticed the sweetness of her face...she wondered what kind of childhood she could have had if her life had been better.

"Skye, do you have a favorite kind of ice cream?"

Ambriel was on good terms with the kitchen staff and often Tom would fill a special request for her...it had been a long time since she had asked for one...the nightmares were harder to deal with lately and all she wanted to do was hide away.

The paranoia was getting harder to deal with too, and she was fighting hard to keep her composure at the table...she needed her meds and fast.
Noah was one she just couldn't make eye contact with...though she wasn't sure why. "Get a grip Ambriel...get a grip...a grip" The speech pattern of threes was returning, she needed to get out of there fast.

 

Chaos looks at Gregor and says "Yeah, Niel and Ambriel met earlier today, and he introduced her to me." Chaos looks at both sets of cards, while trying to ignore the fact that there was a little girl cleaning blood off of Gregor. He looks over at Ambriel and says "I hope this whole incident hasn't upset you up too much."

 

She smiled with glee, and gently grabbed his hand. In small smooth strokes, she rinsed the blood from his arm. She went over it a few times, until she was sure all remains of the crimson liquid were gone. She took her other towel, and dried his hand off. She quickly let his hand go with a pat. Her eyes turned back to his face, as she gave the blood droplets a quick dab. She blushed a little as he looked at her. She hoped she wasn’t annoying him.

“Sorry.” She said, as she scooted to the side a bit more. She let the towels fall to the ground, as she jumped from her chair. She wasn’t good with card games, she didn’t really feel like she belonged. She was also the youngest by a long run.

“Excuse me.” She said, with a half-smile, “I’m going to go leave the table.” She walked from the table, and looked back. She didn’t want to be rude and leave without as much as a word. She knew better then that. She waved in Klesps direction. She liked him, even if he was invisible.

She went behind Ambriel’s chair, and peered over her chair.

“I like Rocky road.” She whispered, “But I can’t eat ice cream.” She shivered at the thought of the sticky, ice cold milk product. It was good, but not worth the turmoil.

She tugged on Ambriel’s sleeve and looked at her with pleading eyes.

“Will you come play with me?” She didn't wait for her answer as she ran to grab the blocks.

 

Gregor turned to Skye just before she left. "I am so sorry you had to go through this. It must seem stupid to be pretending to clean blood off of me, but Klasps did insist and they're his cards."

 

The orderly took the medicative shot from Glenny.

"What'dya want me to do with this?"

Trying not to go crazy, Glenny said calmly, through gritted teeth,

"You shoot me.. with it."

"That ain't my job."

"Is has to be done. You either go get my nurse, or do it."

He thought it over.

"Or, you don't do it, and you get fired."

He grinned, and pulled up his sleeve to reveal his arm "So, go ahead."

The man hesitated.

"It'll make me calmer." he reminded.

The orderly looked to his partner unsurely, and grabbed Glenny's arm.

 

While the rest of the people were talking at the table, Gregor smiled. At Klesps' insistance, they'd managed to swipe three urine samples. The invisible Dr. had postulated that urine could provide a key to unlocking the brain by studying those materials it allowed the body to discard. Gregor thought about his safe place. The same place where he kept his tool. No one would ever find it.

 

Ambriel..wondered about Gregor's comment concerning Dr. Klesps crush. Shaking her head noticeably, she looked over at Chaos and said..."Chaos, I am not sure what to think right now."

Turning her attention to Skye, she could see her picking up the blocks..."She needs me." Ambriel turned the thought over in her head.

Rising up from the table she said, "Excuse me boys...Gregor, it was a pleasure, Noah...she tilted her head down...Niel, Chaos...perhaps I will see you later."

As Ambriel began to walk away, she thought of the invisible provider of the pills...turning she paused by the empty chair and extended a hand...."Dr. Klesps, it has been a pleasure." Moving her hand in the way of a handshake...Ambriel made eye contact with Gregor. If he was faking...it never showed.

She quickly found her way to Skye...all at once Ambriel felt safe in the company of a child.

 

She began taking the blocks out, putting them in piles by color. She always made red first, that was her favorite. She then put the blue after, and then the yellow. Primary colors first, that was her motto. She closely piled the green for the last of piles as Ambriel sat cross-legged next to her. She looked at her with a great big smile. She quickly sat down in her lap, and picked up the biggest pieces of all four colors.

“First, I sort them by colors.” She explained, as she put the blocks in the woman’s hands, “Then I sort them by size. Big to small.” She gently grabbed the back of Ambriel’s first hand and she set the biggest blue block at the top. She let her hand go, and she watched as she did the same for the other colors. She gave a clap of glee, as she then took the next size up, placing them perfectly under. In a straight line on one side, like steps on the other. She liked having someone to play with.

“Miss Ambriel.” She asked, “Do you have any children?”

 

"Well Its been fun talking to you guys but I think its time for us to go to bed." says Chaos. His eyes change from dark to light. Niel looks over to Ambriel and says, "Goodnight Ambriel, I hope we get to talk again tomorrow."

Niel leaves the table and walks to his room. "I assume you saw all the blood that was on him. Do you think he could have caused all of this." Niel says to Chaos. "I don't think, I know he caused this. From now on we should pay close attention to him anytime he is nearby."
"I hope he doesn't do anything to Ambriel."
"Its unlikely he'll do anything to her, he seems to like her."
"I hope you're right about that."

Niel lays down and goes to sleep.

 

Noah turned to smile at Gregor and his friend. "Say doctor, would it be too forward of me to ask you a personal question?"