West Park Asylum

Ian groans and holds his head, which feels like it is one soft noise away from shattering like a dropped glass. He sees a bottle of water and some medicine next to his bed, but he only takes the drink since he cannot identify the pills. As the pain gradually subsides, he realizes that he is in his room and somebody has put him in fresh clothes. Bandages have been put on the cuts and scrapes he received in the forest, each minor wound burning at the slightest pressure. He half expects to find himself bound to the bed considering how hard he was tackled, so he is pleasantly surprised that he is free to move around. Ian stands on aching legs and takes a few awkward steps before leaning against the wall. His stomach is roaring in hunger, but the thought of eating makes him nauseous. All he can manage is the water, which gives him enough energy and clarity to stand without feeling weak.

Noticing a typed letter on the door, Ian takes a deep breath and crosses the room. He recognizes the personalized stationary from the invitation to Raven’s Hold and gets nervous that the message is telling him to pack his things. Instead, the letter informs him that Dr. Rutherford is aware of his reason for going after Dawn and he is not in trouble. There is a reminder of the rules in regards to the forest and a warning that he will be put into the solitary wing on his next transgression. Ian sticks the letter back where he found it before knocking to get the attention of the guard outside. With a soft click, the door is unlocked and slowly creaks open enough to let a slender arm slip through. The limb blindly gropes until it finds the piece of paper and crumples it into a ball. Flipping Ian off, the arm disappears and he barely hears someone stuff the letter into their mouth and swallow it.

“It’s funny how a fire at the dock can draw guards away from the post. Especially if they’re watching a low risk patient,” Dawn says while she shoves her way into the room. Showing no sign of her previous injuries, the woman’s mouth falls open when she sees the barrenness around her. “You have nothing in here. My room has posters, a walk-in closet, bunk beds, and a hot tub. I’m not allowed to have water in there, so I filled it with hot chocolate. If we become friends then you should visit. Right now, I’m not sure what to do with you, little puppy.”

“I’m sorry if I interrupted something,” Ian swears while backing away from his guest. He remembers how she reacted to Jenny, so he kneels as if she is a queen. “Rich and I were concerned about you. Don’t be too angry with him because he wasn’t with me when I found you and I talked him into going with me. After everything that happened with Jenny and the orderlies, I thought you might do something drastic.”

“I’m insulted that you think I’m so fragile,” the young woman replies before she goes on all fours. “Why are you down here? If you see ants then you’re hallucinating. This room has termites and they only come out on Thursdays. Ants are in the cafeteria and they always appear when we get pizza.”

“I thought you would want me to kneel.”

“Maybe later. We have to talk first.”

Dawn scratches her head as she searches for a place to sit by crawling around like a cat. Her nose is pressed to the floor and she sniffs the tiles, the gesture making Ian wonder if she is doing a poor imitation of a dog. The brunette hops up to the window and pushes it open, allowing her to comfortably sit with her legs dangling outside. Unable to see her host, she pats the spot next to her until the young man joins her. Scared that she will knock him out the window, Ian faces the inside of the room and keeps a tight grip on the sill.

“I hate it when people follow me,” Dawn states, her soft voice losing some of its manic energy. “By the way, I will be settling with Mr. Garrett when I feel like it. He knows my rules and should have left you to suffer alone.”

“I agree that I should have been more considerate,” Ian whispers as he inches away from the glassy-eyed woman. She catches him by the wrist and runs her fingernail along his skin. “To be fair, I had no time to ask your permission when I followed you. When a person runs away upset, you don’t usually have a chance to say anything first. That’s still no excuse and all I can do is apologize until you forgive me.”

Clicking her heels several times, Dawn grinds her thumb into Ian’s flesh. “That sounds boring and not as effective as what I planned. If you really want to be friends then you need to prove yourself. Not only to me, but also to my unicorn who is embarrassed that you saw him in his vulnerable state.”

“Do you want me to get your unicorn some sugar cubes?”

“He’s diabetic now.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“How fast can you run, little puppy?”

“I never really thought about it.”

“The window might give you a chance.”

Dawn slides back into the room and goes to sit on the bed, her legs daintily crossed at the ankles. With a wicked smirk, she claps her hands over her head and makes the sound of a mournful wolf. Several faint footsteps can be heard in the hallway before Jeremy barrels through the door. Dawn gleefully squeals and bounces on the creaky bed while she watches Ian scramble out the first floor window. Blowing a kiss to her muscular lackey, the brunette hops to her feet and spins to the door. Seeing that Jeremy is still in the room, she waves him away and blocks the exit until he realizes that he should follow Ian.

“Mildly handsome, but not that bright,” Dawn says to herself while stretching her legs. She takes a deep breath and sprints down the hallway. “I need some help, Grace! Ian and Jeremy are trying to kill each other! I overheard them arguing and they went out the window. You better do something before somebody gets hurt. Remember that three of your patients think they’re lawyers and one of them is actually a judge. Raven’s Hold doesn’t want to be pulled into a lawsuit.”

The young woman hurries to get to the common room where the two men have carried their fight. Jeremy is sporting a badly bruised arm after Ian slammed the garden door on the limb, but he is still healthy enough to knock the smaller man around. The other patients stay against the walls while furniture is overturned and thrown. Ian is focused more on getting away and only throws a sloppy punch when cornered. Sucking at a split lip and running out of energy, his empty stomach goes numb with every shot that Jeremy delivers. A jab to his chest knocks him against the television that wobbles on its stand.

“Didn’t this-” Ian begins to say before he is tackled to the ground.

Battered and desperate, he grabs a nearby pillow to put under his head as his attacker attempts to slam his face into the floor. A playful giggle from Dawn gets both men to look at where she is jumping in the doorway. She licks her lips, which causes Jeremy to return to the fight and attempt to strangle his fellow patient. Delivering a solid kick to the groin, Ian gets free and makes a break for the hallway. He is almost at the doorway when an orderly with a stun gun shocks him in the chest. Another staff member steps around the twitching man to zap Jeremy, the larger man requiring a second dose of electricity to put him down.

“Take them to the solitary wing,” Dr. Rutherford orders while approaching Dawn. The blonde snaps her fingers at one of her employees and points at Ian. “Mr. Connors has not eaten in twenty-four hours. I will allow you to bring him a meal when he is able to keep food down. No utensils, so cut his meal before serving it. I will review the situation in the morning since this is Mr. Connors first transgression. On the other hand, Jeremy has been here many times before. I wonder if somebody is behind this fight. What do you think, Ms. Addison?”

“I promised Jeremy that I would do something fun with him if he beat up Ian,” Dawn replies with a casual shrug. She pats the doctor on the cheek and gives her a small hug before relaxing on the couch. “He brought it on himself. After all, I really don’t like being followed.”