The Psychiatrist

Handcuffed to a chair sits a twelve-year-old boy. Dr. Scarborough sits back down in his office chair and dials the intercom to Angie’s office. “Yes, I knew about Dr. Whitney arriving this week, but I’m interviewing a new patient right now, so if you just want to show him the rounds that I normally do, that would be extremely helpful. What are you doing tonight?”

Angie’s cheeks turn rosy, and she chuckles, while Jasper stands next to her, listening to her speakerphone. She probably thinks he is asking her for a date, Jasper acknowledges and feels bad for her. “No, I actually don’t have any plans tonight…”

Before she can finish, he interrupts her. “Your availability is what I find very appealing in our professional relationship. I’m asking because I will need you to work a double shift, and also cover tonight. I don’t think the intern is ready for the responsibility yet, or better yet, why don’t you ask him to work with you? That settles it. I have work to attend to and will talk to you later this week. Thank you, nurse Ferndale.” He hangs up and removes the gag mouthpiece from his patient.

“Sorry about that, Eric. You know I can’t take risks, and turn my back to you, while you are not secured.”

“Why am I still handcuffed to the chair?”

“Oh, yeah, here, let me remove these for you,” the doctor says and uncuffs him. “You know, or might not, that our last overseeing psychiatrist was murdered while looking away from a dangerous patient in this office.

“Kids these days,” Eric laughs.

Dr. Scarborough had been the intern knocking on the same door years ago when Dr. Miles had been knifed down by his patient while he opened the door. This warning made him immediately aware of the occupational hazards.

“So, Eric, as you must be aware, all children sent to us come with a file of their past.”

“I wouldn’t know, basically it’s all lies, or maybe I just blackout, either way, I would have no idea what they are even talking about. You should give me another chance and make your own judgment.”

“Do you have any idea what’s in your files?”

“I was framed.”

“Who would want to hurt you?”

“A lot of people.”

“I’m asking you if there is a person in particular?”

“Probably my parents.”

“But you are only twelve.”

“I know, but it’s because I got her pregnant. I didn’t know. I didn’t know about sex a couple of years ago when this happened. It just happened.”

“It says here that she was your twin sister. So, you must have the same parents?”

“Not anymore.”

“Please explain that.”

“She has new parents now, wherever she went to. One day, she went missing, that’s all I know.”

“It says here that you drowned her in a river, then left.”

“No one saw that, so it’s probably not true, and it probably wasn’t my baby. She had many boyfriends. I don’t get what I’m even doing here.”

“But you said she had many boyfriends, so you know she’s passed away.”

“I don’t know because I never saw her body with my own eyes. I’m just saying that she had many boyfriends when I knew her.”

Dr. Paul Scarborough puts the file back into his cabinet. “You will be sharing a room with Randy who beat his baby brother to death. He has probably also forgotten by now since this happened several years ago.” He dials Angie, who picks up her walkie-talkie that she brought along to do the rounds. “One more thing, Miss Ferndale. Please, return to my office to show Eric to his room. He will be staying with Randy.”

“We will be right there, Dr. Scarborough.”

“Welcome to your new home, you may call me Angie,” she says and takes Eric by the hand. Paul shakes his head and immediately closes the door. A minute later, they hear a race car take off in the back.

“I know by the sound of the engine, Porsche 911 GT,” Eric comments as they walk down the hallway.

“Okay, here is your room,” Angie says and turns on the light.

“But there are no windows.”

“You are high security, so a window is not an option.”

“What am I possibly going to do to you? You are not for real. No one can live in this room.”

“You just sleep here,” Jasper adds.

“Still, where is my roommate?”

“He’s in therapy,” Angie responds after looking at her chart. “You will get to meet him at lunch.”

Eric puts his bag on top of his bed. “I’m ravaged. What are we having?”

“Let me look it up,” Angie sighs, “Today is imitation tuna sandwich. We’ll come and get you when it’s time.” She locks the door.

“Why does Paul want us to spend the night here?” Jasper asks as they walk into the next room.

“It sounds like he has a safety issue with that new kid, Eric, and doesn’t want to take any chances. Don’t worry, he’s like that every time we receive a new patient.”

The lunchroom is crowded with boys as young as five to as old as eighteen. “Why aren’t there any girls here?” Eric asks Randy. “Because we killed them all!” He laughs so hard his eyes are tearing and his food is visible to everyone. “That’s so wrong,” Eric responds while shaking his head and biting into the sandwich. “See Doug over there?” Corky asks Eric. “You mean the tall muscular guy with dark wavy hair? He looks older than eighteen. What is he doing here?”

“He’s sixteen. He ran away last year and was brought back, but I think they said they will let him go. He’s the one in charge. Whatever he tells you to do, you have to do.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, anything. If you don’t, then he might kill you.”

“How does he get away with it?”

“He just does. I think because he works in the kitchen, and he feeds the bodies to the coyotes.”

“You know this for a fact?”

“Maybe they think the missing kids ran away but they don’t want to make a big deal out of it and freak everyone out. Besides, no one wants us around, that’s why we are here, until we become adults.”

“Then what happens?”

“Then they decide if they should move you in with the adults or let you go. Usually, you have to have a home with an adult to take you back, for them to let you go. That’s what Doug has going on. His parents think he’s innocent, even though the cops think he killed his brother. But I think, I mean know that he has probably killed a lot of people. Sometimes, just for fun.”

“Come on, Corky, let him find out for himself!” Randy suggests.

“When he wants to hurt me, I usually do something suicidal, so I end up in isolation. At least I’ll live,” Corky explains.

Eric looks around and notices the two adults by the door. They couldn’t possibly know what’s going on with the twenty kids in the room. “Why is there a graveyard outside?” He asks while looking out the window.

“That’s for the kids who they know died here, but have no one to claim their bodies,” Jack explains.

“When you are done with your tray, you hand it back to Doug in the kitchen. Then you have break,” Angie announces.

“Break from what?” Eric asks. “Do they even have class here?”

“I doubt anyone cares if you pass a class here,” Jack responds and takes his tray to Doug.

Eric walks up to Angie: “When do I get my books and to meet the teacher?”

“This is the problem right now. We have many teachers that come and go here. It’s exceedingly difficult to keep staff, I’m afraid.”

“I get the idea, so no teachers?”

“When we have a new one, we’ll let you know.”

Doug grabs his tray. “That’s right, that’s why I’m in charge here.”

“Sure, but I probably know more than you do?”

“What did you say to me?” Doug says while giving him the eye.

“Oh, he didn’t mean anything by it,” Angie adds.

“Why don’t you help me in the kitchen, we have a lot of trays to clean. Maybe that will teach you about talking back? Don’t even worry about it. If I don’t get you now, I surely will later,” Doug threatens and points at Eric.

“Oh, cut it out, don’t threaten the patients here, that’s against hospital policy,” Jasper argues.

“I’ll let you go this time then, but you better watch your back,” Doug replies to Eric.

“That’s right, just let Doug take care of the dishes today. This is your first day here, and you still need to get to know the others,” Jasper says and walks away with Eric to the yard.

“There’s something I want to tell you,” Eric says while they are in the yard waiting for the other children to finish up their lunches.

“What’s the problem?”

“I don’t even know what I’m doing here. I was seriously set up. It’s true that I slept with my sister, but everyone else did too, and I did not kill her.”

“Okay, who did then?”

“My dad killed her. He drowned her in the bathtub when my mom told him she was pregnant. I heard her choke. He then said that he’s taking her to her real parents, but I think he tossed her in the river.”

“Why didn’t you tell the cops this?”

“Because my dad was there the whole time, I couldn’t.”

“Okay, I will ask that they look into it, okay?”

Angie comes outside with the other children. “Now we usually wait for Doug to finish the dishes, and then he organizes the sports activities since he is the oldest.”

“How come don’t you have regular caregivers and wardens here?” Jasper wonders.

“We normally do but these kids are very difficult, and they get injured, often brutally, but we are constantly hiring and training new people like yourself.”

One of the kids kept his tray and is trying to crack the skull of another inmate until Jasper gets it away from him. “The trays go back to the kitchen, these are not toys,” he explains and takes it back to Doug.

Doug finishes up and joins the others outside. “My parents are picking me up today, so you’ll have to find someone new to clean your trays and lead recreation. I’m out of here!”

“What a shame, Doug, I was really looking forward to getting to know you better,” Eric sighs.

“You didn’t mean that, right?” Randy wonders and slaps his arm. “No, I’m just messing with him.”

Doug takes his apron off and tosses it to Eric. “Am I next in line?” Eric asks Angie.

“You are kind of new, but I think that Jasper should teach you the kitchen because we can’t have no one in charge there. Don’t worry, everything is delivered daily prepackaged and then you put each meal on a tray. It’s amazingly easy. After the meal, you rinse the trays.”

“Do I have to do breakfast, lunch, and dinner?”

“Yes, it will help you grow into a responsible adult.”

Jasper checks out Doug to his parents and they drive off with him in the backseat. They drive a couple of miles and Doug can feel his stomach moan for real food, and not the plastic-covered sandwiches they eat for breakfast lunch, and dinner, like pancakes with a lot of cream, syrup, and fruit.

“Mom, can we stop at a diner, I’m so hungry for real food.”

“I’m surprised that you still remember what it tastes like after four years,” his dad laughs while his mom keeps driving silently in the seat in front of him.

“They let you out because we arranged a job for you with a motorcycle company. I really thought you would enjoy that.”

How my mom doesn’t even know me, and especially how I would like to kill her right now, Doug thinks as they pass by a diner without stopping. He looks through his bag and finds a comb then presses the sharp end at the back of her neck. “Next time you see a diner, I want you to drop me off and give me all your cash, or I will surely stab you in the neck, you bitch.”

“I only have about eight dollars on me,” Bob, his dad explains.

“I only have three dollars,” his mom, Jean, responds.

“Who the hell gets by on that?” Doug cries and presses the comb in harder. “There’s a diner, just pull me over and let me out!”

His mom, Jean, pulls over, and they empty their wallets, but they wait outside for him to order. “Let’s get him right before he starts to eat,” Bob, suggests.

“Do you want me to call the cops on my son? What if I just call the manager?”

“Okay, okay, I can do that.” Bob dials his friend with the PD: “Hi, John, please do me a favor, and come to the One-Stop Diner. Doug just robbed me of a few dollars so he can feed himself.”

“I didn’t know that he was released.”

“We just picked him up, and he’s not listening to us, so do me a favor, come by now and arrest him in front of everyone, then take him outside and put him back in my van, but please hurry.”

“Fine, I’ll be right there.”

Just as the food is brought out, Doug watches the blinking sirens on the police car approach, and hurries to eat, but before his second bite, he’s handcuffed and brought out to his parents.

“You need to get back into your parents van, son, and this is your final warning,” John explains.

They drive quietly back, and Doug shows up at his motorcycle sales job the next day. The manager is impressed by his appearance which is the image they want to portray. A potential customer arrives, and Doug asks the manager for the keys to start it up. “While you leave your driver’s license at the front desk, I’ll pull it out for you, so you can take it for a spin around the block,” Doug says and pulls out the bike, but gee, this feels so good. The temptation takes over and he drives off to Las Vegas.

The manager calls Bob: “Your son just drove off with one of our most expensive bikes. How do you plan on paying for it?”

“I figured that would happen. Let me get one of my credit cards, hang on!”

Doug laughs as he drives down the highways. I’m getting laid tonight, he tells himself and lets the music blast. He can sense the ladies slowing down to check him out but doesn’t give them the time of day. Instead, he focuses on his ride and doesn’t stop until he needs gas. When he makes a stop at a Las Vegas gas station, a car pulls up from the other side. Not just a car but a creamy white luxury vehicle, a new Cadillac. Out steps a blond with all the right surgery and a beautiful low-cut silk dress. The wind hugs it against her body and leaves little for the imagination while her piercing blue eyes check him out. She is twice his age but doesn’t care because her world is about nothing but selling herself. He doesn’t see that in her, and it surprises her how he admires her instead, not realizing, it seems like, that she is a professional. While she pumps the gas, he wonders if she’s interested in him and why. She looks away after he can’t take his eyes off her, as he decides to approach her.

“Do you think you could tell me if you know of a lucky lady, who would like to join me at the poker table tonight?” Doug had to sound high class, and he’s glad that he had an opportunity to also bring along the cash bank deposit bag before leaving. Not that this deposit will make it into the Hot Rides bank account, but instead, he will make sure to gamble with it, in this lady of the night’s honor. “Let me get that for you,” he says and returns the pump. He is impressed by her manicured hands and would like to feel them all over himself tonight. They look into each other’s eyes.

“I’m Chandra by the way. I was born and raised here.”

“Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to suggest anything, ma’am, I’m Doug.”

“That’s fine, any suggestion goes here in Vegas,” she says and gets into her car. “Is that ride of yours hot, because I don’t want any trouble?”

“I’m all trouble,” he laughs and returns the pump from the bike gasket, “but I’ll take care of you, so don’t you worry about all the tiny details,” he teases while getting back on his bike. “I’ll see you at the MGM tonight, don’t let me down, lucky lady!”

The MGM is crowded while Doug looks around for his partner. If he walks in with a lady, they won’t bother him about his age. He looks about twenty-two, so he usually gets away as an adult, even though he just turned sixteen. Dressed in a black sequin dress, she approaches him with a catwalk, and he suddenly feels the urge to conquer and protect her, even marry her. “Thanks for showing up,” he says and picks up winning cards repetitively. I knew it, this is my lucky lady. It’s late and they cash out.

“So, you are a professional gambler?” She asks and gently touches him.

“Something like that,” he replies. He pays for the room, and she undresses into fine lingerie and introduces him to cocaine. He loves it and is now committed to killing for her. They make out for hours and she spends the night, but at four in the morning, she gets up. “Oh, my pimp will kill me if he found out that I spent the night with someone who is not a trick.”

“Oh no, don’t worry lucky lady, I’m going to kill him right now. Where is he?”

“My name is Chandra.”

“I know, I’m in love with you, and I will never leave you, you’re safe now. Forget about other tricks, I’m your man now. You like me, don’t you?”

“I’m equally excited about you. I’ve been thinking about meeting someone and settling down. I might make exceptions though if they pay enough. I hope that doesn’t hurt your feelings?”

“No, it does, I will pay you to be with only me. I don’t want our children to have a hooker for a mother: But for now, I just need to take care of that pimp of yours. I honestly can barely wait.”

“Children? Are you serious? Okay, I guess it’s time to retire. Maybe we can be pimps to cover my repeats.” She writes down the address for him on the hotel notepad while he pulls his clothes on and runs out of the hotel room. He stops by a pawn shop and picks up a gun then walks right into the penthouse address. The pimp is in bed, fried on heroin and meth. “Oh shit, I thought you were my girl, who the hell are you?”

“I’m taking Chandra off the streets.”

“Okay dude, don’t shoot me, just let me go.”

Doug tries to shoot the loaded gun, but it’s jammed. He tries over and over while the pimp is sweating and crying in his bed. “Looks like luck is with you,” Doug says and leaves.

Doug leaves the penthouse and gets on his bike, but the pimp gets in his Cadillac and chases after him. He thought that was Chandra’s car, but she must have returned it before going to the MGM so he wouldn’t find her.