Chapter 22:

*LUNA'S POV:

I'm now on my second week into the program. Getting up was becoming much easier; I'm not much of a monster anymore. I decided on a simple maroon dress today with flats to match, wearing my hair and makeup pretty much the same per usual. I threw my lunch in my bag that held my other necessary belongings and headed out with Mom. Carpooling was easier for the both of us.

I noticed new things on the ride to and from the hospital. Only little things, like a tree or the cracked window of an old barn. I've seen Susan and Wayne quite a few times outside their house, but I never saw Eddie. I was tempted to jump out of the moving car and ask them questions, begging and pleading for them to let me see him, but I wanted to respect Eddie's decision. (Plus, I knew that I'd end up injuring myself pretty badly if I actually did jump out of a moving vehicle. I'm not exactly coordinated enough to be a stuntman.)

The guards didn't even question my mom and I anymore since we were regulars. Mom pulled up to the entrance and I gave her a quick goodbye before hopping out of the car and up the set of stairs. Putting my ID card up to the scanner, I heard a click of the door. After opening it and sliding through with ease, I greeted Carly at the front desk.

"Dr. Collins is running a little late today, Audy. She said you could either head down to her office or the kid's room. Honestly, though, none of the kids are here right now."

"Alright, I'll head down to her office then. Thanks Carly." I waved.

"No problem, hun." she said, continuing her paperwork.

I slid my ID card to open the next set of doors, walking down the usual workers wing and to the office. I set my bag in the usual spot, grabbing my notebook, pen, and phone. I had split up a large notebook into two sections: notes and entries. The front half of the notebook is where I had my questions and answers, and the second half is where I wrote diary-like entries of my days here. I flipped to the journal part and started a new passage.

"Ah, good morning, Miss Goodman. I'm sorry I'm late, my car wouldn't start." Dr. Collins said, entering the room.

"Oh it's fine, I just got here, too." I shrugged, flipping back to my notes section.

"What's on the agenda for today?" she asked, glancing down at her annotations. "Let's see, you've adjusted very well with the kids. They absolutely adore you! And you've met some of the teenage patients, correct?"

"I've met quite a few, yes. I've met all the children as well."

"Thank you for the refresher. You can probably start appearing in the cafeteria and recreational room right about now. It's really not that much of a difference. You'll be fine." she said, scribbling something in her notes. "So, anything you'd like to discuss today? A certain topic or question, perhaps?"

I've been wanting to ask millions upon millions of questions about Eddie, but never found an opportunity that flowed into the conversation smoothly. I guess now could be my chance. "Yes, actually." I answered, flipping to a certain page in my notebook. "I'm gonna try to explain this without it getting confusing, so my apologies if that occurs."

"Go ahead, I'm listening,"

"I- let's say I have this friend, and this friend just randomly started showing behaviors that he's never shown before." I started, "I'd like to try and understand what the problem is, but he doesn't know either. I'd love to hear your thoughts."

"What's going on with this said friend?" she curiously asked, leaning forward and placing ty and elbows on the desk.

"I know him like the back of my hand; we're really close and have been for years. I know his quirks and his personality and everything, so when things got different, I noticed─he noticed. It started out with these horrible night terrors, and the random waves of nausea, like he would just feel like he had the flu in the middle of summer. It gradually increased into hallucinations, disorientation, violent outbursts, etc. The slightest things would set him into a fit of rage and he's not an aggressive person whatsoever. And when these things happen it's like he wasn't even there. He recalls nothing unless he's really good at denying."

"What kind of hallucinations does he encounter?"

"Um, I- I don't know exactly know. I think I've heard him say that he sees a dark, shadowy man. He'll sometimes talk to him, too."

"Is it mostly a negative banter?"

"I believe so."

"You said violent outbursts. What are those like?" she asked.

"It's like he's a whole different person, like I swear his eyes change colors. He's such a sweet and caring boy when he's alright, but when he has an episode. . .it's terrifying. He gets physical; he'll harm people close to him without even flinching. He's a strong guy and is so easily capable of a lot of damage."

"What makes him stop?"

"Halfway through, he'll stop─like something in him clicks and he realizes what he's doing."

"How does he react?"

"Depending on where the situation is at, he'll start crying. Again, he doesn't remember anything, but experience has proven that it's usually not good so he just assumes he did the worst and get upset. He'll back up and constantly apologize over and over again. It's genuine, it truly is genuine."

She nodded, taking in all of the information I gave her.

"I- To me it sounds like he has the same─"

"The same illness as your grandfather?" she finished. I nodded. "From what you've told me about him, a lot of the symptoms fit into that puzzle, yes." My heart sank. "The only way to find out is to see if this friend can officially be diagnosed. There are tests that he would go through in order for us to come to that conclusion." she explained, flipping through papers. "I suggest that you persuade this friend of yours to see a doctor."

"It's upsetting to see him like this. . .it's like he has a completely different side. Almost like he's a different person."

"Well, it almost sounds as if he has certain aspects of schizophrenia and identity disorder. There's a disorder for multiple personalities that is distinctly different from schizophrenia."

"Oh, god," I muttered, not receiving any relieving information

"I'm sorry if the facts aren't pleasant, but it's the truth. I have many books and articles on those two if you would like to read them. Maybe if you can get a better understanding, then you can decide for yourself." Dr. Collins said, digging through her drawers. She pulled out two books and a few articles.

"Thank you."

"Of course," she smiled, grabbing a yellow highlighter. "I'll help you find some real information later. For now, let's head out onto the floor, shall we?"

I followed her out of the office and down the hallway. She grabbed the clipboard for the older patients wing and guided me to follow her. "You can peek in some of the rooms if you'd like. There's one patient in particular I want you to meet."

I looked in through some of the doors, mostly seeing sleeping or bored patients just moping around. Dr. Collins called me over from one of the farther rooms. I caught up to her and tried peeking at the clipboard to see if I could see any information. She opened the door and motioned me to enter. There was an elderly woman sitting in a wooden rocking chair. I waved hello and waited for Dr. Collins to enter.

"Good morning, Hazel! How's today going for ya?" Collins asked, walking over to the window to open the curtains.

"I'm doing good, pretty good." Hazel answered. "Who's this young lady?"

"Hazel, this is Luna. She's a student of mine here."

"Hello, Hazel. It's nice to meet you." I smiled, waving again.

"Nice to meet you, too." she chuckled, rocking back and forth.

"Whatcha want for lunch today, Hazel?" Dr. Collins asked, straightening up the room. This room had some differences from the other rooms I've been in, but it was a nice atmosphere for a woman like her.

"I dunno," she shrugged.

"How about some brunch? You like brunch. We'll give you that."

"Okay," she answered, staring at the television.

I studied Hazel. Her hands were wrinkly, along with the rest of her skin. She wore the usual garments with a thin cardigan to cover her top half. Big glasses sat on the bridge of her nose and her white hair fell in mangled curls. She looked like a typical grandmother─one that would back cookies and stuff you with delicious food every time you were at the house.

"You're a pretty young lady, what's your name?" Hazel asked, smiling at me.

I was a little confused when she asked because Dr. Collins had recently answered that question. I answered anyway, thinking maybe it was a reason she was in this hospital. "I'm Luna, I'm one of Dr. Collins' students."

"Oh, are you? You remind me of my granddaughter."

"Really? What's her name?"

"Uhmm. . ." she hesitated, "I can't think of it."

"Wasn't it Demi?" Dr. Collins asked.

"Oh, yeah. That's what it was." she nodded.

"Well, we're gonna leave now, Hazel. But we'll come back around lunch time with your food, alright?"

"Okay." she sighed. "Come back."

"Oh, Luna and I will, hun." Dr. Collins said, grabbing her clipboard and guiding me out of the room.

"Dementia," she started. I nodded, knowing that explained the name question. "It's not that she needs to be in here or anything. Her family emitted her here about a year or two ago after her husband passed. We all think they wanted to get rid of poor Hazel because they haven't visited or returned messages. They pay her bills, though, so. It's sad; she talks about her family and old memories all the time, and then they just go and leave her here? Pretty low if you ask me."

"You don't want to put her in a nursing home?" I asked.

"She has a bad case of sundowning a lot."

"That's awful," I frowned, "Does she ask about them?"

"She'll ask questions and we'll give her answers, but she forgets about it later on." Collins shrugged. "So let's go get her lunch since she hasn't been able to get to the cafeteria easily. Would you mind spending some time with her? Sometimes the faculty doesn't have time to and honestly, she's lonely. You'll be completely safe with her. I promise."

"Yeah, that sounds perfectly fine. I love old people."

"You love children and old people?" Collins chuckled, "Anything else you adore?"

"I love animals. Mostly dogs."

"That doesn't surprise me."

"I could definitely be a vegetarian if it weren't for chicken. A vegan, no. A vegetarian, yes."

The two of us walked to the cafeteria and into the kitchen. The staff had already made a cart full of food, which I'm guessing was for the patients who didn't want to or can't get to the eating hall. I grabbed the handle on the cart and followed Dr. Collins back down the hallway to deliver the meals. She let me deliver some of the plates, while for others she had me stay in the hallway. The last meal on the table was for Hazel, so I grabbed it and waited for it to be opened.

"I'll be back later to help collect the dishes. I want to look into something, so stay here with Hazel, okay?"

"Okay," I smiled, walking through the door.

Hazel was the way we left her a few minutes ago, just rocking back and forth in her chair. "Hello, Hazel. It's Luna."

"Oh, hello, deary." she smiled.

"I brought you lunch. It looks delicious, I might steal some of it." I laughed, pulling her eating table in front of her. I placed the food on the table and handed her the plastic fork. She began eating, humming in satisfaction. "Is it good?"

"Mhm," she nodded, "but I could do better."

I giggled at her snarky comment. "What can you make?"

"All kinds of food. My husband worships the ground I walk on when I make him meals. Paul loves his food. That's the trick, honey. You know what they say? The way to a man's heart is through his stomach!"

Hazel started to tell me all of these stories about her past and her family. I always found it intriguing how people with dementia could retell tales from decades back but couldn't recall what they did seconds ago. She told me stories about herself when she was my age, stories about Paul, and even stories about past pets. The way her eyes would light up when she mentioned certain things seemed magical.

"They'll be back soon─my family. They went on vacation. They didn't want an old coot like me to embarrass them." she said.

"Is that right? I'd take you on vacation. You wouldn't embarrass me."

"I probably would in front of a bunch of boys that would be standing in line for a nice girl like you."

"Well, you wouldn't have to worry about that. I already have a boyfriend." I smiled.

"Really? Oh, good. He better be treating you well or I'll knock his teeth out."

"Hazel!" I squealed, causing both of us to engage in laughter. "He's very good to me. There's no need for that."

"Good. I remember when Paul used to threaten people if they tried to touch me. I was a fox back in the day, L. . ."

"Luna," I finished.

"Luna, yes. Anyways,"

So again, Hazel told me all of her dating stories with Paul. How he would take her to dinner, dances, parks. How he proposed, where they got married, and all that. I've always loved hearing people's stories, so I wasn't the least bit bored.

Dr. Collins stood in the doorway. "I heard some laughter from outside. Are you two throwing a party in here?"

"No," Hazel answered, winking over at me.

"Mhm," Collins smiled, pursing her lips. "Did Luna keep you company?"

"Yes, she's a very good listener." she answered.

"Well, we have to go now, okay? Luna will visit again soon."

"Okay. Don't go on that vacation without me!"

"I won't, I'd never do that to you. I'll tell you when I book the cruise, okay?" I half smiled, feeling as though my heart was shattering to pieces right then and there.

When Dr. Collins closed her door, I almost yelled, but I kept my composure. "How could they do that to her? She has done nothing to them and they just leave her here to rot?"

"It's rough, but once you learn all of your patients stories, hers is one of the more pleasant ones. Some people aren't as caring towards others as you and I are."

"It makes me so angry that they would abandon her. She was telling me every single story she could think of and the way her eyes glowed and her smile and her skin and just─"

"I know, Luna." Dr. Collins sighed, patting me on the shoulder. "Let's go to lunch. Maybe eating calms your nerves like it does mine."

"Trust me, it does."

"And after that, we'll visit someone else that may be able to help your friend situation."

***

She led me down the office hall and stopped in front of the adolescent wing. "I was looking at our patient records and found someone that might be able to answer questions about your friend. He's self emitted, claiming to be a danger to himself and others. We ran some tests and we're monitoring him. He has some of your friend's out of the blue symptoms."

"Oh, great. Maybe it's like a new thing since someone else has it." I said, almost somewhat relieved. She led me down the hall and in front of the boy's room. I was organizing my thoughts and questions as she knocked and opened the door. She motioned for me to enter, and I braced myself to look professional.

But as I looked into the room in front of me, my notebook and pen slipped from my fingers, and I thought that I would be seeing today's lunch again.

"Luna, I'd like you to meet-"

"Eddie?"...................................................A/N: Ok, yeah, wow, how cliché of me to do that.

BUT COME ON. I MEAN NOW IT'S A PARTY AM I RIGHT?!

Obviously most of you saw this coming because my writing sucks and I'm just that predictable.

SO AGAIN, I APOLOGIZE IF YOU WERE BORED THE LAST CHAPTER, BUT HEY, EDDIE'S BACK! Or is heeee?

So hopefully now everyone won't be bored. It gets pretty bumpy now.

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xoxo