Part 1
"I have a surprise for you honey", said the shapely woman in a Police uniform.
"Really?" I said, "are you going to get the long holiday week-end off?"
"No, but I can arrange it so you can be with me all weekend", she said with a smile.
I was a little taken back, you see my beautiful girl friend is a Police Officer at the State Mental institution for the criminally insane. "There is no way I could spend the week-end at the Hospital."
She smiled and said "You know when we first met and I told you about the hospital, how it operated, all of the old closed down parts, and the therapies they use on the patients, you said you would love to see it and experience it, well now you can! I just have to get you committed for the week-end."
"Commit me?" I said, "I don’t think I would like that on my résumé, what would they say at my office?"
She laughs. "Oh don’t be silly, no one at your work will know, we won’t check you in under your real name, and the records will disappear after your visit is over."
"We, we who?"
"I was having drinks with some of my closest friends from work and we started talking about if we could get someone in and out of the hospital safely. We decided we can, and I said you would love to do it, to see the inside of the hospital. I know how much you like reading about mental institutions and strange things like that."
"Ok you got me there, but I think I need some time to think about your offer, and why would your friends want do such a thing?"
"Well, one it will be cool to beat the system and also we think it will be fun to have our own little patient. We want to do some of the tests and treatments on a normal person and see how they react. But don’t worry no real pain or no electric shock therapy."
"Well I am glad to hear that. I’ll let you know tomorrow."
The next day I called Kelly and said I would do it. I had thought about all night, and I finally knew I had to try it. Kelly said with a smile "I knew you were going to say yes! Well I’ll let you in on the plan."
Kelly laid down her plan, it was like a military campaign. She had the schedules of her and her co-conspirers set up so someone would be around near by all of my hospital stay. Kelly’s friends included other police officers, nurses, and a Doctor, also they were all women (cool). Kelly told me she would have a file made up for me that show me as a psychological mess and I would have to be held in isolation most of the time. Kelly said the isolation rooms in the lock ward would be the safest place for me to stay, locked doors and only a few personal have access to the area. That made me feel better, and I asked if I was going to have to share a room?
She started laughing so hard her bra almost popped off. "Don’t be silly, your going to be in a locked room by yourself, strapped down to a bed, but don’t worry I’ll by checking on you a lot!"
I said that I was not really looking forward to being tied down all three days of my weekend.
"No way, we were going to see the whole hospital."
Kelly would not tell me any more of the plan, but she said I would be safe. "Trust me, you will have a great time."
The Mental institution week-end was just a few weeks away and Kelly said she had lots of work to do to make sure it was perfect for me.
One nice thing for me was the state hospital was about two hours from my town. Kelly and I would get together on the week-ends when she was not working. I had only met one or two of her work friends so I would not be spotted by anyone in the hospital as Kelly’s boyfriend, and Kelly said she had a trick or two up her sleeve, to keep me from being found out.
Well finally it’s Friday and the three day week-end is here! I took off from work and grabbed my pack with some clothes and tooth brush and drove up towards Kelly’s house and the mental institution. When I got to Kelly’s place I walk in and she told me that I wouldn’t need clothes and things, because the state would be taking care of all my needs for the rest of the week-end. I had no idea how right she was.
Kelly told me the use the restroom, take a shower, but before I did that, she told me I needed to cut my hair off and shave.
"Why?"
"That will make you unrecognizable to anyone who had seen you before, and after you shave your beard I am not sure that I will know who you are"
We both laughed. So there I was with the hair clipper shaving my hair to less than an inch long, and shaving off my beard. Kelly told me I could tell my friends and co-workers that I was painting over the week-end and got in and all over my head.
"That won't make me sound too smart."
"Ok then, tell them why you really shaved your head."
I said "You're right, because I spilled paint on my head" as I winked and Kelly laughed.
I must say I did look strange, I looked like a different person. I finished up with a shower. After drying off I walk out into the bedroom. Kelly had me sit down beside her on the bed and asked me one more time if I was ready and willing to go through with our adventure. I said yes, Kelly reminded me that people jobs are going to be on the line.
"I will be a good little mental patient."
"Well Alice", Kelly said, "time to go down the rabbit hole."
She handed me some boxers, a tee shirt and socks, I looked at her and she replied "State issue." As I was putting on the underwear and socks, Kelly walked back from her closet and showed me my new yellow jump suit. "This is the uniform that we transport patients in."
"I thought that the jump suits were all orange?"
"Orange is for inmates and yellow is for crazy’s." As she said that she turned around the jump suit and right there on the back it said STATE MENTAL HOSPITAL PATIENT. Wow there I was a minute later zipped up in the jump suit, I was starting to feel the magnitude of that I was about to do.
Kelly said she had just a few things more things to do, then we would take off for hospital. She grabbed a digital camera and told me to stand against the wall. I asked "What are you doing? Taking my mug shot?"
"As a matter of fact I am and stop smiling, no one smiles for their mug shot." Kelly took the shot then had me turn to the right, and she shot another one. As she was downloading the image to the computer she told me it would take a minute to photoshop it and print it out so she could stick it into “my patient record”. I ask if I could see my file she said yes. Kelly handed me a two inch thick folder. I was surprised how much information was in it, all of wrong of course, except my medical history and my height and weight. "You really put a lot of work into this." I said.
Kelly turned from the computer and with an enchanted smile on her face "Well you have been a very bad boy, in and out of mental hospitals all of your life and of course it is so sad that you are developmentally disabled, besides being crazy. Just remember you only have an IQ of 50, and that makes you moderately retarded, but close enough to severe retardation for our requirements."
"What! Why do I have to be developmentally disabled?"
"Well because you will need more supervision in the hospital, which means we can stay closer to you and besides we all can have more fun this way." Kelly lit up in a big smile and turned back to the computer. In a minute she was done. She had cut out and pasted the pictures in the folder. As we walked into the attached garage, Kelly handed me my jacket and a baseball cap. "Put these on, I don’t want to be seen driving a mental patient around", she laughed. We stepped into her car and drove off into the night.
As we drove Kelly ask me if I look at my name in the file. "Well I was so shocked about being mentally retarded that I forgot to look."
"Well Brian for the rest of your stay with us your name is Randy Murphy."
"Ok I said, how did you come up with that name?"
"Well I thought it would appropriate, because Randle Patrick Mc Murphy was the guy from One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. One guy who wasn’t really crazy but wanted to get into the mental hospital, I thought it fit."
"Kelly" I said, "you are too funny."
"I thought so too" she said as she smiled.
I saw the Hospital, built on top of the hill, cold and foreboding with two or three thousand acres of land around it. "This was the way they built them long ago, far away from the sane people."
As we passed the main gate I ask if we missed our turn.
"I can’t bring you in the front gate looking like this."
"What do you mean, I thought I was supposed to look like this to get in."
"Oh you’ll get in the front gate just wait and see." We turned off the main road on an old ranch road that skirts the hospital grounds. After a mile or so we pulled off and on to a dirt road that had a big sign stating “no trespassing State Hospital property” on a big steel gate. Kelly stopped the car and opened the gate with her pass key, and we drove on. About a quarter of a mile from the gate we stopped in a very dark and wooded area. "What now?" I asked.
"Well your ride will be here in a minute."
For the next few minutes Kelly would not tell me anything more, but she was very excited. I on the other hand was rethinking what I was about to do, entering a mental institution as a patient. It was about 10:30 when we saw lights coming our way. I was really starting to get nervous, but Kelly said it was ok it was my transport coming for me. A white van with state insignias on the doors and no rear windows stopped in front of us. Kelly told me stay in the car then walked over and greeted the female officers that got out of the van. Both were nice looking in there thirties. Kelly then waved at me to come over. As I started to walk over one of the officers said "lose the hat and jacket", so I dropped them in the car and walked over to the van.
Kelly introduced the two officers as Officer Adams and Officer Salazar. I knew Cathy Salazar, we had met at a Christmas party Kelly had last year, she was the only work friend at the party. I was given one last chance to back out, Kelly said once they had me set up for transport there was no backing out. I was very nervous, but I knew I could not give up the chance to experience, the loss of all control and life in the mental hospital. I said yes. At that moment Kelly gave me one of the best kisses of my life, and then said to the two officer’s "Package him up for transport." Before I could process what that ment officer Adams reached around from behind and bucked me in a leather belt. It had one D ring in front. Kelly told me it was a restraint belt used for transporting mentally challenged patients. But before I knew it I was wearing a pair of handcuffs that lead through the D ring in the belt and now I could not move my hands away from my waist.
As this was going on Officer Salazar had placed my legs in leg irons and was now attaching a chain from the middle of the leg irons and to my hand cuffs and locking it in place. I asked Kelly if this was really necessary. She said in a very sweet voice "Mr. Murphy you’re a very dangerous man to yourself and us and this is how all high risk patients are brought in", She was enjoying this way more than I thought she should. By this time I was told to stick my hands out and they both push tight fitting mitts onto my hands and I heard locks go click. I then realized that I could not open my hands. Officer Adams said the mitts would keep me from grabbing anyone or useing anything as a weapon. "I must say I feel safe now", I said. They all chucked a little. I was thinking what’s next, in less that one minute I was handcuffed and chained up, I could hardy wait to see what was next.
Well I did have to wait long. Kelly walked up to me with hypo in her hand. She said "The Doctor on my team knew you would be tense, so she wrote out a prescription for a drug that will calm you down. Besides it will give you that wild eye look all of our patients have" she said with a giggle. After she gave me the shot in my arm, she said she had one more prescription from the Doctor.
"What for?"
"Well Mr. Murphy you are retarded, and a lot of people that are developmentally disabled talk funny. So we wanted to make it easy for you to pull it off. That’s why I need to give you this shot, in and around your mouth and tongue. It’s like nova cane, but it lasts about 24 hours."
"Oh in for a penny, in for a pound", I said as I opened my mouth. I am not sure if Kelly is that good at giving shots (she does have medical training) or the other drug was taking effect, but I didn’t feel a thing in my mouth or tongue.
"One last item to put on you and then we can get you into the van" said officer Salazar. She pulled out a transport hood and placed it over my head. It was mesh netting from the top of my head to my eyes, and then it turns into a white thick padding. It was to keep me from biting or spitting on someone Officer Salazar said. My mind was reeling trying to taken all that happen in the last ten minutes, but then they opened the side door on the van, and I saw what I was going to be placed in next. After the normal door there was a cage door which opened to reveal two side by side chairs. The chairs look a little like space ship chairs or an electric chair, I was not quit sure which. The officers grabbed me and walked me to the van, between the drugs and the chains I was having a little trouble walking. Before I knew it I was placed in the chair and they started strapping me in.
One strap across the lap, two over the shoulders, and one on the lower legs. One thing was for sure, I was not going anywhere, but also all the belts locked with a key. I was thinking I hope they don’t crash in the pond on the way to the hospital, I would drown for sure. Officer Adams said "Head back" as she pushed my head against the head rest and pulled a Velcro strap around my head, pinning it to the head rest. Kelly snapped a picture of me all strapped in. Then Kelly said "Mr. Murphy how are you doing?"
I try to say I was fine, but what came out was "I,I, ammm ffinee." The shots to the mouth had worked, I could feel drool running down my face. They all laughed at my new manner of speech, and locked the cage door.
Kelly said "Well Mr. Murphy, It’s time for you to go where you belong. The mental institution for the criminally insane, I hope you enjoy it, I know we will", and with that she shut the door and told the officers to deliver the patient. The outside door slid shut and it was suddenly dark and I started feel like an object, a package. Again I asked myself what the hell was I doing, but there was no blacking out now. Like Alice in wonderland I was diving deeper into the rabbit hole.
Chapter 2 - The Commitment
The next minute the van was speeding on its way to the hospital’s main gate. Just as Kelly said I was going into the mental institution through the front gate alright, and now I was dressed up and trussed up to make my entrance. The two women didn't say much, or should I say they said nothing to me. I guess they were getting into their parts, or had they already started thinking of me as a real patient?
As we pulled through the massive gates and followed the road up the hill we passing by the visitors / main entrance and pulled around the building and up to what looked like a very large garage door. "This is the patients entrance" said officer Adams with a little dread in her voice. If she was trying to scare me it was working. Officer Salazar called by radio to the hospital dispatch and requested the door to be open. The heavy door started moving slow up. I could see through the windshield a little, but of course I couldn’t turn my head. The area we pulled into was large and empty except for two police officers and a nurse. I didn’t know if the nurse was part of Kelly’s group, the cops were guys so I knew there weren’t. I thought to myself it’s really starting now. Salazar turned back towards me while smiling and said "Here we go Mr. Murphy, its show time."
We all set in the van till the door was completely closed (not that I could get out on my own). When the door closed with a thud the women jumped out and came to the side door and opened it. The three other people walked up and one of the men asked what I was being admitted for. Officer Salazar had my file in her hand and said that for the time I was 5150 and being involuntary committed. "It seems", Officer Salazar continued "That Mr. Murphy here was in a group home in eastern part of the state, and he started tearing up the place. Sheriff’s had to tazer him the get in cuffs. Then the county hospital couldn’t control him so they had a judge write a court order to have him place here with us at state till they can get him a court date set and see if he is competent to stand trial."
I was thinking boy when Kelly makes up a stories she pulls out all the stops. The officer said "Well he looks pretty calm right now."
"Well they shot him up with 2cc of Ativan, but that was about four hours ago so we have to be careful. Let’s get him out of the van and into reception and get the admitting Doctor give him his check-in physical."
At this point I was hustled out of the van and through a set of double doors into a waiting room of sorts. I was placed on a bench that was bolted to the wall. They bucked me in with a locking seat belt, but they did not remove any of my other restraints. The nurse walked over to me to check on me. One of the male officer said "Don’t get to close to him."
She turned and said "I really think Mr. Murphy is very safe right now, please call Dr Amanda Smith, she’s on call tonight for night admissions."
At this point officers Adam and Salazar said that they were getting off work and walked passed me, both saying "bye-bye Mr. Murphy"
I think I heard a little laughter in there voices. Now I was scared, the two people who I knew were gone and the nurse had not given me any sign she was in on the deception. I was feeling very alone, and where the hell was Kelly? The nurse walked up to me again and asked me if I knew where I was. I thought well now I need to start acting like a mental patient, and with my best effort I said "I am not sure, am I in a hospital?" But of course it came out pretty bad, with my tongue and mouth all anesthetized.
"Yes, do you know why?", she said.
"No!"
"Did you know you tried to hurt people tonight?"
"I wouldn’t hurt anyone."
"That’s good. My name is Nurse Sally, I will be helping the Doctor give you a check up, ok?"
"Okey dokey!"
A call came to the reception desk that the Doctor would be there in two hours and for them to put me in a tight room and get me out of the heavy transport restraints. Nurse Sally told the officers to take me to holding cell C-1, she would grab a jacket kit and would meet us there. The two cops unlocked the belt holding me to the bench, and jerked me to my feet. They both had the look of ex-marines. The one wearing the sergeant’s stripes looked into my eyes and barked "I don’t want any trouble from you!"
I replied the best I could and said "Yes sir."
They proceeded to march me down a long hall that looked like something out of the 1950’s. I guess the state doesn’t like spending money on upgrades for crazy people.
As I was being marched down the hall I almost had to laugh. Its funny the same people that who put you in hand cuffs, leg irons and chains then get mad at you because you are not walking fast enough! The irony was thick. Well before I knew it I was standing in a room which I had only read about till now. I was standing in the middle of a small room with padded walls. A padded cell! Wow as all I could think, I believe I did mumble something undecipherable. The cops held me by the shoulders one on each side of me in the center of the room, which looked to be about 8 foot by 8 foot. Nurse Sally walked in the door dropped a couple of things on the floor and closed the door behind her.
"Ok Mr. Murphy the Doctor will not be able to look at you for a few hours and you had a long day. We are going to make a little more comfortable if you work with us, Ok?" Shaking my head yes, I was giving up on talking for the time being. To my surprise the officers took the chain off between my handcuffs and my leg irons. Next they removed the mitts from my hands and I wiggled my fingers. The Sergeant was standing behind me as the other officer removed my cuffs and the transport belt, but I think the Sergeant was ready to put a choke hold on me if I made a move. The next step was kind of nice the nurse walked up and started unzipping my jump suit, and stopped at my waist. She next pulled the top part of my jump suit down to my waist. Sally walked over and picked up the white looking thing on the floor and held it up and towards me. Oh my god it was a strait jacket, I have read about and dreamed of being put in one, this was too good to be true. I decided to pull back a little and mumble, just so they wouldn’t think I wanted this.
The nurse said "Don’t worry we are not going to hurt you", and the cops held me more tightly. They pushed both of my arms to the long white sleeves. The nurse held my arms out in front of me as the Sergeant started tighten down the straps in the back of the jacket. After I was cinched up, one at a time my arms were guided through the front strap that holds down the arms. Then the Sergeant pulled my arms around towards my back and buckled them down. This was wild I thought to myself I am in a maximum security mental institution being placed in a real strait jacket, and the people putting me in it are unaware of the charade. After they got me into the jacket, Sally started to pull down my jump suit, I jumped a little. The officers tightened there hold on me. The nurse looked let me and said that she was going to remove my jump suit and boxers, and place an adult disposable diaper on me. This is not what I had in mind when I checked in (pun intended). But I was not in position to control what was happening to me. The shorts when down and the diaper when on.
The next step was for the officer to remove my leg irons. He had to lift my jump suit and my boxers which were locked on me by the leg irons, as mother always said make sure you have clean underwear on when you leave home. After the leg irons were remove the sergeant had me step back off of my underwear and jump suit. Sally moved them away and set down some scrubs pants. Before I stepped forward on to the pants, the officer had placed two leather ankle restraints around my ankles. Then the nurses pulled up the pants and tighten the Velcro strap on the waist band. Sally said "Almost done", then grabbed two straps that hung off the bottom front of my strait jacket and handed them under my crotch to the Sergeant. I had not noticed them before, but the Sergeant pulled on both of then to tighten the jacket and I started to cry out. I am not sure but the Sergeant may have done that on purpose, but they readjusted the straps and the pain went away.
The officer locked my ankle restraint together so I could not walk. Sally told me to kneel down on my knees. As I did that the three of them lay me on my side. The nurse kneeled next to me and patted me on my side and said "Ok Mr. Murphy I want you to try and rest, get some sleep if you can. I’ll be checking on you to make sure your ok."
I said that I was scared, that people were trying to hurt me. I really wasn’t I was just getting into the act, I really was having a great time. "Its ok I will not let anyone hurt you Mr. Murphy." As she stood up the Sergeant asked if she was going to remove the transport hood. She said "No, in the file it says he liked to spit, so let’s just leave it on till the Doctor looks at him", and with that they all filed out of the room. The door shut with the eerie sound of tomb door closing. It was very quiet. I lay there on the floor totally amazed of what I was wearing and where I was. I soon realized that I could not move my arms or get on my feet. During all of this I wondered, where was Kelly? So guessing that is was after midnight, I decided I would try and to sleep, till the next stage of the process started. I lay there and fantasized but I could not sleep.
Chapter 3 - The Doctor is in.
Doctor Amanda Smith walked into patient reception area. She was in her white lab coat and her green scrubs and blond hair pulled back in a pony tail. "Sally what do we have lined up for tonight?" she asked.
"Well" Sally said as she picked up my file, "We have a male, 39, 225, 6’1, developmentally disabled, with paranoid schizophrenia, and did I mention that he was violent. He tore up his group home where he was living in, he thought the other patients were trying to kill him. At this time he is resting peacefully with 2cc of Ativan in him."
"Wow what a mess" the Doctor said as she took the file from Sally and started reading it. The other staff on duty barely looked up as Amanda read some of my case history out loud, they must have heard a hundred ones just as bad. "Ok, before we start call the on duty cop to help us with this guy, just in case."
Sally said "I’ll call Officer Kelly Erickson she’s on duty tonight."
I was shocked by the sound of the padded cell door opening. The Doctor walked up to me and kneeled down next to me. She said "Mr. Murphy my name is Doctor Smith, I will be your admitting doctor tonight. Do you know where you are?"
I said the best I could that wasn’t sure.
She said "That’s ok after the frontal-lobotomy you’ll feel fine."
I jerked back and start talking faster than my mouth would work, saying thing you can’t do that, and other more colorful things. At this point Dr. Smith stands up and starts laughing, and Kelly stepped in the room with a big smile. I said in my retarded voice "That’s not funny."
"Yes but you should have seen you face", and they both laughed. Kelly asked me how I was holding up. I said I was great! Dr. Smith went over with me that I always need to stay in my roll as a mental patient, unless I was told otherwise. She asked if I understood and I said yes. Dr. Smith said "Ok, well we have to put you through a little physical examination to admit you to the hospital."
"I said the Doctor and the cop knows best."
"After the check up we can get you bedded down for the night."
"I didn’t think I would be able to sleep."
Amanda said "Oh don’t worry we can take care of that", and they both laughed.
Kelly knelled down and rubbed me on my shoulder and asks if I need anything or had any questions. I said no I was just along for the ride. She smiled and said "You’re so silly. Ok team" Kelly said "back in to character."
Amanda said "You know Kelly that was a very good ideal about the shots in his mouth, it’s hard if not imposable for Mr. Murphy to be out of character."
I said "Very funny."
Kelly said "Ok Mr. Murphy we are going to unlock your legs and help you up on your feet."
I said "Ok-do-key." The next thing I knew I was back down the hall and in the examination room.
The nurse Sally joined us and together they helped me get up on the exam table. Kelly then relocked my ankles back together. Kelly and Sally started removing the strait jacket from me and my hood. As soon as I was out of the jacket they had me slide up on the table and lay down. Kelly and Sally, one on each side placed leather restraint cuffs on my arms, and locked me to the exam table. The nurse cut my tee shirt off me, by this time I didn’t say a word, I knew they were in control and were doing things as they always do. Dr Smith checked my heart and ran an EKG, looked down my throat and took blood. They really gave me a good check up. They also ran a mobile x-ray machine over my whole body. As all this was going on the Sergeant walked in and asked how it was going, they said that Mr. Murphy was not being a problem.
After he left the room, Kelly said softly in my ear "That’s one of the reasons we have to treat you like a real patient, because anyone can and will walk in."
I said "Okey dokey!" and Kelly smiled.
Amanda walked up to my side and told me because of “my condition” I would be spending a lot of time in restraints and she wanted to clean out my system with an enema. I looked at her and then looked at Kelly. Kelly said "It’s ok, it will make it easier on you, that way you won't be going to the bathroom in your disposable diapers, if we are not right there to get you to the rest room. I slowly nodded ok. They unlocked me and lead me to the wet room as they called it. It had an open shower area and a little side room with a metal chair with a toilet seat on it and a drain on the floor. I was not looking forward to this part of my treatment.
They removed my disposable diaper and set me down on the chair, locking my arms and legs down to it. Next the doctor told me that Kelly would place the enema probe in my behind. I said "Be gentle it’s my first time", and they all laughed. Kelly told me that this would be fast and painless. "The probe has an inlet hose and an outlet hose, so the warm water goes in and all the dirty water goes out the other hose into the drain in the floor." She put on the gloves and lubed the probe and me with KY jelly. Kelly positioned the enema probe, and I must say it was not as bad I as I had feared.
After a good cleaning out and enema, I was told that I also need to be fitted with a catheter. I ask if I had a choice and Kelly said no. I said "Let’s get it over with then." I had read about catheters and it sounded like it could be painful. Kelly put on a new set of gloves and started by lubing up the catheter tube, I must say it was as bad as I had read about. But Kelly was quick and after she was done inflating the balloon on the end of the catheter, she looked up at me and said "See Mr. Murphy that was not so bad, was it?"
I said I would live. "When do you plan on removing it?"
Kelly said "Not till you check out of the hospital." She next strapped a plastic bag on my leg and hooked up the hose to the catheter. Kelly said "Now you don’t have worry about wetting the bed" and smiled.
The doctor asked Sally to go get a wheel chair to move me to my room. A few minutes later the nurse came back with a wheel chair, "It is a special wheel chair for people with special needs" I was told by Amanda. My arms were locked, but not my feet and I was told to stand up as Sally wiped me off with something like baby wipes, and then replaced my disposable diaper. Kelly walked up to me with a funny looking hospital gown. I asked, “What was that” pointing at the thing in her hands.
Kelly smiled and said "This is your suicide watch gown, Mr. Murphy. We don’t want you hurting yourself, do we?" Sally helped her get me in it, the gown was sleeveless and had no buttons or zippers, just Velcro. They unlocked my legs and quickly moved me to the wheelchair, it reminded me of the chair in the van, because I was strapped down from head to toe, again.
Kelly asked "Mr. Murphy are you comfortable?"
I said "Okey-dokey."
Sally started pushing me with Kelly and Amanda by her side. Kelly said that they were going to take me to the locked ward and they would be taking me through the heart of the mental institution. I asked if I should stay silent as we went through the main part of the hospital?
She looked at me and smiled "Mr. Murphy you can say anything you want, because you’re completely insane. In fact at some point in your stay here you'll tell someone you do not really belong here." Then the three of them laughed.
I realized she was right I probability could say anything. I was down as being Paranoid Schizophrenic with hallucinations and delusions according to my patient record, and not to forget I am developmentally disabled. Yes, I am sure no one would believe anything I have to say.
The ride was going well. I tried to see as much as my field of vision would let me. It’s hard to see a lot when your head is strapped to the head rest. There where lots of dark halls due to the late hour, the nurse’s station were very quiet with only a few people manning them. The locked wards were out in the older parts of the hospital. We passed some more halls and Kelly said that they lead off to the hydrotherapy rooms and the morgue. She said I would be spending time in both places before I got released. The trip was uneventful with the exception of one of Sally’s friends, a nurse from east ward stopped us to ask Sally about the party she planning for next week. It was funny all the girls just started talking about the party, but there I was strapped in a wheelchair, to them I was just an object. I decided it was time to moan a little and Amanda said to the rest of them we have to get this patient to his room, and with that we were on are way.
We rolled down a long dark hall with doors on both sides, big heavy doors with one very small window. We stopped in front a the door marked isolation room I-13, Kelly pulled out a key that was 5 inches long and looked like an old jail house key from an old western movie. They rolled me in the room and with great speed had me out of the wheelchair and into the bed. Before my head hit the pillow Kelly had started locking me down in a 5 point bed restraint system. In seconds I was strapped down to the bed. One strap across my chest, one wide belt around my waist strapped to the bed, my hands in soft leather cuffs hooked to the wide belt strap, and ankles in leather cuffs strapped to the bed. Kelly checked her work and saw I was very secure.
Amanda said "Well Mr. Murphy you are now officially a State Hospital Mental Patient, how do you feel?"
I said "Very restrained." and they laughed. At this point the Doctor pulled out a hypo and said that we all where going to have big day tomorrow and this shot would help me sleep, as she pushed the needle into the side of my arm. Amanda said "We will be running you though a lot of evaluations tomorrow, and by the way we are going to leave now to get some sleep. I will leave orders for the night staff to call me if your condition changes. Mr. Murphy would like some water?"
I shook my head yes, Kelly gave a drink from sports bottle. I had a bad case of dry mouth, I am not sure if it was the shots I had been given or all the excitement of my adventure.
"We have given you all of the meds you need tonight so the only thing that the night nurse will check is your catheter bag. Any question Mr. Murphy?
I said nope.
"Well we will let you rest." As they started to leave Kelly touched my shoulder and moved her lips to said, I love you. I just smiled and kind of grunted. As they walked out of the door it closed like a door on a tomb. I could hear Kelly turning the big key and the locks dead bolt siding into place with thud I was locked in alright. The air was still, and heavy. I lay there (what else could I do?) and I went over in my mind how my life had changed in just the last few hours, but I realized that since I had no control, I did not need to worry about anything. I was just a crazy patient in a mental institution, and I fell into a deep sleep.