Tentyrian Legacy (8 page)

Dr. Raad had been taking his first in-depth
tour of the Silver Hill lab when he saw Ari’s scan on the light
box. He immediately pointed out the abnormal thickness of the
neural bridge and requested Ari’s file. Dr. Wilson, Ari’s primary
doctor and director at the hospital, agreed it was an interesting
find but remained convinced her previous diagnoses remained
accurate. After all, Ari’s medication worked before to treat her
schizophrenia and cluster headaches. It was her not taking the
medication, as indicated by the toxicology reports, that was the
catalyst for her episode.

Ari hated Silver Hill. The mental noise she
experienced was excruciating. With patients, nurses, orderlies, and
doctors surrounding her, the voices in her head increased tenfold.
Not even the walls of her private room could keep them out. On top
of it, Ari was pumped full of drugs, and she felt like she was
sleepwalking while a constant buzzing played over loud speakers.
She felt numb as she went through the motions of answering the
doctors’ questions and interacting in her group sessions. It was a
constant struggle to stay focused and to not give in to the
hysteria that was building in her mind.

Ari felt sad for the people around her. In
many instances, they were worse off than she. There was one woman
who used to be the perfect housewife—that was until the stress of
four children and a cheating husband sent her into a spiral of
depression and an unsuccessful suicide attempt. There was one boy
in her therapy group, not much older than her, who suffered from an
oxycodone addiction. And then there was her lunch companion who
saved her a seat every day. He was around thirty and had Tourette’s
syndrome, in addition to an imaginary friend. Ari was amongst a
bunch of misfits—even she didn’t belong.

Surprisingly, Silver Hill was beautiful. It
had acres of rolling lawns, gardens, and trees. The rooms and
hallways were immaculate, and the staff was pleasantly mannered.
But the environment was choking Ari. With every day that passed,
she felt she was one step closer to losing touch with reality.

Ari refused to speak about what happened with
her physics teacher to the doctors. In the days leading up to her
parents bringing her to Silver Hill, she tried desperately to
explain what happened. But her father wasn’t around to explain it
to and her mother simply didn’t believe her. In her mandatory
therapy session with her parents and doctor on her first day, they
discussed her as if she weren’t even in the room. She was
invisible. The truth was irrelevant.

Ari was feeling that invisibility again as
she sat in another session with her parents and Dr. Wilson.

“Arianna, now that you have had time to
reflect on what has happened, do you understand how important it is
that you take your medication?” said the tight-faced doctor as he
pushed his rimless glasses further up the bridge of his nose. He
waited expectantly for Ari to answer.

“I understand that to you I am a lab rat. And
to my parents I am a problem,” she replied bluntly. Ari heard her
mother gasp at her uncharacteristically bold words, but it didn’t
stop her. “The medication I have taken on and off for over ten
years doesn’t work. So no, I don’t understand!”

Ari could see her father’s eyes fixated on
the black and white clock that hung beneath the crown molding. He
was probably counting the seconds until he could get back to the
office. Her mother, on the other hand, was fuming.

“After everything we have done for you,
Arianna! How can you not understand? And where are your manners?
Please apologize to Dr. Wilson,” scolded Gloria.

“No, I will not apologize,” Ari replied
defiantly.

“If I may interrupt,” said Dr. Wilson.
“Arianna, I sense that you are angry. Can you tell us why?” he
asked.

She stared at his white coat embroidered with
his name. The prefix “Dr.” gave him all the power that mattered. He
could keep her there forever. She should have controlled her
temper, she silently chastised herself. If she had any hope of
leaving, she would need to appease them.

“Dr. Wilson,” she said apologetically, “I’m
sorry. I’m not angry. I’m just tired. I feel upset because no one
will tell me how much longer I am staying here.” Ari was ashamed at
how pathetic her voice sounded. “I need to speak with your parents
about that, but before I do, would you like to stay here, Arianna?”
Dr. Wilson asked. She could almost see the dollar signs in his
eyes.

“No,” she replied. “I want to get back to my
dog and my life.” Whatever sad life she had, Ari thought.

“Arianna, you can’t get back to your life
until you realize how important it is that you take your medication
and come to terms with your anger at your illness. You said
yourself that you don’t think your medication works and that you
are a ‘lab rat,’” said the doctor. “Can you tell us more about
that?”

What else was there to tell? Breathe,
breathe, breathe, she chanted silently.

“Dr. Wilson, I’m not angry about my illness.
I accept it. I just want to go home. I’ll take my medication. I
promise.” Ari felt the hard shell she put around her begin to
crack. She knew she sounded desperate— but she couldn’t take it
much longer. The knot in her throat was rising and threatened to
burst into a sob.

“I misspoke, Dr. Wilson. Sometimes it feels
like the medication doesn’t work. I am feeling much better, though,
since I got here,” she lied. “And it’s just that I’m undergoing so
many tests all the time. Can’t you understand that I’m tired of it?
I’ve been poked and prodded with needles and machines since I was
little.”

“I hear how you feel, Arianna. I’d like to
talk more about this. I think we can make some real progress
together,” answered Dr. Wilson like a robot reading a script. The
lack of feeling made Ari wanted to slap him. The doctor then turned
to her parents and asked them if they could speak privately.

“Arianna, we are going to go back to my
office. You are welcome to stay here or return to your suite,” said
Dr. Wilson. She knew they were going to decide her fate, which was
clearly out of her hands.

“I think I’d like to go for a walk outside,”
said Ari in a detached voice. The inevitable outcome was
sealed.

“We’ll have things wrapped up in forty
minutes or so. I’ll send a nurse to get you. Please stay on the
main pavilion,” replied Dr. Wilson as he escorted her parents out.
Ari stared after them as they walked down the hall to Dr. Wilson’s
office. They didn’t even say good-bye. No, “We’ll see you in a few,
sweetheart.” Ari left the therapy room that was wallpapered with
peach floral. She expected some people found the walls soothing.
She found them disgusting. In fact, the whole situation she was in
disgusted her.

Ari pushed open the doors to the pavilion
with a frustrated shove. It was warmer now, but April’s showers
left the beautiful grounds looking soggy and muddy. A few patients
strolled about, and a small group played croquet. Ari looked for a
place to be alone. She sat on an iron bench next to the fountain of
stone water nymphs. She hoped no one would talk to her. She would
normally find the fountain beautiful as the nymphs embraced each
other and water spouted from the urns they held. But today, she
felt too jaded.

As water from the fountain flowed into the
waiting pool of koi carp, Ari felt hot tears trickle down her
cheeks. She had never felt more alone. It was as if she really were
crazy. If she were to scream at the top of her lungs, no one would
really hear her. That pervert Howard probably had a fat check in
his pocket, while she was stuck in a hospital filled with anorexic,
drug-dependent, and mental people. What upset her most was that her
parents repeatedly ignored her explanation of what happened. They
just wanted it to go away, like her.

In that moment, Ari determined to cut her
parents out of her life. She would never forgive them. It was true
she never liked them, but up until now, they were tangentially part
of her life. She tried to be a part of the family and at times even
wanted to. Ari had even accepted their obvious lack of love because
she believed she was to blame. Not anymore.

While Ari was resolving her hatred, her
parents and Dr. Wilson discussed her situation. As Dr. Wilson was
explaining the benefits of the Transitional Living program—where
Ari could live at Silver Hill on an extended basis—a knock
interrupted their conversation.

“Excuse me, Dr. Wilson. I knew you were
meeting with Arianna Parker’s parents today, and I wanted to
introduce myself.” It was Dr. Raad. The golden-skinned doctor in
his early fifties ignored the obvious look of displeasure on Dr.
Wilson’s face. He strode in confidently and extended his hand to
Gloria and Walter.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Dr. Raad
said. “I apologize for interrupting, but I wanted to offer my
opinion on your daughter’s case.” “Well thank you, Dr. Raad. We
were just discussing next steps regarding her treatment. We were
talking about enrolling her in the Transitional Living program,”
Gloria replied, flashing a demure smile. It wasn’t beyond her to
flirt with a handsome doctor.

“Dr. Raad is the neurologist who reviewed
Arianna’s brain scans,” said Dr. Wilson begrudgingly. He hoped to
have Ari’s admission forms signed and twelve months of treatment
fees on his desk by the end of their meeting, which Dr. Raad was
apparently determined to derail. A wrinkle creased Dr. Raad’s
forehead when Gloria mentioned the program.

“That’s very surprising,” said Dr. Raad.
“I’ve been over Arianna’s file thoroughly, and I would think so
intense a treatment program would be unnecessary. With the
exception of her recent mishap, Arianna appears stable and quite
bright. A permanent living situation here seems needless. Her IQ
tests indicate she is already capable of learning at college-level
curricula, and her interview transcripts show her ability to
empathize and communicate clearly. I think it would be a grave
mistake to keep Arianna here when we risk derailing her schoolwork
and isolating her further. My understanding from the nurses and her
group therapy counselor is that in the short week since she
arrived, Arianna has become more withdrawn and deeply unhappy. I
would like to interview Arianna in person. However, my access to
her has been . . . let’s say . . . limited.”

The two doctors eyed each other with
contempt. Dr. Wilson wouldn’t allow Dr. Raad to see Ari personally
and even forbade him from joining the meeting with her parents. But
Raad was not going to let Wilson subject a patient to an endless
treatment program that would likely do nothing. Raad needed more
time to analyze Ari’s case and what was happening with her neural
bridge. It could be the key to making her better.

“Mr. and Mrs. Parker, it is entirely possible
that Arianna is not schizophrenic, despite her symptoms,” Dr. Raad
said plainly. Dr. Wilson looked apoplectic while the Parkers looked
confused.

“But what about her medication?” asked
Gloria. “It has worked in the past. Not to mention we’ve taken her
to almost every doctor and specialist in the country who have given
the same diagnoses. What has changed?”

“I’ve found something unique about a part of
Arianna’s brain that is enlarged. I don’t want you to be alarmed;
it isn’t putting her health in jeopardy. But it’s possible it’s
linked to her condition. If I can have time with her to conduct
some tests, I’ll be able to take a closer look.” “Well that’s not a
problem with us. You can have all the time with her you need. We
are enrolling her here on a semi-permanent basis,” said Gloria
breezily.

“I don’t think you understand me, Mrs.
Parker,” said Raad. “Keeping her here isn’t going to help. She
should be at home where she is happy. If she can come back here,
let’s say once a week, I’ll be able to perform the tests I need. I
can even make house calls, provided that I don’t need my lab
equipment. As of right now, I can say confidently that there is no
treatment program at Silver Hill that will make her better. In time
we may find some remedies, maybe, but keeping her here while we
figure that out will be counterintuitive to our goals.”

“Yes, but Dr. Raad, she could be a danger to
herself or others. You know her teacher was just released from the
hospital!” said Gloria with a dramatic huff.

“I believe that situation was a fluke,” said
Raad reassuringly. Raad could tell the mother was going to push
back on him; the father was barely listening while he checked his
BlackBerry.

Wilson knew he needed to jump in. If he let
Arianna Parker out that door, it was $250,000 gone.

“I for one think Arianna should stay here,”
Dr. Wilson interrupted. “Dr. Raad is new to Silver Hill and our
methods. He doesn’t yet fully understand how our well-rounded
program can benefit Arianna, as we discussed previously. As far as
her schooling, we have tutors here, and she can receive the
necessary instruction so her progress will not be interrupted.”