Psycho

Day 1

I walked into work, smiling at Theresa and making my way to my desk. Theresa always got here two hours before me for work since I didn't need to be here until after wake up and breakfast.

I sat down and picked up a file that was left there. I had a room for therapy and a desk in a separate room to keep all my belongings and files safe. It was probably the biggest file I've ever received. Curious, I opened it and read the top with the criminal's basic info. I gasped and dropped the file back on my desk once I read the name, surprised. Maybe I read it wrong. But sure enough, when I opened it again, the same name appeared: Jason McCann.

"I see you've read your new assignment." I looked up and saw my boss standing in front of my desk.

"Uh...yes. Thank you for the new assignment," I thanked him.

"Theresa put in a good word for you, and you had the most openings for therapy. And Jason McCann needs a lot of therapy time," Mr. Galway, my boss, said.

"Well thank you for trusting me. I promise I'll do my best," I assured him.

"And I guess we'll see if your best is enough. This is a big job for you, and I'll replace you if I have to," he warned, making me gulp.  "Good luck," he nodded before walking off.

I let let out a breath, flipping the file open again and reading over the basic things. 21 years old, leader of the gang, Night Runners, serial killer...this was definitely going to be a challenge, probably the biggest I'll ever face.

As the the day went on and I met with multiple criminals, all ones I've met up with before, my mind was on Jason McCann. What was he really like? Would he try to hurt me? No one has yet, but no one I've worked with has committed murder either.

I looked up at the sound of a buzz, the door to my therapy room opening. I first saw Mack holding the door open, then pushing in a man. I looked down at the file for my next patient and gulped when I saw it was Jason. I looked up and watched as Jason sat across from me, Mack locking in his feet and keeping his handcuffs on.

"See you in an hour Dr. Hartford, good luck with this one," Mack said before leaving.

I took a deep breath and looked at Jason who sat leaned back in his chair, staring at me with a displeased look on his face.  He had thick eyebrows, strong bone structure, big eyes...I wondered what it looked like when he wasn't angry.

"So, Jason McCann...I'm Dr. Hartford, your therapist. I assume they've already given you the rundown of what does and doesn't happen here," I started. Jason stared at me, almost as if he were studying me. I looked away, feeling uncomfortable. "So, usually on day one I spend time getting to know my patients, is there anything you want to tell me?" I asked, trying to get him to talk. But he continued to stare. "Anything at all?"

"I know how this stuff goes. You act nice, pretend you care, and try to get me to change. But it won't happen. Never has, never will," He snapped, while somehow keeping a calm voice.

I sat there, a bit shocked but pleased he at least spoke. I looked down and raised my eyebrows. "Okay...good to know. But I want you to know that I'm not acting. I am nice and I do care, I chose this job because I like helping people, not just to make a salary," I looked back at him. He sat there, glaring at me once again. This time, I finally looked him in the eyes. I couldn't deny Jason had good looks. Especially those big eyes. They were dark, but I could see light as well, almost like honey.

When Jason realized he wasn't intimidating me, he sat up again. "You aren't like other therapists I've had," he said.

"Is that a good thing?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not sure yet."

I let out a shaky breath, glad we were talking a little now. "How am I different?"

Jason shrugged. "For one thing you're able to look me in the eye without there being fear. I'm sure it's there, but you do a good job at hiding it," he answered.

Now that I thought about it, I'm not sure I was scared. Nervous, yes. But scared? "Who said I'm hiding it?  Maybe you don't scare me," I suggested.

Jason chuckled. "I scare everyone. Every race, gender, age, and anything else you can think of."

"Well, not me," I shrugged.

Jason glared at me, leaning forward. "You aren't scared of a man who's killed thousands of people?  Who lives off of other people's misery?  Who doesn't give a fuck who he hurts?" He seethed.

I gulped, honestly a bit scared now but I still shook my head. "Not at all," I said with a shaky breath.

Jason leaned back, amused. "Interesting...well let me put it this way. Do you have nightmares?" He asked.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Sometimes..." I trailed off, unsure where this was going.

"Well, this is worse than any nightmare you've ever had...it's real now," he warned.

I wrote a few notes down about Jason's behavior.  His scan showed signs of being bipolar and narcissistic, and I could really sense the narcissism.

"Well, Jason.  I'm the type of person to turn nightmares into dreams, and this isn't any different."

He raised his eyebrows. "You think you can change me?  Do you know how many people have tried to change me?  About as many as I've killed!"

I leaned forward in my arms. "Well, that will change!  I haven't worked here long, but I haven't had one patient who hasn't progressed.  Do you think you're special?"  Jason glared at me. "I mean, your case in particular is very...unique...but that doesn't mean you're immune to change."

"People like me don't change," he spat, just in time for the buzzer to go off and Mack to open the door. He unlocked Jason's ankles and led him out, leaving me to wait for my next patient. This was the beginning of a new type of adventure.