Sam & I

The Shrink

It began to rain as I pulled into the parking lot of the San Antonio Psychiatric Facility. I'd worked as an attending nurse for the past five months, and just recently begun working on my major. I loved the job, but it never did promise me any security..psychically. They kept us as safe as they could, issuing monthly lockdowns that I'd happened to get used to. Leave the room, meet in the lounge. Pretty simple.

But, it was a psychiatric facility and with all of them there came the mental stability you had to have. I had quite the patience when it came the patients on my watch. I liked to be very thorough with my patients..I was hoping to become higher on the pedastool.

I took my backpack from the passenger side and shuffled inside, covering my head in my jacket. I knew it would probably rain today, so just to be safe I brought one. I wrapped myself in it, and the front doors glided open before me.

Our receptionist, Molly, greeted me as I walked in. It seemed unfitting to have a receptionist in a shut down hospital. The only part of the hospital that was open anymore was the psych ward. The other levels were desolate and empty, which added to the fear factor of this place.

I took my jacket off when I reached the locker room, and shoved it in my bag before locking it up. On the way out, my co-worker, and one of my close friends I'd accumulate here, stopped me.

"Incoming," she muttered as a group approached us. She kept her head down and I followed. The group passed and we looked back up.

"I hate interns," she snarled. I laughed as we rounded the corner, into the lounge.

"So, have you met the new guy?"

"I can't say I have," I said, grabbing my paperwork and checking things off.

"Nurses downstairs say he's pretty tasty but he keeps to himself. Shame," she shook her head. I laughed and looked over at her.

"Liv, you remember that thing on your finger right?" I retorted, gesturing to her engagement ring.

She laughed and shrugged, digging in her pockets for change. She strode over to the vending machine and bought a water. I threw fifty cents her way, and she scowled playfully. I smiled and she picked up the change, putting it in the slot. She then tossed me the water bottle and I uncapped it.

"So. Uh, what ward is he working?" I asked, taking a drink.

"Molly said something about four or five."

I paused, confused. "But that's upstairs. All the rooms are empty.."

"Yeah. He's a shrink..says he works alone, I think." She said, taking a drink and making her way to her paperwork.

I pondered this for a moment. The floors above us were empty, there weren't even chairs to sit in. I shrugged it off, and grabbed my charts for the day.

"Breakfast? After the shift?" I asked her, referring to the shift we worked - the night shift.

"Sure, that'll be great. But I have to meet up with Tony at nine so it'll have to be earlier."

"Okay," I said as she waved to me and walked out. I sat at the table and went over my paperwork. I had a patient who kept coming in every Thursday asking for me, so I prepared myself for tonight.

As I began to stand, the door opened and an unfamiliar face walked over to the vending machine. He glanced at me and smiled, and I did the same. His eyes had to be the most beautiful green I'd ever seen. I stood there, watching him as he leaned against the machine. He reached into the bottom tub, grabbed what he needed and walked out..but not before throwing a few glances at me. I'd smiled at each one, and I assumed he was one of the interns. He looked so young, like me..but possibly a year or two older. I placed my paperwork back, and walked out and into the hallway.