"Rose, it's a pleasure to see you." I stood in front of Dr. Hathoway's desk, not bothering to sit down. She was deeply absorbed in organizing her bookshelf by title, rearranging almanacs and medical books every few minutes. "I... I was wondering if you could give me advice." "Yes?" Dr. Hathoway murmured, her back turned to me. I took a deep breath and quickly stated my position. "I was in love with a guy. I mean, I still am, but I can't be with him anymore since I'm here. And now I met another guy that looks like him, and it reminds me of the first guy whenever I'm with the second guy, and"- "Woah, Rose, that story's far too confusing. All you need to do, is follow your heart." She made it sound so simple. How could I follow my heart if I had none? Glancing down, I saw a file on Dr. Hathoway's desk. It was labeled "Patient 223". That was Jason's file. I didn't really know much about him, or why he was even here. The file would help me figure him out. Silently grabbing the manilla folder, I tucked it under my arm, and turned to leave. "I hope I helped, Rose." "Yes, Dr. Hathoway, you helped tremendously." I said brightly, shutting the door behind me.
I took the file into my room, shutting the door behind me. All of Jason's information was right in front of me. I held my breath for a moment, contemplating whether I wanted to see it or not. Flipping the cover open, I decided I did want to see it. The first few pages were basic information; Jason's age, height, weight, etc. After that, were nots from Dr. Hathoway. "Jason suffers from two mental illnesses; an extreme case of split personality disorder, and post traumatic stress disorder. Heavy medication keeps these underway, however. Jason hasn't relapsed since I put him on the new prescription plan." The medication Dr. Hathoway had access to were very powerful, then. Jason had two major mental disorders that would've showed if he didn't take his prescription. For some reason, I wanted to see his other side. He'd be like me. Crazy. I turned over more pages, to the first entry Dr. Hathoway made on Jason. "Whenever Jason is reminded of the incident, his subconscious mind will make him believe he's his father. Whenever Jason is in this state, he is highly unstable, extremely violent, and prone to vexatious outbursts. Restraints have to be used when he relapses until further notice." I paused. What had happened to Jason? And what did his father have to do with it? Dumping the file's contents over, a newspaper article fluttered on my desk. The title read: "Teen escapes home after father massacres family." I read the news clipping, my cheeks growing hot. "Jason Benedict was the lone survivor in this disturbing case. Jason's father, Tanner Benedict, murdered his wife (Susan Benedict) and daughter (Lucy Benedict) one Sunday morning in their home. Jason was bound to a chair when the police arrived at the scene, in catatonic shock from what he witnessed. Tanner had repeatedly stabbed his wife and daughter before killing himself, sources say." I dropped the article as if it were made of fire, and it fell to the floor. No wonder Jason was here, he'd seen his father brutally murder his family. After everything he's been through, I was surprised he hadn't relapsed right in front of me. There was something Dr. Hathoway wasn't telling me. No medication was so powerful that it could surpress such a traumatic experience. I was going to find out what she was hiding, one way or another.