Chapter 3: Having an Episode

Every day I visited her for two weeks and got no leeway with her. I remember the feeling of hopelessness and missing my best friend was starting to really hit me hard. Just as I was about to leave home for the day. I stood up from the chair next to her and leaned in out of habit to give her a hug. As soon as my arms made contact pulling her in for a hug a loud screeching sound escaped her lips and she proceeded to push me hard against the corner of the windowsill.

In fear, I watched as her face contorted in pain and her body fell to the floor. The scream sounded as if she was in excruciating pain from the encounter. This is what they meant by her having an episode? Tears flooded my eyes as she continued screaming louder and louder by the moment. The chaos that only a mental hospital could create erupted around us as the other patients began mirroring her scream.

I watched as a man and a woman dropped to the floor mimicking her movements and the nurses began running to control the situation. There were two nurses with syringes in their hands, one with an off-white straitjacket, and two bulky men coming on both sides of me. I took two steps to my right moving out of the way as one of the women began talking to her in a soothing tone. The whole scenario was like when I used to watch the re-runs of crocodile Dundee interacting with wild animals.

She held her arm out and started talking with a gentle voice, "Willow dear. We are not going to hurt you. You are in a safe place. Everyone here cares very deeply for you and wants you to get better."

After 30 minutes of the incident, they had managed to stop her thrashing movements enough to inject some clear liquid into her.

The guy that was holding the straight jacket confirmed aloud, “She’s sedated.”

He handed the straitjacket to the nurse on his right. She grabbed the jacket and her and another nurse went back behind the desk. Both men leaned down and picked her up disappearing as they took her back to her room down the hall. I stood there looking after them unable to move. What happened to my best friend? If she were truly gone was there any way that I could help get her back? It felt like forever as I just stood there staring after them even though she was already gone.

“Luna?” A soft voice sounded to my right snapping me out of my pity party for one.

I turned slowly to find it was the same lady that had injected Willow and was trying to calm her down.

Her face was etched with concern as she said tenderly, "I understand that today was a bad day but please don't stop visiting her. You’re the only one visiting her and I have seen with the other patients that are forgotten where it only causes their illness to worsen.”

She took another step toward me stating, “My past experiences with these types of situations is that in the long run there are more improvements with patients who have moral support. It’s like something just clicks insides them and heals them gradually over time. I can see how close you two were just by watching you talk to her every day. We just have to be patient with her she will come around one day."

I looked up at her and ask, "Are you sure? It's been like two weeks and I still haven't heard her say anything. She won't even look at me or react to anything I tell her."

The tears were now falling down my eyes or maybe they had been already, and I just hadn't noticed. According to her name tag, her name was Judy.

Her smile reached her eyes and as if assuring me she said, "I’m positive. Even the doctor believes that as well. He stated that when they show her pictures of you in the sessions that she recognizes you. I'm not sure why she doesn't respond to you when you talk to her but just give her some time. She may talk with you eventually, just in her own way."

As I walked home that night with tears still streaming down my face. I could still feel the shock from earlier and the feeling of being useless wouldn’t subside. No matter how hopeless the situation seemed I still felt a small bubble of hope form and settle in my heart at the words Nurse Judy had said. It was that day that was a turning point for me. I went to bed with more persistence than the last. Willow and I had a friendship that could withstand the darkest of times. I would find her in my dreams if it was the last thing I did.