Newbie Nursery

Sign

May I please have an invite? @fizzlepuppy is my name ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜 

Hey everyone! First, sorry for the delay. I majorly scuffed up my palms the other day and it’s been a beast to try and type the rest of this story out. I’m still going at it, so don’t fear, but speed is not going to be on my side. Regardless, though, welcome to the penultimate chapter of this shorter story of mine. As you might have been able to tell from the last chapter, things are heating up rapidly and I hope everyone is nice and comfy and ready as they read this next chapter. I think some of you may have predicted this type of ending, but I’m hoping a few of you might still get a thrill out of it. Next, as a reminder, there is currently a vote going for the next story I write. It will be done after my break at some point, but due to the short nature of this story, the timing for this vote will be short. As usual, if no one votes or there is a tie, I will use my discretion over what story is next (though in the event of a tie and there are several attributing votes, I may extend the vote and decide after my break). For now, though, this vote will end when I post my final chapter this coming Thursday at the latest. Further details about the specific date will come in subsequent chapters, but for those wanting to participate and haven’t read about them previously, the potential story options are located in the beginning of chapter 2. Finally, and back to this tale, I hope everyone enjoys the next chapter of this story! Chapter 6: Getting In May Actually Prove Easier Have you ever felt like someone just didn’t want to be found? Well, I did with Dr. Belamy, and the more I investigated his whereabouts, the more I began to suspect something was amiss, or at least more than it already was after I had found out that he had been kidnapped last week when I talked to Avery and Becky last. Thinking back as I drove out of the city, I guess it first started when I saw that his office had been completely deserted and cleaned out professionally. The existence of his life in Losantiville still lingered, but it seemed to be mostly relegated to distant memories or vague recollections of where he could be now. Everywhere I turned initially, I ran into people who either didn’t know, or were clearly avoiding the truth. Getting frustrated and remembering my promise to find him and to see all this through with Becky and Avery, I started using less conventional tactics in my investigation. Relying on my slight celebrity status within the city, I was able to call in a few favors that allowed me to figure out the specifics of where he had last been seen more specifically. Apparently, what Becky and Avery saw was just an initial shakeup of the poor doctor. I guess it didn’t work though, as about two or three days later, he was last seen headed east out of the city. I wasn’t told where specifically, or even if he was still in the state, but going that direction as a doctor, I knew he was almost certainly headed to Reliance Hope Hospital, a psychiatric and general medical facility just outside the city… where I was now headed myself. As I turned into the visitors parking lot of the large hospital complex, I was nervous, but I was at least glad that I had placed several of my affairs in order. Dr. Belamy had come this way himself after all, and now here I was, so it just made logical sense to ensure everything was in order. Even if nothing was wrong here, I had done it all the day after I had met with Avery and Becky to ensure that everyone was going to be okay who was close to me. As Carol was graduating in a week, she was already going to come work with me after our discussion, so she felt logical to take over my practice, but one question remained after I cleared most of the other small affairs in my life… I still had no idea what I should do with Vincent. Seeing my distress though, Carol and Tammy had joined together and were now aware of everything about Vincent and his true past in relation to the Juventas incident last year. Both were shocked but had quickly talked and then offered to co-raise him if I ever disappeared like Dr. Belamy had. It was a big sigh of relief to me, as before, I was in a bit of a pickle with my options. Being close to me and Vincent and already inheriting my practice, Carol was the most logical choice, but she was also a Middle. It didn’t make a difference as my future partner, but I knew that the wrong LPS agent could use it against her, and she could lose Vincent to the system very quickly. On the other hand, Tammy, already extremely close with Vincent, was busy with her own studies, but was also a Big and therefore a safe bet. With the two combined however, it ensured they complimented each other and had eliminated their respective problems. So, with everything now in order and my money set aside to guarantee Vincent a comfortable life, I parked my car in the visitor’s lot and walked out toward the hospital. “Hello,” a nurse finally asked me as I walked in and tried to see where I needed to head to in order to find my answers about Dr. Belamy. “Can I help you, Miss…” The nurse then actually looked up at me and I could see she quickly recognized me. “Oh my…! You’re Dr. Mengell, aren’t you?” I smiled and nodded back. “That’s me.” “Oh, my word! I can’t believe someone like you has walked into our halls today. It’s an absolute honor, Doctor.” Form her reverence, I half expected her to almost start bowing to me, but to my relief, she was straight to business. “You here to see a patient then?” I shook my head. “Actually, I’m looking for another doctor who likely came here a few weeks ago. I was kind of hoping I could speak with someone higher up, maybe? Someone they might have spoken to when they came here asking about a patient themselves?” “I see…” the nurse responded cooly, seemingly almost disappointed. “Just one moment.” She then picked up the phone near her and began to speak in it. “Yes… Dr. Thompson… Yes, I’ll hold…” She then waited and weakly smiled at me as she held up a single finger to me. While we waited for a moment, I took in the splendor of the enormous complex before me. Reliance Hope Hospital was considered one of the top medical facilities in the state and serviced the larger area of the southern half of the state, including Losantiville. They specialized in everything from general care, to nanotechnology, and more importantly to me at least, to psychiatric services. “Yes, Dr. Thompson? Yes… It’s Dr. Mengell, Dr. Thompson… Yes, her… do you have time to maybe see her?” She nodded her head for a few moments and then gestured me over. “Yes, I see… thank you. Dr. Thompson.” The nurse then hung up the phone and looked back at me. “Our administrator here, Dr. Thompson, will see you in a few minutes. He’s finishing up a meeting now and he can just fit you before his next.” I smiled back at the friendly nurse. “Thank you very much.” She smiled back in turn. “You’re very welcome, Dr. Mengell.” She then pointed to a group of elevators just around the corner “Just take one of those up to the sixth floor. Signs right outside up there should point you the rest of the way.” I nodded in thanks, and just as she said, once I was up on the sixth floor, I found the directions pointing to Dr. Thompson’s large main office. Outside, his secretary was there and guided me to a nearby couch. “Have a seat, Doctor. He’ll be with you in just a minute.” I nodded and sat down and began to wait. As I waited, the clock ticked noisily, and I thought back to the pleading that both Tammy and Carol had initiated with me. It was honestly enough to give me pause about even coming here in the first place. Being Vincent’s caregiver and the head of a thriving practice, I knew I had obligations to look back on, but it just felt wrong to leave Dr. Belamy and the seedy undercurrent happening in Losantiville to continue without trying to do at least something about it. I felt that everything had started with the Juventas incident last year, so now, I also at least felt indebted in finishing all this mess out. My care of Vincent and the treatment of the other Juventas employees and victims felt like the start but sitting and waiting for the hospital administrator to come and answer my questions somehow felt like start of the ending to it all. “… and yes, Dr. Thompson will be absent the rest of this afternoon. Yes, that’s right. After this next meeting, he will be in meetings and away from his desk. Any problems should be routed away if considered an emergency or I will simply record the more minor occurrences for later dealings. Yes, thank you… you too.” The secretary then hung up the phone and smiled at me. “Okay, Dr. Mengell. He’s off his last call now. Dr. Thompson can see you. Just go right in.” I nodded and walked into Dr. Thompson’s office. The burly, aging administrator quickly got up from his seat and reached out to shake my hand as I approached. “Welcome to Reliance Hope, Dr. Mengell. Your reputation precedes you. Sorry for the wait though.” “Thank you, Dr. Thompson. And no worries about the wait. I understand that you’re a busy man.” I quickly shook his hand and we both sat down across from each other. “I’ve only heard good things about this hospital, so I know your time must be limited. That being said, you must be very proud of the changes instilled in the last decade or so.” I needed information, so flattery felt like the best way to get on his good side quickly. He smiled broadly and nodded his head. “Oh, absolutely! No more ECT, lobotomies, tendon shortening or stiffening, and certainly no corporal punishments or using our patients for corporate experiments. So many improvements… it’s almost hard to think of this hospital as even the same place anymore…” I swore I detected a note of longing for that type of past. I knew it wasn’t in my best interest and I should have just moved on, but as a therapist who had seen the aftermath of many of those botched, or even just performed, procedures, I couldn’t hold back. “That’s a good thing, right?” Dr. Thompson edged out of his stupor and looked back at me. “I mean, for all those to be gone and things of the past, right?” Dr. Thompson’s eyes narrowed for a moment, and I could feel my pulse race. I quickly regrated my question and I felt almost certain he was about to push a button himself and ‘disappear me’ like had been done to Dr. Belamy. Instead, he just smiled and nodded his head. “Of course, of course. All better left in the past. Now, just therapies, drugs, and lots of activities and new-age practices to help whomever we can. All perfectly in line with current guidelines I assure you. I take personal pride in that notion as a matter of fact.” “Right…” I noted to at least just cut the tension in the air that still somehow seemed to linger around the hospital administrator in front of me. Finally, after a minute or two then, Dr. Thompson then smirked and leaned forward with his hands clasped in front of him. “So, how can I help the famous Dr. Mengell. Surely you don’t need help yourself, right?” I quickly shook my head, not wanting to allow even a shred of doubt as to that matter. I still felt an unease, but I knew it could have just been my paranoia kicking in as I continually thought about the Otrera Society and Dr. Belamy’s disappearance. Still, I didn’t want to take a chance and suddenly upset the man, so I cut to the chase. “No, no. Actually… I’m just looking for a colleague of mine. Uh, Dr. Belamy? I think he headed here about two weeks ago now.” Dr. Thompson clicked his fingers together and stared at me with his beady and calculating eyes. “I see…” was all he said at first. I could then see his mind spinning with his own recollections, but ultimately, he still just shook his head. “Sorry… the name doesn’t ring a bell.” Despite his seemingly contemplation on the matter, I knew it was exactly what one would say if they were in fact hiding Dr. Belamy somewhere. It could have been the truth, but I didn’t want to come out here just to turn around without a little poking first. “I understand. Would it be possible though to see your records? I can sign an NDA if you wish, but I’m also curious if he might have come in here anonymously.” Dr. Thompson was practically glaring at me now and I knew he needed to hear something else to be convinced of my intentions. “You know… I mean, I watch way too many crime dramas back home where the same John Doe gets into an accident, and then no one ever seems to check the records and that it’s him. Don’t want that happening here…” Dr. Thompson still didn’t move an inch. Seeing that and to further cement my story, I chuckled and pointed to my head. “It’s just my rampant imagination. It goes weird sometimes, but what do you say? Doctor to doctor here. Just a look. Nothing copied or taken I assure you…” Dr. Thompson seemed conflicted for some reason, but ultimately sighed, smiled, and then nodded his head. “Of course, Dr. Mengell. Doctor to doctor… use the computer terminal outside. My secretary will give you access…” And with that, he stood up and calmly showed me to the door. I was just glad to get out of there, but maintaining my cordial nature, I simply smiled back at Dr. Thomspon. “Thank you, Doctor. I’m sure he’s not here, but for a friend… one tends to go above and beyond just to be sure…” Dr. Thompson only nodded and then promptly shut the doors behind me. ‘Not suspicious at all…’ Outside his office, his secretary was already waiting and showed me to a nearby terminal where she scanned her ID badge. “Okay, here you go, Doctor. All files of patients here. Still not sure what you’re hoping to find, but good luck anyways…” I nodded to her as she left. “Thank you…” I then dove back into the screen before me and went through dozens of records. To be honest, having done an internship at a hospital in Columbus during college, I had seen hospital records before, and even with that being over a decade ago now, these records still felt convoluted. My paranoid mind wouldn’t have even been surprised if they were purposely done like that though. Would likely make it much easier to hide something… or someone. Despite its difficulty, it only increased my fervor and hope that somehow, I would find Dr. Belamy, but after twenty minutes, I was still nowhere close. I was desperate though, and my mind began to scatter into new ways of thinking. Codes, secrets, and all that began to fly in my head from dozens of movies and books I had read, but all seemed fruitless… until I realized a simple truth. If all this was in fact a conspiracy, Dr. Belamy wouldn’t be listed as a doctor here, patient or otherwise. Details of who he was couldn’t be faked as far as I knew, but names and situations could still be altered in a hospital record, especially these ones. So, I began to think of ways to hide someone here. Numerous scenarios came to mind, but when I abandoned my hopes that he was just drugged somewhere and would be fine once I woke him up, I remembered that this place was a hospital but also a psychiatric facility. Keeping that and the fact that his identity would be somewhat concealed if this was a conspiracy of sorts, I found a patient file that seemed just right in less than three minutes. *              *              * Patient Name: Ethan Doe  Biological Age: 45 Years old Occupation: Unknown Status: Current patient in Ward 5 Problem Likely Initiated: 22 days ago Notes: Patient was discovered wandering the streets with soiled clothing. When questioned, Patient was clearly a victim of a complete mental breakdown, trauma, or previous mental disorder. Beyond the partial nametag of ‘Ethan’ found nearby on his person, due to lack of ID or coherent thought, he has been made a ward of the state and placed within this facility to observe, treat, and care for until such time as they can be properly identified. Staff remains hopeful, but experience notes that cases like these are sadly rarely resolved. *              *              * His identity was largely unknown, and the notes were grim indeed, but the first name, age, and dates still held. Further, in my conspiracy-laden mind, the rest of the details matched perfectly for a patient that seemed deadest on being forgotten about. I wondered what Ward 5 was, but remembering my slight celebrity status around here, I wondered if I could use that to my advantage. “Excuse me,” I asked the nearby secretary as I walked over to her. Her head immediately popped up from looking over her own computer. “I was actually wondering about this hospital… a little more in-depth.” “Oh?” I had clearly captured her attention now, and I knew there was likely only one story that could even be believed without too many questions. “Yes. See, I have this patient… poor Little who came to me from Earth. Such a problematic place, you know… but regardless, I think she may be even beyond my help. I hate to say this about any patient, but I think she may need the power of a place like this. Do you think I could maybe get a tour of the hospital before I decide what’s best for her though?” The secretary stared at me like I had just asked her to take me to the moon herself, but she ultimately nodded and hit her intercom. “Shelly, can you send up a nurse you can spare. We’re all busy up here, but Dr. Mengell would like to get a tour of our facility.” “Right away. I’ll send someone up immediately,” Shelly replied without emotion. The secretary then guided me back to the same seat I had sat in earlier. After waiting for another five minutes, I saw a Big but almost-Middle heighted nurse wearing cartoonish unicorn scrubs dash into the room. “Hey, sorry I’m late. Was bandaging a wound and… oh!” Her eyes locked with mine, and for a moment, I thought she might even faint. “You’re Dr. Mengell! I didn’t realize you were the one I was going to give a tour to. I’m so sorry. I…” I stood up and held up my hand to stop her before she popped a blood vessel or something. “It’s okay. I didn’t mind the wait and it wasn’t long at all, Nurse…?” “Oh!” She quickly went into shake my hand. “Nurse Eva. Glad to be of service, Doctor.” I smiled and felt a smidge of naivety and large dosage of youth about her, but an openness as well that I knew could work to my own purposes today, so I warmly shook her hand back. “Good to meet you, Eva. Could we get started on the tour maybe? Don’t want miss anything today.” She smiled and even blushed a bit. “Right, right. Sorry. Follow me and I’ll try not to get us lost.” She smiled back at her little joke, but the fear I saw in her eyes made me curious if she really had gotten lost before. Regardless though, I’m happy to note that we didn’t get lost once. Dozens of hallways and six floors spread out over an immense campus was a lot to go through, but after most of the basic areas were covered, I began to notice large numbers on several of the walls and then finally saw a sign denoting ‘Ward 1.’ Remembering that Ethan Doe was in Ward 5, I was very curious about it all. “So, how many wards are there exactly?” Nurse Eva halted in her tracks and spun around right before she entered the lab room of the hospital. “Oh, right. So sorry that I didn’t mention them.” She then walked over to a monitor and brought up a diagram of the hospital and the five numbers to the side. “Each area of the hospital is designated with a specific number,’ she began to explain as she pushed the ‘1’ first and a section of the hospital lit up in a brilliant blue. “As you can see, Ward 1 takes up most of the space here. Mostly considered the administrative section and the general admission space for all Bigs, Middles, and specifically diagnosed and certified non-regressed Littles.” She pressed the two and another portion of the hospital was highlighted in green. “Ward 2 is for regressed Littles and Bigs and Middles requiring more supervision. As the number increases, so does the security and level of access change for who is allowed to enter.” I quickly nodded and wondered just how bad Ethan Doe was if he had already been placed in the highest numbered ward. Despite reading the file, I still had some hope about him, but I was starting to worry that if Ethan Doe was Dr. Belamy, hope might have been n short supply. “Ward 3 is the ICU section for all patients, as well as our infectious disease holding chambers,” Nurse Eva continued. The hospital then switched from a yellow portion to an orange further back toward the left side rear. “Ward 4 begins our voluntary psychiatric commitment area, though admittedly, this caters to mostly Littles these days. And lastly,” the portion of the hospital then switched to a vibrant red, “Ward 5 houses those involuntarily committed and just caters to Middles and Bigs lately.” Warning sirens started going off in my head over her last two comments. Littles were usually pretty peaceful, unless they were pushed too far, but for there to be none located in Ward 5 at all stumped me in the worst of ways. “So, no Littles at all in Ward 5?” Nurse Eva sighed and nodded. “It used to be different, but to be honest, most Littles that might have ended up there originally… end up regressed to newborns before they make it here… or wind up in Dark Cliff…” Her words almost seemed to thunder and shake in the hallway around us. Dark Cliff was known the world over and was usually considered a shameful dumping ground for Libertalia’s most problematic Littles. Rumors swirled of corruption every year, followed by a promise to clean it up, but after almost two decades of it being opened, nothing had changed. “I see…” I then sighed and looked back at the map. “I suppose the system is changing for the better. I just hope that more Littles with disorders can be helped before those types of measures are resorted to in the future.” Nurse Eva smiled and nodded. “I would expect you to say nothing less, Doctor. I wish for that too, but you wouldn’t believe how many Little patients we have here that have read the article you published last year or have your picture posted in their room.” I blushed but I had also been told as much before by the mayor and others who knew of my spreading reputation. Knowing Ward 2 was up next, I braced myself for what I was about to see. Ward 2 was pleasant enough and the divide between the Middles and Bigs side versus the Middle side was starkly contrasted. While the Bigs and Middles displayed various disorders initially, the area was more supervised but otherwise looked very much like any other hospital in the country or even the world. The Littles side, however, seemed almost identical to any nursery of a hospital I had ever seen. Regardless of whether Littles needed the treatment or not, every single Little was dressed the same in a thin cartoonish gown and a thick babyish looking diaper underneath. From the amount of blushing and foul moods of Littles as I walked by them, I felt confident that at least half had been forced to endure this… rather than truly needing it. “Sorry, Doc. It’s just policy around here,” Nurse Eva apologized as she saw my face over what I was currently seeing. “Maybe next year we can expand to have more options, but any amount of regression seen in a Little will land them in Ward 2… no exceptions.” Wanting to just move on and complain and fix the problem when I got home, I just numbly nodded. Ward 3 was very much the same, but Ward 4 began to quickly sadden me more than the others. Still clearly divided between Littles or the Bigs and Middles, the patients here seemed more subdued and medicated at the moment at least. Nurse Eva noted that medication had just been handed out and most patients were in their rooms now, so it was a quick visit there, but as were walking along one of the patient hallways, a Little jumped to the window on the door. “Doctuh Mendell! Doctuh Mendell!” he shouted out, nearly causing me to figuratively jump out of my skin. “Hewp me! Hewp me!” “Geez, Ronnie!” Nurse Eva exclaimed. “You nearly gave us both heart attacks. You know you’re not supposed to jump up on people like that when they walk by.” Ronnie’s face quickly saddened, and he then backed up and dropped his head. “Sowwy, Nurse Eva… I jus’… I jus’ need to speak with Doctuh Mendell…” Curious and the Little’s therapist side of me practically working on overdrive by now, I peered in and looked at the sad but also clearly frightened Little. “Ronnie?” His head immediately perked up over the sound of his name. “You asked for help… is there something I can help you with?” “Doctor… we really need to…” Nurse Eva began, but I quickly put my finger up to stop her. “Please, Nurse Eva. I appreciate your time, but I just want to talk to Ronnie here for a moment.” I then looked at the thick door in front of us. “Actually… can you open the door for me?” Nurse Eva didn’t seem inclined to do so at all, but ultimately nodded and waved to a nearby camera. The door quickly unlocked, and I opened it and stepped in. “Thank you, Eva…” She only seemed to be able to timidly nod back at me. Looking back at Ronnie, I smiled warmly at the partially regressed Little now standing before me. “Now, how can I help you?” Ronnie quickly clammed up, and I sensed that he wasn’t anticipating this type of interaction with someone whom he clearly admired from my picture on his wall. Also, there were dozens of drawings, and while each seemed to feature him, I couldn’t help but notice a green and mostly angry figure in each of them as well. “I wanna go home…” he quietly mourned. “I… I… can’t stay hewe much mo.’ Pwease…” I sighed and had previously feared of this happening when I first heard that I was becoming more well-known to most Littles in need of some kind of therapy or psychiatric treatment. A regressed mindset and raving success stories of a Big willing to help Littles was a recipe for some kind of issue like this but since I was here already, I decided to at least reassure and maybe even partially indulge him and hear him out. “Ronnie… I’m not sure what I can do,” I started. “I’m only one person…” “Don’t say that!” Ronnie said, quickly seeming panicked. “She’s not here for Ward 6! That place is too dangerous! Shut up! She’s here for me.” I was at first very confused, but remembering I was in Ward 4 and seeing Ronnie look off to his side seemingly at someone else, I knew the comment wasn’t in fact directed toward me. “Ronnie…” I said gingerly. “Is there someone you maybe want to introduce me to?” Ronnie’s look of panic turned into immediate shock. “You… you…” I then shook his head and gestured to the corner of the room. “Doctuh Mengell… this is Claude…” From his look of fear and the scary green figure in his drawings on the walls, it didn’t take me long to connect the two. Ronnie likely had schizophrenia or something similar, I would need to observe him more to fully understand, but his fear was still genuine. Wanting to help, my heart quickly reached out to him. ‘Ronnie… you don’t have to be scared.” Ronnie peeled his eyes off the corner and looked at me with his big, sad eyes. “Buh’ I don’ feel safe hewe!” I sighed, but at that moment, Nurse Eva leaned back in. “Doctor… we need to…” I could see she didn’t want to say anything upsetting, but looking back at Ronnie, I felt I needed to do at least something for him now. With my options limited though, I could only think of one thing. “Ronnie… I want you to try and picture yourself in a better place. Every time you get scared, I want you to think of that place. Hug a pillow or blanket, or even a stuffy if that helps as well.” Ronnie quickly nodded and dove to his bed and immediately began to squeeze the pillow there. “I need to go, but I’m going to ensure that someone talks to you again real soon, okay?” I could see the fear overtaking Ronnie and I wanted desperately to stay and help, but an insistent Nurse Eva made her presence at the door more clearly known. I knew my time was out. “Happy thoughts, Ronnie. Hug the pillow, but I promise, someone will help you, okay?” Ronnie trembled as he largely still looked at the corner of the room, but for the briefest of moments before I left, he looked back to me and nodded. “Okay…” I hated leaving him like that, but Nurse Eva assured me she would make sure he was okay and then guided me onward and into Ward 5. It was about what I expected, but here, Nurse Eva was required by law to accompany visitors, even me it turns out, at all times. Finally, we reached another terminal. “Eva… is it okay if I look a patient up from here? I have a family member who apparently has a childhood friend here. I might be a Little therapist, but I am still interested in Bigs and Middles. Would that be okay to see?” I didn’t like lying to Nurse Eva, but with my time shortening today and still no closer to the truth, I was starting to feel the pressure to get results. She seemed hesitant at first and I almost thought she was going to deny me access, but to my relief, she then slowly nodded. “Okay… just don’t do anything weird or something that will get me in trouble, okay?” I nodded, but part of me wondered if I really could keep that promise. Still, I began to access the terminal of the patients here specifically. On there, I saw just about everything I would expect in here for involuntary commitments. There were a few oddities and even other John Doe’s, but after searching the entire list, curiously, I couldn’t even find Ethan Doe, let alone Dr. Belamy. It was a puzzle in my head that I couldn’t solve right now, and frustrated, I closed out the terminal and followed Nurse Eva for the remainder of the tour. Thirty minutes later and seeing all kinds of sights that made me long for the seeming simplicity of Littles therapy, I still hadn’t found Ethan Doe. Standing outside of Ward 5 and in the hallway of the main part of the hospital, my tour was now finished, and I was only left with more questions. I suppose though, in the absence of answers, even someone like me can get desperate in their search for the truth. It was so small and apparently coming from Claude, but ever since it was said aloud, I just couldn’t shake it: Ward 6. Ward 1 through 5 sure, but 6? It fueled my mind and going down the proverbial rabbit hole a bit, I just couldn’t let it go. “Eva… is that all there is to this hospital? I mean, at least with the number of wards?” Nurse Eva paused for a moment. I could tell that I had caught her off guard with my question, and while she chuckled, I felt she was just trying to cover up her own fault for not having a ready-to-go answer. “What? Of course not. You saw… just 1 through 5. I mean… I can show you again if…” “No, no,’ I quickly interjected. “That won’t be necessary, but thank you… You’ve been a big help and I’m just going to wander a little but thank you.” I could see the hesitancy in Nurse Eva and the contemplation in her mind on whether or not she believed that I believed her about Ward 6, but after both saying our goodbyes, she still left. I started to wander around, but after another hour and a quick call to Carol about Ronnie, I was still nowhere. I almost gave up even, and maybe I should have, but I soon saw two nurses enter down a hallway. Having walked through this area numerous times before in the past hour, the only thing down that hallway was a trash chute. Curious, I silently walked behind them and watched them to see what they would do. Unfortunately, there was a slight bend in the hallway they took, so in order not to be seen, I lost them for a few seconds. When I raced to the next spot though, they were gone. ‘What the…?’ By now, my conspiratorial mind was in overdrive. Half expecting a candlestick to me the trigger to some secret doorway, only a little shoving on one wall produced the results I was looking for after seeing a few scuff marks on the floor that should have been there. Not even thinking something was wrong with all that simplicity, I was just happy I had found the potential clue that I had been looking for. To be honest, my only concern at the time was a little clicking noise behind me as the secret door locked. Event hat dissipated quickly though, as on this side, there was a clear unlocking mechanism button, so I still didn’t think anything more of it. Right at that time though, as soon as I saw a giant ‘Ward 6’ sign, my head began to spin that I was now in a ward that shouldn’t have even existed according to official records. Dr. Belamy was already involved in this big mess and had been ‘disappeared’ himself for doing exactly what I was doing now. So, fearing I could have been next in my current guise, I saw a small locker room down one hallway that was mostly abandoned. Quickly snagging and then donning a pair of scrubs and a surgical mask, I left the room and began to explore more freely. My luck actually seemed to hold out for a while, and though I noticed several cameras, I felt confident in my disguise, even as I passed a guard walking my direction. To my pleasant surprise, he only nodded and allowed me further into the ward. There, I then saw that the area had been divided into two parts. There was a large main area that looked eerily like a playroom and then two long hallways with numerous doors. Curious of them but seeing a terminal first, I wanted to do some snooping around the records if I could as a priority. A rogue or disruptive patient in the hallway could have blown my cover in seconds, but the terminal could give me more results and even answers in less than a minute if I was lucky. It turns out, I was very lucky. There was no password… just a series of simple math problems. It was concerning that the patients in here wouldn’t be able to figure that out or that the area lacked a forceful security presence at all, but I just reminded myself that this place was a hospital… not a bank. So, I began my search. Record after record of old and new patients here. Each was more disturbing than the last and the brief amount I read of the patients I wasn’t looking for told me that Ward 6 was the last place I would ever want to end up. Most specified something called the ‘special projects division,’ but finally, I found the file I had been looking for since the beginning. Still, it wasn’t the news I was hoping for when I started my search for Dr. Belamy. *              *              * Patient Name: Dr. Ethan Belamy   Biological Age: 45 Years old Estimated Mental Age: Likely newborn, though some observable changes that could suggest higher inner function    Former Occupation: General Little practitioner focusing in rehabilitation Current Occupation: Patient Regression Initiated: 22 days ago Notes: Patient was connected to several Littles contracting regression symptoms, but realized a pattern existed for several of them. Further investigation into Juventas was deemed unacceptable by the corporate board and steps were taken to ensure his silence. Further measures may be required, but due to his mental regression (passed off as a normal unknown catatonic patient for now), these may be unnecessary. Likely, though, further investigation by outside sources may force more drastic actions. *              *              * I was horrified but what I found, but there was a part of me that wanted to know more. Further indications of the ‘special projects division’ and Juventas sent me into a frenzy of hate and self-loathing having ever worked for their company to start with. I wanted to puke, and at one point, I had to look away from the possible contingency plans they had for Dr. Belamy, but at last I saw his room number. Now, I will be the first to admit that I wasn’t sure what I really wanted to accomplish with my mission today. Already, I had found that Dr. Belamy had edged too close to the truth of some kind with Juventas, and they and this hospital were now covering it up in Ward 6. I could have gotten that information out and things might have gone very different that very night. Instead, I decided to find Dr. Belamy and get him out of there. So, finally making it to 34C, I looked inside the room and saw a single figure sitting on the padded floor and staring blankly at the wall. Opening the door from the outside with a simple slide mechanism, I walked in and viewed my former colleague. I had always remembered Dr. Belamy for his slightly receding hairline, good-natured nerdy humor, and his glasses. Looking at the man before me, only his receding hairline was still there. A rivulet of drool threatened to run down his chin and his eyes only showed an emptiness that I had seen far too many times in Littles regressed to newborn levels. The room smelled of baby powder and pee, and I shouldn’t have been surprised after reading his file, but I was still too shocked over the sight before me still. I walked in and crouched in front of Dr. Belamy and stared into his eyes. All my focus was on my friend and colleague as I was trying to search for any spark… any sign of life. It was all in vain though, but it had distracted me. I didn’t hear the door creak further open behind me. I didn’t hear the footsteps creep up after. I didn’t even hear the needle being removed from a side pocket and then being uncapped. All I felt though was the sting of the needle injected right into the base of my neck. “Ow!” I got up but the world immediately began to spin. I tried to grasp the walls… to identify my assailant... anything, but it was all in vain. My world spun faster, and my knees gave out. I collapsed to the floor. I then saw an odd skeletal-like figure crouch down before me and smile. I wanted to spit or curse at him, but only an exhausted breath left my lips. The world began to darken. I fought as hard as I could, but it was all in vain. My eyes then closed and the world dropped from under me without so much as a fight. I should have thought it before, and maybe it would have prevented me from drooling onto the floor as everything faded away but right then, without a doubt, I knew I had screwed up.

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