by RJ Hunter
"Whatever must you think of me, Frank? Whenever we've been together, there's always been some sort of drama."
"I told you last night, Sally - I think you are wonderful, and I like being with you. Plus, the body's not bad either!" He winked as he reached for his jacket.
"Frank, look I'm sorry to put a dampener on things, but what we're doing isn't right. You're married to Pauline, remember."
"Sally, I've told you, I don't sleep in the same bed as her, and as far as I'm concerned it's over between us, so stop worrying." He said, with a serious tone to his voice. "Look, I have to go. I'll ring you later, you never know, I might even have a little surprise for you!"
"Please, Frank, you've done enough. Anyway, I really don't think I deserve one."
He bent down and gave her a short, tender kiss before playfully slapping her bottom and heading for the door.
"Now, don't concern yourself about Penny, she'll come around, believe me, I know about these things."
Penny did buy something for her mother with Frank's money. She brought her two presents, both what Frank had suggested, a pair of beautiful, gold hoop earrings, and an expensive bottle of perfume. Sally, though, was more delighted to get an apology from her daughter, and the chance to explain a few important facts of life to her.
Frank was good to his word, and not only phoned, but came over again that evening. The surprise he spoke of was a weekend in Paris. Sally, of course protested.
"I can't Frank, it just wouldn't be right."
"It's exactly what you need, a couple of days away. It'll be wonderful, besides, I want to treat you to a few new outfits."
"What about Pauline, what about Penny?"
"Pauline is having an affair with Mark, one of my drivers. Don't worry about her." He then glanced over at the sulky teenager, who was sprawled out on the sofa engrossed in the TV. "I'll give Penny some money, I'm sure she could find another party to go to and someone to put her up. Or what about Lizzie? Couldn't she stay with her?"
"No, not Lizzie, please!" Came the teenager's reply. "I'll stay at a friend's, thanks, Frank!"
It seemed Frank had made a new friend after all.
It was well into August, David Owen had taken over as the leader of the SDP, and KC and The Sunshine Band was number one with Give it Up. None of it, however, meant anything to Jonathan. He had more on his mind what with Tina being transferred to Greenfields Psychiatric Hospital. He had known it was going to happen for some time, ever since Pauline had mentioned it, after they had met while visiting Tina. He had reacted by simply putting it out of his mind, and was content to believe that with his help, Tina would recover and there would no longer be a need for her to go into a secure unit.
It was probably Jonathan's fear of the unknown that disturbed him so much, and the fact that Greenfields was in deepest Sussex, which would make visiting Tina that much harder for him.
Jonathan's benevolent nature and laid-back attitude to life made it quite simple for him to make friends. These qualities had held him in good stead where Pauline was concerned, and gradually a delicate understanding began to develop between them. Despite her earlier doubts, Pauline couldn't help not liking the well-meaning young student. Jonathan was also able to make things up with Mark, who he'd mistaken for Tina's father and had attacked, only to come off second best. He was pleased the older man didn't hold any grudges towards him.
It had taken them two hours to reach the hospital. It wasn't the length of the journey that had been the problem for Jonathan, it was the atmosphere in the car. Pauline hardly said a word and just stared blankly out of the window from her seat in the back. Mark had tried to engage her in conversation, but had sensibly given up the struggle after being on the receiving end of quite an unsavoury rebuff. Jonathan had grown to like Mark. The large, bearded man, who was Frank's number two had a humorous layman's knowledge about almost every subject that mattered, and a few that didn't. Together, the two of them attempted to make the journey that much more bearable in view of the circumstances.
Greenfields was set in fifty acres of beautiful park land, and the main building, was a grand Georgian structure of three floors. Much of the building however, on closer inspection was crumbling and falling into decay. Landscaped gardens, complete with pretty flower beds and stone urns were located at the front and sides of the house, while a large, well-hidden car park was to be found at the rear. The whole complex was very impressive to look at, and seemed an ideal location for anyone out of sorts and trying to get their lives back into perspective again. The only residents to be seen were a group of youngsters kicking a football around, while being observed by bored-looking staff.
Mark parked the Granada, but chose to wait in the car as Pauline and Jonathan walked the short journey to the reception area. Jonathan couldn't help noticing Pauline's pale complexion and red, puffy eyes as she struggled to light a cigarette. He guessed she had been drinking heavily, and tried not to stare at her more than was necessary.
The receptionist asked them to sit in the lobby while she rang through to Tina's unit, and asked for a nurse to come and collect them.
"Hello, you've come to see Tina Gant have you?" Asked the young, efficient-looking male nurse.
"Yes, I'm Tina's mother, Pauline, and this is Jonathan, my daughter's boyfriend." Replied, Pauline, taking an instant dislike to the nurse.
Jonathan felt a tingle run down his spine when he heard Pauline referring to him as 'Tina's boyfriend'.
I'm delighted to meet you, my name is Angus, and I'm directly involved in Tina's day-to-day care." Said the nurse in a pleasant Scottish brogue. He then led them out of reception and into a long corridor with what looked like rooms running along the sides.
"Is she alright, I mean, has Tina settled in okay?" Asked Pauline nervously.
"Well, that's something I need to speak to you about, Mrs. Gant. Let's go in here, and we can have a little chat." Angus then led them into a small, stuffy meeting room.
"Has something happened then?" Demanded Pauline.
"No, not exactly," responded Angus in a self-assured manner. "But we are extremely concerned about your daughter's safety. Enough to warrant putting a member of staff with her at all times."
"She's never had that before?"
"Believe me, Mrs. Gant, it is very necessary now. Tina will use any means and any implement available to harm herself. Although her hand is still heavily bandaged, she will try to remove it in order to inflict further damage to herself."
"She's lucky to still have a hand, I would have thought she would have learned her lesson by now?"
"Yes, quite, but that's not all. Tina has been trying to open up her abdominal wound." Replied Angus gravely.
"It just get's worse," sighed Pauline. "Can we see her?"
"Of course you can, but the staff will have to stay very close by."
As they got up to leave, Angus stood in front of them.
"I'm sorry, there's one other thing, I'll need to see exactly what you're bringing in for Tina."
"I thought this was a hospital, not a prison!" Uttered Pauline, abruptly.
"We're trying to keep Tina alive, and if that means searching your bags, so be it."
They were led through a maize of corridors with heavy security doors situated at each end. This was a long process, as each of these had to be opened separately from the huge bunch of keys that Angus was carrying with him. When they finally reached the corridor where Tina was housed, their hearts sank. It was dull, grey and depressing. The lack of windows only gave it an added air of oppression. Furniture, apparently confiscated from Tina's room, lined one side of the peeling, thick walls. The staff had been forced to move everything from Tina's room for her own safety, leaving just a simple mattress on the floor.
Like the corridor, Tina's room was stark and grim. The only redeeming feature it had over the corridor, was the fact that it did have a window. However, it only looked out onto the back of the boiler house, and had been covered in perspex, making i
t impossible to open. There was a separate sink, shower and toilet unit in one corner of the room, but this allowed no privacy, as the door had been removed for safety reasons.
There was a woman nursing assistant present, a large, middle-aged lady with an aloof face and swollen ankles. She had been with Tina for several hours now, and was eagerly awaiting her break.
It was Pauline who went into Tina's room first, while Jonathan and the assistant waited outside, with the door open. Tina was highly agitated, and paced up and down refusing to speak.
After a few minutes of this, the nursing assistant poked her head through the doorway;
"There's a patient's lounge in the next corridor, if you want to take Tina for a cup of tea. She likes that."
Pauline stared icily at the woman, before glancing back to her daughter and the cold walls that incarcerated her.
"Yes, that's a good idea. It would make anyone go insane being stuck in here all day."
The lounge wasn't quite so depressing, just nondescript with tatty armchairs and sofa's placed around the perimeter. A table tennis table had been placed in the centre of the room. The net was worn and secured with sticky tape on one side. Its surface was chipped and stained were drinks had been spilt over it during the course of many years.
The female assistant headed straight for the vending machine and dispensed herself an anaemic-looking cup of coffee, before slumping down into one of the armchairs, and lighting up a cigarette.
A thickset, violent-looking man sat two seats away from her. He was drooling at Tina, and after a short while, took his penis out and started to masturbate. Tina was unaware of the attention she was getting and simply curled herself up into a ball in another of the armchairs.
Jonathan, shocked at the man's actions, alerted the assistant, who casually glanced side-long at the patient.
"Put that bloody thing away, Eric. How many times do you have to be told!"
Eric turned towards the woman, grinning and showing a mouthful of rotting teeth.
"It's all mine you know, no cosmetic surgery down there!"
"Filthy beast! That's your next cigarette confiscated!"
Jonathan felt very depressed. At least at the general hospital, Tina seemed to be showing signs of improvement, or that's how he interpreted it. Here, Tina didn't show the slightest hint of recognition or interest in either Pauline or himself. This hurt Jonathan and made him long to be alone with her, so that he could once more whisper things to her, and try again to build up her trust and their fragile relationship.
As he sat down opposite her, he noticed how much weight she had lost since the first time they had met in Laura's room several weeks ago. Although her eyes were clear, they lacked life, and her face had a gaunt, disturbed appearance about it.
He had brought her in a few cans of coke and several of the Mars bars, she seemed to like. However, the cans, along with a hairdryer and some cosmetic sprays that Pauline had brought were all taken away. He watched as Pauline half-heartedly fussed around Tina, trying in vain to get her to drink a cup of putrid vending-machine tea.
"Why wont she speak or drink anything?" Demanded Pauline.
"She will when it suits her," was the nursing assistant's curt response.
"Can't you get her to say anything? You seem to know her better than anyone else!" Replied Pauline sarcastically.
"It depends on what character she is."
"What do you mean?"
As the nursing assistant was about to explain, Angus appeared in the lounge with another man behind him.
"Brenda, I'm sorry it's taken so long," explained the Charge Nurse, walking over to her. "You can go for your break now." He then turned to Tina, "This is Alan, he's an agency nurse. We're a bit short staffed as usual. Alan will stay with you until Brenda gets back, Tina."
There was no response from Tina, so Alan went around to the side she was facing, and placed a hand on her arm, taking it upon himself to get acquainted with her.
The response was immediate. Tina wrenched her arm away, then let out an ear-piercing scream;
"Get away from me!"
Despite her abdominal wound, she leapt from the chair in one rapid movement and fled from the stranger who was invading her privacy, and reminding her of the torment she had been through with her father. Rushing towards the door, she found Angus was already there and blocking her exit. She glared fiercely at him, trying to weigh up in her panic-stricken mind whether she could get past him or not.
"Tina, Tina, please stop! No-one is going to hurt you." Said Angus in a calming manner. "Even if you did get past me, there's nowhere to go, all the corridors are locked, remember."
Tina stood a mere foot away from him, her stance threatening and aggressive, but very different to the petrified creature of just a few moments ago.
"How dare you call me Tina! She's a weak-willed bitch, now get out of my way."
"Okay, Freddie, I didn't know it was you. The doors are locked, let's talk man-to-man?" Replied Angus, realising one of Tina's alter ego's had appeared.
"I'll kick them down, and you along with them, if you don't get out of my way, you stupid bastard."
"Sorry, Freddie, I have to stay put."
"In that case, there's going to be a storm."
'Freddie', Tina's alter ego, then swaggered over towards the drinks machine and began to pick up dirty cups from the tray beside it.
"Don't do it Freddie, you'll be restrained."
"Who by, You?"
Angus picked up an internal telephone which was near to where he was standing and rang the nursing office.
"Check Tina Gant's prescription card and see how much haloperidol she can have."
'Freddie' was by then hurling cups, not at any particular person, but up at the ceiling. Here, they smashed into pieces, raining down shards of china onto those below. Everyone except Angus covered their heads with their hands and literally battened down the hatches until the storm was over. Fortunately, there was only about a dozen cups on the tray at that time.
'Freddie' then flew headlong at Angus, but the experienced nurse easily prevented the patient from going anywhere by applying an effective-looking arm lock.
"You've done all you can now, Freddie. Tina is safe. Please get 'Cindy' - tell her I want to speak to her." Angus then led 'Freddie' back over to the chair and sat down alongside 'him'.
"What happened there?" Exclaimed Jonathan, to a shocked looking Pauline, as they emerged from beneath the table.
"Now, let's calm down. Everything is over and done with," said Angus in a gentle tone, as he tried to pacify Tina.
"I'll be the judge of that!" Came the sudden reply from Tina's lips. "I want to leave, I'm not a prisoner."
"Hello, Cindy, I'm glad you're here." Replied Angus, with a relieved look on his face.
Jonathan came over to Tina's side, totally bewildered by what was going on.
"Tina, listen, you have to stay here, just until you're better. I'll come and see you as much as I can, I promise."
"Who is this person, and why is he calling me Tina? My name is, Cindy'"
Jonathan's face dropped as he glanced at Angus, uncertain how to respond to this new facet of Tina's illness.
Footsteps were heard hurrying along the corridor, and seconds later Brenda appeared puffing heavily, carrying a small pot of medicine.
"Cindy, I need your help again." Said Angus to Tina's newest alter ego.
"I always try to help whenever I can. What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to take this medication, it's for Tina, she needs it."
Brenda handed over the pot, and together with Angus, watched with relief, as Tina calmly swallowed the tranquilliser.
Angus then turned to Jonathan and Pauline.
"We're taking Tina back to her room now. Would you mind returning to the meeting room, I'll join you in a few minutes."
"Will we be able to see her again before we go?" Pleaded Jonathan.
"No, it's not a good idea, she really
needs to rest right now." Replied Angus, not taking his eyes off Tina.
"Well, can I leave this for her, she needs something?" Angus scrutinised the personal cassette player Jonathan produced from his jacket pocket.
"Okay, but she'll need to be supervised when she's listening to it, and I can't guarantee it wont get broken."
"Thanks, Angus, I understand. I think it'll mean a lot to her."
"Could I listen to it as well?" replied Tina in her 'Cindy' persona.
"Of course you can, my name is Jonathan, I'm Tina's boyfriend."
"Not bad, at least Tina has good taste in men!" Replied, Tina/Cindy with a mischievous grin.
"Will you tell Tina that I'm thinking of her, Cindy?"
"I think I could do that for you."
"Thank-you, " smiled Jonathan.
It was over twenty minutes before Angus returned to the meeting room where Pauline and Jonathan were anxiously waiting.
"What's wrong with her, why does she keep reverting to those characters? It's so weird." Demanded Pauline, rudely.
"Mrs. Gant, it wont help if you let yourself get worked up. Please put those cigarettes away, you can't smoke in here."
"You think you're so bloody important don't you? Well, you're a bloody fascist!"
"Mrs. Gant, I think you've been drinking, and if you attempt to light that cigarette, I'll have you forcibly removed from the hospital. Now, do you want to discuss your daughter's welfare or am I simply wasting my time?"
Pauline glared in complete silence while Angus sighed and gazed out of the window for what seemed an eternity.
"I'm sorry, I've been under a lot of pressure lately. Will you please continue." She said, finally.
"Thank-you, Mrs. Gant. You must remember that Tina has only been with us a short while, and her consultant, Dr. Brown, hasn't formed an opinion about her as yet."
"So, you don't know what's wrong with her?"
"Your daughter is currently diagnosed as going through a situational crisis."
"A situational crises?" Remarked Pauline, blankly.
"It's a convenient term that can account for a number of conditions."
