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Word count: 1632
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Payton

I can hear sobbing as I feel myself coming too. My eyelids are fluttering and I yawn several times, but during this, I'm able to make out a figure that's hunched over, sitting in a chair, feet tapping against the floor and they're clutching their hair lightly which only seems to be fueling whatever their problem is worse.

"H-Hello?" I murmur, sitting up. I'm on a hospital bed in a private room and I realize the person crying is Gabriel I met in reception. He stops shaking, tapping and looks up at me quickly with tears in his eyes.

He wipes them away, trying to hide his shame. "What's wrong?" I ask, adjusting my position on the bed slightly. "What's wrong with me? It's you we should be worried about, Payton! Do you realize what you did?" He snaps at me, standing up. But his not angry, more scared it seems. I rack my brain for the last thing I remember, but not all of it comes back. What happened after I used force to get into the main area of the emergency room?

Then a thought hits me. "Carl!" I cry, swinging my feet to the floor and I jump out of bed. He just shakes his head, sits down and curls up, rocking slightly. I run to the door and pull it open, stepping out, but I'm stopped immediately by two security guards who are standing on either side of the door. They grasp my arms and I let out a yelp, trying to pull out of their grasp, but they don't let me go. I start squealing while I try to kick and hit.

"Miss Payton, you should return to bed." One of the Guards tell me. "No! I don't know what's going on, what's going on?" I ask, trying not to cry when I hear foot-steps and turn my head to see Holly striding towards us. "Holly!" I cry out, eyes widening. She turns the door handle to the room I came from, pushing it open and stands there, holding it open.

"Payton, come back into the room and we'll talk, okay? I also have some water and medicine for you." She tells me.

"W-why? No, no! Anything you have to tell me, you tell me out here! I'm not going back in there, Holly! I want to leave!"

"It's not up to you now, Payton." She responds. "But complying with with our directions will make this situation easier on you."

"S-situation? What situation?" I ask, the Guards still not letting me go. "A room has opened up, that's the room you're in now. It's yours." She tells me.

"And I've filled out the necessary paperwork and also had it marked off by of my colleagues-"

"Don't say what I think you're telling me!" I cry.

"Payton, we've made the decision to file a scheduling. That allows us to hold you for up to 72 hours for assessment and if we feel you need more time, we can look at extending the hold and how we can best help you get better and during this process, you have a right to an advocate and a lawyer. If you cannot afford them, they will be provided to you, using public funding.

Also, you are to be treated with respect and dignity while you're with us and we're required to explain to you anything we're going to do so we know you understand, every step of the way even though it's likely not what you want."

"I'm not sick, Holly! I'm not sick, I'm not sick!" I cry, sinking to the floor and the Guards squat down, going with me. "Payton, it's clear you're not well. Now come back into your assigned room and we can talk about this." She tells me.

"I-I can't!" I whimper. "How come?" She asks. "I-I-I-I..." I stammer. "You what?" She responds.

"I-I don't trust you, I don't trust anybody-"

"And we can work on that, Payton-"

But she's cut off. "Payton, just get your butt back into the room! You're giving me a bloody headache!" I hear Gabriel yell. I stand up slowly, taking shaky steps towards Holly.

"There we go, that's good." She urges, smiling gently and the Guards let go of me till I'm right infront of her. She gently places a hand on my back, guiding me into the room. I go with her and we enter to see Gabriel, clutching his head as he's leaning back in his chair.

"How are you doing, Gabriel?" She questions. He looks up and shakes his head. "Okay, we'll talk in a bit." She whispers. "Now, let's get you back into bed, Payton."

She pulls the sheets back and I climb in, lying down. She spreads the fading blankets over me, tucking me in. "Will I get a copy of any documentation, Holly?"

"Of course! We can give you a copy of your section documents, Payton." She tells me. "What happens now, Holly?" I ask. "Uh, well..." She says, taking a seat at the end of my bed. "Sully and Crescent-Port are still trying to cope with the apocalypse at large, but things are getting slightly better.

I don't wish to stress you out so that's all I'm going to tell you for now. It's why you're in here. All you need to know is that you're safe, Payton and we'll take care of you."

"Why don't you tell her why she's being sectioned? Not just that she's a danger to herself." Gabriel snaps. Holly looks angry, glaring at him, but then relaxes and gently takes my hands in hers. "Payton, listen to me. Over the coming hours, you may experience flashbacks of memory.

You... Saw something you weren't meant to see and we fear how they may impact you. It's one of the contributing reasons as to why were holding you now."

I nod softly. "Holly, why is he in here?" I ask, gesturing to Gabriel. "And his  a celebrity, I don't want him anywhere near me, he's stuck-up, arrogant, selfish. All round, a jerk."

Gabriel opens his mouth to say something snappy, but Holly silences him. "Unfortunately, our rooming situation isn't ideal... But, he really needs to stay here, Payton. We're going to help him, just like we're going to help him. His at risk too, but not for the same reason. I can't say anymore, patient confidentiality.

Just bear with it for a few hours and he'll be gone. We're transferring him and you'll be staying here with us." She tells me. "I don't want to see him again, I don't want to go out there, I can't, I can't!" He whispers, rocking.

"We know, Gabriel. We know, we'll help you. We're on your side." She tells him. Something's wrong with him. His distressed... "They're on their way, Gabriel. Can you hang in for a few hours?"

He nods softly and settles down, becoming calm again. Holly turns back to face me. "And Payton? We're here for you. Anything distressing coming back to you or you see anything, hear anything, feel anything, let us know and we'll do what we can within our power to help you."

I nod and then there is a knock at the door. It's one of her colleagues and his holding a tray with two clear cups, containing some tablets and two plastic cups, filled with what looks like water. "W-what are they?!" I stammer as she takes the tablets and water, placing them on a small tray table that's attached to the end of my bed. "Some medicine for you and Mr Gabriel here." She responds. "Holly, I don't want that..." I protest. "I know, but we need to help you get yourself under control. It's going to take a while, but we'll get there.

For now though as we're treating today as an emergency situation which it is, please take these meds.

Tomorrow, we'll look at your old medication, what medications we have and what dosage or combination would be appropriate and we can bring someone down for you to talk too as well.

A psychologist." And then she holds the tablets out to me. "You should take them." Gabriel speaks up, not looking at me. "Oh, like you know anything or even me!" I grumble. "Says the girl I've observed closely since yesterday." He snaps. "You ran up to me when you were running from them, I was with you in reception before you destroyed hospital property and... Put yourself in danger."

I just glare at him and Holly jiggles the cup slightly, the tablets making noise. "Fine." I state. "But what are they going to do?"

"Hopefully make you feel a little bit better, Payton. A little tired though which is fine. You should get some rest." She smiles, tapping the bed with her other hand. I swallow the tablets down with the water and she gently helps me to lay down, adjusting the blanket that it covers me. I don't feel tired, but there's no arguing with her or anyone. They'll just give me a needle otherwise so I settle for lying there, starring up at the ceiling while she hands Gabriel swallow some tablets as well for whatever reason, I don't care because I don't care about him.

He sinks down a bit in the chair, looking tired and she hands him a blanket which he curls up in slightly. She takes one last look at us both, a soft smile across her face and walks to the door, flicking the lights off on her way out, then closing the door behind her, leaving us to each-others company and a drug induced sleep.