When he woke up to discover he'd slept late and missed breakfast, Barnaby knew he shouldn't have been surprised. His nurse clucked over him, pointing out that he hadn't been quite the same since his "incident" in the sun room two days ago.
Knowing that he'd lost his composure enough to get sedated and sent to bed was humiliating enough. Now he had to deal with the fact that the nurses would likely be keeping an even closer eye on him out some misguided concern that he'd have another panic attack. Not only that, but he'd be shocked if they let Kotetsu within twenty feet of him now that they'd likely deemed him a hindrance to Barnaby's mental stability.
If there was any consolation at all, it was that he hadn't actually been disciplined, unlike Kotetsu. But that meant very little in the grand scheme of things. They weren't any closer to finding a way out of this place. He'd lost everything he'd worked for and apparently didn't even remember the full extent of it. For the first time in his life, he was relentlessly plagued by self-doubt. Nothing made sense anymore, and Kotetsu wasn't doing anything to help that.
In fact, his last several conversations with Kotetsu seemed like they were just a dream. With each passing day, Barnaby felt less connected to reality. Lately he wondered how long it would take before he lost his mind altogether.
His nurse's maternal voice cut into his thoughts. "You look pretty pale, dear. Maybe you should get some fresh air."
To be honest, staring out at the dead grass and the trees, stripped bare by winter, wasn't relaxing to him in the slightest. When Barnaby politely declined her suggestion, she should have been able to leave it at that. But, no -- her eyes immediately scanned the sun room for something else to occupy his time.
Great.
Barnaby didn't even have to guess what she'd do next, and it was with a quiet resignation that he allowed her to lead him over to one of the couches, where a young woman was resting.
"Janet," she said with a sunny smile, "this is Bruce Banks." She turned to Barnaby. "Bruce, Janet just arrived yesterday, so she could probably use some company. Maybe you can even make friends with each other."
His polite smile didn't betray the fact that he simply didn't make friends. Even when she turned and walked away to leave them alone together, Barnaby's pleasant expression didn't falter. Despite how brittle and worn he felt on the inside, he'd spent way too many hours in front of the mirror practicing facial expressions to forget something so basic.
Once the nurse was out of earshot, he corrected her in way of greeting. "My name is actually Barnaby Brooks Jr." He didn't immediately look at "Janet", however, but instead took a moment to get a better idea of how the staff were positioned throughout the room.
no subject
Knowing that he'd lost his composure enough to get sedated and sent to bed was humiliating enough. Now he had to deal with the fact that the nurses would likely be keeping an even closer eye on him out some misguided concern that he'd have another panic attack. Not only that, but he'd be shocked if they let Kotetsu within twenty feet of him now that they'd likely deemed him a hindrance to Barnaby's mental stability.
If there was any consolation at all, it was that he hadn't actually been disciplined, unlike Kotetsu. But that meant very little in the grand scheme of things. They weren't any closer to finding a way out of this place. He'd lost everything he'd worked for and apparently didn't even remember the full extent of it. For the first time in his life, he was relentlessly plagued by self-doubt. Nothing made sense anymore, and Kotetsu wasn't doing anything to help that.
In fact, his last several conversations with Kotetsu seemed like they were just a dream. With each passing day, Barnaby felt less connected to reality. Lately he wondered how long it would take before he lost his mind altogether.
His nurse's maternal voice cut into his thoughts. "You look pretty pale, dear. Maybe you should get some fresh air."
To be honest, staring out at the dead grass and the trees, stripped bare by winter, wasn't relaxing to him in the slightest. When Barnaby politely declined her suggestion, she should have been able to leave it at that. But, no -- her eyes immediately scanned the sun room for something else to occupy his time.
Great.
Barnaby didn't even have to guess what she'd do next, and it was with a quiet resignation that he allowed her to lead him over to one of the couches, where a young woman was resting.
"Janet," she said with a sunny smile, "this is Bruce Banks." She turned to Barnaby. "Bruce, Janet just arrived yesterday, so she could probably use some company. Maybe you can even make friends with each other."
His polite smile didn't betray the fact that he simply didn't make friends. Even when she turned and walked away to leave them alone together, Barnaby's pleasant expression didn't falter. Despite how brittle and worn he felt on the inside, he'd spent way too many hours in front of the mirror practicing facial expressions to forget something so basic.
Once the nurse was out of earshot, he corrected her in way of greeting. "My name is actually Barnaby Brooks Jr." He didn't immediately look at "Janet", however, but instead took a moment to get a better idea of how the staff were positioned throughout the room.