Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

I heard it before I saw it. My eyelids felt too heavy to open. I couldn't make out if I'm in hell or if I went to heaven. Or maybe I'm flooding in a neverending darkness for eternity. But of that's true then why do I hear a beep?

"I found her." I recognized that voice instantly. Omer.

"She barley made it, but she's stable now. She wouldn't be transferred here if she wasn't. If you have any more questions at all we are more than happy to answer them." Some man said.

"Just take care of her."

"We will."

I heard a door close. I felt a hand hold mine. I figured it was him. There were no words. Just a slight squeeze here and there. I tried to open my eyes again, but it's so heavy. Finally after a few tries I opened them. My eyes adjusted to the brightness of the room. I saw Omer looking down, playing with my wedding rings.

My attention on him was replaced elsewhere instantly. I saw the brown belt on my wrist. Why am I restraint on the bed? I pulled at it, but it held my wrist tightly in place. My eyes widened in despair. My fight caught his attention.

"Hey. Look at me." He grabbed my face in his hands and forced me too.

"Get it off of me!" I panicked.

"Look at me. Breathe. You're okay." I blinked several times and did what he told me. "Just breathe."

I shook my head, but I controlled myself. "Just breathe." I repeated after him.

He leaned his forehead on mine. "I've never been so scared in my life. I thought I lost you." He confessed. I just looked at those dark eyes I loved so much. So much emotion was there, it was foreign to me. "I'm going to let you go, but I need you to focus on me. Nothing else, just me. Will you do that?" I trusted him so I nodded in agreement. He slowly stepped back and sat on the chair beside my bed. He held my hand in his, covering the belt that secured me in place. "We were waiting for you to wake up."

I looked around the room. It looked more plain than the hospital room I was used to, but it still looked like a hospital room. The only thing that seemed different was the surveillance camera on the upper corner of the room. I ignored it and turned back to my husband. "I'm sorry." I whispered hoarsely, barley recognizing my own voice.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. We'll get through this. I promise."

The door opened to reveal a tall man with aging gray hair. "Welcome back, Cora. My name is Dr. Miller. How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Good." I responded.

"Good. Good. We checked your livers, and brain. Those are the main ones we have to pay close attention to. Thankfully there was no permanent damage. Consider yourself lucky. We don't have alot of patients with the same outcome." He then turned his attention to Omer. "If I may have a word with you? I would like to discuss something."

He nodded at the doctor. His eyes held mine. "Look up and breathe. I'll be back soon." He kissed my forehead and followed the doctor out. I did as I was told. I stared up the ceiling and focused on my breathing.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Moments later Omer came back into the room. He looked torn, but I knew not to ask. He sat in the chair and held my hand again, making sure to cover my view from the belt. "I want you to know that I'm here for you. No matter what happens, I'll always be here." His message was cryptic. He kissed my hand. Then he stood up and kissed my forehead. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath. "I love you, Cora." He stood back as there was a knock in the door.

A nurse came in with a smile on her face. "The doctor will be here in a moment." She announced. Not long after, Dr. Miller made his appearance.

The doctor and Omer nodded at each in a silent understanding. I just stared at them in confusion. What's going on? "Mr. Aslan?" Omer moved beside the doctor. Dr. Miller turned his eyes to me. "You have been in a coma for one week and three days. That being said, all the necessary examinations were completed. We were just waiting for you to wake up so we could start the process. Our program is vigorous. We will first move you to your designated room. You will be given a schedule which must be followed in order to finish our program. During this time, you will not be able to see or communicate with any family members or friends. We recommend this to make sure that you focus on your well being."

"What is this?" I ask directly to Omer. "What are you doing?"

"They're going to take care of you."

They're going to take care of you...

Charles said the same thing to me when...

I shook my head in denial. "No." I fought against the restraint. "Please. Please. No! Omer. Please, don't let them take me. Please!" I cried out hysterically. "Please don't leave me here! Please."

He looked away. The nurse then took a needle out and nipped me on my arm. I felt the instant calmness consume me.

"This is for the best, Mr. Alsan."

"Just do your job so she can come home."

"Please." I whispered to him. He refused to look at me. "Don't leave me." I said as my eyelids closed. I let myself fall into a deep slumber.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Two weeks later...

I took the pills from Nurse Kaylee. I swallowed them and opened my mouth so she was sure I took them. I rolled my eyes like I always do when she writes into her clipboard. This is what my life has become. I was monitored and controlled twenty four hours a day.

"Drop the sass, Aslan." She said without even looking at me. She checked under my pillow and removed the sheets before she put them back.

"If I wanted to kill myself I would've done it already. You can stop checking the bed all the time." I complained.

"It's protocol. You know the drill, Aslan." She continued down her check list until she finally said she was done. Perfect timing too because now I had to have a private session with Dr. Miller.

I exited my room and made my way to the therapy room. Dr. Miller's wide smile annoyed me. I already knew what he was gonna say.

"How are you feeling today?" Could he be more creative?

"Better."

He sighed. "In order for you to progress in this program, you will need to open up about whatever troubles you."

"I hate the food here." I commented. "Can you change it?"

"You know we can't."

I rolled my eyes at him. The I rolled my eyes again, but at the camera on his desk. It's always on when I'm here. "Why is that even here?" I ask motioning to the camera.

"For notes." He replied. Right, for notes. He's not the best liar. If that camera was for notes than why did he have a notebook and pencil in his hand. It made no sense. "Cora, we usually prefer to make you comfortable in group sessions, but that's not in the plans anymore." Really? You don't say.

He was refering to my extreme popularity here. These people knew who I was and were some kind of fans. Let's just say, they didn't pay attention to themselves. I've been secluded from the other patients for over a week now. It was becoming boring. The only human interaction I got was from the staff and this doctor.

"Look, Dr. Miller. I'm okay now. What I did is stupid. It doesn't take a genius to see that. So go to your office, and write up my discharge papers. I don't want to be here anymore."

"We've been over this, Cora. This is an involuntary intake. That means unless we are confident of your mental state and provide sufficient support that you will no longer harm yourself, you'll stay here."

"I know what it means. My husband put me here against my will. That's the only reason I haven't walked out of here yet. I'm not stupid."

"This is the first time you mentioned your husband." He wrote something in his notebook.

"What are you writing?"

"Notes." He simply said. "Now, Cora, tell me. How do you feel with that fact that it was your husband that put you here?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "How is that any of your business?"

"I'm trying to understand you. You need to give me something to go on here."

I thought about it for a mintue. What do I feel? "I understand." I said shrugging my shoulders.

"You understand?"

I sighed. Of course he wants a deeper sentence. "I understand why he put me here."

"Really. Okay, well if you understand. Tell me why exactly he put you here."

"I overdosed on over-the-counter medication. He's probably scared I'll do it again."

"Hmm... and what made you do that to yourself, Cora?"

Oh, he's good. After two weeks he got me to actually talk about something and he made it look like an original conversation. I thought about it. "How strong is your doctor-patient confidentiality?"

"Air tight." I nodded at that. "So what drove you to do it?"

"I found out my ex-husband didn't accidentally die in the car crash. He did it on purpose. I just snapped. It was all too much."

"When you say 'all', what do you mean by that?"

"Do I seriously have to spell it out for you?" I ask him.

"If you may."

"I don't know. Just everything. I lost my brother, my parents, my son, now my ex-husband. It was all too much."

"When you realized it wasn't an accident, did you feel guilty?"

"Maybe."

"It's a yes or no question, Cora."

"Yes."

"Yes, you feel guilty or yes, you don't?"

"I felt guilty." I admitted.

"Why did you?"

"Because, that night I told him to."

"You told him to crash his car?"

"No, I told him to die. I was so mad. I told him to fucking die."

"I want you to learn something today. You can't control what other people do, but you can control what you do."

There was a knock on the door and Nurse Kaylee came in. "Cora, it's time for dinner." She said.

"Well, I want to say this is progress." Dr. Miller said. "We finally started somewhere, I will see tomorrow. Oh, and think about what I told you." He finished.

I followed the nurse out of his office. Passing the hall. People get out of their rooms and take a peak of the famous Cora Verdell. How some of these people are even here is beyond me. They all looked sane from where I stand. Unless the real patients are somewhere else.

I grabbed my tray of food and headed to my room, ignoring the curious stares of the residents. I closed my door and sat on my bed with the tray. I looked at it with much disgust. It looked like a piece of meat with some green beans and carrots. There's also a  red jello cup and a can of Sprite. I don't eat jello. And I sure as hell don't drink soda. What I wouldn't give for a decent tray of food.

With satistfaction I got up and threw the whole thing in the trash. I refuse to intake that meal. I made my way towards the window of my room. I look out to the parking lot. I notice someone fighting two guards. I'm too high up to hear. I just stare at the girl with curiosity. She points a finger at them and it looks like she's yelling. I smiled at that.

The security guards shake their heads and disappear back to the building. The girl runs her hands through her straight hair as she looks up. Her eyes find mine. And my eyes widen at her. Chloe. She looks so different. Her curly long hair is perfectly straighten. The comfortable clothes she used to always wear has been replaced with a more sophisticated look. She's improved.

She takes a few steps back to get a good look at me. Her eyes fill with tears. I pressed my hand against the window with tears welling up in mine. She came... she came to see me. She gives me a smile. She mouths words I could clearly understand. 'I love you, Mom.'

I smiled back at her. And mouthed only one word. 'Go.'

She stood still for a moment before a car pulled up beside her and a driver opened the door for her. Before she got in, she took one long look at me. I nodded with reassurance. She got in and left.

I closed the curtain and stepped away from the window. I went into the bathroom and locked myself in. I took out the top of the toilet lid. Good, it's still there. I put the lid back on. The bag with duck tape. One of the things I kept hidden to make my escape. A few more things and it'll be time to go home.

****Author's Note****

Picture above is of Cora, but with red hair.