It was already 11.30 at night. Kelly had gone everywhere to find her daughter and she was terrified with the thought that it was actually impossible for Anna to find the house or the hospital by herself.

Anna was now 22 and had developed schizophrenia at the age of 16. Ever since, Kelly had to leave everything that she was doing to take care of her daughter.

She spent days and nights in the hospital. Her daughter wouldn’t take her medicines most of the time and she would run away from the Psychiatric ward almost every night. Some times it was only around the hospital campus and the other times they found her next to the lake, sitting under a tree.

The campus of Rex Hospital was huge and Kelly had taken at least ten rounds in the campus before she went to the lake to search for her. No one was around. The guards near the lake told her that it had been a while since they had seen her daughter around the lake.

She felt helpless, felt weak. It was enough. Enough of being worried everyday. The nurses in the Rex Hospital treated her daughter well because Dr. Stanley Rex was Kelly’s father. She had many cousins but no siblings and before he passed away, he had transferred all his possessions to her name. Her father was the richest man in the family and soon Kelly found it difficult to handle things at home. The maids began to snoop into her belongings, going through her cupboards and purse. They were spying on her to give bank account and credit card information to her cousins and other people in her extended family. She ended up firing all the maids when someone tried to poison her daughter. She never found out who it was. She was fortunate that they reached the hospital in time and her daughter was saved.

It was getting dark. A cool breeze made her shiver. She sat down on a bench in a park next to the lake wondering what to do, where to go, whom to call and how she was ever going to find her daughter. Suddenly, she saw something moving in the distance.

There was a familiar figure moving towards her. She wasn’t able to see clearly so she got up and started walking towards the figure. A ray of the streetlight illuminated the person in front of her and she gasped.

It was Anna! But why was she wearing a wedding gown?

How did she get herself dressed? Kelly thought. She was in the hospital just two hours ago and what was she doing in a wedding dress?
“Anna!” She called. “Anna!”

Anna stopped in her tracks and looked up at her. She stared at her mother blankly and then turned around and walked away quickly in the opposite direction.

“Wait! Anna wait!” She screamed.

Anna didn’t listen to her and began to run. She chased after her but Anna’s young legs took her farther away from her mother who was running out of breath. Kelly ran as much as she could, as fast as she could but Anna was too quick for her. She ran so far away until she disappeared into the darkness.

Kelly sat down. Tears welled in her eyes but she got up again and pushed on holding her side. She made it to the point where the road forked. Now she had to decide which direction to go. She shut her eyes and swallowed. Her mouth was dry, her heart was pounding. Tears dripped down her face. She was scared. Too afraid, not of the darkness but of the thought that she might lose her daughter forever.

She had to choose one road. She finally chose the one leading toward her house. Perhaps her daughter would have taken that road. Some times when you can’t decide which way to go, you tend to choose the one that feels familiar. May be her daughter could have found the road familiar or was she taking the road because it was familiar to her?

She started running again. She could no longer feel the presence of her daughter in front of her. She considered turning back and trying the other road but she was so far down this one already. She decided to check the house first.

She reached her familiar gate finally. She walked in hoping that her daughter would be inside.

The gate stood wide open. She looked inside and saw an ambulance. They must have been waiting there for Anna. She walked through the gates and saw an unfamiliar young nurse.

“Sister!” She shouted, “did you find her?”

The nurse walked towards her, she didn’t answer.

“Did you find her?” Kelly asked again.

“No ma’am, but we have sent people to search for her from the hospital. We came here to the house thinking she could be here.” The nurse said. She looked nervous.

“Thank you,” Kelly said. “Thank you so much. I saw her in the park but she ran away. She was dressed in a wedding dress. I don’t know why she was in a wedding dress! And then I lost her at the fork in the road. We need to go right now to that other road.”

“Ma’am, we’ll do that but right now you need to relax. You still haven’t had your pills for your blood pressure. It’s not safe for you to run around in this state.” The nurse looked concerned.

“Yes, thank you, dear. What is your name?”

“Sharon,” she said.

“Thank you, Sharon. I need to take my pills. I’m already feeling heaviness in my head but I don’t have time to go inside the house.” She was desperate to find her daughter. She didn’t care about herself or what might happen to her health. She just needed to see her daughter’s face.

“Don’t worry ma’am. We have it in our medicine kit inside the ambulance. Let’s get inside and get going, we shouldn’t be too late.”

They walked towards the ambulance and got inside.

“Where did she get a wedding dress from?” Sharon asked as they entered inside the ambulance.

“I don’t know! I’m so tired of doing this everyday, Sister.” Kelly said. “I haven’t slept properly for so many days and I’ve given up hope on them finding a cure for her disease.”

“Don’t worry ma’am, God has a plan for everybody. I’m sure everything will be fine.” The nurse said as she gave her the medicine.

“Thank you. You are very kind. God bless you.” Kelly took the medicines and had it. She felt a little better after having a sip of water. She was so dehydrated and exhausted.

She began to feel a little calm.

“Please tell the driver to take the left fork,” Kelly said, looking at the nurse and then towards the driver. She was so exhausted that she couldn’t speak properly.

“Don’t worry ma’am, he already knows the way.” Sharon said.

Kelly kept looking towards the road until she finally dosed off.

ONE HOUR LATER.

In the hospital…

It was Dr. Parik’s first day in the department. He hated psychiatry but it was a requirement in his university for him to do one month in it during his internship. Stupid crazies, he thought. You never know which one is going to flip and when.

He walked into the female ward at precisely 7 am. He would spend not more than thirty minutes after which he would go home and sleep for another three or four hours before the clinic started. Hopefully he would be able to get over his hangover.

A group of nurses were crowded around the nurses’ desks. “Let’s go!” he shouted. “Sister, come.”

An older nurse in glasses approached him. The others looked in her direction. Must be the head-nurse, Dr. Parik thought. “Ok let’s go, sister, bring the patients to the front of the beds.”

One by one the patients were made to stand next to their beds.

“What’s this case?” he asked.

“Doctor,” a nurse volunteered. “This is Mary.”

“I didn’t ask for the name. Bed number 1. What’s the case?”

The patient turned towards him and said, “I am Mary! I am the Mother of God! I have come to save you my son!”

Dr. Parik stepped back. Some of the nurses giggled. “Quiet!” he yelled. He yanked the chart from the nurse’s hands and looked at the past history and the medications and made a few squibbles in the chart that nobody else would probably understand.

“Next,” he said.

Schizophrenia, depression, failed suicide attempts he went through each one, made a few squibbles and scratches in the chart, in essence not making any major changes and he moved on. At last he came to bed 23.

“What’s the case?” he droned and looked up from his chart. The patient was still in her bed. “Who’s the nurse?” he asked.

“Me, doctor,” said a young voice from behind.

“What’s your name? And tell me about this case.” He asked.

“My name is Sharon Murphy. And this case…”

Sharon looked apologetically at Kelly. She turned to the doctor and said as softly and as loudly as she felt was right.

“Her daughter, Anna, was suffering from schizophrenia also. She died 3 years ago. Ms. Kelly was taking care of her daughter for the past 12 years until her daughter finally decided to take her own life. At first Ms. Kelly was in denial and over time she finally developed schizophrenia herself. She thinks her daughter is alive and has visual and auditory hallucinations about her daughter. She runs away at night searching for her daughter sometimes but since she has delusion of grandeur, she thinks she owns the hospital and her daughter is admitted here so she comes back.”

“Oh good runs away but returns. My dog also does that.” He laughed expecting giggling from the nurses but there was silence. “I mean that’s so dangerous! How is this happening? What are all the nurses doing in this hospital? Patient running away. Where does she go?”

Sharon looked at him feeling a little irresponsible and replied. “She doesn’t go far. She is either in the campus or we find her in the director’s quarter. She thinks it’s her house.”

“Oh okay.” Dr. Parik turned towards Kelly. “Ms. Kelly! Hello!”

Kelly opened her eyes slowly.

“Hello Ms. Kelly, listen, you are in the hospital. My name is Dr Pratik I am your doctor.”

“Yes, Rex Hospital, Kelly said. My father was Dr. Stanley Rex. He died and left me this hospital.”

Dr. Pratik straightened up suddenly and looked at the nurses. The head nurse shook her head and he understood that this was also a delusion.

“Did you find my daughter?” She asked.

“No, we…” Dr Pratik could not finish speaking when Kelly suddenly started shouting.

“ANNAAAA. MY ANNA.”

Sharon tried to hold her and calm her down but it only became worse.

Kelly shouted more. She thrashed and scratched. She screamed at the nurses and caught on to Dr Pratik’s collar until she was pinned down to the floor finally by five people. Sharon came by with a needle and skillfully injected her with it.

Kelly fought back for a little bit more but then she felt drowsy. The whole world became blurry and she was lightheaded.

Kelly felt calm again. The sounds around her were muffled. She looked at the door and saw a girl wearing a white dress. She smiled at her.

My dear daughter. Kelly thought. She has finally come. How beautiful she looks on her wedding day. She is such a wonderful bride.

“Come here precious,” she tried to mumble but the words did not escape her mouth. “Where did you go? Come here to me.”

Some how her daughter still understood and her smiling daughter walked towards her bed, sat on it and laid down next to her. Kelly put her arms around her, hugged her daughter and slowly closed her eyes.

Kelly smiled weakly. “Anna” was the last word she mouthed before closing her eyes and drifting off to a deep sleep.