Chapter 24 Chapter Twenty-Four

The next morning, a male nurse was escorting Ashley back to her room."You seem a little different today," he said. "Really, Bill?" "Yeah. Almost like someone else." Toni said softly, "That's because of you." "What do you mean?" "You make me feel different." She touched his arm and looked into his eyes. "You make me feel good." "Come on." "I mean it. You're very sexy. Do you get that?" "No." "Look, you are. Are you married, Bill?" "I did, once." "Your ex-wife is crazy to let you go. How long have you been working here, Bill?"

"Five years." "That's a long time. Have you ever thought about getting out of here?" "Of course, sometimes." Toni lowered her voice. "You know, there is nothing wrong with me at all. I admit that I had a little problem when I first came, but now I'm cured. I want to get out of here too. I think you can help me. We You two can get out of here together. We're going to have a good time." He studied her for a while. "I don't know what to say." "No, you know. See how easy it is. All you have to do is let me out of here one night when everyone's asleep, and we're on our way." She looked at him and said softly , "I will reward you for this."

He nodded. "Let me think about it." "Think about it carefully." Toni said confidently. When Toni returned to the room, she said to Elliott, "We're leaving this place." ※※※ The next morning, Ashley was brought into Dr. Keller's office. "Good morning, Ashley." "Good morning, Gilbert." "We're going to try some sedative-hypnotics this morning. Have you tried it?" "No." "Well, you'll find it very relaxing." Ashley nodded. "Okay. I'm ready." Five minutes later, Dr. Keller was talking to Toni. "Good morning, Toni."

"Hello, doctor." "Are you happy here, Toni?" "Funny that you ask this. I'm really starting to like this place, to be honest with you. I feel very comfortable here." "Then why do you want to run away?" Toni's voice hardened. "what?" "Bill told me you begged him to help you get out of here." "That son of a bitch!" Her voice was full of exasperation.She jumped out of her chair, ran to the table, picked up a paperweight, and threw it at Dr. Keller's head. He bowed his head. "I'm going to kill you, and I'm going to kill him!"

Dr. Keller grabbed her. "Tony..." He watched the expression on Ashley's face change.Toni is gone.He found his heart pounding. "Ashley!" When Ashley woke up, she opened her eyes, looked around in bewilderment, and said, "Is everything okay?" "Toni attacked me. She was annoyed because I found out she was trying to run away." "I... I'm sorry. I feel something bad is going on." "It's all right. I want to bring you with Toni and Elliott." "No!" "why not?" "I'm scared. I... I don't want to see them. Don't you understand? They're not real. They're my imagination."

"Sooner or later, you're going to have to meet them, Ashley. You're going to have to get to know each other. That's the only way you'll be healed." Ashley stood up. "I want to go back to my room." ※※※ As she was led back to her cell, Ashley watched the guards leave, filled with a deep sense of hopelessness.She thought: I will never leave here.They are lying to me.They can't cure me.She couldn't face the fact that other personalities were living inside her...people were being killed and families were being destroyed because of them.Why me, God?She starts to cry.what have i done to youShe sat down on the bed and thought: I can't go on like this.There's only one way to end it.Now, I have to.

She stood up and walked around the small room, looking for something sharp.Nothing at all.The rooms are deliberately designed so that there is nothing in them that patients can use to harm themselves. As her eyes wandered around the room, she saw the paints, canvases, and brushes, and she walked past them.The handle of the paintbrush is wood.Ashley folded a paintbrush in two, revealing a sharp, jagged break.Slowly, she picked up the pointed end and put it on her wrist, thrusting it hard, piercing it into her veins, blood began to rush out.Ashley put the point on her other wrist and repeated the action, standing where she was, watching the blood stain the carpet.She started to feel cold.She collapsed on the floor, curled up like a fetus.

Then, the whole room went dark. ※※※ When Dr. Gilbert Keller heard the news, he was taken aback.He went to see Ashley in the infirmary.Her wrists were tightly bandaged.Seeing her lying there, Dr. Keller thought: I can't let this happen again. "We almost lost you," he said. "That would really embarrass me." Ashley forced a bitter smile. "I'm sorry. But everything seems so... so hopeless." "That's where you went wrong," Dr. Keller assured her. "Do you want help, Ashley?" "yes." "Then you must trust me. You must cooperate with me. I can't do it alone. What do you say?"

There was a long silence. "What do you want me to do?" "First, I want you to promise that you will never try to hurt yourself again." "Fine. I promise." "Now, I'm going to get the same promise from Toni and Aliette. I'm going to hypnotize you now." ※※※ A few minutes later, Dr. Keller was talking to Toni. "That selfish bitch wants to kill us all. She only thinks about herself. Do you know what I mean?" "Tony..." "Well, I quit. I..." "Just be quiet and listen to me, okay?" "I am listening."

"I want you to promise that you will never hurt Ashley." "Why should I promise?" "I'll tell you why. Because you're a part of her. You were born of her pain. I don't know what you've been through, Toni, but I do. It must be terrible. But you gotta realize, She went through the same thing, and Aliette was born for the same reason as you. You three have a lot in common. You should help each other, not hate each other. Will you promise me?" No answer. "Tony?" "I suppose so," she said reluctantly. "Thank you. Now, would you like to talk about England?"

"No." ※※※ "Alit, are you here?" "Yes." Where do you think I am, idiot? "I want you to make me the same promise as Toni. Promise to never hurt Ashley." That's the only person you care about, isn't it?Ashley, Ashley, Ashley.What about us? "Alette?" "Okay. I promise." ※※※ Months passed without any sign of progress.Dr. Keller sat on the edge of the table, carefully looked at the treatment records, recalled each course of treatment, and tried to find clues to mistakes. He was caring for six other patients at the same time, but he realized that Ashley was his main concern.There was such an unbelievably huge difference between her innocent, vulnerable personality and the menacing forces that could rule her life.Every time he talked to Ashley, he felt an overwhelming urge to protect her.She's like a daughter of mine, he thought.Who am I kidding?I am falling in love with her. ※※※ Dr. Keller came to see Otto Luisen. "I have a problem, Otto." "I thought it was just for our patients." "This involves one of our patients. Ashley Paterson." "Oh?" "I found that I was... I was deeply fascinated by her." "Reverse transference?" "yes." "That would be very dangerous to both of you, Gulbert." "I know." "Well, as long as you're aware of it... be careful." "I intend to do so." ※※※ This morning, I gave Ashley a diary. "I want you and Toni and Elliot to use it, Ashley. You can leave it in your room. Anytime any of you have any thoughts or ideas that you would rather write than tell me ideas, just write them down." "Okay, Gilbert." ※※※ A month later, Dr. Keller wrote in his journal: Treatment has stalled.Toni and Alette refuse to talk about the past.Convincing Ashley to go under hypnosis is getting harder and harder. ※※※ The diary was still blank.I'm not sure if the biggest resistance came from Ashley or Toni.When I finally hypnotized Ashley, Toni and Alette were only out for a very short time.They just won't talk about the past. ※※※ I see Ashley regularly, but I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere.The diary was still untouched, and I gave Alette an easel and a set of paints.I was hoping that if she started drawing, there might be a breakthrough. ※※※ One thing happened, but I'm not sure if it's a sign of progress.Elliot drew a beautiful picture of the hospital grounds.She seemed happy when I complimented her on it.That night, the painting was torn to pieces. ※※※ Dr. Keller and Otto Luisen drinking coffee. "I thought, I'm going to try group therapy," Dr. Keller said. "Nothing else seemed to work." "How many patients are you going to use?" "No more than six. I want her to start dating other people. Right now, she's living in a world of her own. I want her to get out of it." "Great idea. Worth a try." ※※※ Dr. Keller led Ashley into a small conference room.There are six people in the room. "I want you to meet some friends," Dr. Keller said. He took Ashley around the room and introduced them, but Ashley was too self-conscious to hear their names.The names are mixed up one by one.There are fat women, skinny men, bald women, lame men, Chinese women and gentle men.They all seem very pleasant. "Sit down," said the bald woman. "Would you like some coffee?" Ashley sat down. "Thank you." "We have heard of you," said the gentle man, "you have suffered much." Ashley nodded. "I think we've all been through a lot, but we're getting help. This place is just amazing," said the skinny man. "There are the best doctors in the world here," said the Chinese woman. They all seemed so normal, Ashley thought. Dr. Keller sat aside, monitoring the conversation.Forty-five minutes later, he stood up. "I think it's time to go, Ashley." Ashley stood up. "It was great meeting you all." The crippled man came up to her and whispered, "Don't drink the water here. It's poisoned. They're trying to kill us, and we'll get the money the state gave us." Ashley was tongue-tied: "Thank you. I...I will remember." As Ashley walked down the corridor with Dr. Keller, she said, "What's wrong with them?" "Hypochondria, schizophrenia, multiple personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder. But, Ashley, the progress they've made since they got here is obvious. Would you like to chat with them on a regular basis?" "No." ※※※ Dr. Keller walked into Otto Luisen's office. "It's not going anywhere," he admitted. "Group therapy isn't working, and hypnotherapy sessions aren't working at all. I'm going to try something out of the ordinary." "what?" "I need your permission to take Ashley out of here to eat." "I don't think that's a good idea, Gilbert. It could be dangerous. She's already..." "I know. But I'm an enemy to her at the moment. I want to be a friend." "Her alter ego, Toni, tried to kill you once. What if she tried it again?" "I'll handle it." Dr. Lewison considered for a moment and said, "Okay. Do you want someone to go with you?" "No. I'll be fine, Otto." "When are you going to take her out?" "tonight." ※※※ "You want to take me out to dinner?" "Yes. I think it would do you good to get out of this place for a while, Ashley. What do you think?" "OK." ※※※ How excited Ashley was to think of going out to dinner with Gilbert Keller!This surprised her quite a bit.It would be fun to get out of here for a night, Ashley thought.However, she understood much more than that.The thought of dating Gilbert Keller was exhilarating. ※※※ They ate at a Japanese restaurant called Kotani Garden five miles from the hospital.Dr. Keller knew he was taking a risk.Toni or Alette could take over her at any moment.He was warned.It is even more important that Ashley learns to trust me so that I can help her. "That's interesting, Gilbert," Ashley said, looking around the crowded restaurant. "What's interesting?" "These people don't look any different than the people in the hospital." "There's really no difference between them, Ashley. I'm sure they all have problems. The only difference is that people in the hospital can't fix their problems as well as normal people, so we're here to help them." "I didn't know what was wrong with me until... well, you know." "Do you know why, Ashley? Because you bury them. You can't face the things that happen to you, so you build fences in your mind and keep the bad things out. Many do, to varying degrees." He changed the subject deliberately. "How's your steak?" "It was delicious, thank you." ※※※ Since then, Ashley and Dr. Keller have left the hospital for meals once a week.They had lunch at a wonderful little Italian restaurant called "Banducci" and dinner at "The Palms" or "Evelyn's" or "Chowder Pot".Neither Toni nor Alette were ever seen. One night, Dr. Keller danced with her.It was in a small nightclub with a fantastic band. "Did you have a good time?" he asked. "Very happy. Thank you." She gazed at him and said, "You're not like other doctors." "They don't dance?" "You know what I mean." He was holding her tightly, and both felt the urgency of the moment. "That would be very dangerous to both of you, Gilbert..."