Jacin frowned as he signed his name on the check in chart along with the date. He had to glance at the clock behind the lady at the desk before writing the time too. After doing that, he took a seat on the one of the uncomfortable, gray chairs in the lobby. 

An older woman with  were so dark,  they almost looked black, smiled at him. Mrs. Solis had made an effort to talk to him since the incident. She knew what it was like for a loved one to be trapped in this place. Her husband, Jerrico, was taken only a year before her.

"Marie Solis?" Brenda, the nurse, called her over.

She gave Jacin an encouraging pat on the shoulder as she got out of her seat and disappeared down the bland hallway.

He patiently stared at the white walls, forcing the frown to form into a neutral expression he saw her. He didn't want her to worry about him like he knew she would. Like she always did. 

The "inspirational"--if it could even be called that--picture on the opposite wall wasn't improving his mood, and he doubted it helped many other people. Three times a week he did this. Every time he wondered why they couldn't change the pictures to go with the current century.

Buzzing came from his pocket, but Jacin ignored it. Work wasn't important right now. The only thing that mattered was her.

He sat alone, barely paying attention to the strangers that passed by in front of him. Jacin was worried about her. Whenever he saw her she only seemed worse, and yet the doctors claimed she was making progress. How could they say that when she couldn't look at herself in the mirror without having a breakdown?

"Jacin Clay?" His head jerked in the direction of Brenda called his name. When he got to her she smiled politely. "She'll see you now."

He nodded and followed her. As they walked close to the right wall, they passed an middle-aged woman who was thrashing in a male nurse's grasp. "Please! Help him! He's going to jump, if we don't help him!"

Jacin held his hardened expression, but had to avert his gaze away from the poor woman. 

Two other nurses rushed passed him and Brenda, one carrying a syringe with what he assumed was a sedative for the woman.

"Here you go, Jacin."

He looked at the door marked 3J. "Thanks, Brenda, I'm good from here."

"Push the button if you need us."

Of course she didn't say it directly, but he knew what Brenda really meant. If there was an episode, he had to push the button. For his safety, and for hers. He'd made the mistake of not pushing the button before, and it was a mistake he'd never make again.

Taking a deep breath, Jacin pushed open the door.

 Arms immediately flung around him, causing him to stumble back. He quickly regained his balance and hugged her back.

"It's so good to see you!" She cried.

"I was here on Wednesday," He chuckled, despite himself. He was already breaking his number one rule, and he'd only been there for a total of ten seconds. 

She let her hands fall from around his neck to rest at her sides. "I know, but I can't help it. You're the only person that visits me here," She reached up to push a stray curl behind her ear. 

Do not get attached.

Do not show emotion.

Do not stare at her (you will get attached if you do).

Minimal physical contact allowed.

And do NOT fall in love with her (she is not healthy enough for a relationship).

That was the mantra he repeated in his mind every time her saw her. And multiple times while he was with her. It was the way things had to be. He cared about her way too much for him to ruin any chance of recovery she had.

"Levana comes to see you." He argued.

"But you're the only person I care about seeing." 

Together, they sat on her twin-sized bed. Jacin's hands brushed against the coarse fabric of her blanket. He made a mental note to bring her something softer on Monday. 

He ignored her obvious attempts to flirt with him, no matter how much he wanted to return it. "How've you been, Trouble? Gotten into any trouble?"

She giggled, "Of course not."

"Had any visions the past two days?" Jacin noticed earlier on that if he called them delusions, she would shy away from talking about what she saw, so he'd taken to calling what were truly delusions, visions.

"None at all this week." She smiled so bright he thought of nothing but her smile. It was sad that not having delusions would make her feel so accomplished. She acted like it was something everyone faced every day. As happy as Jacin was that her mental state was currently doing so well, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

She must have noticed the look on his face, that he was doing terrible at hiding. "I won't have any of your pity, Jacin. Let's be optimists. I'm doing great and will be out of here in no time."

She took his hand in her soft, warm ones.

Do not get attached.

Do not show emotion.

Do not stare at her (you will get attached if you do).

Minimal physical contact allowed.

And do NOT fall in love with her (she is not healthy enough for a relationship).

His mind raced with his pulse as she leaned her head on his shoulder. She was testing the boundaries. She was wondering how far she could push him until he pushed her the opposite direction. She was trying to get away with something he wouldn't have let happen two years ago.

Jacin found himself moving his left hand to cover hers. 

She sighed contentedly, closing her golden eyes and relaxing against him. 

This was alright. This was okay for a couple minutes. It wasn't necessarily following the minimal physical contact rule, but it wasn't breaking it either. As long as he wasn't breaking it...

They stayed like that longer than he cared to admit, basking in each other's presence. 

Unfortunately, it all ended when she tensed and started sniffing the air. Her eyes sprung open, a gasp escaping her lips. She tore herself away from him, backing up until her back was against the headboard. Her arms were wrapped around her knees, eyes peeking over her navy cotton pants.

"What is it, Winter? What do you see?" Jacin moved himself directly in front of her. However, her eyes stared passed him as if her were a ghost. 

She didn't respond to him, but her lips were moving. It sounded like she was counting?

Feeling completely helpless, Jacin pushed the red button next to her headboard. He tried to coax her to look at him. To calm down. To talk to him. Anything. But she didn't so much as glance in his direction. 

Brenda and the nurse--the one he'd seen carrying the sedative earlier--came into the room. The same nurse was holding another sedative. Brenda gently pulled Winter's arm, outstretching it for the needle that was about to pierce her skin. Winter put up little resistance... Jacin didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

Once her eyes were closed, and she was laying soundly in her bed, Brenda turned to him. "Looks like it's time for you to go home," she said apologetically. 

"Just give me one minute."

She agreed, leading the other nurse out of the room.

Jacin knelt beside her bed. "Hey, Princess. I'm sorry about today. I hope you're doing better tomorrow, and when I visit on Monday. I know you were excited about not having a breakdown for a week, but don't get too mad at yourself over it, things happen. Everything will be okay in the end."

He stared at her scarred face, tracing his thumb over the three parallel scars that only made her more beautiful. Not even thinking, he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "See you on Monday."

He stood up and walked out the door. Brenda lead him back to the lobby, where when wrote down the time he was leaving at. 

Do not get attached.

Do not show emotion.

Do not stare at her (you will get attached if you do).

Minimal physical contact allowed.

And do NOT fall in love with her (she is not healthy enough for a relationship).

Jacin frowned as he sat down in his car. He'd broken the rules.

Every single one of them.

So, it's kinda short and sad, I know. I would say I'm sorry, but I'm not...love it? Hate it? Tell me what you think and comment below for what you want me to write next (kaider, wolflet, thress, wincin, everlark, fourtris, eugunzel, hiccelsa, jarida, jelsa, kristanna, merricup, clintasha, captain widow/romanogers, pepperony, Thane, Brutty, Tasertricks, captinswan, snowing, outlaw queen... You can tell me others and I will do them if I know who they are). I have a  Hiccelsa, Eugunzel, Clintasha, PotC, Jelsa, Captain Swan, and Avengers meet RotBFTD crossover in that order coming up next. I can't promise quick updates on this book since I have other stories to write.

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PrinsessSelene04