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Tim opened his eyes to see another white ceiling fan, just like the one in the Dominican Republic. “What the hell?” he said out loud.
He attempted to get up, only to find that both his arms and legs were restrained to the bed. A hospital bed.
“Hey!” Tim yelled, not knowing who he was yelling to.
“Shut the fuck up,” said a voice to Tim’s right.
Tim looked over to see a man with a food tray in another bed. The man was eating what appeared to be breakfast while watching TV.
“Where the fuck am I? How the hell did I get—”
The man in the bed next to Tim cut him off. “You’re in the John Hopkins Psych Ward, pal,” he answered, not bothering to look at Tim. “But I don’t have a clue how you got here. I just know that they brought you in last night and woke me the fuck up.”
Tim was beginning to calm down somewhat. At least he was someplace safe, but how and why was he in a hospital room?
Tim decided to take a nicer tone with his new roommate. “So, they brought me in here and I woke you up? I am very sorry, but can you tell me anything else?” Tim was trying his best to stay calm, but he could feel his heart racing.
“You kept asking if there was a plan B and calling out for some chick named Pam.” The man was now looking directly at Tim. “Look, pal, if you got women problems, then let me give you a piece of advice. They ain’t worth it.”
Two nurses entered the room (or, at least, that was what Tim figured they were). The female nurse spoke first. “Good morning, Mr. Hall. How are you feeling today?”
“I’d be a lot better if I knew how I got here,” Tim said, but he noticed that the female nurse was writing down his vitals on a clipboard instead of paying attention to him.
Tim again attempted to be nice. “So, is there any way I can be untied?”
“Perhaps,” the nurse replied, “provided you can behave yourself. Dr. Ryan will be here in a moment, and we will have to see how she feels about that.”
Tim could tell that he was being treated like a preschooler and decided that he should cooperate.
A woman in her fifties entered the room and had a conversation with the female nurse. She next walked to Tim’s bedside, while the female nurse drew the privacy curtain. Meanwhile, the male nurse stood silently at the head of the bed with his arms crossed. Must be here in case I start any trouble, Tim thought, which he found somewhat amusing. Tim had never imagined he could be considered dangerous.
“Mr. Hall? My name is Dr. Ryan. Do you have any idea why you are here?”
“Not a clue,” Tim responded.
“Well, you were brought here by the Baltimore police, who found you running up and down Washington Street at 11 p.m. last night. They report that you appeared to be having a psychotic episode. Do you know what a psychotic episode is, Mr. Hall?”
“I have a pretty good idea. It’s the official name for acting crazy.” Tim was trying not to sound too much like a wise ass, but he was finding it difficult given the situation. If nothing else, Tim had always considered himself sane.
“Yes, Mr. Hall, that would be an appropriate description,” the doctor agreed. “Have you recently taken any drugs, legal or illegal?”
“Not that I am aware of.” Tim had decided to try and keep his answers short.
“Have you been out of the country recently?”
That question stopped Tim cold. Yes, he had, but did he want to go into all that when he didn’t know exactly what had happened himself? Yes: he decided he’d need to be straight with the doctor if he ever expected to get out of the psych ward.
“Dr. Ryan, I recently traveled to the Dominican Republic to take part in a study involving stem cells, but I now I believe there never was a study and I was simply robbed of $18,000. I returned yesterday, I mean Sunday morning, and just have not felt very well since then.”
Tim studied the doctor’s face and saw what he interpreted as a look of understanding. “Well, that certainly may explain a lot. For example, your blood work from last night was all over the place, but this morning, your blood levels seem about normal. Actually, for a man of your age, I would say you are in excellent health.”
Tim did not remember any blood work from this morning, but he did not remember last night, either. Tim noticed that the doctor seemed be taking a more friendly attitude toward him now.
The doctor turned to the male nurse. “Toby? I think we can take the restraints off of Mr. Hall now.”
Nurse Toby stepped forward and undid Tim’s wrists and feet. Meanwhile, the doctor made more notes on Tim’s chart and handed the clipboard back to the female nurse.
“Mr. Hall, I would like to keep you in the hospital for another day for observation, but I feel that your episode was related to your experience in the Dominican Republic, and I would of course advise you never to try something like that again.”
The doctor was now smiling, which Tim saw as a good sign. She continued. “The Baltimore police did charge you with disorderly conduct, but I will write you a statement saying that your behavior was caused by a reaction to medication. That should allow them to drop the charges. Later today, we will move you out of the Psychiatric Ward to a regular room. In the meantime, you must be hungry.”
Dr. Ryan finished writing notes on Tim’s chart and asked him if he had any questions. Tim thanked her and said that he did not. The doctor and the two nurses left the room, and Tim began to relax.
His roommate spoke up. “You’re lucky, pal. I know some people who never leave this place. But I got to let you know something.”
“And what would that be, my friend?” Tim replied, feeling confident.
“You say you got back to Baltimore Sunday morning? Well, today is Wednesday.”