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Too many times
-- too many for someone like him, he thought, somewhat bitterly.
 I can see the reason behind the saying, "The white walls drive you mad." 
 He, an ordinary man compared to all the praised saviors rushing about him, scurryingthrough rooms and vacant-like hallways, sat there waiting for his turn. Not one of thecaffeine-deprived workers he only glanced at came up to him. He longed for someone's presence, to relieve his bitter loneliness, but then again, no matter how much he craved it,he despised it all the same.His worn, tired hands wrung themselves-- over, over, and over. He had enough control toquell the urge to tap his foot impatiently. His face remained impassive despite hisgrowing annoyance. How long has he sat here? How many times has he waited, slowlylosing another piece of his mind?
Too many times.
Finally, a too-young woman came up to him, in her coat and crisp clean pants. His scruffyface felt misshapen compared to everyone appearance.He nodded to her only once, his voice not willing itself to work. No matter how manytimes he told himself to get a grip, to not be so emotional, his throat would closeregardless of his brain's useless demands.They walked throughout the brightly lit corridors, the overly used expression of 'sterilewhite' popping into his mind, but he scoffed at it. No smell of disinfectant. No lemonfloor polish. No scent of the papery product that always hung around. Instead it smelt of faint chocolate and pine. He scowled to himself, no place should be this inviting.He was led to a door, the woman not saying a word as she lightly pushed it open. The pale blue lining made it seem so falsely cheerful-- so disbelievingly welcome. He ambledover to the bed that was smack dead center in the room. The place was so bright from thesun pouring in behind those soft white curtains. A table stood next to the bed, with a vaseof fake flowers. Fake, just like everything else, he thought sardonically.There was a door off to the side, which he knew for a fact was a bathroom. The door wasclosed, and a yellow light flickered through the crack. On, off, on, off...He loudly cleared his throat, not from a blockage, but to grab the attention of however was behind the door. He heard a startled yelp before the door was cautiously opened. Alone eye peeked out, before the door was flung too harshly to the side, making him cringeat the crash. A woman-- too frail to be a woman, more of a skeleton-- stood there in pajama pants and an over sized shirt. The woman neither smiled nor frowned in his presence, staring at him with such a look of confusion, it was unnatural. He only turnedto the woman, waiting for what she would do."You're..." Her voice was scratchy, but not enough to sound as if she had been smokingthree packs every day. He nodded, realizing what she was trying to say, and avoidedlooking at anything but her eyes. His gaze never strayed to the veins he could plainly seeon her arms, or her sick complexion. They didn't wander to her unevenly chopped hair, or 
 
her red, irritated neck. He defiantly did not look at the long scars trailing across her chinand cheek, diagonally crossed over her mouth. He didn't look-- he'd seen them more thanhe'd like, anyway.
Too many times...
She gained her composure, clearing her throat as he had done, and blinking slightly."You're...here." She said, in slight disbelief."I am..." He trailed off, reluctant to say anything else. What would he say? What would
 she
say?However, she only shrugged and stepped past him on shaky legs. She sat downawkwardly on the comfortable bed and motioned to the wooden chair covered with stiff yellow foam and even harder plastic. He sat down, breaking eye contact and glancing athis hands again, which found themselves wringing each other once again, as if trying tostrangle the other..."What are you doing here?" This time, there was no confusion, nor disbelief. It was purecontrolled indifference. He didn't know whether to be relieved she had spoke first-- or not."I'm--" He tried coming up with something to say. The short, stubby man had told himover the phone earlier that she couldn't be upset, by any means.
"Just look at what she'sdone before..." 
He blinked slightly, biting his already split lip."Just checking up on me?" The voice was airy, as if not paying attention, but suddenlythere was malice. He felt himself irrationally becoming annoyed as well, but did notcomment on it. Instead he shrugged, his broad shoulders sagging afterward."So..." He managed to say, gripping his hands tighter. "How have you been?"He chanced looking up, and was met with an uneven glare. It seemed the was battlinginternally whether to be delighted and start rambling, or angry and start yelling. He onlysighed and shook his head, mumbling, "Never mind.""I don't need a keeper you know--" Apparently she had chosen anger. He looked up from beneath his unwashed bangs, his eyes hardening."I said nev--" "I'm not a little kid!"He sighed soundlessly. Every time he comes here, he goes through the same process-- theaggravating wait, the long vacant hallways, the disbelief, the anger, then-- he stopped."Calm down." He whispered painfully, but it went unnoticed."Nothing is wrong with me." She sounded on the verge of tears and he cursed softly.What did he do this time? What had he done that made her upset? His eyes glared at thetiled floor before looking up at the woman."I know. I said never mind." His voice was hard, and he stared at her. She stared back, but
 
for only a second. She turned away and rolled onto her side, fully laying down on themattress.He looked at her then. He hadn't seen her for two weeks. Last time he was here, she hadupset herself so much that she locked herself in the bathroom, which alarmed all of her nurses. He had gotten hell from them, of course, but even now he couldn't pinpoint theexact reason for why she had gotten so worked up.
Maybe its just the sight of you...
Yeah, maybe. He shook his head, dispelling those typesof thoughts. He couldn't afford to think that now. Maybe when he got back to hisapartment in the shady part of town, with his blank walls staring back at him all of thetime, as if accusing him.He stood up at that moment, scraping the chair ever so lightly. He knew she heard it, andhe could feel her tense up. He paused for a second at her wariness before taking the twosteps toward her, looming over the bed. That had apparently been the wrong move."Don't touch me!" She shrieked loudly, making him wince and take a step back. She hadrolled over so she was standing on the floor, but her eyes were wild, as if she knew shewas the prey-- but he knew himself, that she was the
 predator 
.His throat closed up and he spared a glance at the long angry red scars on her pretty face.He hadn't been there when she made them...but he knew exactly what had happened. His breath came out somewhat shakily and he tightened his worrisome hand into a fist.Clenching, unclenching...He heard a knock outside the door. It was to remind him that the same woman who hadguided him to the room was waiting outside, ready to come in if trouble started. Hehardly spared the wooden door with it's diagonally checkered glass window a glance. Hetook a step back from the feral looking woman-- no, only a girl, a scared girl-- andwalked to the opposite end of the room."Sorry." He softly murmured, head down, clenching his fists. His chest throbbed in thatway which was so familiar to him now-- in throbbed in heart-wrenching pain. His throatmanaged to unclog for a second before he gulped harshly."Don't touch me." She repeated, her eyes glassy. She seemed out of it, as if she was high.But the tense way she held herself told him that she was aware of all of his actions."I-I.." He found himself stammering. She just turned her head away, and sharply dug her hands into the sheets that matched the room."Don't..." She began saying but he then glared at her. "Yes, 'don't touch me', I know." He bit out, only realizing a second later that it was going to cost him. Her eyes had hardenedand she looked at him with so much ice, that he found himself frozen to the floor."Shut up.""I-"
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