POSTED: The Home

Swan 4

Mike was over at the house bringing me smokes, like he did most times he came to visit and I decided to do a quality check on them outside when the unmarked cruiser pulled up making me smirk. Another one bites the dust.

I stopped mid-drag watching the newest woman being brought in, cuffs around her wrists. Apparently the new trend among parole officers is to hand out the silver bracelets to their charges as if they were diamond rings now.

Wait a minute…I know her. I know her.

I stood up as she passed and was about to follow her in when her parole officer spotted me, putting his hand to my chest to stop me. I looked at his hand and up his arm until I reached the particularly disgruntled look on his pretty face. That is what I could describe him as…pretty. “Where do you think you’re going?”

I took a drag of my cigarette and was bringing my hand down when my wrist was caught mid-air before I could butt the cherry out on Pretty-face’s hand. I glared at Mike, who was the one that caught my hand and looked back at Pretty, but he was looking at Mike now. “You need to watch your charge better. She was going after my girl.”

I snorted. “Right and Obama had my baby.”

“Swan, shut up.” Mike snapped, keeping his eyes on the other guy. You could practically hear the old western music as they faced off. “I am sure she meant no harm, excuse us.”

And with that bullshit apology, Mike jerked my wrist and I was going in the other direction. “What the fuck, Mike?” I snapped jerking my wrist back, making him stop his movements.

“Swan, I am not sure if all the shit you’ve done knocked a screw loose or what, but your filter that is supposed to catch things like putting your cigarette out on another person’s parole officer, will get you thrown in prison, that parole officer in particular.”

I gave a predominantly falsely dramatic gasp and a smirk grew on my lips. “Mike, you’re afraid of that guy?! Pretty no-neck guy, but why?”

Mike gave a sigh and shook his head. “I am not afraid of him…physically.” He dropped my wrist and scrubbed his face. “He is my superior, Swan. What exactly am I supposed to do?”

“Stand up to him, tell him he is being a douche bag and you know I wasn’t going after some random chick.” I said planting my hands on my hips. “I know her; she was someone I knew at the hospital.”

“You could have spoken up when you saw her, Swan.” Mike said sighing. “It gets you into less trouble. He looked over the top of my head and sighed again. “Speaking of trouble…your babysitter is here to pick you up.”

I looked where he was looking and grunted in a very non-female type of way. “Hey there Jared, anyone go to you yet?” I snorted at my own joke and looked at Mike’s lifted eyebrow. “You know, ‘He went to Jared’?” Mike still looked confused and I just shook my head at him, turning my attention back to Shrinky. “So what’s now my virginal Yoda?”

Jared rolled his eyes at me and gestured with his hand that we head inside. I followed him without a word and he led me to an office down stairs that was reserved for our little one on ones. He has been better about how he approaches some subjects and we even talked about my mother some.

Charlie was off limits for now.

I sat in the uncomfortable chair across from him and brought my legs up to cross them. “So what is on the soul searching agenda today, Shrinky?”

“Well Isabella, I think we should get more talking about the future today.” He said, ignoring the small growl I gave at him using my name. I have given up repeating myself telling him not to say it, but I won’t just sit and take it either. “I want you to tell me what you would like to accomplish with our sessions together.”

I grinned at him and uncrossed my legs, leaning forward some. “Well Jared, I would like to get you laid.”

He just smiled and shook his head. “You know what I mean, Isabella.”

“What, it’s the truth.” I smirked. “I hey, what about that shy chick out there. I’ll bet she is a freak. The shy ones usually are way kinky in bed.”

Jared’s eyebrows shot up and then she shook his head, as if clearing it. “Isabella that is not what I am talking about. What can I do for you with our one on one session’s?”

I licked my lips in a seductive way. “I don’t know, can you do any tricks with your tongue?”

He pinched the bridge of his nose and I did a mental victory dance, knowing that usually meant he was done with me for the day. “I mean in a professional aspect.”

“I have a few tongue tricks.” I said unhelpfully sitting back in the chair in a lazy way playing with my nails. He didn’t say anything so I side eyed him and smirked. “Of course, for men and women.”

He looked like he was going to stop me for a second but then he just sat back in the chair, staring at me. Well, this is a new tactic. The face off. I wonder how far I can go with this. “For example, the woman they just brought in today, she was in the hospital with me. We had some good times there.” I wiggled my brows and he just stared. Hmm, alright let see… “Like this one time, one of the nurses let us up on the roof to have a smoke and they had just given us our meds so we were high as fuck and just started making out…”

There was the slightest shift in his seat, my smirk grew, and I leaned forward, getting into the story. “The nurse didn’t know what to do, right? So he just watched us making out, getting all hard as he watched and listened to us moaning. It was very sexy. Do you enjoy watching women kissing, Jared?”

Stone silent. “I slid my hand up he hospital gown and lightly touched her—”

“Isabella! That is seriously enough!” he finally snapped. Gottcha.

I tried to look innocent. “You didn’t stop me.”

He looked like he was going to get all red and angry like he usually does, but instead he took a breath and cocked his head to the side. “Why do you always go to sex? Why is that your go to move?”

I frowned sitting back again, thrown off by the question. “Sex can be a lot of different things to a lot of different people.” I said shrugging as I worked on regaining control again. “Two people could be having sex with each other and both of them are thinking it means two different things. One thinks love; the other could be getting one last fuck before they dump the poor sap.”

“What do you think sex means?” he said leaning forward, much like I was. “I mean you must have some thoughts on it since it’s what you think about so often.”

“It alleviates boredom.” I said simply.

“So you don’t take it as a beautiful way to procreate and bring a child of your own into the world?” He asked, so seriously that I actually laughed.

“Because all the world needs is another one of me running around.” I snorted.

“I think there would be nothing wrong with that.” Jared said seriously and wrote some scribbles on his notebook. “So if you think sex is just, something to do, then why do you think you are trying so hard to cure me of my virgin status?”

I grinned at him. “That is because you obviously need a little fun in your life, Shrinky.”

He put his notebook aside and sat still with his hands on his lap. “If it is so important, then why don’t you do it yourself?”

My jaw dropped and I shifted in my chair. “Umm, well Doc, because for one, this door doesn’t lock.” I joked. Did he really just ask me to pop his cherry?

“Okay let’s go up to the bedroom.” He said calmly.

“What? No, Mike already put me in a metaphorical chastity belt.” I said, thinking fast. “I am not allowed to have any type of relations with men while I am at the house.”

“That is a two year abstinence sentence. Why would he care?” he said frowning, losing his calm look. “Is Mr. Newton acting inappropriately towards you, Isabella?”

“He said that I am just going and looking for trouble when it usually finds me just fine.” I explained, looking Shrinky over. “You really want me to pop your cherry?”

He smiled and shook his head. “I would prefer it wasn’t out of boredom that I encounter my first time, but if you were so concerned for my well being, and then I was letting you fulfill your need to protect me.”

I grinned. “I am sure that is an important part of my acceptance process.”

“Can you tell me how many people that you would consider a friend since your parents passed away?” He said randomly.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “Mike is probably the only thing I have that is even close to a friend.” I paused and then a slow wide grin spread across my face. “I did just re connect with Jacob Black again, he popped my cherry back in high school.” I smiled fondly remembering the entirety of the high jinx we got up to back then. “Man those were some good times.”

There was a knock on the door and Sue popped her head in. “Jared dear, there is a new resident that is in need of a one on one room with her therapist if you didn’t mind.” Shrinky was on his feet in a second and I followed, vacating the room just as the newbie was making her way towards us.

We walked past each other in the hall and I saw her side eyeing me as I was her. My left arm swung wide as we passed and hers did too, making our left wrists collide as we passed each other. “Hey, you want to watch where you’re fucking walking?” She snapped.

I turned to face her balling up my fist. “You want to fucking make me?”

There was a warning tone to my side. “Isabella, you calm yourself right now or I will use Ativan on you to get you to listen.” I looked at her Shrinky, whom looks as is if he were saying just about the same thing more or less to her.

 I smirked and bit my lip winking at the woman. “I will see you later then, Lee.”

“Tonight.” She promised with a small smirk back and we both turned away from each other, going our separate ways.

When we got to the room, Mike was waiting for me and I rolled my eyes. “Don’t you have your own home?” I joked, frowning a little when Jared took my left arm and brought to his face. “Umm…excuse you Shrinky, but I don’t think that is going to help you assess my mental state.”

“I practiced a year as a nurse for a retirement community back when I was going through my first few years of school.” He said turning my arm left, right, and bending the wrist here and there. “Well it doesn’t look like the collision damaged anything.”

This brought Mike to his feet. “What collision? Dude, I left you down stairs, what kind of collision could there have been?”

I put up a hand for both of them. “Now, wait a second all that happened was I was walking through the hall and winging my arms and the new girl was going the opposite way and we bumped wrists.”

Mike walked over doing the same thing Shrinky just did, making me roll my eyes. Jared was tapping a finger on his jaw. “What is that tattoo there, you don’t have any mention of a tattoo on your wrists in your file.”

I looked at the small ‘III’ on my wrists, which Mike was now studying, and gave a small shrug. “It stands for the third wing of Greater Columbia Behavioral Health.”

Mike’s head shot up and I avoided looking at him. I knew what he was thinking. When he picked me up from the hospital, it was from the front entrance and I wasn’t even cuffed. Everyone that knew the state system knew the third wing of the hospital meant those who were labeled ‘High risk’ and even the criminally insane go there, usually for life unless they can afford a fancy lawyer to get a privet facility.

Jared went on. “I get that but what does it mean, personally?”

I shrugged nonchalantly. “I had two roommates. We got close.”

Jared nodded and I headed for the bedroom door, suddenly not feeling like being cooped up anymore. “Where are they now, these roommates?”

I touched the door knob and closed my eyes, mentally detaching myself from the answer so that it wouldn’t sting so badly. I didn’t even bother turning back around to face him. “One is here, that is Lee, the one I ‘collided’ with down stairs. The other… she didn’t have a very good plan for leaving. From what I found out from lockup and the few newspaper’s that Mike here would smuggle me in the mornings, she was found hanging in the stairwell of her place a few days after being released.”

I opened the door and walked out, heading back down stairs, ignoring the urgent, whispered ‘Swan’ that followed me until we hit the porch. Then I spun on him, looking at him pleadingly. “Mike, take me from here, even if it is for a little while.”

He pulled me to him and rested his chin on my head and I fought him at first but then just gave up and embraced him. I felt better for it and I guess he knew I would. I hate that a little. “I can’t and you know I can’t.”

Just then shy girl walked by and headed off the porch to her stern parole officer that was waiting by his patrol car. I made an indignant voice, throwing up my hand to gesture at her. “Mike, look they are leaving, why don’t you take me for a ride?” I whined making him rolls his eyes at me. I grinned at his and leaned heavily on his arm pushing my chest out closer to him. “Or better yet, I can ride you.”

His face got red and pulled my arm until we were around the side of the house and he pulled out his phone as we walked off the porch into the grass. Whomever he called picked up and he gave me a quick look before saying into the phone. “Hello this is officer Newton; I am advising that I am taking monitor 896321 off of the grounds and out of range.”

I perked up and started bouncing a little as he finished his phone call. He laughed and shook his head. “Small walk, you hear me?”

I nodded fast and bolted for the woods spinning when I get just inside the tree covering. “You have no idea how awesome this really is.”

Mike snorted and I looked behind me, slowing down some so he could catch up. “Swan, you have been institutionalized since you were 19, trust me, I get it.”

I frowned a little walking in step with him. “Mike, why aren’t you like… married with a bundle of children and a white fence and all that jazz? Well I do know that one of the problems is that you spend way too much time here with me.”

He looked at me and stopped walking. I stopped too looking at him back. It was a look-off. He stepped closer to me and spoke so low I had to lean closer to hear him. “I would much rather be here spending the two years of your sentence in this house every chance I get, then go home and know that you are here doing it yourself.”

There was a tension between us. That electric you get right before you kiss someone for the first time. It was there between us now and I watched as he shifted, leaning closer. Apparently he is saying fuck his job at this point. I grabbed his collar and pulled him closer, so our lips were almost touching.

A scream for help rang out of the house.

We both sprint back to the house, of course he is moving faster because he doesn’t have a stupid ankle monitor on. The screams are still going when we hit the stairs and then just stop abruptly. Lee’s shrink and Mrs. Smiley ran by us and I whispered to Mike. “Lee, Mike. It was the new girl, Lee!”

Mike followed the shrink and I followed Mike and we all headed to where I guess was Lee’s room. It sounded like she was fighting everyone. I could hear Sue’s voice trying to calm her. Mike went right in to help with the situation and I just leaned against the door watching them all tackle my naked former roommate. I saw her shrink pull out a needle and I was mentally coaching her. ‘Lee stop, stop fighting them it’s fine.’ 

It didn’t work, the shrink jabbed her trapezius and the drug took seconds to work, making her lose all fight completely. Ativan. Leah used to hate Ativan because it always took so long to go through her. I heard her say something but I couldn’t make out what it was.

Mike was leaving the room again and he stopped by me. “Stay here, I am going with Sue down stairs real fast and I will be right back. Stay here.”

I nodded smiling innocently and he rolled his eyes at me and left.

“Whoa, guess she was having a hard time adjusting, huh?” said a quiet voice behind me. I turned to see the shy girl.

I narrowed my eyes a little but smiled at her when I half turned to face her. “So, Rachel.” I said her name as if it were a sarcastic come back. “As it turns out we could have been in laws at one point.”

She frowned and cocked her head at me without saying anything and I turned to her completely. “You see your little brother Jakie and I were fucking like rabbits back in the day.” I smirked watching her face go through a plethora of emotions. I leaned in close whispering into her ear, making sure there was the right amount of seductive breathiness to it. “I popped his little man cherry and we fucked all over la push. If I had stayed, who knows, maybe I would have been your sister in law.”

I laughed at the disgusted noise she made and turned to look back at Lee, hoping it was enough to get the little fucker to run off in an emotional panic. I heard a snort and I looked back seeing her smirk. “I doubt that would have happened if you stayed. You see, my brother is chief and everyone in la push knows what a fucked up crazy slut you are, so there would be no way that he would have been with you for longer then it took to use you like the whore that you are.”

Wow, nice.

I pulled my fist back and it was suddenly wrenched back behind me, my finger tips touching my spine. I growled bucking against the hold, but it was pointless. I looked back as saw that it was Captain Pretty-face and he was looking like he was in no mood for my shit, so I fought him hard. I saw Jared running up the hall way and suddenly instantly went limp and dropped to my knees and put my forehead to the floor.

Riot position at the hospital when the guys with the needles start moving in. You drop to your knees and put your forehead to the floor and it shows that you are lucid and able to cooperate so they don’t have to stick you with the needle.

Jared grunted and sighed. “Just stake her back to the bedroom.” He said, sounding tired.

Well, I almost had a problem free day.