“Dr. Quinn. If you don’t settle down, I’m going to have to administer a sedative.” The nurse pressed a button on the wall. Two orderlies showed up dressed in white smocks. “Please stop turning around. Have a seat, Dr. Quinn.”
Quinn burst into laughter. “See, Olivia. They think I’m crazy now. They’re about to give me drugs. They know I’m telling the truth. Blair set them up to believe I’m losing my mind. This is hilarious. He’s the crazy one.”
The heftier of the two orderlies found an opportunity to wrap his arms around Quinn in an embrace from behind. The nurse produced a needle and jabbed it into her arm.
Quinn screamed and tried to wriggle free. “No. Olivia. You have got to help me. Please. Don’t leave me. Call the police. Blair will have me killed. Don’t tell him you were here. He’ll hurt you, too.”
The two staff members who subdued Quinn tried to escort her out. She fell into a dead weight, which forced them to drag her from the room with her feet sliding across the floor. The repeated cries of despair diminished as they led her away.
Olivia stood in shock at what had transpired. Her mind was transported back to the dealings she had with a few of her patients. She had never seen a friend in this manner.
“Dr. Maxwell? Dr. Maxwell?” The nurse repeated. “Are you okay?”
Olivia pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. She released a huff of air before responding. “No. I’m not. I wasn’t expecting Quinn to be this way.”
“We’ve experienced the same outbursts several times. She has episodes of paranoia and is delusional. She often accuses us of trying to harm her.” The nurse shook her head in pity. “As you know, no one is drugging her or trying to kill her.”
“I had no idea.” Olivia shook her head to clear her mind.
“I’m surprised you were here visiting her. Dr. Blair gave us directions on her file to not allow any visitors,” the nurse said with firmness. “How did you bypass his orders?”
“Oh. There must’ve been a glitch in your system.” Olivia didn’t want Chevy to get in trouble. “I had no idea she couldn’t have visitors. I’m sorry.” She fluttered her eyelashes three times to feign innocence.
The nurse eyed her with suspicion. “Well, for future reference, since there is a level of sensitivity with her being a mental health professional in the community, you cannot come back unless we receive permission from Dr. Blair. You, if anybody, should understand what’s involved here.”
Olivia nodded. “Yes. I understand and will respect their wishes. I will leave now.” Olivia turned on an air of haughtiness. “May I escort myself out? I know the way.”
“I’ll lead you out to the closest exit. We must enter the door codes,” the nurse responded without the same edge in her voice.
Once Olivia left the building and returned to the car, she grabbed her items from the trunk and scrambled into the driver’s seat. She drew in a sharp breath and released it in frustration. What she had observed, was disturbing, to say the least.
Could Blair have done something to Quinn?
Olivia’s phone rang. Blair’s name popped onto the screen. “Uh-oh,” she mumbled.
She answered the call. “Hello?”
“Olivia,” Blair’s voice cut like ice through the phone, “I received a call from the psych ward nurse. She told me you visited with Quinn. I told you she couldn’t have visitors. Why did you violate my orders?”
Blair’s tone offended her. “From a professional standpoint, I figured it would be helpful for her care. I didn’t mean to upset either one of you.”
Blair lit into her. “I told you to stay away from Quinn. When will you learn to mind your damn business? You’ve made her progress worse and didn’t consider the confidentiality of her condition.”
Olivia’s face warmed from guilt. “I’m sorry. I had no idea about her level of instability. I won’t go again. Please accept my apology.”
Silence burned through the phone.
“Blair? Are you still there?”
“I’m here,” Blair said with a flat voice, void of emotion. “I’m tempted to stop seeing you as my patient.”
“Well, okay. If that’s the way it has to be, so be it.”
Blair sighed. “I’m going to do you a favor since we are on a good pathway for your treatment. I’ll see you at your next appointment.”
“Um. Yeah. Sure,” Olivia responded. She questioned whether she wanted to keep seeing him herself. His monotone voice scared her for some reason. The events of the day were getting to be too much.
“And by the way, ignore anything she said about me drugging her. It’s not true. Her mental state is unexplainable and she needs help. She started accusing me of trying to kill her months ago.” Blair lowered his voice to a barely audible level and spoke at a rapid pace. “I tried my best to help her with my expertise. Things got to the point I couldn’t handle her on my own.”
“I see. Look, let’s not discuss this anymore. I need to recover from what I’ve experienced today,” Olivia said. “I know this isn’t easy for either one of you.”
“Thank you for understanding and for protecting our privacy,” Blair whispered. “I’ll see you soon.”
The call ended. Olivia dropped the phone on her lap and sat motionless in her car in a daze. The way Blair changed from yelling at her to whispering, rattled her nerves. She contemplated whether she should call the police in case any truth existed in Quinn’s accusation of him. Something didn’t feel right about this situation.
She replayed the conversation she’d had with Quinn and Blair. Why Quinn would make those claims against him, didn’t make sense.
Olivia shook her head and gathered herself together to drive the route to her house. When she drove into the driveway, something on the porch caught her attention. She squinted from the car before
