“Mrs. Marino”Lily called out to Gina who was pacing around the waiting room, she eyed her with a look and pity and sighed saying,” Dr. Felix will see you now”
“Alright,” Gina responded, bumping shoulders with Lily as she briskly walked into the office. A weird feeling arose in her heart as she detected the one thing she hated, in Lily’s voice – pity. People’s sympathy and spiteful comments were the major contributors to her present situation. The more people pitied her, the more resentful she became towards life.
“Felix, what’s going on?.. why do you look so tense?” Gina queried, sensing the eerie atmosphere the instant she stepped foot into the room, a great sense of apprehension surged through her heart as she asked. “What does the test report say?”
“It says….” Felix was about to respond but abruptly changed his mind and decided to adopt a more subtle method of approach. He wouldn’t dare to offend a mentally ill person.
He started by offering her a seat first, “Gina, you need to calm down. Take a seat” he indulged with a forced smile on his face that gave him out immediately.
“Felix…” Gina uttered with reluctance as she unwillingly took the seat he offered. “Tell me what exactly the problem is?”
“I’ll do that but first, I have some questions I need you to answer for me,” Felix said, his tone giving a feeling of unease. “You have to respond well. Your answers will determine my next line of action and….”
“Spill it out, Felix” Gina interjected, detesting the suspense he was keeping her in. “What are your questions?… Be fast about it”
Felix was having second thoughts about this, but it was the only way he could break the devastating news to her. “Well, have you ever made certain decisions or taken some actions that turned out to be a bad one and you still went on with it?… Have you taken some steps that have affected people’s lives negatively but seemed normal to you?”
Gina gradually slouched into her thoughts as Felix’s questions struck her deep down in her heart. Memories of how she sold her daughter for money, how she joined hands with Damien to destroy Liam, and how she caused the scandal that had almost ruined her daughter’s life, she never felt guilty about it. Even as she thought of those unruly acts, she still didn’t feel regretful. Was this how far her insanity had transcended?…
“Gina.. Gina…” Felix tapped his desk repeatedly to bring Gina back to reality. He also recalled what she said about using her daughter as collateral and felt a bit of caution in his heart. “You haven’t answered my questions, Gina,” he said, his tone laced with a hint of accusation.
Gina’s gaze suddenly darkened, her eyes glittering with fury as she glared hard at the doctor yelling, “So what if I’ve done those things?… How does it have anything to do with you?… I did make myself happy and satisfied at the expense of other people’s comfort and I don’t see anything wrong with that”
Felix was taken aback by her outburst as he could now understand the reason for the test results. She had indeed, become a danger to herself and others. But the most fearful thing was that her previous actions were just the tip of the iceberg, she was going to do much worse if she wasn’t isolated with immediate effect. He inhaled sharply to calm his nerves down before speaking.
“Gina.. that’s where your problem lies” Felix revealed tentatively, his gaze vigilant as he watched out for her next move. As a psychiatrist with many years of experience, he had learnt never to take his security for granted when dealing with his patients, who were always tagged as unpredictable.
“What do you mean?” She asked, her tone aggressive.
“You are battling with severe schizophrenia” Felix revealed, this time, without holding back. “Your abrupt decision to stop your medications before the appropriate time had caused your brain function to slowly deteriorate, thereby enabling you to make rash and uncomfortable choices.”
Immediately Felix was done delivering the test report, he held his breath in anticipation of what Gina’s response would be.
“Is that it?” She asked with a boring gaze in her eyes. “What’s the solution?”
Felix was once again flabbergasted by her words. He blinked twice and rubbed his ears, wondering if he heard wrongly. “Gina, this disorder is a very serious one. If you remain in public for more days, you can harm others and also harm yourself”
“I heard you the first time” Gina snapped. “What’s the solution?”
And here comes the most difficult part. Felix swallowed hard, staring at Gina’s stoic face to detect any sign of what she was thinking. He braced himself up and said “You need to be isolated here at the hospital so we can monitor your condition till we find a solution to it”
“By isolation, you mean I have to separate myself from the outside world?” Gina asked, her voice laced with indifference. Deep down she was shaken by the news but had decided to act unconcerned. From Felix’s words, she could tell our terrible her condition was. She could do anything to get her brain to function properly again, but isolating herself was out of the box. She’d rather continue living like this than say goodbye to her luxurious life and her plans with Damien to acquire more wealth.
“If that’s what you’re suggesting, then I’m afraid it wouldn’t be possible” she added, standing up to leave.
“Hold on, Gina”Felix equally stood up from his seat, bolting to the door to stop her from leaving. “We can talk about this, don’t leave yet”
“If after talking, then I still need to be locked up, you better forget it. It won’t work” Gina shook her head vehemently. “You can’t keep me locked up in here without my consent. Leave the way, Felix”
Felix hesitated a little but gave way for her to leave. What she said was true, he couldn’t hold her against his will. So he suggested, “If you can resume taking your medication, you can at least delay the next relapse”
Gina stood still for a while, as if deliberating on his words before responding, “Thank you, Felix. I will consider that”
Felix had no choice but to watch her leave. He had done his best, he just hoped it wouldn’t be too late when she changed her mind.