The Absent Husband II
Patti walked into the day room and struck up a conversation with a new patient. A young man she fancied, believing she could love again. Patti looked around for the absent husband to make sure he was there. Two can play that game, she thought to herself. She would make him so jealous, even though she was ignoring him, that it would drive him to tears. Patti put her hands around the young man, who pushed her away. She grew angry and spat at him. Staff intervened before things got more out of hand.
In the seclusion room Patti cried, screamed, and took her anger out on the walls. Punching them until she bled: bruised her knuckles, but no breaks it was determined after x-rays were taken. Again she was stopped by staff, which now put her on four-point-leather restraints. Through her tears she saw a blurry figure of what appeared like the absent husband. Emergency medications were injected into her. She dozed off after a while. In her sleep she could be heard speaking and calling out the name of the absent husband: Errol.
When she awoke in the morning, Patti smiled. She was friendly and said all the things the staff wanted to hear in order to be allowed out of the seclusion room. In her room she changed her clothes as the absent husband watched. She ignored him, didn't speak a word to Errol, hoping he was put on notice that she would be looking for a new man. She felt a burning sensation in her stomach. Patti asked the nurse that walked into the room if she could have something for the pain. She thought the absent husband and the nurse exchanged smiles.
On top of the nurse, Patti had a fistful of hair, and was quickly pulled off her by a passing intern. In the seclusion room, this time for a more serious offense, Patti was told that assault charges would be filed. Patti wept and through her pressured speech she said she was sorry. She promised she wouldn't do it again. Patti blamed the absent husband for everything. She didn't want to go to jail again. Patti had been there before for trespassing into a neighbor's home looking for the absent husband. She sighed and said, "Errol, I hope you die."