“Good idea. It’s worth a try.”
Dr. Keller led Ashley into a small meeting room. There were six people in the room.
“I want you to meet some friends,” Dr. Keller said.
He took Ashley around the room introducing them, but Ashley was too self-conscious to listen to their names. One name blurred into the next. There was Fat Woman, Bony Man, Bald Woman, Lame Man, Chinese Woman and Gentle Man. They all seemed very pleasant.
“Sit down,” Bald Woman said. “Would you like some coffee?”
Ashley took a seat. “Thank you.”
“We’ve heard about you,” Gentle Man said. “You’ve been through a lot.”
Ashley nodded.
Bony Man said, “I guess we’ve all been through a lot, but we’re being helped. This place is wonderful.”
“They have the best doctors in the world,” Chinese Woman said.
They all seem so normal, Ashley thought.
Dr. Keller sat to one side, monitoring the conversations. Forty-five minutes later he rose. “I think it’s time to go, Ashley.”
Ashley stood up. “It was nice meeting all of you.”
Lame Man walked up to her and whispered, “Don’t drink the water here. It’s poisoned. They want to kill us and still collect the money from the state.”
Ashley gulped. “Thanks. I’ll—I’ll remember.”
As Ashley and Dr. Keller walked down the corridor, she said, “What are their problems?”
“Paranoia, schizophrenia, MPD, compulsive disorders. But, Ashley, their improvement since they came here has been remarkable. Would you like to chat with them regularly?”
“No.”
Dr. Keller walked into Otto Lewison’s office.
“I’m not getting anywhere,” he confessed. “The group therapy didn’t work, and the hypnotism sessions aren’t working at all. I want to try something different.”
“What?”
“I need your permission to take Ashley to dinner off the grounds.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Gilbert. It could be dangerous. She’s already—”
“I know. But right now I’m the enemy. I want to become a friend.”
“Her alter, Toni, tried to kill you once. What if she tries again?”
“I’ll handle it.”
Dr. Lewison thought about it. “All right. Do you want someone to go with you?”
“No. I’ll be fine, Otto.”
“When do you want to start this?”
“Tonight.”
“You want to take me out to dinner?”
“Yes. I think it would be good for you to get away from this place for a while, Ashley. What do you say?”
“Yes.”
Ashley was surprised at how excited she was at the thought of going out to dinner with Gilbert Keller. It will be fun to get out of here for an evening, Ashley thought. But she knew that it was more than that. The thought of being with Gilbert Keller on a date was exhilarating.
They were having dinner at a Japanese restaurant called Otani Gardens, five miles from the hospital. Dr. Keller knew that he was taking a risk. At any moment, Toni or Alette could take over. He had been warned. It’s more important that Ashley learns to trust me so that I can help her.
“It’s funny, Gilbert,” Ashley said, looking around the crowded restaurant.
“What is?”
“These people don’t look any different from the people at the hospital.”
“They aren’t really different, Ashley. I’m sure they all have problems. The only difference is the people at the hospital aren’t able to cope with them as well, so we help them.”
“I didn’t know I had any problems until—Well, you know.”
“Do you know why, Ashley? Because you buried them. You couldn’t face what happened to you, so you built the fences in your mind and shut the bad things away. To one degree or another, a lot of people do that.” He deliberately changed the subject. “How’s your steak?”
“Delicious, thank you.”
From then on, Ashley and Dr. Keller had meals away from the hospital once a week. They had lunch at an excellent little Italian restaurant called Banducci’s and dinners at The Palm, Eveleene’s and The Gumbo Pot. Neither Toni nor Alette made an appearance.
One night, Dr. Keller took Ashley dancing. It was at a small nightclub with a wonderful band.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” he asked.
“Very much. Thank you.” She looked at him and said, “You’re not like other doctors.”