Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22280 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 111(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22280 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 111(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
Jamison Coy has been shut away for ten years in the asylum with no hope of escape. He never cared about leaving until he saw her. Now all his thoughts are consumed with Mia and how he can have her all to himself.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Chapter One
MIA
“That’s not going to fly.” Emily pulls on the end of the ribbon I tied in my hair, causing the shiny, dark waves to fall into my face. She goes to drop it, and before it can land in my bowl of cereal, I grab it.
“Why’d you do that?” I swear Emily always finds little ways to poke at me. It’s never anything big, but she’s persistent. I’ll start to think she really wants to be friends, but then she’ll do or say something rude. At least I think it’s rude, but maybe that’s just how roommates are.
I haven’t always been the best at reading people, and Emily can be one of the hardest. We went to nursing school together, but she was a semester ahead of me. We were both in an accelerated BSN program, and she was one of the best students in her class.
“You can’t wear that in the loony bin.”
I hate when she calls it that, and I’ve tried correcting her. It feels pointless because no matter how many times I say it’s a mental health facility, Emily doesn’t budge.
“Why not? It’s just a ribbon.”
Emily takes it from me and then wraps it around her neck.
“Oh my god.” I reach out and snatch it back before she can finish what she is trying to do. Her dark humor never lands right. Sometimes I wonder where it comes from. It’s not like she’s trying to make me laugh. I’ll never understand why she became a nurse, but I guess it takes all kinds.
“Didn't you read the handbook?” She scrunches her nose because we both know it’s a stupid question.
I always fulfill my requirements and live by the mantra that rules are made to be followed. They provide structure for everyone, and I don’t understand why more people don’t want them in their lives.
“They haven’t given me anything yet. I think today is a walk-through.” I'm sure they'll give me everything I need today, but I was hoping I would get more information before now. Someone pulled a few strings to secure my job, or at least requested a favor on my behalf.
I tie the ribbon back into my hair and will take it out if they ask me to. After I finish my breakfast, I go over to the giant mirror leaning against the living room wall. I check to make sure that the ribbon is perfectly in place and one end isn’t longer than the other.
“Did you already cash that check?” Emily raises an eyebrow. “If I was you, I wouldn’t.”
I guess it’s a good thing she’s not me because I already did it. There wasn’t much of a choice. I needed to eat and have a roof over my head. When I graduated from college, I had to move out of the dorms, and how else was I supposed to support myself?
I've always hated that part of the reason I went into nursing was because of job security. It’s a well-paying job that will always be in demand, and security isn’t something I’ve had much of in my life. I yearn for a sense of control, and this was something that could provide that.
When Dr. Crane told me that the signing bonuses were twice as much at Bellevue Asylum as they were at other hospitals, I knew I had to get this job. Dr. Crane was a guest lecturer in a few of my psychology courses, and he works at Bellevue. Mental health was a topic I found interesting, so this was a win-win.
“Why do you say it like that?” This is another one of those times I don’t understand Emily. “I thought you enjoyed working at Bellevue.”
Was she lying? If she was, it's too late to back out now. As Emily mentioned, I already cashed the signing bonus and signed a contract. I spent most of my check on rent, and then I might have binged at the grocery store. And maybe I overdid it at Scrubs & Beyond. It was nice to finally be able to afford more than the simple blue scrubs.
“I do. In fact, I love it." She clicks her tongue loudly. “But you and I aren’t the same. I mean, look at your scrubs.” Emily laughs.
“What?” I glance down and see the little cherries on my pink scrubs smiling back at me. “They’re happy.”
“Bellevue isn’t a happy place.” Emily says this with a grin.
How am I always considered the strange one out of the two of us? I actually thought after graduation I might never see her again, but fate had other plans.
When Dr. Crane told me about the open position at Bellevue, I was unaware that he was Emily’s uncle. He mentioned his niece worked there too and that she was actually looking for a roommate. The apartment was only a few miles from the asylum, so of course I jumped at it.