Story-A-Day #396: Insitutionalized

INSTITUTIONALIZED

I'd lost her three years ago, but I would get her back.  It had been a long time in the works, but I knew that it would be well worth the wait.  It was simple telemetry.  If I had gone for her right away, suspicions would have been high and I never would have made it past the first interior gate.  She was a killer after all.

So I did what all sane men would do.  I waited.  In all honesty, the waiting almost made me crazy, but it was totally worth it, because I was able to come up with a simple, and simply brilliant solution.

I would extricate her from her current nightmare, and once we were free and on the road, we would track down the real person responsible for their crimes, and we would clear her name.  I had a plan all along, and during each of those visits, I added to my plan.  I made diligent notes of flaws in the security; entrance and exit points; even security rotations and weaknesses.


I've been to visit her a few times over the years.  I never visited enough times to generate suspicion, but I did it enough to assure her with subtle cues both verbal and non-verbal, that this was not the end.  This was not her destiny.  This was not all she had to look forward to for the remainder of her long and promising life.  I made sure she knew that.  Each time I left, I told her I would see her soon, until the very last visit, at which point I told her I would be back soon.

I knew that she would get the message.

And so finally, I returned, and checked in at the main gate.  The guard at the desk asked me to please wait for a moment and disappeared for the better part of twelve minutes.  When the guard returned there was a doctor with him.

They took me into a quiet room at the side of the entrance and offered me a seat.  I politely refused at first, but they insisted, so finally, I sat down.

It was possibly a half hour later, or maybe an entire hour, when I finally made my way out of the small office.  I walked back to the entrance, past my car, and off down the street.

She had left without me.  On her own.  I had been too late after all...