rise and shine, ladies!
that means you, honey. up -- ! no reaction.
rise and shine now. wake up. she shakes her harder. and now miranda's eyes shoot open and she grips irene's arm. hard. like the teenage girl did.
easy now, it's okay. miranda stares at her, coming back to. starts to speak but has no voice. clears her throat --
and you have a session scheduled this afternoon --
he's not even in yet, now let go my arm, honey.
actually i do mind. i start calling you 'doctor' and everybody else wants to be called 'doctor' --
my job. irene shoves the meds into miranda's mouth --
you go in last because you're special. it's not a mexican prison, toots. everybody here minds their own business.
state law says we keep you ladies clean. and i'm a stickler for the law. now come on. if you go downtown, you gotta dance. miranda studies the patients already under the spray of the shower. something vaguely concentration camp-like about institutional bathing.
that's five minutes, group one. alright, ladies, nice and easy. the first group of bathers file out, dripping wet past miranda, in all shapes and sizes. she registers their many scars and tattoos, like maps of troubled souls: names of men, places, religious quotes. burn scars, cuts, needle marks. they begin to towel off as miranda, slowly and painfully self-conscious, begins to undress in the corner. a moment later irene nods for her to go in.
enough privacy for you?
what did you do?
what the hell did you do to yourself?! and now the other patients are curiously watching as orderlies rush in to haul her away.
i looked away for a second. it's unacceptable, won't happen again.
i just didn't peg her for a cutter, that's all. parsons watches miranda through the glass. she can't look him in the eye.
hey! chloe! now two orderlies race past. miranda looks over to see what the fuss is all about. chloe is on top of an institute staff member we haven't seen before, a round black woman named consuelo. punching her -- other patients have crowded around the scuffle.
mcgrath, that's enough! the orderlies start pulling chloe away. chloe spits at consuelo, full of venom.
i said that's enough.
how are we feeling today?
sorry i asked.
fitting right in, aren't you? the library is pretty much empty at this hour except for the librarian and the odd janitor tidying up. an efficient-looking man rises from a desk, briefcase in place, glass of water -- this is attorney theodore
she's due back in the rec room in twenty, counselor.
they insist her room was properly locked, what else could they say?
she's a hero. little red riding hood put the big bad wolf in a coma. pete nods. just what he needed. the officers trade looks.
you ain't scared of a bunch of women now, are you, officer? the entire cafeteria is on their feet showing their solidarity for miranda. chloe locks eyes with her, mouths the words "thank you." and miranda is hauled out the side door.
and who are you?
knock yourself out. next floor up. it's only a power outage, ladies -- let's call it an early night. the cops head down the corridor.
you have really disappointed me tonight, jenna --