2 Sided tale

Justin snuggles under the warm blankets staring off into the distance. He has been under the weather lately, and the move to a new town has not been easy.
Tired, he feels his eyelids droop, as he drifts to sleep. He hears his younger brother’s voice and mumbles to himself.
Steven sits beside his brother’s bed, worrying about Justin’s health. Justin is depressed from his physcological illness, and chronic fatigue.
Justin is different here though, at least for now. He is intrigued by the garden he found inside this huge old estate. It is so enchanting almost haunting.

Engrossed in his surroundings, Steven brings his older brother out of his world, “Justin, what are we having for dinner?”
Justin sighs, “I guess, I should make something.” He stumbles to his feet, slowly staggering towards the staircase, when he collapses on the wood floor.
Steven frowns aiding his brother, by helping him stand, and get down the stairs.
Unstable, Justin sways back and forth, as he makes his way toward the closest chair for support.

Asking Steven about his day at the new school, Justin tells Steven about the man he met today. The man is tall and very strong. He can move things Justin cannot. He could possibly be Justin’s new friend. Steven smiles at his brother’s news, and Justin grins, giving his brother a loving hug.

Unsteady on his feet, Justin sleeps downstairs with Steven. His muscles ache in the morning, as he sits in the kitchen. He has enough strength to get his brother to school, before crashing in the living room.

He hears the familiar voice of the man, and turns his head toward the figure, “Hey Jimmy,” he says weakly, above a whisper.
Jimmy warmly smiles, “You look exhausted, Justin. You should get some rest.”
Rolling to his side Justin blinks, “This room looks so old and worn.”
Jimmy laughs, “It was built long ago, Justin.”
Sitting slowly, Justin looks at him, “This place looked different yesterday. It is like I have gone back in time. Have I?”
“Not exactly Justin, you are stuck between two worlds. I know this is confusing. It will all be explained, but for now you will sleep.”

Justin wakes at the sound of Jonathan’s voice. His body trembles under the covers. “The doctor is here, and he will make you feel better.”
Eying the doctor Justin mumbles the name Jimmy, as he sees resemblance in the two.
Staring at him, the doctor questions, “Who is this Jimmy your brother speaks of?”
Steven shrugs his shoulders, “Some new friend he has made. I do not know how he made a friend, as he is too ill to do much of anything.”
“Is he still seeing a physiatrist, and taking the prescribed pills?”
Steven nods lying to the doctor for his brother’s sake. “He has been so quiet. The pills make him sleepy.”
“He would do so much better in the Ray View Hospital,” the doctor admits to Steven. “They took good care of him last time.”
He was too sad,” Steven complains. “We take care of each other.”

Justin stares at his brother confused, “Do I have to go to the hospital? I do not think I am crazy. I did not like the hospital. I missed you. The hospital was scary. I will take my pills, but do not make me go back there,” he begs.
“No more hospital,” Steven tells him. “Remember all the scary people went away?”
Justin nods his head, “They are not real. They are in my head, and cannot hurt me, like Dad did.”
Steven smiles, “Just take your pills and you will feel better.”
"I take pills," Justin says.
"When was his last evaluation?"
"March 26th the clinic said he has serve mental deficits, but with family could live with others."
"Its quite common with his rare condition to have cognative regression," the doctor explains. "Can he read and write?"
"A little bit but it is hard to get him to focus. He loves simple rhymiming games. He adores counting things in gardens or pointing out objects that he reconizes in them. He has learned some basics at a school designed for the mentally handicapped back in Memphis. Unfortunately, they could only handle his care until he was twenty. He attended for about six to eight months. They suggested another program, but he didn't fair well as they were over booked with individuals."

Getting a job is not easy for Justin, with his physiological problems. Hardly any place will offer work, afraid of Justin’s mental state.
In order to obtain a career Justin has a physiological examination at the Ray View Hospital.
His doctor believes Justin still requires hospitalization, and will do what it takes to get him back into the clinic.

Justin is quiet in the hospital setting . He interacts with the people around him, though he keeps to himself mostly.
The doctor shows Justin the hospital’s indoor garden. Justin could work in the calming atmosphere, and learn to work with others.
Shaking his head, Justin tells the doctor, “I want to work outside the hospital. I can do this.”
The doctor studies Justin’s features, “Do you see things that are not real?”
“No,” Justin sighs. “I only see Steven.”
“Do you remember who Steven is?” the doctor asks.
“Steven is my younger brother”, Justin replies. “We live in a big estate far away from my Dad.”
“Do you know where your dad is?”
Justin slouches in his chair, “Tennessee.”
“I’m sorry Justin, but your dad passed away, long ago.”
Wiping tears from his blue eyes, Justin stares into the distance, “He is not dead,” the young man mumbles to himself.
“You have had a long day, Justin and need your rest. We will talk about you getting a job later.”

Stressing over getting a job, Justin talks to himself on the bus. He stares at his hands thinking they are two separate people. He stops putting a hand behind him, and says, “Goodbye.”
A nurse on the bus gives Justin his medication. The drug causes drowsiness, and Justin does not understand why he is sleepy.

After Steven returns home and finds his brother talking to his hands, as if they were people, Steven finds it in Justin’s best interest to have some mental help services.
Steven promises him it is only during the day time to ease his brother’s mind.

Attending day hab services at the Ray View clinic, Justin knows he is some place safe, while Steven attends school. He talks constantly about Jimmy, concerning his doctors. They want Justin to be a full time patient, but cannot because he has not harmed anyone else or himself.
Justin has no recollection of his past, only of Jimmy, and those constantly around him. He frequently talks about seeing people or things that do not exist to the usual eye. He stares out the window with confusion, bringing his hands to his face.
He chats with them. His doctor refers to them as personalities Justin would like to have, but mentally cannot come to a conclusion as to how to do so. The doctor plays along not wanting to upset his patient.
Justin does not refer to Jimmy while communicating this way. He brings up Jimmy when seeming to have a normal conversation, before reverting to his hands.

An argument breaks out between Justin and the imaginary people he thinks are his hands, but something stops him from harming himself, and Justin returns to his spot by the window.

He withdraws from talking to his hands for several days, as the doctor shows him to the garden.
"The garden is a safe happy place," the old man implies. "It is a nice place to work, and make new friends."
Justin shakes his head doubrfully. "Jimmy tells me no," he replies gazing at his hands. "Jimmy is good friend. He made Charlie and Vince not want to argue anymore!" He points to his left hand, "Vince will tell you he is happy." He grabs his right hand and lightly taps it, "Charlie would tell you, but he is not home."
The doctor, asks "Why does Jimmy tell you no Justin?" He sighs, as his patient stares blankly at the garden.
Justin grunts and begins rocking himself, "You know Jimmy. You are Jimmy." Covering his face with his hands he sobs. "Jimmy said he'd help Justin."
Reaching into his pocket the man pulls out a shot, and sticks his patient in his forearm. "It'll be okay," he informs Justin.

Justin tells Steven about his day, when he is no longer feeling sleepy from the shot. He talks about the doctor and how Jimmy and the doctor he believes are the same people.
Steven glances at his brother's medical records, seeing no man that matches the description Justin is giving, even odder the man who made a house visit is not on the list of people who work at the hospital.
Something very strange is going on, and he has to figure it out for him, and his brother's sake.

In the attic Steven finds pictures of a doctor who used to work at Rayview, and wonders if Justin may be thinking that this is Jimmy, because he cannot come to grips what death is to him, all is living.
"Jimmy's friend Vince is here with him in the photo," Justin exclaims. " Jimmy is a bad doctor. Jimmy is sorry for lying about being a sleepy doctor," he mumbles. "I am sorry too!"
Steven smiles, "Don't be sad. None of this your fault."
Justin's eyelids droop, "Dad was in a fire," Justin blurts out of nowhere. "He gave me matches, and said we'd play a game. He said Mommy wouldn't be mad if we played! We played the match game before."
Steven nods wondering if his brother is able to distinguish between fact and fiction, as the newspaper nor his father ever admited to any of this. It stated that Justin was left to his own devices. His father had noted that Justin was not all there in the head, but never did anything to help him. Justin had grabbed the matches, and lit a match setting the house on fire. He still has burn marks on his abdomen. The police could not charge a child, and he was sent to the RayView Hospital. Soon after his father died, from complications from smoke inalation. His condition worsened after the passing of his father.

A program for mentally retarded people offers services to Justin, who 90% of the time seems on a childlike level. They try to get him to overcome some of his main phobias, by having him roleplay.
Mental regression is common with some mental illnesses. They give him the oportunity to work with others on his level of functioning. He ranks in the lower class, due to his inability to keep a conversation going, and his talks with his hands. He can not learn new things, due to these factors.

One of the staff members for mentally retarded people talking in a soothing voice to Justin. She asks him questions related to grade school. He does not fare well on the testing. She questions if it is his disease or if he has always been at this low IQ. His past school reports show him in the slightly below normal range in reading.

Moving his fingers along the surface of his fuzzy baby blue book, he grins. The specially designed book is to stimulate him, and bring him out of his imaginary setting. There are many textures and colors and shapes to boost his communication and soothe some of his frustrations. The pages are extremly durable, and meant to take a beating.

Justin keeps mentioning Jimmy, adding in that Jimmy knew their father. He explains that it was Jimmy's idea to play the matches game.
Scaring on Justin's body may be keep evidence that his father was trying to rid himself of Justin, due to the young man's problems.

In the family garden, Justin is found talking to thin air, as Steven watches from a distance, amazed by what he sees! MOVING OBJECTS. He slides down against the wall silently, waiting for the items to stop.
Justin is content with what is going on, and rocks himself back and forth, putting himself into a sleep like trance. In his sleep induced state he resorts to chating with his hands or so it seems, until Steven notices something he has not before. There is some sort of fabric[floating, barely visable] next to both of Justin's hands, maybe his brother isn't so crazy, or is he know falling ill too? He refuses to tell the doctors what he saw, if they knew he would be in big trouble.

With each day, Justin's mental state worsens, and it takes doctors long hours to get him to communicate with them.
A package of matches lie on the flooring, left by an uncareful worker at the Timberlake Hosehold. Grasping onto the package, Justin goes toward the cubboard where the lighter is. Opening the cabinet, he finds what he is looking for................... He lights the match after several attempts......."Just like Daddy used to do"............"Pretty flame." Laughing he rests the flame on the ground......"This time it will be okay Mommy! Daddy will be okay......... He can finally sleep....So pretty and hot it is! Daddy likes it Mommy!!!!! He is watching!!!!! Jimmy told Daddy I was no good at games!!!!! Daddy wanted to play one final GAME! This is for Daddy! He can come out and play one more time before sleep! Come Daddy........ Come, I'm waiting........with.....all...... these...pretty...flames."
Steven understands everything as he enters the room, and sees what his brother has been seeing all along........Justin's father was evil, and trying to discard his son, and Jimmy was in on it all along.