Mia phoned Yu the minute she got to work, being a professional she knew traumatic events like that could cause problems for those who were inexperienced in that area. She didn't want her friend to go through that alone but thankfully after talking to her for a while she was shaken but strong minded. Mia could tell she was going to be fine. Mia on the other hand was more embarrassed than anything, every staff member managed to give her a wincing smile as she went on her rounds. The graze on her face really was an eyesore. Aiden had told her to take the day off until it healed but she argued against it until they were both blue in the face. Mia was work motivated for sure, ever though it was just an excuse, so she didn't have to stay at home alone while Aiden was at work.
All she could focus on was her moving in with him, it was a big deal despite Aiden's causal requests about it. Moving in was an establishment of their relationship. Mia stopped her thoughts. Relationship? That's right they hadn't even admitted what they had going on, was it a relationship or more like witness protection. Mia didn't even know anymore. They couldn't keep the subject in the shadows forever soon enough she would have to talk to him about it. Mia was filling out her paperwork when Hai knocked on the door, Mia bit her pen and looked up.
"Doctor James, can I ask you something?" Mia smirked.
"Even if I say no, you're still going to ask it so go ahead." Hai scratched his head shyly.
"Are you an equate of Mister Li, I've seen him drop you off everyday for a week now." Mia felt herself freeze up, so her staff were catching on. This didn't bode well for her, people were tricky when it came to wealth. If they found out she was with Aiden, then she would make a few enemies.
"Aiden is a family friend of mine. Recently, I've been having trouble with an old boyfriend and he's helping me out. Is that all Hao?" Hao had a guilty expression on his face, Mia wasn't technically lying. Aiden was protecting her from Sam and was adored by her parents, but he was also her bunk buddy. It was blunt yet effective, Hao put his hands up in surrender.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry." Hao turned on his heels and went back to work. Mia sighed leaning her head back against the chair, this Aiden business was risky. Not only would she have to contend with her staff if word got out but also the media. Hangzhou as well as other neighboring cities had been gawking after Aiden since his return. Mia's involvement would be the story of the millennium, one she couldn't shake so everything had to be strategic. How Aiden avoided the press she could never know. Another small knock tapped on her door, she was in high demand today. This time it wasn't a staff member, it was her mother.
"Mom?" she said in disbelief, it was the first time she'd seen her mother outside of her room, giving her history Mia felt a little slither of fear come over her.
"Could we talk?" she said sweetly. Mia nodded reluctantly trying to keep her professional adequate at a reasonable level. Mia closed the door and gestured her to sit.
"What can I help you with?" Mia got out her mothers file ready to jot down whatever was on her mind.
"I wanted to thank you. Whatever medication you gave me it works, really well." Mia smiled, it was peculiar her mother felt better considering Mia had lowered her dosage instead of increasing it.
"It's my job there's no need." Mia watched her mother's eyes scan her face.
"Mia, what happened to your face?" Mia covered the graze with her hand.
"Did that family do that to you?" Mia could see her mothers' eyes burn thinking of them. Mia shook her head gently.
"No, it was a mugger but don't worry he looked lot worse than me." She chuckled, Jane smiled at her proudly, she was always good at defending herself.
"Well I'm glad you're alright, I was wondering about the results of my newest test?" Mia flipped through her notes at the previous psych evaluation she'd given her mother after her last incident. The outburst had almost disappeared, and her depression and anxiety scoring had also reduced.
"From my observation, the new treatment is working extremely well. If things continue as they are, we should have you discharged within six weeks." Mia was also in disbelief, this was the woman she expected to be in here for the rest of her life. Not everyone could be saved, some mental damage is too complicated to repair. Jane had a beaming smile on her face but had unsure eyes.
"Mom, you don't have to worry about housing and starting over we offer services to help with such things and I will support you every way I can." Jane looked a little surprised.
"How did—"
"I just know, I've seen countless people live here long term and worry about starting a new chapter. Don't worry too much." Mia said reassuringly. Jane nodded agreeably, her daughter was exceptional at her job she didn't even need to voice her concerns Mia could see straight through her.
"Thank you." Jane smiled and then left the office, Mia returned to her rounds. It was a long shift, she was on the eleventh hour and only had one more to go. Kai ran up to her office in a panic.
"Doctor James, we have a new admission." Mia nodded, she wasn't so lucky with catching a break.
"Don't worry Kai, I'll see to it. What is the patients name?"
"Mika Hu…" Mia began realizing why he was so riled up his second name gave her an insight immediately. Mika Hu was a famous Chinese actor, he been in numerous pictures and tv shows. One of them was a doctor drama that the other staff would watch on their break. Mia didn't have much time for leisure by watching but his name was unforgettable. Giggles and excited squeals echoed throughout the ward as the female staff began hearing word of the famous idol. Mia knew this was going to be difficult. It also piqued her interest why a famous actor would end up somewhere like here.
"I see. Could you show him to room 7, I'll be there shortly." Kai nodded obediently and ran off. Mia got a new admittance form ready and prepared herself. It was one field she didn't have much experience in, acting would be very pressurizing. Being in the media constantly and working at such a demanding pace would surely send anyone mad. Mia gathered her notes and made her way to room 7, patients stood outside pf their rooms hearing the commotion, so she kindly told them it was nothing to be concerned about. Standing outside of the room, she could see through the small window there was a lot of people present. Alone sitting on the bed looking quite annoyed was Mika Hu. Being an idol, he was very well dressed and groomed, his hair was a light blonde and he had deep brown eyes. His physical condition was top notch, he looked well nourished. His weight seemed stable as well as his hygiene which is something Mental Health Clinicians needed to take into consideration. Staff members were bickering about who would be treating him at the top of the hall, Mia rolled her eyes. In practice no-one was given special treatment, everything was done fair and square.
"Ladies, would you mind returning to work I'll be doing the initial assessment." They pouted and huffed before dragging their feet back to work. Mia braced herself and stepped into the room which was explosive with voices. From her first observation, there was an assistant like man standing by Mister Hu arguing against two other people. It was a man and a woman, from their appurtenance it was clear they were his parents.
"Why would you admit him here, are you stupid! What if the press finds out I won't have my son labelled as mentally unstable his career will go down the drain!" the older woman shouted. Mia winced at her high-pitched tone, it was agonizing.
"I wouldn't have brought him here if not absolutely necessary, he needs some serious help!" the agent bellowed back, they were so busy arguing all of them had failed to notice Mia enter and began writing down notes. Family life had a significant affect on someone mental state, it seemed this dysfunctional opposition between the two guardian he was under a lot of stress.
"Bullsh*t my boys fine, if you didn't overwork him then he wouldn't be like this!" the father shouted back, Mia watched Mister Hu's fists clench it was clear he was losing patience. They were talking about his well-being as if he weren't there. Mia could tell by his body language that he was a ticking time-bomb and didn't want him to say something he regretted so she spoke for him.
"That's enough!" Mia shouted over them and the room went quiet. Mika looked up in surprise seeing the little nurse standing with her hips on her side.
"This is my practice, if you have things to settle them do so elsewhere. Clearly, neither of you have any idea what would be best for Mister Hu therefore I'll kindly ask you to leave while I do my job." Mia was stern but not confrontational, overthought she was furious they would put her patients in this position.
"I want him discharged immediately, this is madness!" she yelled at Mia, but Mia took a deep breath and smiled kindly back.
"Mrs. Hu that won't be possible unless I assess him. Since, you all seem agitated in this moment in time I will have to ask you to leave while I speak to Master Hu." Mrs Hu scoffed at her.
"Lillian just leave it, let her do her job. When it comes back, he's fine we'll take him home." The parents both left to wait in the family visiting area. Mia then directed her attention towards his agent, he was a little business man who was clearly in over his head. His suit was sweat through, Mia passed him a paper towel.
"Are you Master Hu's agent?" he nodded panting heavily, it was clear his parents gave him a tough time often.
"Excuse me but I would like to talk to Master Hu alone." The man looked a little unsure leaving his side. Mia looked at Hu who had his head in his hands sitting quietly.
"B-but I'm his manager I should be here, so I can repo—"
"Zhang." Mika said sternly. Zhang quickly zipped his lips and obediently left getting the message. Mia closed the door and sat back down breathing a sigh of relief. Mika hadn't moved an inch since Mia had told them all to leave. Sitting in silence for a while, Mia observed him. After about three minutes he looked up wondering if she was still in the room.
"I thought a little quiet would do you some good." She smiled. Mika was appreciative and nodded before returning his head to his hands.
"My name is Doctor James; would it be alright to ask you some questions?" Mika didn't reply, he was rather dazed. Mia could tell he didn't feel like talking which would be an issue for her, it was difficult to determine someone mental state when she didn't have vocal cues to work with.
"So, your family appear to be very influential. As your job must be also." Mia began biting her pen and analyzing him openly. Mika was dazed but could still make out what she was saying although it was quiet.
"Considering how opposed your family are to you being here leads me to believe you've been in this position before. As for your managers concern, to be putting your well-being before your work means your well-being is affecting your work." Mika lifted his head slightly studying her trying to work him out. He had given her virtually nothing so for her to know all of this interested him.
"To be an actor it is common to accumulate various personas in order to portray them on screen. Becoming someone else would mean to put aside your own persona, or in other words detach from yourself. This can create conflict in the brain as to who the original person was to begin with." Mika was now looking at her in awe, Mia was staring at the wall mapping everything together. He couldn't believe how accurate everything she was saying was.
"I don't think you are completely detached, if you were then you wouldn't have become agitated at your families bickering. It seems to me you gave a depersonalization disorder, you have thoughts and feeling but due to the multiple personas you have accumulated you become confused as to if they belong to you. The reason your manager is so concerned is because this disorder is affecting your ability to take on different people." Mika was dumbfounded, he had wondered his whole life why when he wasn't on set, he struggled to function like a usual person. Mia met eyes with him.
"In other words, there are only so many seats for the theater before it becomes full, except you don't have a seat reserved for the most important person. Yourself." Mika had tears in his eyes, finally someone understood what was going on inside of his head.
"I want to help you Master Hu, I believe that I can with some work. If your willing to stay I'll do everything I can."
"Mika." He said quietly. It was the first thing he had said to her, the vulnerability in his voice said manuscripts how pleading he was for help.
"I'm sorry?" she said questionably.
"Call me Mika, Master Hu's too formal." Mia nodded happily.
"Mika then. What do you say, even if you stay for a few days? I promise I'll do everything I can to help." Mika was memorized by her. Given her appearance and unique features she could easily be a movie star herself, she was stunning. Mika was reluctant at first but considering how easily she could read him maybe he could use her support to overcome his disorder.
"My family wouldn't allow it." He said sadly.
"Don't worry about them, I can apply for a leave of absence from your industry. I have the authority to section you if I see fit meaning, they won't be able to influence you. Sometimes family can be too overbearing it could benefit you to be away from them for a little while." Mika jumped at the chance to be free of them and nodded enthusiastically.
"You're really good at what you do." He said impressed. Mia smiled.
"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't, we'll get you some clothes. Just get some rest I'll handle your agent and parents." Mika gave her a gratifying nod, she was a god-sent to him.
"Okay, I'll see you first thing tomorrow and we can get to work." She said jokingly before leaving. Mika stared at the spot where she had sat, the way she analysed the smallest of details and offered to challenge his family captivated him. If she was there, he would tell her everything.
After a very tiring battle with the parents Mia had no choice but so section him so they were no longer influential of him. It was for Mika's benefit; his condition was rare, and Mia was fascinated by it. Usually, disorders like that would go unnoticed until the host couldn't take it anymore. She had caught Mika just in time before his depersonalization became dissociate which was extremely difficult to treat. After being cursed into the ground his family left and Mia got changed to leave, the new arrival had run over an extra hour of her shift. Meaning Aiden would have been waiting a long time, so she felt guilty.
Mia ran to his car to beat the heavy rain and slid into the seat.
"I'm sorry I'm late I got a new patient." She said apologetically. Aiden handed her a towel, he was convenient like that.
"Don't worry about it, you're a busy girl." She was surprised he wasn't stricken with worry.
"I'm sorry to be a bother but could we go to my place quickly, I need to grab my other uniform." Aiden looked at her inquiringly.
"You don't need too."
"Why?"
"It's already at my place, everything is." He said casually. Mia felt her face go red with anger.
"You broke into my place to get my things, what are you psychotic!" she said angrily. Aiden didn't really see the issue, she agreed to move in with him.
"I thought you said you wanted to move in with me, so I saved you the trouble."
"I didn't mean at this very second, when did you get so liberative." She said his chest in annoyance.
"Ow, come on I was trying to be nice." He said with big puppy dog eyes, Mia pouted and crossed her arms like a child.
"You'll pay for that Aiden."
"I look forward to it." He said devilishly.