Marjorie

Marjorie was a problem for the ward from Day One. She made a point of getting in the faces of all the other girls. Now, the women of Ward D don't put up with too much. They're known to lay down the law with newcomers. But they backed off from Marjorie. The razor in her shoe that first day made it clear she meant business. We took it away from her by deploying a little taser action, but unarmed, she was just as bad. She could inflict a full-nelson in a half second. Her kidney punches were undefendable. You never saw her coming.

We suspected she was tonguing the Thorazine, so we more thoroughly administered. No change. So we upped the dosage. Still no effect. Upped it again to the legal limit and beyond. Still nothing. ECT proved temporarily effective, but in the end only provoked her into more manic outbursts. By week three we were at our wits end.

One day Dr. Boyd produced a handheld plexiglas mirror in a soft rubber frame. Naturally there are rules against glass objects, so mirrors aren't allowed, but a plastic mirror is another matter. Marjorie grabbed it when offered and wouldn't let it go. We observed her over the next hour gazing into the mirror with rapt and blessedly silent attention. When Dr. Boyd came up to her and held his hand out, she slowly passed the mirror back to him. She actually made eye contact.

I said to to Doc Boyd, "I guess looking at herself helped, huh Doc?"

He shook his head. "Didn't you see her eyes? She never even focused on her image. She was looking behind her."