EMAIL FROM DR. MICHAEL HUENG TO DR. LEONARD LICHME, DATED AUGUST 7
Dear Dr. Lichme,
I understand that earlier this year you saw Nicole Warren for a short time. She was recently admitted to my care at East Shoreline Memorial, and I wanted to reach out to you now both to discuss my initial impressions of her mental state and because she will no doubt need continuing treatment post-release, whenever that will be.
Nicole is physically in good health, and seems both quiet and cooperative, albeit very confused. She seems to have suffered from some major dissociative disorder, which I am still trying to diagnose exactly (provisionally, and although I know the designations are by this point controversial, I’d say it seems to share elements with both MPD/DID and Depersonalization Disorder, no doubt stemming from the major trauma of the accident and her sister’s death; additionally, there seem to be indications of a kind of psychogenic fugue state, although not all of the standard characteristics have presented). At some point post-accident—I believe when she returned to Somerville after several months away and was forced to confront evidence of her sister’s absence—she began at intervals to inhabit the mind of her deceased sister, patching together a narrative based on various shared memories and her intimate knowledge of her sister’s behavior, personality, physicality, and preferences. As time progressed, her delusions intensified and encompassed visual and auditory hallucinations.
As of now, though she has accepted that her sister is dead, she has little to no recovered memories of the experiences she had while inhabiting her sister’s psyche, though I am hoping that changes with time, counseling, and the right combination of medication.
Please give me a call at any time to discuss.
Thanks,
Michael Hueng
O: 555-6734
East Shoreline Memorial Hospital
66-87 Washington Blvd.
Main Heights
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EMAIL FROM JOHN PARKER TO NICK WARREN, DATED AUGUST 18
Heya, Nick,
How are you doing? Maybe that’s a stupid question. Maybe this is a stupid email to be writing—I’m not even sure whether you’re getting email. I tried calling your phone, but it was off.
I’m leaving for orientation in less than a week. Crazy! Hopefully I won’t get eaten alive in the subway by any giant rats. Or attacked by nuclear-resistant cockroaches. Or mauled by facial-hair-sporting hipsters.
Anyway. Your mom told my mom you might be gone for a few weeks or more. I hate that I’m not going to have a chance to see you. I hope you’re feeling better. Shit. That sounds stupid, too.
God, Nick . . . . I can’t imagine what you’ve been through.
I guess I just wanted to say hi, and I’m thinking about you. A lot.
—P
EMAIL FROM JOHN PARKER TO NICK WARREN, DATED AUGUST 23
Hey—
Not sure if you got my last email. Tomorrow’s the big day. I’m heading to New York. I’m excited, I guess, but I really wish I could have seen you or at least spoken to you before I left. Did your mom tell you to call me? She said she was going to visit, and I asked her to pass along the message, but I’m not sure if she did. I kept calling my own phone to make sure it was working, ha.
Anyway, please write. Or call. Or . . . send a carrier pigeon. Whatever.
Random, but . . . remember when we were kids and I’d tie a red flag to the oak tree when I wanted you and Dara to meet me at the fort? I don’t know why, but that popped into my head the other day. Funny how when you’re a kid, weird things have their own kind of logic. Like, things are so much more complicated but also simpler. I’m rambling, I know.
I’m going to miss FanLand. I’m going to miss Somerville. Most of all, I’m going to miss you.
xP
East Shoreline Memorial Hospital 66-87 Washington Blvd.
Main Heights
PATIENT RELEASE AUTHORIZATION FORM (Q-55)
Patient legal name: Nicole S. Warren Patient ID: 45-110882
Consulting Psychiatrist: Dr. Michael Hueng Consulting Physician: Dr. Claire Winnyck Intake date: July 30
Current date: August 28
GENERAL NOTES: Patient has made significant improvement over the past thirty days. Patient initially presented with features of a major dissociative disorder indicative of PTSD or RTD (recurrent trauma disorder). Patient seemed anxious and unwilling to participate in group activities and solo sessions.
Dr. Hueng suggested 100 mg Zoloft/daily and Ambien to facilitate sleep. Within a few days patient was markedly improved, displaying renewed appetite and a willingness to engage with patients and counselors.
Patient seems to understand why she was admitted and eager to get better. Patient is no longer suffering from delusions.
PROPOSED COURSE OF ONGOING TREATMENT: 100 mg Zoloft/once daily for management of depression and anxiety Ongoing therapy, individual and family, with psychiatrist Dr. Leonard Lichme RECOMMENDATION: Release
EMAIL FROM NICK WARREN TO JOHN PARKER, DATED SEPTEMBER 1
Hey, Parker,
Sorry I wasn’t able to write or call. I wasn’t really feeling up to it for a while. Doing better now, though. I’m home.
By now you’re in New York. I hope you’re having an amazing time.
—Nick
P.S. Of course I remember the red flag. Sometimes I still look for it.