-walks into the rec-room- 

“Everything okay there?”

“Oh, sorry. Hey... Did you need something?”

Emmett chuckled. “I’m not offended. I can imagine coming into this could be very hard.” He held her a little tighter, imagining that she needed this hug as much as she did. “If it gets too much sometimes you can always come and find me, take a little step back from everything else. I’ll try and not be like this next time,” he promised. “I know she’s not  bad person, she’s one of the best people I know. But she dies need her time, sometimes I forget that in the moments I’m desperate and need her. But I know I need other people as well, not just her, even when she is ready.”

“How can I come and find you if you’re dead?” Rosetta was quick on her feet. It was perhaps an insensitive comment due to the situation, but she’d meant it in a happy manner. With a slight chuckle, Rosetta felt herself relax in his grasp. “I don’t remember the last time someone actually hugged me back.” Or hugged her, full stop. “Now is there anyone here though? Anyone that you know would be willing to sit and help you through this? You need to surround yourself with those people. If not, you can always come and find me too.”

“Well, thank you. For caring,” he said, sincerely. He was thankful that Rosetta had found him, she made him feel like he wasn’t a complete burden. “I bet you’re smarter than you think you are. It can’t be easy getting an internship like this. Even if you don’t really like it. Emmett hugged her back, he didn’t realise how much he needed a hug until she pulled him into one. “Don’t apologise. I did kind of need that.” 

“Always,” Rosetta replied quietly, not ready to separate herself from his arms. The act gave her some illusion that she was helping someone for once, and not just being a pain. “Well, I was smart at the subjects in school.. but dealing with psychopaths wasn’t exactly on the curriculum. Sorry, no offence... I don’t you, I mean the actual psychopaths. It’s what I want to do, but I don’t know if I can get there.” Giving him a tight squeeze, she gently rubbed his back. “If I was your sister, I would never let you go through something like this alone. I’m not saying that she’s a bad person, but I’m saying that maybe you need to find other support. Doctors, friends... we can be your family, Emmett. Your sister will come to you when she needs to finally tell you she’s okay. But I don’t know when that will be.”

“It’s okay, I know you’re just doing your job.” He looked to the floor,but almost stumbled,so he looked forward and kept walking. “You’re smart, you shouldn’t feel that way.” He sighed again. “My sister was the one that found me, before I came here.Or the other place at least. I ring every now again to apologise for putting her through that. She’s smart and hangs up the phone each time I try… I should never have put her through that. And I shouldn’t keep reminding her.”

“I’m doing it because I care...” She corrected him. Rosetta did care about the occasional patient, not all of them treated her like she was the scum of the Earth. Including Emmett, something she was thankful for. “Thank you... but I’m not.” Rosetta laughed, before coming to a halt as she listened to him talk about his sister. Stepping forward, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a hug. “Sorry, but.. I... you seem like you need a hug.” 

Emmett sighed, “It’s not just being here. To be honest it’s just the infirmary I really hate.” He swallowed a lump in his throat. “That’s not the same thing. It’s not something that consumes your mind constantly. You’ll be able to do something with your life. You’re not someone who has no one… I tried to phone my sister today… It… It didn’t go so well.” 

“Wish you would have told me that before we started heading there.” Still, Rosetta kept walking towards the infirmary. “Believe me, this place does make thoughts like that consume my mind constantly. And yes... you can too, Emmett. You just need to get better, and you will, and then you can go on and do whatever you want. Feels like I don’t sometimes, I haven’t spoken to my parents in ages. But go on... what happened with your sister?”

Emmett realised that he was putting a lot of weight onto her and used all his energy to make himself walk with as little assistance as possible. “I have to do this,” he said quietly. “I can’t help it.” 

“Well, if you do this again...” Rosetta wasn’t in a position of power to threaten solitary or isolation. After all, she was just an intern. “For starters, they’ll never ever let you leave. So you have to try and do whatever it takes to stop. Whether it’s being under supervision twenty four hours which I don’t think you’d want, or... I don’t know, tying your hands together. I hate it here too, would you condone me doing the same? I can’t leave my internship yet. Should I slit my wrists too?”