I Never Promised You a Rose Garden

Deborah continues to wander between Yr and the real world. She tries not to bother Ellis. One night, Deborah is in seclusion when a nurse enters with her food tray and stumbles from fear. Deborah catches her, but the nurse recoils, and Anterrabae tells Deborah that her substance is poisonous to others. Deborah asks Yr to kill her, and when a nurse sees her expression, she prepares a cold pack. Deborah feels grateful that someone perceived her pain. She wakes with Helene beside her, believing that Helene is strong and will get better. While both girls are dazed, Ellis barges in and tries to take Helene’s pulse. Helene turns her head away, and Ellis hits her. When she spits at him, he hits her again. The next day, Deborah breaks her code of silence with Yr and asks to see the ward doctor, who doubts Deborah’s story. When Deborah later tells Dr. Fried, she replies, “I never promised you a rose garden” (109), adding that she can only offer Deborah the freedom to aim for her own happiness. Still, Deborah is plagued by Ellis’s violence and wonders if he will seek revenge on her for telling.