"24!"
"Number 24!" he heard from the hallway followed quickly by a loud electronic buzzer opening the lock to his room. The overhead light promptly illuminated the space and made him close his eyes. He stood up quickly as he'd been trained to upon his arrival at the facility. He had only a moment to glance down and smooth his issued hospital scrubs which were lightly crumpled from his slumber.
The heavy metal door swung open and the attendant walked in and attached the leash to the metal ring on his collar. Compliantly the young man followed the attendant out of his warm comfortable space and into the cool, breezy corridor. The lights in the corridor were on, but he could tell the others were all fast asleep in their darkened rooms.
Down, down, down the cool, concrete corridor they walked. Past the wash station where he was bathed daily, past the kitchen where his delicious meals were prepared with precision, past the medical office where his routine physicals were performed as well as his expert medical care was delivered. All in all he had a relatively comfortable life here. He was entertained, well cared for, they kept him in shape, and allowed him to pursue whatever interests he pleased. The few downsides included times like this when he was shocked from his sleep and lead off by staffers at whatever time of night this was. "Couldn't it wait til morning?" he thought. Knowing full well to never once speak on his own.
"There it is, the room," he told himself. The attendant opened the door to the room at the end of the corridor and hooked his leash to the cable dangling from the ceiling in the center of the room. The attendant stepped back to the control box by the door and with the push of a button, the cable began to retract, slowly pulling his leash upward. Not so high to choke him, but certainly to keep him in position. The first few times he was terrified of the process. Thousands of times later, he knew it all too well. It didn't both him in the least - in fact, sometimes he would look forward to this next time, sometimes it was great relief... just not when he's fast asleep.
He heard the attendant step out of the room and close the door. He had nothing to do but stand there and wait. "I wonder which staffer is working at this time?" Fortunately he didn't have to wait long. He heard the staffer shuffle into the room. "Oh good, her." He could tell who it was by her footsteps. He liked her. She was kind and gentle. Some of the others were gruff, mechanical, or wouldn't read his body language. She was nice though. She could read him like a book. Though he never said a word, she knew exactly what he wanted and what he needed. Knowing she was the staffer gave him a little stir as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Hands still at his side though - he knew the protocol.
She was older, wore similar medical scrubs like his and kept her hair cut short of pinned back. She had a fabulous chest in her smock. She was a little plump, but she treated him so well, she had such a soothing voice, and was one of the nicest staffers there. A really wonderful one.