Shortly after being confronted with this information, Sarah Byrnes begins speaking to Eric, and he discovers that her catatonia has been a ruse, and that she is terrified that her father, whose abuse has been worsening, is going to kill her. She has been hiding out in the hospital because it is the only place she feels safe from him.
Following being confronted with this information, Sarah Byrnes begins talking to Eric, and he learns that her catatonia was a deception; she's terrified of her father, who is increasingly abusive, killing her. She has been hiding in the hospital because it's the only place where she feels safe from him.