Enigma

“Hello Annette.” Dr. Stepp smiled at me pleasantly “How are you feeling this time?”

“Absolutely fine,” I replied, my tone flat and sullen.

She laughed “I know you do. But that’s the curious thing isn’t it?”

I sighed heavily and glowered at the window. “Totally fascinating,” I muttered.

Mum nudged me and looked at me pointedly. Dr. Stepp laughed again. “Don’t worry, Mrs Blair. I can understand why she feels upset.” I glanced her way, my eyebrows raised sceptically. “Of course, I’ve never been in your situation Annette, but I know your upset because you feel perfectly healthy, so you see no need for these tests. But you fascinate some people. Especially me, I want to know why you are like you are and how you came to be that way. It’s obviously not a dominant gene otherwise it would be more common in your family and even in other families. So, it must be a recessive gene, but we have no evidence of it being part of your family history.”

Well, actually, I thought that was pretty obvious. “So why can’t you just let me be instead of running all these tests?”

“Because,” Dr. Stepp sat on the bed beside me, holding her clipboard on her lap, “we want to know how you work, why you are actually able to function. Theoretically you shouldn’t even be alive right now, you shouldn’t have survived much longer after you were born. The enzymes in our body need very specific conditions in which to work. That’s why our body must maintain a constant body temperature – if the temperature becomes too low then our organs would not be able to work, the same happens if our temperature becomes too high.” Her eyes were bright and shining as she spoke to me, this was obviously a favourite topic for her.

“So why don’t you just call me an alien and be done with it?” I snapped. “That would solve so many problems for me. I would be able to just go on with my life and not have to worry about the facts that I have these stupid trips to the hospital.”

“Annette,” mum frowned at me, “I know you don’t like this, but you could at least try to be civil.”

I glared at her and crossed my arms angrily. I didn’t want to be here and that was that. I didn’t care that I was being completely childish; all I wanted was to go home, I wanted to talk to Strider again. My computer lay still and silent on my desk for a week collecting dust.

“Okay, I’ll be back in a few minutes. I just need to grab something from the nurse’s desk.” Dr. Stepp smiled as she stood and walked from the room.

Mum frowned at me as she closed my suitcase. “I hope you won’t be like this all week. If you are, I shan’t visit you”

I smiled forcedly at her. “I’ll try mother,” I always called her that when I was annoyed, “But you know how I feel about this place and all those stupid tests. That is never going to change, no matter what.” I said as she placed the bag by the door. I paused for a few moments before asking quietly “When are you going?” I actually wanted her to stay, for all my nastiness. I hated being alone at the hospital more than I hated merely being there.

Mum smiled understandingly. “I don’t have to leave for another hour. Is that okay?”

I smiled back at her and nodded mutely. She laughed softly as she pulled me into a warm hug.