Bare Bones.
Reassurance
It was nearly noon when I stepped out of my office to head to get lunch. Dr. Vanderbilt found me on my way to the kitchen, and wanted to chit chat about his wife’s baby shower. I agreed to come, it would be nice to socialize with people again; when I was married to Clarissa, she was big on all the block parties and routine Friday dinners with friends. Oh how I hated those fucking dinners.
“The baby’s due any week now. I just hope he doesn’t come too early, or while I’m at work. It takes me about thirty-five minutes to get home, even more to get to the hospital. I’m freaking out.”
I patted him on the shoulder.
“It’ll be okay Stan. Talk to Cheryl, I’m sure she’ll work something out with you.”
He nodded, and we continued to the kitchen. I was starving. The tragedy about waking up late is you miss out on the most important meal of the day…ha. I never ate breakfast. Though my ex-wife would make me eat. Or pack me oatmeal in a small tuba ware. I really didn’t mind being single. There were some things in a marriage you could do well without; such as the bickering, the demanding of your undivided attention and spooning. Sometimes a man just needs a good fuck. Then spooning is fine as long as the stress is released. God, being single has turned me into the man I was in college—fending for sex: one of the only good things being married can offer.
“The girl we discussed this morning is here. Her parent’s just signed her in.” Stan said, my heart flipping like an acrobat.
“Oh really? I’ll see to it that I introduce myself before group. It’ll make it easier for her to open up. Have a one on one conversation.”
Dr. Vanderbilt shrugged, and then nodded. “That’s a fair idea. I should try it on some of my patients. They won’t open up even if a gun was pressed against their temple. I’m never going to have a breakthrough with some of them. It’s a shame too.”
We were almost to the staff kitchen when I heard Nurse Mary talking farther up the hall. Both I and Stan were eavesdropping. I heard her mention my name, and that’s when I saw her. Around the corner with what looked like her mother and father. She was shorter than I expected, but it suited her. She must’ve been nothing more than 5”3.
“Oh, there is Doctor Blake now.” Mary announced. I had all four pairs of eyes on me. Hers were the most curious. She seemed shocked when she saw me. But her eyes flicked between me and Dr. Vanderbilt. I think she was confused about which one was Dr. Blake. I wanted to make it very clear that I was.
“I’m Doctor Blake.”
I said, lending my hand forward to Bryn’s father. He seemed hesitant at first, but shook it none the less. It wasn’t a firm handshake of a man with confidence; it was a handshake that of a man with something heavier on his mind than just the worry over his daughter’s suicide attempt. I didn’t want to press farther into it with my keen observation skills. It wasn’t Mr. Morgan I was concerned with. Rather the youngest Miss Bryn.
I seemed to not be able to take my eyes off of her. They dragged up and down between her eyes to her lips, where they stayed for some time. But when she altered her weight to the other leg, an uncomfortable tick, I then just stared over at her mother. But I felt Bryn’s eyes on me; taking me in. I could see her seeing me from the corner of my eye. I had to admit it was nice to be looked at like that.
“I’ll take the tour from here Mary.”
She nodded and said her goodbyes to the parents and was on her way to make her rounds around the hospital.
“I’ll be in the group session at one o’clock, which I’m sure Nurse Mary had already informed you. It’s not as scary as it sounds. It’s more of a chance to get to know the people on this ward, the girls and boys just like you. They have different problems from which they suffer, but in the end, their all here for guidance and some reassurance that they are not alone.”
Her eyes were still locked on me as we walked down the corridor. I had no place in mind to show them; this was more of a opportunity to talk with the Morgans. But it was time for them to leave, and Bryn to get unpacked and settled before group and for me to get something in my stomach.
She said her goodbyes as well, and I walked her to her room. She smiled gently at me when I told her that if she needed anything that my office door was open from eight A.M till 11 P.M. She took this thankfully and I was on my way to my prior destination. Over lunch I would think about how I would get this girl to open up to me. I was more than excited for our one on one talk for two reasons: the first being harmless and doing my job, but the second, for selfish and unprofessional reasons. I wanted to know more about her than just how she became suicidal. I wanted to know everything. This more than likely to go more than it should. But I didn’t care. I needed this.
“The baby’s due any week now. I just hope he doesn’t come too early, or while I’m at work. It takes me about thirty-five minutes to get home, even more to get to the hospital. I’m freaking out.”
I patted him on the shoulder.
“It’ll be okay Stan. Talk to Cheryl, I’m sure she’ll work something out with you.”
He nodded, and we continued to the kitchen. I was starving. The tragedy about waking up late is you miss out on the most important meal of the day…ha. I never ate breakfast. Though my ex-wife would make me eat. Or pack me oatmeal in a small tuba ware. I really didn’t mind being single. There were some things in a marriage you could do well without; such as the bickering, the demanding of your undivided attention and spooning. Sometimes a man just needs a good fuck. Then spooning is fine as long as the stress is released. God, being single has turned me into the man I was in college—fending for sex: one of the only good things being married can offer.
“The girl we discussed this morning is here. Her parent’s just signed her in.” Stan said, my heart flipping like an acrobat.
“Oh really? I’ll see to it that I introduce myself before group. It’ll make it easier for her to open up. Have a one on one conversation.”
Dr. Vanderbilt shrugged, and then nodded. “That’s a fair idea. I should try it on some of my patients. They won’t open up even if a gun was pressed against their temple. I’m never going to have a breakthrough with some of them. It’s a shame too.”
We were almost to the staff kitchen when I heard Nurse Mary talking farther up the hall. Both I and Stan were eavesdropping. I heard her mention my name, and that’s when I saw her. Around the corner with what looked like her mother and father. She was shorter than I expected, but it suited her. She must’ve been nothing more than 5”3.
“Oh, there is Doctor Blake now.” Mary announced. I had all four pairs of eyes on me. Hers were the most curious. She seemed shocked when she saw me. But her eyes flicked between me and Dr. Vanderbilt. I think she was confused about which one was Dr. Blake. I wanted to make it very clear that I was.
“I’m Doctor Blake.”
I said, lending my hand forward to Bryn’s father. He seemed hesitant at first, but shook it none the less. It wasn’t a firm handshake of a man with confidence; it was a handshake that of a man with something heavier on his mind than just the worry over his daughter’s suicide attempt. I didn’t want to press farther into it with my keen observation skills. It wasn’t Mr. Morgan I was concerned with. Rather the youngest Miss Bryn.
I seemed to not be able to take my eyes off of her. They dragged up and down between her eyes to her lips, where they stayed for some time. But when she altered her weight to the other leg, an uncomfortable tick, I then just stared over at her mother. But I felt Bryn’s eyes on me; taking me in. I could see her seeing me from the corner of my eye. I had to admit it was nice to be looked at like that.
“I’ll take the tour from here Mary.”
She nodded and said her goodbyes to the parents and was on her way to make her rounds around the hospital.
“I’ll be in the group session at one o’clock, which I’m sure Nurse Mary had already informed you. It’s not as scary as it sounds. It’s more of a chance to get to know the people on this ward, the girls and boys just like you. They have different problems from which they suffer, but in the end, their all here for guidance and some reassurance that they are not alone.”
Her eyes were still locked on me as we walked down the corridor. I had no place in mind to show them; this was more of a opportunity to talk with the Morgans. But it was time for them to leave, and Bryn to get unpacked and settled before group and for me to get something in my stomach.
She said her goodbyes as well, and I walked her to her room. She smiled gently at me when I told her that if she needed anything that my office door was open from eight A.M till 11 P.M. She took this thankfully and I was on my way to my prior destination. Over lunch I would think about how I would get this girl to open up to me. I was more than excited for our one on one talk for two reasons: the first being harmless and doing my job, but the second, for selfish and unprofessional reasons. I wanted to know more about her than just how she became suicidal. I wanted to know everything. This more than likely to go more than it should. But I didn’t care. I needed this.
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