Evaluation

Dr. Jane Ives didn't just bend rules, she broke them and snapped them off completely. Not all the time, only when she needed to or when her gut told her it was the right thing to do. This was going to be one of those times.

She was about to have an evaluation with a disturbed young man. The company he worked for was going to decide his employment future based on what her findings were. She was told he was a reluctant to talk about it, but adamant when he did.

So, she was going to bend some rules. She would let her shoulder length hair down, males responded better to her that way. She didn't really like it pulled back into a bun, but it looked more professional. She would wear her black framed glasses today, not the wire frames.

And she would undo one more button on her blouse, showing just a hint of cleavage. As much as she could pull off anyway. She would also have a cardigan sweater she could pull closed so it didn't look too obvious if she needed to cover up more.

She fluffed her hair a bit, smiled at her dimples in the mirror.

Reception would have him waiting in her office by now.

She walked into her office, he had his back to her. He was tall with a mop of longish corkscrew hair. He turned around on hearing her enter the room.

His eyes ripped into her soul. She was taken aback feeling his searing gaze. He didn't try to look at her cleavage, his eyes where on hers and they were intense. Jane knew she would have a hard time looking at him for this evaluation. She would have to concentrate on her notes as they talked.

He broke into a smile and her heart thumped. Oh my… he's gorgeous. Jane smirked inwardly to herself. You're allowed to think he's good looking Jane. That's not unprofessional, that's being a young vibrant woman with a healthy sex drive.

Then she had to laugh inwardly right afterwards. Sex life? What was that again?

He held out his hand to shake hers. He didn't know he wasn't supposed to, Jane gave a quick shake of her head, but smiled so he didn't feel too awkward.

"Go ahead Mr. Wheeler and make yourself comfortable. Just be yourself ok?"

"I think that's why I'm here. Uh, call me Mike ok? Are you allowed to do that?"

Jane smiled at him. Yes she was allowed to do that.

"Ok," she said straightening her dress slacks as she sat down. "I'm going to tell you what you already know… your HR department was informed that you were... " she looked down to check her notes, " 'daydreaming on the job' is that correct?"

"That's what it looked like to them, yes."

"But that's not what you were doing?"

"Here's where you can cut the evaluation short and the company I work for can give me my pink slip. I was in an alternate reality. Very realistic, I can describe it to you in excruciating detail. Some things you will be able to verify, others not so much."

"You know how that sounds right?"

"I'm living it, you don't have to ask me."

"What is it you do exactly for the company you work for?"

"I work for a data analysis company. My colleagues handle textual data and number crunching, whereas my specialty is photographic analysis. We get government contracts, and some from… other sources. I, uh, sign NDA's so I can't really tell you much more."

"I won't ask you to breach confidentiality. I'm bound by law anyway, even if you did."

"It's not that," he said looking serious, "you don't have the security clearance."

So this guy's not stupid, Jane thought. It's no wonder they are bending over backwards to get him some help.

"Are you sure you aren't dreaming?"

"They tell me my eyes are open, and that I seem to be in some kind of fugue state. One minute I'm at my desk and the next minute I'm a kid in Hawkins."

"Wait a minute," Jane looked down at her file, "you are dreaming you are a child?"

"I'm twelve… in that… reality… and I'm living in Hawkins. It doesn't feel like a dream… I have dreams at night, vivid too, but not like this. I usually dream about the same thing."

"And that is?"

He laughed, "There's a girl in this alternate reality… and…" he gave off a huge sigh. "I'm in love with her. I dream about her all the time." He looked down. He sounded so sad that Jane almost let a tear slip out. She knew what love sounded like from her patients, they couldn't lie about that, even if they tried. He wondered if she was in love with the girl in that 'reality' or was he in love with her in this one? That would make the sessions difficult to work through.

She had an inkling, though, that he dreamed of this girl he loved and tried to get to her through some auditory and visual hallucination. This case was going to be unique. She was sure though that she could get him through this. He was a logical person, he needed to be for his job, so she could appeal to that side of his brain, most likely without him even knowing.

"So is Hawkins a real place?"

"I looked it up on a map. It's real. It's in this state. I've seen some photos, I recognize the place from this alternate reality."

"If you are twelve you must be living with your parents, are they the same parents… as this reality?"

He hung his head. "I don't know. My parents disappeared when I was too young to remember."

"Who brought you up?"

"An aunt on my mother's side. Until I was sixteen anyway. I ran away, ended up working in the mailroom of the company I'm at now."

"So you have a photography hobby, that led to your current position?"

"No, it's my attention to detail. I'm familiar with photographic techniques of course, but it's not a hobby. It's work."

"Do you have an eidetic memory?"

"Isn't that photographic memory? No, nothing like that."

"Do you see colour when you are there or in your dream?"

"Yes to both. I know you're supposed to dream in black and white, but I don't. Doc it's like I'm there. It's not like lucid dreaming at all. I've had that, this is as real as me talking to you. I'm aware of everything, a past, what's going on in town… everything. I am living there, doc. I am there. I'm not sure I can prove it so you don't think I'm crazy."

"We don't like to use crazy," she smiled at him.

"Sorry."

"It's ok, I hear it dozens of times a day."

"Ok, I'm a logical person. I know this is probably not real… but doc it feels real. When I'm in that reality, I love this girl."

He put his hand over his heart. "I feel it here."

Jane could hear it in his voice. She was concerned that sessions with him would bring this love out and she'd have to deal with his love for a person who did not exist. That was much tougher therapy treatment. One problem at a time.

"Ok, I have enough for an evaluation. I think it's a problem we can work through together. You are authorized to be in my office every afternoon for two hours. Does this sound reasonable."

"Anything to get to the bottom of this. One way or another."

"With your cooperation we will, no worries there. I'm good at what I do. Trust me… ok?"

"Ok doc, my sanity is in your hands now," he laughed… "no pressure."

Jane couldn't help a giggle slip out. This guy was so easy to talk to, you'd never know he was having serious mental health issues.

Jane. Stop it. She thought to herself. You can not get involved with a patient. It's grounds for an immediate dismissal from the practice, and losing your license.

First things first though. She would go with him to Hawkins. Show him that he didn't know it as well as he thought he did. That would probably be enough to shock his subconscious into accepting the real world and not a false reality.

This might be an easy case after all. Direct physical, irrefutable evidence. That was the best therapy there was.

Mike Wheeler would be cured in an afternoon.