His visits were becoming more frequently, and especially in the early hours of the morning when the sun hadn't even risen yet. It became apparent that his instability was an issue, as if it wasn't already blatantly noticeable to everyone that surrounded him, besides himself. I was starting to wonder why his visits didn't bother me as much as it really should, I managed to figure out why one evening – his instability made him vulnerable, and almost appealing enough to devour; which is probably why I didn't mind the unannounced appearances in my office in the middle of the night.
I hardly would consider him a patient under my own psychiatric care, Jack would have certainly frowned upon it, precisely for the reason why our association always had me wondering of why I never him down at this time of night, or at all really. Was it because I found his feeble mind appetizing, or simply because I enjoyed what company I had that wasn't practically crawling underneath my skin? At some point in our conversation as we dove deeper into these vivid hallucinations, I found myself becoming lost in his words, almost as if I was spilling around the edges myself as he explained that was.
It's been nearly six hours since the sun settled behind the mountains, and the night surrounded the corners of the east coast. Just before I turned the lights off in the foyer, a light patter hit my door. I shrugged my shoulders, assuming it was nothing else besides the wind hitting in the door, or even the house settling. I turned my back against the door; another patter on the door. "Doctor Ha-Ha-Hannible?" I fumbled with the door lock, then reached for the handle; quickly opening it. There before my eyes as a half-conscious Will, swaying like a branch out in the cold. I wrapped my arm around his upper body, and dragged him off inside.
"It was three-thirteen in the morning; I'm in Baltimore, Maryland, and my name… my name…" Drifting in, and out of consciousness, I managed to squeeze those words out of him to make sure he was at lease coherent as to where he was. "Your name is what? What is your name?" I reached out my hand, and wrapped my fingers around Will's shoulders, my fingers digging into the fabric of his coat. I watched his eyes sporadically moving underneath his eyelids as his search for his name. "My n-name is Will Graham," he finally said, his voice shaking underneath heavy shoulders.
I settled him down in the leather chair beneath him; he quickly slid down into it. He swallowed the growing lump in his throat, and tried to flutter his eyes open, but Will's heavy eye lids forced them shut again. "Doctor L-Lecter, how did I get here? I was… I was at home just a few minutes ago, and now… now I'm here…" Resting my hip on the arm of the chair, I hovered over him, my fingers grazing across his forehead. He tried lifting his head to look at him, though I gently pressed down. "I advise you not to do that, Will. Just rest. You've been through hell tonight." My voice sounded half-hearted, a part of me enjoyed watching struggle to keep himself together.
Though I knew in a matter of minutes, Will would slowly drift into what hallucination in woke up from. I recalled another session between myself, and Will. He explained to me that these dream like states he finds himself in, never quite have an end nor a beginning – like his life was being dictated by these vivid hallucinations. Hovering over him, I watched his face fall quiet; the stress of his job was definitely taking its time with him. Stress lines carved into his face, and around his eyes. A wide smile began to tug at the corners of my mouth as I examined every detail of his face. I shook my head, and stood then turned away.
Will gave some noncommittal noise mixed with exhaustion, and disagreement; like he felt as if I left the room. "Hannibal?" A voice came to life abruptly. I turned towards it, and there half asleep stood fragile young William, swaying like a quaking leave in the centre of the room. I rushed towards him, tightly wrapping my arms around him like ivy before his knees gave out from underneath him. Through the weary lines around his blue eyes, threating to fade to grey; I nearly lost myself. "Will, I did tell you to sit still… didn't I?" I ventured, dragging him up the stairs toward the bedroom. At my ear, I heard a laugh rumble in the chest, I could feel him trying to pull together a crookedly smile, as if he was mocking me. "I suppose you did, Doctor," Will paused to grin at himself weakly.
I took up him in my arms, and settled him in bed. He groaned as I settled him away in the covers, and away from my arms. I went off to fetch a blanket, though I came back to an asleep Will, curled up with my coat I left draped across my pillow from earlier. And then, I saw something that I will never forget (even if I still had thoughts about eating him) a priceless sleepy smile that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. Like earlier before, I turned off the light in the far corner, and travelled off into home, humming happily to myself.