Long time, no see! I've finally got a bit written and have made a good start to my newest fic. I hope you enjoy!
-:-
Hisana
My hands fumbled with keys as I threw them in my purse. I hurried down the hall, glancing in the bedroom to see my sister asleep and curled up under my comforter. Her pale face was relaxed and serene. The site brought a smile to my face and for an instant I forgot about being late for my appointment. The moment quickly passed and I continued to rush down the hall, pulling the door open. I paused before stepping out and remembered my assignment for the week. Inhaling the fresh morning air I stepped back and faced the mirror hanging on the wall. As I mentally counted to ten I studied the features of my face. So many people have told me that my sister and I were nearly identical but instead of seeing the same sweet face I had seen surrounded by blankets a minute before I saw an older, tired visage. Sometimes I could see bruises that resided there years ago in my reflection. When I reached ten, I exhaled and hurried out the door. Fifteen minutes later I was pulling into the parking lot. I quickly locked my doors and approached the entrance. The secretary at the front desk smiled pleasantly before greeting me.
"Good morning, Hisana. He's waiting for you in his office." I nodded and thanked her, never breaking stride. Once I reached his door I knocked softly. With his invitation I opened the door and entered, closing it behind me.
"I'm so sorry, Dr. Yoshida. Things have been so crazy lately and I was running late this morning." He smiled in greeting from his desk. His hair was looking especially grey and it looked as if he hadn't gotten much sleep either.
"I understand." He quickly stood from his seat. "Good morning."
"Morning." I smiled, bowing subtly. He gestured towards the other side of his office.
"I'd like for you to meet our newest doctor, Byakuya Kuchiki." I turned to see a tall man leaning against a bookshelf. He wore a navy blue suit, his long black hair laying over his shoulders. The man appeared to be fairly young. He smiled pleasantly, bowing his head in greeting. I returned the gesture before looking back to Dr. Yoshida expectantly.
"Dr. Kuchiki will be sitting in our sessions for a few weeks before he is assigned patients of his own. Is that alright with you?" I blinked, a little unsure. After taking another glance at the man I turned to my doctor and nodded.
"That's fine." He watched me, looking skeptical before telling me to have a seat. I sat in the soft chair closest to his desk and tried to ignore the presence of the other man. I focused solely on Dr. Yoshida as he started asking me about my week.
Byakuya
As the session started I moved to the side of the room and took a seat by the window. This gave me a good view of the patient's face as she answered questions. I opened the file in my hand and read through some of the basic information about the woman. Hisana. As I looked back up, I met her eyes. It was as if she had heard me. I blinked before glancing towards Dr. Yoshida.
"Excuse me but...do you have to sit there?" The woman addressed me quietly, sounding slightly timid. I raised my eyebrows slightly.
"I apologize." I quickly stood and went to the opposite corner. I couldn't see her face but she seemed more comfortable this way.
"So you moved Rukia in this week?"
"Yes, she arrived yesterday." Hisana seemed excited with this topic. I scanned through her file again to learn that Rukia was her younger sister.
"Does it feel like your relationship is strained? Its been, what, two years since you've seen her last?"
"I wouldn't use the word strained. I think I expected her to be a kid but she's definitely grown up a lot since I've last seen her." As they continued talking about Rukia's schooling I read through more of Hisana's file. I flipped to the very back and saw a few scans of hospital charts. After scanning those and checking the dates I noticed she had been taken to the emergency room four times in a six month span when she was 15. There were copies of x-rays that showed fractured ribs, a broken arm and another showing her foot. The toes were circled with a physician's note that stated the bones had healed incorrectly after being broken. I continued through the file finding multiple reports from child protective services. They came with polaroids of bruised skin, scratches and handprints on her neck, and one picture of her thin rib cage that was captioned "83 lbs". I noticed an asterisk on one of the reports that noted the condition of the younger girl. Rukia didn't seem to have any signs of abuse. I started searching through the other reports and found similar remarks on most of them. My eyes went back to Hisana as I refocused on the conversation between said girl and her therapist. For the rest of her session I juggled between observing and skimming. Before I knew it the small woman was grabbing her bag off the floor and stepping towards the door. She said goodbye, bowing her head in my direction before leaving. Dr. Yoshida turned to me.
"My next patient won't be here until eleven so you have some time to go over the files." I nodded. "If you'd like we can discuss and review todays sessions at lunch."
"Sounds great. I'll go pick up the other files. I'll see you at eleven." I dismissed myself, heading towards the secretary's desk to request the other patient files. Hisana stood in front of the desk talking with the woman sitting behind the computer.
"Here's your prescription, just sign here and you'll be all set." As Hisana started signing some form the secretary turned to me. "What can I do for you Dr. Kuchiki?" She leaned forward, smiling up at me. Hisana looked over at me but quickly turned back.
"I need the other three files Dr. Yoshida set aside for me." The secretary turned and grabbed them before holding the folders out to me.
"Here you are." She watched me expectantly as I thanked her. "If you'd like I could show you around the city during our lunch break." I looked up from the papers in my hands, my eyebrows rising slightly.
"Thank you for the offer but I have a lot of reading to do and a meeting with Dr. Yoshida." I saw Hisana in the corner of my eye stifling a laugh before handing the form back to the secretary. She met my gaze, stepping away from the desk.
"It was nice meeting you, doctor." She grabbed the prescription sheet off the desk as I returned the sentiment. With that the small woman turned and headed out the door. I quickly dismissed myself and headed for my small office before diving into my patient files.
-:-
Here t'is, hope you liked it! Please review and let me know if I should post another chapter!
