Chapter 2
The office was abuzz with anticipation as Jack's appointment time drew nearer. Ennis could hear Connie chatting with Wendy, one of the nurses, and the topic of conversation was Mr. Twist.
"I wonder what he's like," Connie said to the younger red haired woman.
"I wonder, too. I saw a picture of him in People magazine and if he looks even half as hot in person as in his picture, WOW! I'd better freshen up before he gets here so I can make a good impression."
Ennis was amused by what he was hearing and tried to get back to what he was doing at his desk. He had also seen a couple pictures of Jack Twist in the family home, but they weren't recent photos. He found himself wondering what Jack would look like now, although didn't know why he'd care about that. He wanted to get some loose ends tied up before his new patient arrived, but was having a hard time getting his brain to focus on the task at hand as questions floated around in his mind about Jack as well.
From what he knew, Jack had been living in New York City for the past several years. John had said in one of his rants that the younger Twist had left about ten years before and hadn't set foot back home since, although had been back to Los Angeles a few times, his parents only hearing about it through the grapevine after the fact. This had to have hurt Mrs. Twist, Ennis was sure of that, but he had never heard her speak unfavorably about her son in all the months Ennis had known her, unlike her husband. Whatever caused this rift had to have been pretty serious but Ennis never speculated about the cause. It wasn't any of his business. All he knew now was that a couple weeks ago Jack had arrived home with his dog in tow, and was staying at the family estate. He had been suffering from migraines for some time, thus the reason for today's visit. Ennis wondered if the reason for Jack's return home was to seek medical attention, and to have the support of his parents while he was dealing with his debilitating headaches. How much support he'd be able to get from his parents though, wasn't clear. He hoped he could be of some help to his new patient.
…
Jack Twist parked his Blue Land Rover in the parking structure adjacent to the building where Dr. Del Mar's office was located. He sat behind the wheel for awhile wondering if he was even going to go in. He was apprehensive about this Dr. Del Mar because his dad had said he'd like him, that he and Jack being about the same age, this doctor wasn't old and stuffy like their last doctor. Jack was not convinced he'd like the new doctor considering he and his dad never agreed on anything. He was also not convinced any doctor could help him with his headaches as long as he'd been suffering with them and how bad they were at times. He had lost count of the number of doctors he'd seen. He was here though, and appointments with this doctor were hard to get, so he knew he was going in.
Connie cheerfully greeted Jack as he entered the waiting room. Her eyes lingered on him and for a few seconds she didn't speak, but finally found her voice.
"Have a seat Mr. Twist, we have these forms for you to start filling out."
He gave her a big smile and said, "Thank-you, ma'am." He cleared his throat and asked for a glass of water. "Oh sure, no problem," and Connie went to the cooler and brought him a cup, handing it to him with a warm smile.
Jack felt the smallest hint of a headache coming on. He started on the many forms and as he worked, he noticed a large saltwater aquarium across the room. The brightly colored fish swimming slowly back and forth had a strangely comforting effect. Looking closer, he noticed how elaborately the aquarium was decorated. One thing that stood out was a large fishing boat sitting on the bottom. The name on the side was "Seas the Day." He started to feel a little better and hoped the headache wouldn't develop into anything major.
It wasn't long after he had the forms finished that Wendy appeared and asked him to come on back. He was taken to Dr. Del Mar's office, where the doctor stood to greet him.
As they shook hands the thought flashed through Ennis' mind that living in New York must have agreed with Jack, "I'm Dr. Del Mar," he said.
As they shook hands, Jack realized his head was continuing to feel better and better. He mused for a few seconds wondering if it was the aquarium, this majestic office, or the doctor in the crisp white jacket and gold silk tie standing in front of him. "Pleased to meet you, Dr. Del Mar, I'm Jack Twist," Jack said with a small smile.
As Ennis shook Jack's hand and heard his voice, he started to get a strange feeling that was both exhilarating and a little frightening, although he had no idea why. "The prodigal son," slipped from Ennis' lips.
"Don't believe everything you hear," Jack said slightly annoyed by the statement.
"Oh, I don't. I know there's two sides to everything, but to hear your daddy tell it..." Ennis looked down at his shoes, realizing he had put his foot in his mouth and simply said "never mind." What am I saying, talking like this to a patient, have I taken leave of my senses? You're a professional, Ennis, act like one.
Ennis' mind came back to what was being said by Jack, "No, finish, please."
"Uh, I think we got off the track here - you're here about your migraines, right?" Ennis' professional mask came over his face and it was all business then. "Mr. Twist, have a seat and we'll start sorting out your problem."
"Mr. Twist is my old man, I'm Jack."
"Alright, Jack it is. Uh, speaking of your dad, I'm concerned about the stress level of you living with your parents. It seems like there's tension there. You know stress can aggravate your condition."
"Well, the house is big enough so we really don't run into each other all that much, and I haven't made any long range plans, but if I decide to stay in L.A., I'll for sure get my own place."
"You don't know if you're staying?"
"No, not at this time, I'll see how it goes."
Ennis let this thought settle into his brain. It disturbed him on some level but he wasn't sure why exactly. After an hour, Ennis shook hands with Jack and sent him on his way.
…
Jack left with the orders for an MRI, CT scan and CBC. These tests were not new to him, he'd undergone them in the past, so he wasn't holding out much hope that they'd be beneficial. However, Dr. Del Mar had discussed the medication he was on, and possible alternatives, plus even mentioned acupuncture and something called biofeedback, and Jack was impressed with Ennis' determination and willingness to work with him to find a solution to this problem that was plaguing him. Out in the Land Rover Jack was greeted by Max, his Lab Collie mix, who had been with him for nearly ten years. He hadn't been a pup when Jack adopted him so was getting up in years. He and Max had been through a lot together. Jack rubbed his hands through Max's soft black & white fur and rubbed his face on the top of his head.
"Even if the house was small, when you want to avoid people it's easy to never see one another, right boy?" Max licked his master's face and Jack took what comfort he could from that.
Something else that seemed to give Jack comfort was the fact he had another appointment with Dr. Del Mar in two weeks. Usually it took longer to get appointments but the doctor had told Connie he wanted Jack squeezed in, so Connie had worked her magic with the schedule. Now Jack had to be sure and have his tests as soon as possible so they'd be in by his next visit.
…
After Jack left, Ennis started checking through his notes and the forms that were filled out to make sure everything was in order. Connie entered the office informing him his next patient was waiting. Before she left she spoke about a few observations she had about Jack Twist.
"Dr. Del Mar, did you see the color of Mr. Twist's eyes?"
"They were blue, weren't they?" Ennis said matter-of-factly.
"Not just any shade of blue, maybe aqua? No, more of a sky blue..."
"I think they were sapphire blue," Wendy chimed in as she walked past the open office door.
"And the man's eyelashes, my gosh, they were so long and made his eyes look even sexier, and he was charming besides!"
"Connie, don't forget you're a married woman."
"I haven't forgotten, but Rob and I have an understanding, we can look, just not touch."
Ennis smiled and shook his head quite amused. "I always thought Rob had nice eyes, brown aren't they?"
Ennis found it difficult to give his full attention to the next patient and was glad when that last appointment was over so he could head home.
Pulling into his drive-way at 5:30 p.m., he realized that buying flowers for Alma had totally slipped his mind.
To Be Continued...
