My Favourite Broken Heart
TRIGGER WARNING - please be aware as per the previous chapter warning =D
AND I do not own Sailor Moon :(
Chapter 1
"Good Morning Amy!" I said as I barged into her office. A very common Tuesday ritual for us. Well me. I barge a lot without knocking or making my presence known first. Terrible habit. One I probably won't ever fix, cause I don't care! It's a professional environment and nothing personal should be happening here right?
"Hey Sere," Amy said wearily as she looked up from her monitor. She was sitting at her large oak desk in her very own private office. I first met Amy in primary school. She was a transfer in grade 7. She literally looked like a nymph with her tiny figure, short black hair that shone blue in a cute short bob style cut, and her massive blue eyes. You wouldn't think it, but this tiny woman was one of the smartest and most brilliant surgeons here in Tokyo.
Now don't get me wrong when I say tiny woman! She's only half a head taller than myself at 5'2". And by no means is she defenceless! We take kickboxing classes together every second Tuesday night. It worked out since we're both at the same hospital on Tuesday's, so we usually go straight there after work and dinner afterwards.
"In for a busy day?" I asked her as I placed her favourite coffee in front of her. The coffee shop downstairs in the hospital lobby wasn't actually half bad! And coffee is life, so thank goodness! Cause I lived off the stuff.
"Eh, you know how it goes for me. My days never run on schedule. I just hope no emergencies came in," she replied as she took the cup and took a sip from it.
I had already drowned half my coffee on the way to her office. I love it hot. Once it hits that lukewarm, the taste is horrendous! Sends shivers down my spine. "Why I never pursued a stressful job my dear," I laughed. I had been watching her carefully. Usually in the mornings she either meets me at the coffee shop or she's removed herself away from the computer to have a good chat. But this morning she was fidgeting and hardly made any eye contact with me.
She let a small chuckle out, "You know it's because I handle stress a lot differently than you. Plus I also have you to ensure I don't break down," she said as she finally made eye contact.
"You know that's just 'friendly' advice! I can't professionally help you given our friendship," damn ethics! But I did have to laugh. She was such a strong person in my eyes. I would have cracked under the pressure ages ago if I were in her position. "In any case," I said as I lapped my arse on the corner of her desk. "Why are you all fidgety this morning?" While I watched her flush I casually strained the last of my coffee down.
"Err…" she started as I assumed she was trying to formulate in her head how to tell me something. For all my years knowing Amy, this behaviour only happened when she struggled to tell someone the truth that she knew would hurt them, or make them uncomfortable. Terrible habit really – only because I'm now on high alert to hear something I probably don't want it. AND it's the first thing in the morning too… WHY!
"Whoa! Amy, wait!" I shot up from her desk. I discarded my coffee cup in her bin and slugged my bag over my should that I lumped on her couch when I walked in. "How about you tell me later, so it doesn't ruin my mood and my day yeah?" I suggested as I slowly backed myself to her doorway.
"Serena! Please, I really think you need to hear this now," she pleaded as she also stood up from her desk.
"No, No," I waved my hand in her direction, "I'm in such a great mood! And if it's as bad as I think it is, then tell me before kickboxing tonight!" I gave her one of my winning smiles in hopes she would drop it. I really was feeling great. If it were bad news, well kickboxing would help me release the tension caused by it.
I could see her munching on her lip in contemplating, "Okay, Sere. But I feel like you might find out yourself before I'm able to tell you." Her eyes went to floor at my feet as her hands found themselves in her medical coat pockets.
What would I find out? Was it a patient? Maybe a new staff supervisor or manager? Not that I happened to hear anything about it. Though I guess since I am not technically employed by the hospital why would I be privy to those important updates? But usually the nurses and that are always up to date with their gossip before announcements are made… Have I heard anything recently? Mhmm I really had to think about this. Nothing was tingling in my brain.
"Ames, you're worrying me! Let me enjoy this good feeling for once! I'm sure you're just being over reactive with whatever it is," I laughed it off as I left her office before she could say another word. It's not every day I actually feel good and happy! I needed this to last! Today WILL be a good day damn it!
Although I was not employed by the hospital, I was given my own consultation room slash office due to an agreement and contract of my services. I signed a 5 year contract with the hospital to be the 'free' psychologist to those who qualified for my services. Majority of my clients were here due to accidents and needed my help to cope with the rehabilitation.
Oh, I guess I never actually specifically told you what I do for work did I? Well know you know. Although my arrangement with the hospital means I am here every Tuesday; Every second Thursday I also take appointments here. For those who need emergency sessions however, I can make an effort to squeeze them into my schedule and pop into the hospital. This can be very difficult, and I'm so lucky I have such an amazing personal assistant! I have no clue what I would do without her. We came to a great arrangement that works for both of us, and luckily the systems to link my hospital planner and my clinic planners sync perfectly. I'm making an effort to touch some wood now, cause seriously, there has not be an issue yet!
I'd like to say my job is easy… but it isn't! I don't just sit a chair asking a patient how they feel about this and that! Though, to be honest, I wish it were. My easiest and hardest patients are here at the hospital. With rehab patients it's pretty straightforward to work with them. However when it comes to psych evaluations of patients that need to be transferred or need psychiatric help… arg! They are not fun at all! But I'm glad to have my regulars at my clinic. Luckily with my experience I have worked with a broad range of mental disorders and illnesses. So my time is worth a very pretty, and very shiny penny. Which is great cause I do have a bit of a shoe obsession… hahah! A bit… who am I kidding?
Luckily Amy's ward was in the same wing as my office, and the rehabilitation centre was the next building. See, hospitals don't actually function right. There is no order amongst all the chaos and weird decisions get made! You see, my office happens to be on the 4th floor with almost every other important person in the ward. However I do get a cool little waiting area – which I manage myself. But you see, I tend to see my patients in the rehab centre or their own rooms for convenience sake. When I happen to do other jobs for the hospital like psych evaluations and that, they also arrange me to visit the patient. So really hardly anyone ever gets seen in my 'office'. But at least it was a place I could call my own and do my own paperwork. Even though there has been a few times I have asked my assistant to come and help me out with the admin side of things in my office.
-BEEP BEEP BEEP- -BEEP BEEP BEEP-
Ohh shoot! My alarm. Another terrible habit I have is dawdling! I do try to be punctual… but well time always manages to slip by me. I quickly scanned my finger at the door and opened it. The security in this hospital was top notch! Everything is either finger scanned or key pad. On the other side of my door is a pad to turn this off if I needed my office to be unlocked for patients. But with a swipe of my finger, it's full lock down mode. I dumped my belongings on my desk as I grabbed my phone from my pocket.
Alarm off!
I swear I'd never get anything done if it was not for my bazillion alarms! They truly are life saving some days. They help me manage my day to day schedule to ensure I am running efficiently and never forget anything. Like my very own 24/7 assistant that doesn't have their own life because it's dedicated 100% to me.
Plonking myself into my massive leather chair I let out a substantial sigh. Amy had gotten to me. I could feel my mood slip. ARG! Some best friend huh? I pulled my iPad out and started with my schedule. I am completely paperless where I can be. Which means maintaining files and that is super easy and stress free. Something else I am sure my assistant really appreciates about her awesome job. It definitely makes running around convenient too with all my patients not having to lug around bundles of paper.
I put my purse and personal belongings into my bottom drawer and locked it. Opening the top drawer I pulled out my voice recorder and a spare battery. You can never truly trust technology!
I hated how unflattering the medical coats were. But I got up and took mine off the coat rack near my desk and put it on over my super cute pink pussy bow blouse and waisted black pants. My classic look really. I loved blouses with those big floppy pussy bows around my neck. I always teamed them up with my favourite pants, or of course the classic skirt and pantyhose. Remember how I said I was a sucker for shoes? Well heels to be exact. Damn my calves look AH-MAZE-ZING in heels! Which is why I tend to wear skirts and dresses more. But keeping it professional with pantyhose – plus it's kind of kinky right?
I guess now is a good as time as any to actually introduce myself right? Well the name is Serena Tsukino. And I ain't going to give you the low down of my whole life… so don't ask. I'm possibly the shortest person I know at a whooping height of 4'11". Another reason why I love heels so much! Perhaps I'm compensating for something? Hahah. Okay… where was I. Right. I'm a classic Blonde – in regards to my personality. I'm a natural platinum blonde FYI. I've always been very feminine, and believe woman should have long hair, so my hair is quiet long as it sits just at the end of my tailbone. Maintenance is very hard, yes. But totally worth it cause its one thing I love about my body, which has helped me with my self-confidence. Otherwise, not much to say… sky blue eyes, porcelain skin… a super duper one of a kind astoundingly killer personality. Great sense of humour.
Okay, perhaps my personality and sense of humour are a kind of coping mechanism to deal with stress. Or even possibly use them as a guise to direct people away from thinking I was actually dealing and coping with some really heavy personal issues? But I'd prefer people to look at me and judge me as that happy go lucky air head, instead of a stress head who cared too much about everything around her instead of her own self. I've been at this game for years now, and I'm a bit of pro at putting on a front. Don't we all have something we lie about and try to hide from other people? So please do not judge me too harshly for trying to cope in a way that I can handle.
-BEEP BEEP BEEP- -BEEP BEEP BEEP-
My alarm again! 10 minutes before my first appointment. I grabbed the extra spare batter and put it into my pocket. I picked up my iPad, phone and Dictaphone and headed towards my door. Being paperless has it perks. Just three items and I am set. Easy. Simple. Already out the door heading towards the rehab centre.
My days usually go by pretty quick. Mornings I find are the quickest, cause before I know it it's 1-2pm in the afternoon and I'm starving! Today was different. By 12pm I had wrapped up with a patient and finally had a few hours before my next patient. I might look like a lady, but I had the stomach of a hippo! Food and me are a match made in heaven. The sweeter it was, the better. Of course during college when my body changed, I realised I couldn't eat as much as I wanted, because slowly I noticed the weight gaining. Maybe the downside of ageing? But I joined a gym and a few classes like kickboxing to help. Of course I have a few other little secrets up my sleeve for just in case as well. In a world where body image was so important, it's hard not to feel self-conscious.
But, as I was saying. Lunch time! FOOOD! Today I'm a little more excited because apparently there is a free, YES FREE, lunch happening in the boardroom in the wing of my office building. Apparently there was a new person starting – The chief of surgery? News to a lot of people apparently. It was a very last minute hire along with a very last minute resignation? I'd definitely have to speak to Amy about this later for more details… maybe this was what she wanted to talk to me about? Though it would not explain her unusual reserve about the whole issue. But if not Amy, I'd bump into one of nurses first – damn gossipers can be good for something sometimes.
But the gossipers in the rehab centre said he was quite young considering, and very handsome. To be honest, I was working on a stereotype since the last Chief was probably heading into his 70's and judging by some photos around the hospital of his younger days… he wasn't someone I would describe as 'hot' or 'handsome'. Though I suppose that is very subjective. But I was very keen to see with my own eyes. Eye candy never hurt anyone right? It's not like he was going to distract me since I was hardly in the building. Plus I was only there 3 times a fortnight… although more in some cases. AND, I'm not even a surgeon! So I'd be VERY rare, if at all, I ever 'ran' into him.
I could smell the food as I left the elevator. Just a short stroll down the hallway into food heaven! I was literally crossing my fingers hoping that I wasn't too late and there was still some good food left.
Opening the doors I basked in the smells that wafted over me. If this was a cartoon I would definitely be drooling. But being very aware of other people around me, I quickly looked for someone I knew. I couldn't see Amy, but I did see Zoicite. Now, HE, was a very cute gentleman. Babyface I like to call him. He had long, curly tan hair that he usually tied in a low ponytail. When I say babyface, it was like he stopped ageing at 20. But he did have the purest grass green eyes I had ever seen in my life. Amy and I were the same age, however Zoicute was a few years older than us.
"Zoi," I waved brashly as I headed his way through the crowd. There were more people in here than the room was designed to cater for. This guy must have peaked a lot of people's interests. Though considering how sudden it all was, I don't blame people for being nosey.
"Serena," he said softly as we embraced. Now this was a friendly embrace! I actually met Zoicite through Amy. You see, he possibly has THE BIGGEST crush on the girl, and she's so focused on work to really acknowledge it. He was sweet, and very patient. But some days it broke my heart to see how much of a puppy he was as he followed her around. "How's your day been?"
"Eh, the usual. Nothing out of the ordinary for me," I laughed as I pulled a piece of pizza off his plate.
He just laughed at me as he offered the rest of his plate to me. Did I mention how sweet he was? "It's too bad Amy had a surgery at this time," he started, "It's been awhile since us three last had lunch together."
"Amen my man," I said between mouthfuls. "So is that why you are here?" I looked at him. "To see if you could have lunch with her?" I winked as I laughed. This was not the wing he worked in. He is a pharmaceutical researcher here at the hospital.
"That, plus I wanted to see my friends," he laughed. I guess we'd been around each other long enough to have that unspoken bond and understanding.
"Plural?" I looked at him. Mhmm… besides Amy and I, there wasn't anyone else he really called a 'friend' in this wing or part of the surgery teams… "Do you know the new guy?" I asked while I looked at him quizzically.
"Yeah," he smiled, "I was actually really surprised when I learnt he was here to be honest."
"Why?" Why am I so interested? God Serena, keep piling the food in your mouth.
Zoicite laughed as I continued to shove food in my mouth. "We studied abroad together. Well he was actually my senior and teacher. He was doing his doctorate, while tutoring a few of the classes I was taking," he started, "However we got along pretty well and stayed in contact. He was always very conflicted about coming back to Japan, so I never imagined he would make such a quick choice to come back." I feel like there was more he wanted to say, but held himself back.
"Mhmm," I hummed. Soooo that made Doctor Dreamy around 36-40ish? Zoi was 35 (4yrs older than Amy and I), and this newbie was older. Zoi also happened to go to an Ivy League College. And I'm sure your making the same assumptions as I am about that type of education. Handsome, rich, really smart… I eyed Zoicite. He was a softly spoken man who was very similar to Amy it scared me. When I say this, I mean naïve and innocent. And judging myself, as well as our other friends… I'm sure Zoi's friend was not like him at all. To be honest, I have this tingling sensation that's almost like an alert for me.
"He's a great guy, Sere. Pure genius. No doubt that is why they took this opportunity to get him here." It really looked like Zoi looked up to this guy a lot. Potentially hero level.
"Mhmm," I continued to hum. This tingling sensation was only getting worst. You know that little voice inside your head that tells you something feels off? Boy mine was yelling at me.
"Want me to get you some more food?" Did he just ask me a question? I think that's what he was asking me.
"What?" I'm sure my face was like a deer in headlights. "Sorry, I was thinking about something." I must have looked weird. I was even chewing on air.
"It's okay," he chuckled, "I'm used to it. But whatever it is, don't stress. It causes wrinkles," he laughed.
I had to hit him on the arm for that one. Wrinkles to a 30 year is NOT a joke. "bad habit."
"I know. Stress is second nature for you." He gave me side hug with a small reassuring smile. "Want that plate of food before the introduction happens?"
I noticed he was look at the people getting around the podium. I looked at the plate. As much as I wanted to eat, I also wanted to be sick. My intuition was telling me to run. I needed Amy here. Someone I felt 100% secure around. It wasn't for any other reason but the unknown. Something about not knowing something made me feel really anxious. I hated surprises. I think the fact that what was happening right now was too sudden for me to handle it. It was weird, because part of me wanted me to be chill and rationalise because it didn't affect me. But I couldn't help it.
"I'm all good. Thanks though," I gave him one of my award winning smiles. We shuffled back a bit to create a fluid line were everyone could see the stage as someone started to test the microphone.
Zoi gave me a reassuring smile. I knew he didn't buy it. But like I said, we had that unspoken bond. He knew when not to push me.
"Hello," the presenter started. I forget her name, but she was an administrator for the executive offices here. As in the CEO and VP kind of people. "If we are all ready to start, please give a round of applause to our CEO Souichi Tomoe," she finished as she started to clap her hands.
As she started to walk away, a white haired man with round glasses covering his weary old grey eye walked on stage. Mr Tomoe. He had inherited the hospital from his family. Luckily he was a man of the medical field – otherwise this wouldn't be the most prestigious, and technology driven hospital in all of Japan. He had a vision and was in the right position to make a difference.
"Thank you," he said as he waved his hands to hush the room. "I appreciate those who took the time to be here – even if it were on such short notice. And addressing that last fact; as you are all aware, our last Chief of surgery, Dr Magus Kaolinite, unfortunately had to retire suddenly due to personal issues. However, luck would be on our side! For we have had the pleasure to secure one of the most prominent bright minds in the medical field to replace Magus. Thankfully timing was on both of our sides, and he was eager to return to Tokyo and take up this very generous offer to be apart of our family here at South Tomoe Private Hospital. Please give a warm welcome and a round of applause to the new Chief of Surgery, Dr Darien Chiba."
My whole being just shuttered into millions of tiny bits. His name kept resinating in my mind. Of all the people in the world, and all the places we could be… the odds of this moment happening was very slim. Yet that's the thing about statistics and probability… and those damn spidey senses. I really should have run before when they were telling me to. Yet I was frozen in place staring at the scene before me. Everyone was clapping around me as a tall man with ebony black hair walked towards the podium and gave Mr Tomoe a handshake. He started to say a few words, but everything was washing over me into complete silence. The thing I could think and hear was RUN! My whole being was urging me to run. And that was what I did.
Flight mode kicked in way above everything else. I didn't worry about what people thought of me running out and being rude. I only cared that I got out of there. Before I knew it I found myself in my office. My safe heaven. I had thrown the plate I was holding onto at some point on my way here. I had fell onto the ground towards my bin and threw the content of my stomach into it.
The amount of thoughts that I was having, I swear I was going to have a mental break down. But I was at work. I couldn't allow this. But all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry as my mind flooded itself with these terrible thoughts. Damn anxiety. Rationally I knew I shouldn't care or worry. But at the same time, I was so self-conscious now. It felt like I was naked in a room full of people watching and judging me. I felt so insignificant.
I heard a knock at my door. I don't know why I was so frightened. I was in a safe place. Was I? Was it safe now that someone was here? I could feel my heart raging against my rib cage. Who was it?
"It's me Sere, Zoi," I heard the voice through the door with knocking once more. I could also hear the handle trying to be pulled, but the clunk of the lock wouldn't allow the door to open.
He was a safe person for me. It was early on in our friendship when I had a breakdown. Luckily Amy was around to help me and fill him in. I'm not sure what she said, but he was always there for me after that. He was really understanding and patient. And Like the incident now, knew how to handle the situation to calm me down. I was lucky to have him and Amy here, otherwise my work really would have suffered.
I crawled myself to the door and unlocked it. I watched as Zoicite open it cautiously, watching out for me. "I don't know what the trigger was, but I was right there Serena. You should have relied on me if you weren't feeling good," he said quietly as he went to my desk and opened my middle drawer. I had kept a stash of my prescribed pills (one from a qualified psychiatrist… I don't actually have the power to prescribe, luckily) in my desk. I keep my pills everywhere. My desk at both work places, every room of my home, my bags, my car…
Slowly he approached me, taking the water bottle off my desk. Bending down he grabbed my hand and shook the contents of the bottle into my hand. Unscrewing the water bottle, he offered it as he watched me place the pills into my mouth. I gladly took the bottle and let the cool water glide down my throat. Once I was done he took the bottle and placed it on the ground towards his back and gathered me into his arms.
"Shhh, its okay," he slowly petted the back of my head, "be calm like the ocean. Let the waves wash over you. Feel the current as it pushes you back and forth. Sway with the motions," slowly I could feel us swaying. Silly as it sounds, but this was really soothing for me. I could feel the drugs starting to take effect as my senses went a bit numb. Luckily they worked quick, or I'd have lost my job ages ago, along with poor Amy and Zoicite. These were really strong muscle relaxants. They helped me loosen up, as I get really tense and rigid when I'm stressed and having a panic attack.
"Thanks Zoi," my voice crocked as I pulled away from him. "You are a life saver." He had already gotten up and was helping me up now. I was still shaky and taking deep breaths, but I felt a little bit calmer now.
"Anytime. Just wish you'd have told me sooner to avoid the severity. It's not good going through this," he said carefully as he watched me piece myself back together. I could see him looking at the bin. It was a terrible habit. Plus, because of years of throwing up I had a lot of stomach issues and my oesophagus was not in the best of shapes. "How is your afternoon looking? Not too busy? Do you need me to call Trista?"
"No, no," I eventually said as I grabbed my iPad. Luckily I came back here before heading straight to the boardroom for lunch. I had a quick scan to see how my afternoon was looking. Luckily afternoons were relatively slow. I see most of my patients in the morning. Usually why I have a later lunch. "I've only got a couple of people to see. So it's okay." Another one of my award winning smiles came out. The smile that told the world I had successfully pushed everything out of my mind and my mask was firmly on. Deep down this was bottling everything up, but sometimes it was easier to try and 'forget' and move on. It's like I was running away from the issue… I just didn't want to think about everything that had just happened at this very moment.
"If you're sure. I need to get back," he paused for a moment and gave me a quick hug. "I'll tell the nurses to send a cleaner up here to remove your bin. But I'll see you around yeah!" he smiled before quickly leaving. I don't think he's ever been comfortable when this happens. He was brave to actually help. But I knew it was all for Amy's sake. He would do anything for her, and me being her best friend, I'm sure he felt obliged to help me in order to stay in her good graces.
I was in my office for another hours before I left to use the bathrooms across the hall from me to wash up – including brushing my teeth. I quickly fixed my make up and hair. Not feeling 100% towards the image in the mirror, I gave a small smile in defeat and left. Picking my things up back in my office, and putting a couple of extra pills in my coast pocket, I made my way to my next patient. I was running 10 minutes behind. I really hoped it wouldn't cause a snowball effect with my other patients.
Unfortunately that was wishful thinking. But luckily they had nowhere else to go, so they didn't mind me being late, or our sessions ending a bit later. But by the end I was exhausted. At least it meant 30 minutes less I had to wait for Amy. She worked a lot longer hours than me, so I usually had to waste a few hours until she finished work so we could head off to our fitness class. To be honest, I wasn't really feeling up to the class… and I'm sure Amy would understand if we skipped and went straight for drinks. I was starting to feel a bit tense again. Maybe this was exactly what Amy wanted to warn me about this morning? I took a couple more of my tablets from my pocket before leaving my last patient.
I was just coming out of my patient's room when I bumped into the wards department director – Melvin Umino. Everything that happened in this ward was all managed and directed by him. It's funny because he was a senior at my high school as well. Just a few years older. It was also very common knowledge he was hooking up with one of the administrative nurses – Molly Osaka. When I say hook up… I legit mean hook up. They weren't serious - in regards to neither considered they were dating each other or anything. In my opinion it was weird. BUT it did serve Molly good being the head gossiper. WHEN she showed up for work. Lately there was a bit going on with her family and wasn't around lately. If she had of been here, I probably would have been well informed about someone's return to Tokyo and plan to work here. AKA, been aware to be alert for someone to ensure we NEVER 'bumped' into each other. Ever!
"Ah! Serena," Melvin started as he locked eyes on me. I could never tell when he was in a good mood or not, or how he was going to treat me. To be fair… I understood his disposition on me. During high school I was not known to have any of the qualities I posses now. Like being smart, on time, or presentable. In high school I was a bit of a ruckus. I slacked off a lot. Was he being prejudice? Well yes. Working with people you have known for a long time does cause this dynamic work environment. Especially when I throw a spanner in there and tell you that Molly was also in my class grade. Small world huh? And Goodness knows what SHE had been telling him about me. Some days he respected me and what I made of myself, others I'm sure he looked at me like I was that 14 year old teenager again expecting me to make a spectacle of myself.
I sighed. "Melvin," I said giving a small smile and head bow. He was my superior here at the hospital in any case. We were in the work environment, so I tried to keep it professional. Most of the time. Melvin was an average height with brown hair and eyes, and massively oversized glasses. I'm sure if he got some contacts and cleaned up his appearance a bit, he had potential to be quite handsome.
"I just wanted to let you know, in case you have not heard. But Mrs Kaolinite left us quite abruptly. However the hospital was very quick indeed to find a very suitable replacement," he smiled, almost like he was proud. He had always talked about things as 'matter of fact', being smug and smart to know things others weren't aware of at the time. "So don't fret when you see someone else lurking around doing the rounds instead of Mrs Kaolinite, okay." He had pushed his glasses up while looking at me to ensure I understood.
I repressed my sigh and gave a small smile, "I was aware, thank you Melvin."
"Oh splendid," he gave me a pat on the shoulder. Something he usually does when he was done talking. However his eyes went straight over my shoulder, and he was not moving from his spot, or took his hand from my shoulder. "Hold on, let me introduce you." He gave me another smile as he took his hand off and waved towards someone behind me.
"Dr Chiba," he yelled straight over my shoulder.
I gulped as I felt a wave of nausea wash over me. Thank goodness I took my pills just a moment ago. I could feel myself sweating. I had all this saliva in my mouth, almost like I was about to drawn. I felt so small and insignificant, and all I wanted to do was run away. Why was the world doing this to me? Did I have bad karma? Did I do something wrong that I was not aware of? WHY did he have to come back? Why did he have to be here, of all places, of all times!
I could hear the footsteps approach as Melvin moved to the side to introduce the new person. The feeling of being smothered started to creep its way into me. I tried my best to push how I felt aside and held my face high; but my gaze was towards the ground. I just couldn't look at him. I couldn't bring myself to.
"Let me introduce you to someone," he said as the other man finally stood before me. Nice shoes at least. "This is Dr Serena Tsukino. You will see her around the hospital every now and than. She is an outside Psychologist that we contract for particular patients. Her practice also offers free limited sessions for hospital staff as per our agreement if you never need the service. Serena, this is Dr Darien Chiba, our new Chief of surgery."
I heard his small humph when Melvin introduced me as doctor. What? Didn't he think I was capable of doing my doctorate? He probably never imagined I'd even be able to go to university. I was really starting to get angry now. I know he never thought I'd be capable of anything but being a good wife for someone to show off - in terms of finding myself a rich husband to look after me.
The tension was just getting worst. I swore I heard him chuckle when Melvin was done introducing us. I know I was being rude and unprofessional by not being polite and meeting his gaze. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. Do I say hello? Pretend we don't know each other? But before I could decide, he spoke up.
"Long time indeed," he started, "but Serena and I actually go way back, Melvin." I could feel the smile over his words. There was an undertone of poison. "How have you been Serena?"
How could he be so calm? It was like nothing to him. I was nothing to him. He didn't spare a second thought to me after all. He was able to move on like nothing happened. Like we were just acquaintances. I don't know why, but I was starting to get irked. He always found a way to infuriate me. Did he really not care what he done to me? I swallowed hard and took a breath. I sharply turned my face towards him and stared him down, "I've been good actually. However I need to correct Dr Umino. Because of our history, it would be very unprofessional of me to help you in my position. However if you do feel the need to seek help, I would be happy to arrange a referral for you Mr Chiba, as per the hospitals agreement." Damn I was on a roll! Not one stutter or mistake. I turned quickly to Melvin, "Sorry Melvin, but I have to be on my way. If you'll both excise me," I said giving a small head bow and walking away. Few more steps until I'm around the corner. Breath. You got this girl.
Was it too rude? I didn't really care. I just needed to get away from him. There was too much unknown in that situation and I couldn't handle it. Plus I was getting too angry. At least anger was better than a panic attack.
I raced back to my office and completed my work and filing. Taking my coat off and placing it on the rack, I grabbed my bag and locked up. I headed straight to Amy's office. Earlier I was ready to ditch kickboxing… but now with this anger, I couldn't wait to hit something!
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed. This will be the writing style, all Serena's POV. I will come back once the story is completed to focus more on the thoughts and feelings she is going through. Right now I don't want to spend too much time, otherwise I'll never update and post new chapters!