"So there I was, flying over Seattle. I was higher than the clouds, I tell ya! I looked down and saw the Space Needle. The thing looked so small I could reach down and pick it up!"
"All right. So you were flying in a plane..." Niles wrote on his notepad.
"No. Not in a plane. Flying, you know, with my arms like a bird?"
Niles rubbed his eyes; the tension headache worsening with each passing moment.
"So what do you think this dream means, Mr. Warren?"
His patient scoffed. "How in the hell should I know? You're the one with the NBA."
"M.D. I'm a doctor, remember?" Niles corrected with a sigh. You'd think the man would know the difference between an advanced degree and baseball. Why, the
Seahawks would be appalled!
"Whatever." Mr. Warren snapped. "I'm not paying you my life's savings for you to ask me what I think!"
Niles took a deep breath and tried to control the anger that rose inside of him. "Well... I think that's about all the time we have for today, Mr. Warren."
"Well thank God for that!" Mr. Warren said as he rose from the couch. "Thanks for the help, Doc." He added sarcastically.
Niles sighed with relief when Mr. Warren closed the door behind him. Alone in hi office, Niles tried to enjoy the solitude, but it proved to be a difficult task. He looked at
the wall clock, almost grateful that his next patient was due any minute. He definitely couldn't handle the silence right now. The best thing was to focus on work; get
his mind off of what had earlier. But the more he tried to pretend that it hadn't happened, the more he knew that it had. He reached into his briefcase and checked his
appointment schedule. His heart clinched when he saw the name...
Mrs. Thompkins.
Damn...
The bright orange folder. The missing contents he'd found scattered around Daphne's side of the bed. How could she have betrayed him like this? It was as though...
No. It wasn't possible. His heart ached to think that she didn't trust him. Not after all they'd been through. But there was no other explanation. And if he was honest
with himself, than he was the one to blame. He hadn't exactly been honest with her at first. And here he was, married to the woman of his dreams and he was
blissfully happy. He thought she was happy too. He simply couldn't understand it.
Why would she do this to him a second time? Just go through his briefcase and read Mrs. Thompkins' file? She knew how careful he was about protecting
his patient's privacy and confidentiality. The thought caused a rush of anger to flow through him and he pounded his fist on his desk.
"Dr. Crane! You startled me!"
He looked up to find a plain looking woman walking into his office and he glanced at the bright orange folder, feeling an incredible sense of guilt.
"Mrs. Thompkins. Please, come in."
"Are you all right, Dr. Crane?" She asked, eying him suspiciously.
"Um... Yes. I'm fine, thank you." He said, gesturing for her to sit on the couch.
Had he not been so angry, he'd have been touched by her concern, and might have made note of it. Rarely had Mrs. Tompkins showed compassion for anyone. He
gestured for her to sit on the couch and took the seat next to her.
"So, Mrs. Thompkins... How are you today?"
"What do you care?" she yelled. "And stop writing down everything I say!"
"Well, Mrs. Thompkins... as your therapist, I need to keep track of your thoughts because that's the only way to diagnose-."
"Like hell!" She yelled, startling him with the outburst.
A white hot flame grew inside of him, and he was only seconds from saying something that was sure to cause him to lose his license... or worse. He could feel his heart
beating wildly against his chest, and he took a deep breath before speaking.
"Is there anything you'd like to discuss, Mrs. Thompkins? Anything other than the current situation?"
"You're damn right there is!" She said. "I had the most terrifying dream last night."
"Well, why don't you tell me about it?" Niles asked, arming himself with his notepad.
"I can't!" She said, promptly bursting into tears. "I-I'm so ashamed!"
Immediately his heart went out to her, but he forced himself to remain strong. Any moment now she was sure to-
"I'm paying you good money and the least you can do is listen to my problems!" She yelled.
The headache that formed behind his eyes had become almost unbearable.
"Look Mrs. Thompkins, why don't we cut this session short and start fresh next week? In the meantime, here is a list of exercises for the mind that I'm sure will-."
She snatched the paper from his hand and glared at him.
"Damn you, Dr. Crane! How dare you give me homework! I'm no child, you know!"
Feeling faint, Niles closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Of course you're not a child. How unprofessional of me." He said, taking the paper from her. "I'll see you next week, Mrs. Thompkins."
Without a word, his patient grabbed her purse and walked out the door.
Niles sat down at his desk, completely exhausted from a session that ceased to solve any of his patient's problems, and stared at the closed door. Then without giving
it another thought, picked up the phone.
"Mrs. Woodson? Cancel the rest of my appointments. I'm leaving the office early. I have something important to take care of at home."