Part 5

Sally came back from the kitchen and handed Ric a glass of water.
He took two small sips and tried to calm down.
Sally sat down next to him again. "Are you okay?" she asked.
Ric felt kind of embarrassed because he had broken down like that when they were talking.
When Sally had asked why he wanted to be just like him he had only shrugged, tears still streaming down his face and said he admired him for always staying positive and strong.
It was the truth, but there was more to it than just two adjectives; there were loads of memories.
Sally had tried asking about it, but Ric just said that was it. The way he had avoided looking at her when he said it made her sure there was more to it than he said, but she knew it was things he maybe wanted to keep to himself.


He had just been there as a doctor. He could have been there as his friend, but of course he had to mess it up by telling him he didn't need a friend!
Not that it mattered, Flynn had given up on him now. Yesterday it looked like he had decided not to give up after all because Dalby actually had said goodbye in a civilised way.
But Dalby knew he had messed it up again now. All the things he said about hating his father and how happy he was that he was dead had to have made Flynn give up. Not the most patient person in the world would be able to give him another chance after that.
He just keep blowing it because he was so angry.
Knowing that made him even angrier, plus he was already in a bad mood after the funeral.
At least Flynn was still in his room, even though it probably was because he had to as a doctor. No matter what the reason was it helped a bit, because at least now he had someone to talk to. If he started talking to himself they would all agree he was crazy, and then they would find him a nice padded room with no window.
As long as someone was in the room he could ramble on about how much he hated his father, and make himself look even worse that he already did in their eyes.
They were probably right though, he was probably a lost case... Crazy... Sick and twisted... Evil...
Luckily Flynn wasn't like the other doctors and nurses. Whenever he started talking about how much he hated his father they told him to calm down. Flynn didn't say anything, he just looked at him, listening to every word he said. It was impossible to see what he was thinking, he could find it interesting or he could be bored. He could believe him or he could think he was a liar.
Dalby was sure he thought the worst. He probably found this pathetic loser hilarious because he kept talking about the same boring and stupid lie.
But at least he didn't tell him to calm down. Every now and then he reminded him that if he let Owen get to him he would let him win, but other than that he let Dalby ramble on as much as he wanted.


No matter how angry and evil this troubled boy seemed Flynn was sure it was just a defence.
He had heard the talk in the hallways; the interns and nurses trying to avoid getting his room on their list. No one wanted to be there, they felt uncomfortable, some even scared, and no one knew how to react when he was talking.
Flynn had came to the conclusion that letting him let out his anger by talking was better than making him even angrier by telling him to calm down.
The poor boy refused to talk about what his father did to him to the psychologist. The psychologist, Dr. Evans was a brave woman. Only she and Flynn visited Dalby other than when they were practically forced to. But she couldn't get anything out of him. He just answered back in a rude way and refused to tell her anything about how he felt.
The only way they ever got anything out of him was when he was complaining loudly about it to whoever was in the room. Perhaps it wasn't the best way (especially considering a dozen interns who would probably be scared away from medical school for the rest of their lives) to do it, but both Flynn and Dr. Evans was sure it was better than him keeping everything to himself.
Eric Dalby was probably not aware of it, but he answered a lot of the questions the psychologist asked. – Just not during their sessions...


Every time he spat out how much he hated his father an intern moved further down the hall and away from the room, praying to be asked to clean patients instead of walking rounds. But every time he spat it out and yet another intern was scared away from medicine for a lifetime Flynn saw the despair in Dalby's eyes. He was so scared, and Flynn had a feeling he believed in every bad word everyone had ever said about him.
Just the fact that he talked about how angry he was without being asked, told Flynn there was something more than just a angry boy hating everyone. If he really was so bad he wouldn't have been there, he would have been dead a long time ago. He was strong, he was fighter... He just didn't know it himself.
It was all just a defense because he was scared, and Flynn tried not to make him any more scared. He was honest, but willing to watch Dalby crossing the line without freaking out and evacuating the hospital.


The anger was so overwhelming. He just had to spit out every bad word about his father he could think of. And yet Flynn just stood there patient, listening.
Was it because he still hadn't given up? Or because he had given up but was offered a raise to stick in there and listen to what he thought was lies from an angry psycho?
"I hate him!" Dalby repeated for the fifth time since they came back from the church, "He deserved it!"


Flynn knew he didn't mean it. He was just defending himself, making up an excuse so what he had done wouldn't seem so bad.
He didn't hate him either, he was just scarred on the inside from years of abuse, and now he was at a breaking point, desperately trying to keep everything together.
"You remember what I said about not letting your father win?" Flynn reminded him. He was on Dalby's side when he said that, it just confused the boy a bit because no one had ever been on his side before.
Dalby didn't answer, he just continued trying to take his shirt off. He was so bruised and wounded it even hurt to loosen the tie and unbutton the shirt. Every time he moved to loosen a button his face was twisted in pain. Just not only from the physical pain.
He could see Dalby getting closer every second, he was so close to breaking down now... If he'd just let go of that defense and show some real emotions...


"I loved him!" Dalby burst out, shocked to realise he was starting to cry. He couldn't stop it, panicked.
A few dry, painful coughs before he gave in to the tears and leaned forwards.


Tears were running down his face erasing the last bits of his tough image, as he leaned towards Flynn, feeling years of pain being released in just a few seconds.
He was scared, ashamed, angry, bitter, relieved, sad, panicking... Everything at once, and it was just too much to handle, so he just cried to the doctor he wanted to be just like. The doctor who had shown him tough love and given him chance after chance, sacrificing traumatized interns to listen to his endless and angry complaining.
Flynn didn't say anything now either, he just stood there, allowing him to lean towards him and cry his eyes out like a pathetic child, before he carefully moved his hand and patted his shoulder gently so it wouldn't hurt.


Dr. Flynn Saunders hadn't given up yet.