Etta was waiting for Dr. Mulligan in the lobby. She knew Kendall wasn't in danger of turning into Keith or Kendra at the moment, so she felt comfortable leaving him in his room alone. She just hoped what she was preparing to tell Dr. Mulligan wasn't as risky as she thought.
"Hello, Etta." Jeremiah said as he stood in front of the chair she was sitting in. "Where is Kendall?" he asked as he looked around.
"He's in his room. I'm pretty sure he's calm enough to stay him. Okay, before I tell you this, you have to promise me that you won't overreact."
"I can't promise that, Etta. You know that…" Jeremiah said as he began walking with her to the elevator. Etta pressed the number for Kendall's floor.
"Okay, that's fair. So, Kendall had a dream and we sort of had an impromptu session and he told me about it. He couldn't remember it right away, but once he started talking, he did. The dream began with Kendall and I having sex…or he thought it was us. It turned out to be Keith and he was watching us. Suddenly, the guy I was having sex with turned into you…" she said as she watched her professor's face change.
"Etta…I want to formally apologize to you. As you know it's something I am not proud of, but I think denying it would be worst for you situation. Would you like to discuss it privately when we have the time?" he asked and Etta nodded.
"That would wise, I think. Anyway, you weren't there and suddenly, I was having sex with Jack Fosters. Apparently, Keith and you were standing beside him also watching us have sex and as you watched us…Jack became more affectionate and less lustful. Kendall said in his dream, Keith was begging to panic. I believe the threat of finding out Jack isn't the monster Kendall perceived him to be would somehow make him and Kendra disappear."
"That's an interesting notion, Etta. Very interesting. I would like to discuss this with Kendall further, you understand. I think you're a lot better at this than you think. Stick with it, Etta, you're a very bright young lady."
"Thanks…" Etta said as she smiled as she stared at him. They had made it to Kendall's hotel room and she knocked. "Hi…Dr. Mulligan is here and he wants to talk to you about your dream. I've given him a quick overview of the dream, but it would be helpful if you talked about it in more detail. Is that okay with you?" she asked and Kendall nodded as he closed the door.
"So, how should we start this?" he asked as he stared at Jeremiah before Etta spoke up.
"Kendall…I'm going to leave the room." she said and both Kendall and Dr. Mulligan were shocked that she said that. "I just think it would be better for you to talk with him if you didn't have me as a distraction. Is that something you would recommend, Dr. Mulligan?"
"I…um…it's not my decision. That falls entirely on Kendall. Is that okay with you, Kendall?" Jeremiah asked as he stared at Kendall.
"Yeah…" Kendall said and he nodded. He wasn't really comfortable with being alone with Dr. Mulligan, but he knew Etta needed some space. "It's cool…"
"Are you sure?" Etta asked as she grabbed both his hands and stared into his green eyes. "I'll stay if you want me to."
"No, no…I'll be okay. Just…don't go too far, okay? In case Dr. Mulligan needs to get you." he said and she nodded. "Okay…I'm ready to do this…" he said before Kendall let go of her hands and she kissed him on the cheek. "I'll be okay…" he said as he watched her leave and he turned around to stare at Dr. Mulligan.
Etta went into the hallway and decided to call the number for Jack Foster's office. She knew it was nearly after hours, but she figured a successful businessman like Jack would be working over-time. She didn't tell Kendall about her plan to call Jack because she didn't want to send him into a panic and have one of his alters emerge.
"This is Foster's Enterprises, how may I help you?" said a woman and Etta should have known it would be his assistant or secretary.
"Hi…I would like to speak to Jack Fosters." Etta said knowing this was risky. She knew she couldn't tell him about Kendall's condition, but she had to tell him something.
"Mr. Fosters is away on a business trip in Japan. Would like to leave a message and I'll make sure he gets it when he gets back? Or you could send him an email through the website? He likes to keep his business contacts connected to him that way. You understand, right?"
"Yeah, yeah. I get it. I'm just calling on behalf of someone I know…a friend. I'll just tell my friend to shoot him an email. Thank you." Etta said as she hung up.
Meanwhile back in Kendall's hotel room, Kendall was lying on the bed while Dr. Mulligan sat in a chair beside the bed. He regretted his decision to be alone with Etta's professor because he didn't want to look the man in the eye when he had to tell him the part in his dream in which Etta was fucking him. He saw the older man squirm as he said the words out loud. Once he was done, he looked hesitantly at the professor and waited for him to speak.
"Kendall…I want you to tell me what you think your father and the gentle nature in which he treated Etta represents. There isn't a right or wrong answer."
"Um…well…to be honest, I don't know. I just…when I saw him, the first thing I thought was that he was taking Etta away from me. I felt…helpless watching him with her. And Keith…he was panicking…I don't know why."
"I'm going to suggest something to you and I want you to think about it in a calm mind frame. Do you think Keith reacted the way he did because he's threatened by something?"
"What could threaten him? I know Jack Fosters is my father. I know he came to visit me. What else is there he's trying to keep from me?"
"It isn't always something the alter is trying to protect you from…sometimes what threatens the alter is the realization that he or she may disappear if you come to a full realization of what you really want…of what can really cure you." Jeremiah said as he stared at Kendall. Kendall seemed to look lost in thought with his furrowed brows and before Jeremiah could react a pair of malicious green eyes stared back at him and he knew Keith had emerged. "You emerge much quietly, now, I see…" he said as he stared, calmly, at Keith.
"I figured I'd show up without making Kendall feel like his head was going to explode. It's the least I could do for that more than generous dream of his. Now, why can't you and Etta just back off and leave me alone?"
"We can not 'back off' because you are not real and you are only here because Kendall is sick. However, both Etta and I know what will truly help Kendall in his recovery."
"You and Etta…" Keith said with a sadistic smirk. "By the way, your fantasy was worth it. Now, I know what gets you off. It got me off, too. I think she lusts after me, you know. She fucked me one time. I'll have something you'll never have because you're too moral."
"My morals are worth more than your perverse nature. My knowledge of what will get rid of you for good is worth more than my sexual fantasy about Etta. There is a possibility of Kendall being rid of you for good and that, Keith, is worth it." Jeremiah said as he stared at Keith and the smug smirk disappeared from his face.
