Chuck vs. The Courtyard Bench
Well, in the previous chapter: After Morgan's pep talk Charah are given a sense of newfound resolve to face not only Cole but Jill as well. After successfully getting on the same page with Sarah on how his "spastic colon" was giving him problems, the nerdy couple were able to deflect anything that Cole was trying to negatively throw at them, so to speak. Of course, there was some difficulty at first, but Chuck and Sarah were able to share their views on relationships and love, which completely stumped Cole. Moving forward Chuck would find out the truth that Jill never wanted to have kids after her former Stanford roommate was brought up. It brought up mixed emotions for Chuck, but he was able to bounce back thanks to Sarah who backed him up. In any case, Jill is the women's bathroom, but she wouldn't be alone as Carina, Jill, and Alex show up. The trio would out a big secret that Jill has been hiding, which is she's engaged. After a brief distraction by Carina and Zondra, they turn to Alex who have obtained the phone number of Jill's fiancé, Guy. So what happens in this chapter? Here are the who, what, where, when, why, how's? Who does Chuck see at the behest of Sarah? What does Dr. Dreyfus share with Chuck that leads him to believe he's a nerd? Where does Chuck mentally go to as it relates to comparing Jill to this particular character? When does Dr. Dreyfus start going all heavy for Chuck? Why does Dr. Dreyfus suddenly laugh? How does Sarah react when she finds an uninivited guest in her office? Read and find out! I hope you enjoy the read and leave a comment to share your own thoughts on this particular chapters. As always, reviews are awesome.
Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment, I truly appreciate it. Please continue to do so as it gives me the incentive to write more chapters.
I don't own Chuck.
Nerds of the Round Table
XXX
It's Monday morning and Chuck has a number of thoughts running through his mind. One of the main thoughts he's focusing on is the dinner at C3 Saturday night was certainly eventful to say the least, especially after finding out a big secret involving Jill. A secret that Carina, Zondra, and Alex were able to easily find out with their own unique skill set. Plus, the women's bathroom is considered to be a mysterious place that apparently has a different set of rules that's totally opposite when it comes to the men's bathroom. Of course, one of the rules that is most definitely different is the rule of conversation and man law states that no guys are allowed to socialize. That's just how it is. Essentially, the main objective is to use the bathroom, wash your hands, and then leave. That simple. Get in and get out, he thinks to himself.
In any case, finding out Jill is engaged to a guy named Guy LaFleur was a shocker knowing that Cole invited her to join him in experiencing more of Los Angeles' night life before parting ways at C3. In Chuck and Sarah's mind, along with their crack surveillance team, they basically came up with the same conclusion that Cole and Jill quite possibly hooked up. Chuck remembers Sarah expressing an offhand comment about how she wouldn't put it past Cole to charm Jill into bed since she's evidently hiding the fact she's engaged to another man. Additionally, from what was overheard in conversation with her fiancé, she told him that she's on a business trip and things didn't start off the way she had hoped.
For Chuck, the façade of the Jill he had fallen in love with back in Stanford quickly unraveled like the linen cloth bandages mummies were wrapped in. It has been truly eye opening for him to gradual reveal the ugly walking dead corpse of the woman underneath who has always been there but was too blind to see it. His thoughts go from Saturday night's revealing dinner to where he finds himself now, which is sitting outside the office of Dr. Leo Dreyfus. Although, he didn't actually agree out loud to it, the youngest Bartowski sibling made the effort in going to see the experienced therapist who made tremendous strides in being able to help Sarah with her issues relating to her father.
The nerd actually took some time taking into consideration the pros and cons of actually going since he went to therapy years ago. It helped tremendously, especially at such a young age. Granted, even though he believes he can actually manage his anxiety issues after getting help from someone who actually suffers from it he knows deep down inside that it may become considerably problematic. In his mind, he's thankful that it was head nurse Alex Forrest who in a sense saved him from him mentally and emotionally spiraling instead of someone else such as Emmitt Milbarge. That wouldn't have been awesome, he thinks to himself.
Chuck's what if scenario going on in his head if Emmitt was the one who ended up seeing him in his spiraling ends when he hears the sound of a clearing throat. The nerd refocuses and looks to a bit to his right and forward seeing a man sitting across from him that his blonde girlfriend has spoken highly…Dr. Leo Dreyfus. After taking a moment to open his notepad encased in a black leather folder with his left hand, he retrieves a pen from his light blue shirt pocket then clicks the top of it with his right thumb. The seasoned and experienced therapist then lifts his head peering above his spectacles and directs his attention to his new patient.
"Good morning Mr. Bartowski…"
"Chuck," the nerd, nervously blurted out. "You can call me Chuck, Doc." His eyes suddenly widened after realizing the mistake he just made in not responding back with his proper title. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"
Dr. Dreyfus lifted his left hand then expressed a soft, crooked smile. "Doc is fine." he chuckled afterwards. He then took a moment to jot something down in his notepad. When he's done, he returned his attention back to his patient. "I've heard so much about you, Chuck. It seems like I already know you."
"Awesome things from Sarah," responded the nerd. "I hope." he added, placing his hands on laps.
Chuck peered down noticing where his hands are placed and decided to just cross his arms. After doing it, he shook his head making the decision to uncross his arms, but in doing that he accidently kicked the coffee table in front of him. He quickly apologized and repeated the apology a couple more times before he ended up just putting his arms down at his side. However, he instantly changed his mind because it didn't look or feel right to him. So, he changed his arm positioning again and quickly intertwined his hands together to where he dropped them on his lap then looked up at Dr. Dreyfus as if he's getting ready to be lectured for getting in trouble.
Speaking of Dr. Dreyfus, while witnessing Chuck's indecision on where to place his arms he instantly thought back on how he witnessed Sarah's indecision on what area of the couch to sit on. They are most definitely two peas of the same pod. It's that particular thought in which the good doctor faintly breathes out a soft chuckle before responding.
"Comfortable?" asked Dr. Dreyfus. He clearly saw how tight his body language from where he was sitting. Chuck doesn't know what to say so he expressed a nervous half toothy smile towards him. "You can relax, Chuck." he said, with a sense of calm encouragement in the sound of his voice. "Take a moment and breathe." he suggested, motioning to do so with his left hand.
After taking a moment to breathe, Chuck was able to finally settle down and calm his nerves. A few seconds go by before Chuck was able to speak up. "Thanks Doc. That helped."
"I'm glad it did." he replied back, with a brief nod. Dr. Dreyfus cleared his throat and then continued on. "Unfortunately, because of doctor-patient confidentiality, I can't discuss what she shared with me during our sessions. However, what I can say is your influence on her has been mostly positive.
What Dr. Dreyfus said without really revealing what Sarah shared with him immediately brightened up Chuck's face.
"Really? That's awesome." smiled the nerdy business owner. After saying that, his body language and overall demeanor gradually relaxed to the point where he separated his hands and placed them on his lap. There's a brief moment of silence between the two men, but that ended when Chuck spoke up again. "Before we begin, Doc, I just want to say that I've done this before when I was a kid so I have an idea what I'm in for." he pointed out.
In response, Dr. Dreyfus briefly peered down to jot down another piece of information shared by his patient. "I see," Afterwards, he lifted his head and took a momentary pause before moving forward with his line of questions. "Why are you here, Chuck?"
"How long do I have, Doc?" asked Chuck, with a mixture of amused nervousness.
The well-respected doctor of his field offered up a soft smile towards Chuck. "You can take as much time as you need," he answered back. His tone of voice is calm, soothing, and comforting. After reaching up to readjust his spectacles Dr. Dreyfus dipped his head down a bit then directed his attention back to his patient and gave him a nod. "You can go ahead."
XXX
"It's been a long time since I've experienced any anxiety issues. The one I had last Saturday sure did a number on me. It happened in the hospital elevator, and it freaked me out big time." Chuck shared. His right knee nervously bounced up and down as he's talking to Dr. Dreyfus.
"What brought this on?" inquired Dr. Dreyfus, noting it down on his notepad.
"I guess when Bryce arrived," Chuck paused for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. "Although, I did start having a strangely weird experience days after he showed up." he shared, openly admitting to it.
Dr. Dreyfus arched his right brow after hearing that. He then took a few seconds to jot that piece of information on his notepad before he returned his attention to his patient. "When did that happen?"
"The weekend after he arrived. Saturday to be exact." he directly noted.
"Can you describe your strange experience?" asked Dr. Dreyfus.
In that instance, Chuck peered down at his hands leading him to rub them back and forth against the top of his lap. It lasted for a few seconds before he lifted them up. "My fingers," he shared, wiggling all ten digits. "I felt some kind of tingling sensation going on."
"Did you tell anyone? Sarah?"
Chuck shook his head. "It was after we had one our one-on-one talks on our beach. I call it Avalon. It's from King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table."
"I know it quite well." nodded Dr. Dreyfus. "I've actually done a deep dive into mythological history as a personal hobby of mine. As a young child, I became absolutely fascinated by the subject." He paused for a second then continued on. "Here's an interesting piece of information. Although historians cannot confirm King Arthur's existence, some do speculate that he was a real warrior who led British armies against Saxon invaders in the 6th century."
"You do know your history, Doc."
In response, Dr. Dreyfus breathed out a faint chuckle. "If I could go back in time to see if Camelot is real and study…even talk to Arthur, Merlin, or anyone during that time I could die a happy man."
"Awesome." he responded, with a smile. The smile suddenly fell flat afterwards. Chuck quickly realized he needed to clarify something. "Going back in time. Not the dying part even though you'd be happy about it." In that instance, Chuck knows he's nervously blabbering on and forces himself to stop from saying anything further. After taking a second to gather his thoughts and compose himself, he continued on. "So, you're a nerd just like me."
"I don't disagree with your assessment." retorted Dr. Dreyfus.
For Chuck, finding out how big of a nerd the man sitting across from him is not only completely changed his current surroundings, but significantly softened the image of the man who he was intimidated by when he initially met Dr. Dreyfus earlier. In his mind, so many questions swirled within his head concerning whether or not Dr. Dreyfus saw any King Arthur related. Granted, they're considered a work of pure Hollywood fiction, but it's sort of something that they share in common, he thinks to himself.
Of course, when it comes to television a series that immediately came to mind about King Arthur, Camelot, etc., is Merlin, who is considered one of his personal favorites. A series about a young Merlin who comes to Camelot to find the king, Ulher Pendragon, has outlawed magic twenty years earlier. It also about the relationship between Merlin and Arthur who don't like each other at first, but eventually became friends. The nerdy business owner was thrilled that season 3 has already started and he can't wait for what's in store storyline wise.
Now, when it comes to the big screen, First Knight starring Richard Gere, Sean Connery and Julia Ormond, was most definitely a movie that comes to mind, he thinks to himself. It focused on the love affair between Gere's Sir Lancelot and Ormond's Guinevere behind Connery's portrayal of King Arthur. His thoughts then turned to the animated movies such as The Sword in The Stone and The Quest for Camelot. A faint smile appeared on his lips all of sudden. Hey, you can't be talking about movies related to or about King Arthur without mentioning one of the best comedies of all time, Monty Python and The Holy Grail.
To him, it's considered an absolute classic movie with an awesomely funny cast and so many quotable lines for anyone who repeatedly watched the movie. Himself included. However, the one that's considered by most as a true gem and THE best King Arthur movie is called Excalibur starring Gabriel Byrne. He wholeheartedly agrees and the movie hits every mark for anyone who wants to be thoroughly entertained, he thinks to himself.
His thoughts pertaining to all things King Arthur inevitably changed to the shared connection of being a nerd with not only Dr. Dreyfus, but with Sarah as well. In a way, he can't help but think of how big of a nerd Doc is concerning the mythology of and all that entailed with King Arthur. Plus, the fact that Sarah is a nerd as well therefore it has connected all three of them in such a way they should for their own round table. Nerds of the round table. A round table that would have one additional bearded nerd who happened to set up his own fiction kingdom called Courtyardia.
Although they aren't considered themselves, there are quite a number of individuals who are considered part of the nerd round table. Carina, Zondra, Alex, Ellie, Devon, Morgan, Casey, Chief Beckman, Emma, Molly, Hartley, and Vivian are just a handful of people that he considered trusted advisors and will most definitely metaphorically go into battle with him.
Unfortunately, he's snapped out of his mental formation of a nonexistent group by the sound of his doctor's voice.
"Let's go back a bit, Chuck." Dr. Dreyfus is able to get Chuck refocused after momentarily getting off track. "Who is Bryce?"
"Yeah, Bryce." he breathed out solemnly. "Bryce Larkin. My former roommate and best friend at Stanford." answered Chuck. "It's been years since we last saw or even spoke with each other." he answered.
"What happened?"
Chuck was silent and certainly hesitant in sharing one of the most painful moments in his life. However, he knew if he needed to finally move on from this, he had to push himself mentally and emotionally. He then took a second to close his eyes before opening back up to speak to Dr. Dreyfus.
"Jill, umm...Jill Roberts," answered Chuck. "She cheated on me and took my mojo."
Dr. Dreyfus doesn't react. Instead, he noted what Chuck shared down on his notepad. Afterwards, he peers back up and gives his response. "I take it Bryce is the reason for the breakup."
A nod was given by Chuck. It gave Dr. Dreyfus the opportunity to explore the mention and emotional impact that resulted afterwards for his patient. "When you found out, did you hide within yourself or lash out?"
"Both." replied the youngest Bartowski sibling.
In that instance, Chuck watched as Dr. Dreyfus readjusted himself in his chair, which only took a matter of seconds. Afterwards, he spoke up once again. "Let's expound further on that."
While sitting on the couch, the following two words came to mind after hearing what Dr. Dreyfus said: Oh boy.
XXX
A total of 20 minutes went by with Chuck mentally and emotionally as he opened up about his painful breakup with Jill. How it caused his friendship with Bryce to be instantly fractured beyond repair and because of it they ended not speaking for years. After he shared how he became emotionally constipated when it came to matters of the heart, he not only noticed that Dr. Dreyfus cracked a faint smile but didn't bat an eye after he heard those two words. Two words that the experienced therapist is very familiar with telling him that he quite possibly knew or talked with Casey. In any case, as he continued sharing with the seasoned therapist about how the breakup affected him, the nerd started comparing it with Arthurian mythology.
"I thought Jill would end up being my Guinevere. I was wrong." he said, shaking his head. "She turned out to be Morgan le Fay." Chuck added, shrugging his shoulders afterwards.
"An all-powerful enchantress who bewitched you." described Dr. Dreyfus. After nodding a bit, the seasoned therapist added his own bit of knowledge into the conversation. "In my studies of different stories of Arthurian legend, I've read that le Fey showed affection for Lancelot that bordered on obsessiveness. She wanted him all to herself, managing to capture him under her spell and even going so far as to keep him as her own prisoner."
"That's some Glenn Close stalking Michael Douglas in the movie Fatal Attraction type craziness, Doc." responded an absolutely astounded Chuck. "That or Kathy Bates in the movie Misery."
"I would agree as well." pointed out Dr. Dreyfus. "Anyways, there are many different variations of this story where Le Fey appears as sexually evil while in others as a lost woman who really loves Lancelot." he shared.
Jill and Bryce have always been intertwined throughout history? Chuck sat there on the couch for a moment letting what Dr. Dreyfus shared with him sink in. In his mind, in an insanely crazy way it made sense. When it comes to his version of Jill's Morgan le Fay it's from the Merlin series, which has already started their 3rd season. Although, in that particular version she's portrayed Morgana by Katie McGrath and the character is the half-sister of Arthur Pendragon. The illegitimate daughter of Uther Pendragon making it a real Jerry Springer moment to say the least, he thinks to himself.
Essentially, in season 2 Episode 3 of the series so far, Morgana is troubled by nightmares. It led to a candle to be lit but is blown out by Guinevere. This also led Morgana to wake up, look at the candle and it started flaming to the point where she panicked. The next thing he recalled happening in the episode was her window exploding outward and then her eyes flared gold. Unfortunately, during that moment of chaos Arthur was injured. Morgana found herself with powers and sought out answers. as well as advice from Merlin who sent her to the Druids. After a scorpion-like creature attacked, she's saved and eventually given the truth by a man named Algain who shared with her that her powers are considered a gift. Algain assured her that she'll learn more of her powers in time. It's that reassurance and secret she shared with Merlin that caused her not to be scared of who she is and hoped that one day magic will be viewed positively.
To the youngest Bartowski sibling, the Morgana in the Merlin series is considered a character that teetered on becoming evil because there have been moments in season 2 where she's potentially crossed over to the dark side, in a sense. For instance, in episode 11 titled the Witch's Quickening, Morgan met with a warlock that Mordred brought to her named Alvar. She's persuaded by the two of them to steal a crystal with magical properties from the vaults of Camelot. Unbeknownst to her at the time, Alvarr intended to use the crystal to destroy Camelot but was thwarted by Merlin and Arthur who were able to get back the crystal, as well as capture Alvarr.
Unfortunately, Mordred escaped, and it led Morgana to disown the last name Pendragon. She ended up breaking Alvarr from prison thus potentially setting Morgana on a path to turning to the dark side. A future that possibly happened when Merlin looked into crystal and is alarmed by a vision of chaos. For Chuck, the chaos could come in the form of Morgan le Fey, which is both intriguing and exciting to think about for the nerd. His momentary focus on the character of Morgan in the Merlin series is suddenly snapped when he hears his name being called out.
"Sorry, I guess I spaced out there a moment." apologized the nerd.
There's a moment of brief silence before Dr. Dreyfus speaks knowing that his newest patient was thinking out loud. "It looked like you were thinking out loud."
"I guess I do both. At least my friends and family know I think out loud." he stated, shaking his head.
Instead of focusing on it like he'd usually do, he focuses on something else when it comes to relating his situation with King Arthur mythology. "It's ok. In my profession, it's rare to find someone who has the ability to zone out and think out loud at the same time."
"Really?"
"Chuck, in the world we live in, human beings typically see in three dimensions: length, width and height." he shared, holding up 3 fingers consecutively from his left hand. "And it makes sense that we see and think in the world this way because our daily interactions with the three-dimensional world around us fit into that paradigm. However, there's also a 4th dimension." he shared, raising his pinky on his left hand. "Time."
"I think I get what you're saying." Chuck responded, intently furrowing his eyebrows.
"Think about this. I can't just take the other three dimensions and suddenly have the whole thing materialize itself. I need to put time into it as you do your thoughts." he further shared. "From what I've observed from you sitting there in that moment of spacing out and thinking out loud at the same time you've unintentionally put time into creating something functional." It's at that point, Dr. Dreyfus arches his right brow. "In your life, have you stuck to your guns in the things you believed in wholeheartedly? It's those beliefs that are most important to you and have made a commitment to. In a sense, you're capable of mentally traveling through time that is your mind and pass through so many possible realities of your choosing. Yet, you've chosen a reality in which the beliefs you've held on to have truly given you the passion and energy to focus on making each one of them a success?
Chuck didn't have to give the answer to Dr. Dreyfus' question a second thought. "Yes, I do."
"It's what I like to call thinking 4th dimensionally."
"Whoa. Like Back To The Future." replied Chuck, with his toothy trademark smile expressed. "That's heavy, Doc."
"Heavy indeed." nodded Dr. Dreyfus. "Let's go back a bit before we got side tracked." Afterwards, he takes a moment to peer down at his notes then returns his attention back to Chuck. "So, you're King Arthur and Bryce is Sir Lancelot in your comparison with Arthurian mythology." Chuck nods leading to the board certified therapist with a PhD in clinical psychology to express a family sounding Casey-esque grunt before he continues speaking. "Excalibur and the Lady of the Lake. Represent your heart and older sister, Ellie."
Chuck nods once again. "In a way, Ellie has been the protector of my heart and tried valiantly to help me re-emerge from within my own dark, emotional lake. I love my sister and her heart was in the right place, but I felt my Excalibur," He paused to reach up and place his right hand on his chest. "I thought I'd never feel it beat the same way every again."
"That's until you met Sarah." Dr. Dreyfus stated, seeing Chuck nod to confirm. After taking a moment to jot down some notes on his notepad, he speaks up. "It's an interesting comparison, Chuck."
"Sarah," he softly smiled. "She became my Guinevere. It wasn't right away because both of us were dealing with past relationship issues. Surprisingly, it was Sarah who asked me out on the first day we met. A non-date of course."
"Of course." nodded Dr. Dreyfus, with amusement.
Chuck amusingly shrugs his shoulders and he's about to continue talking about Sarah until a few seconds later his eyes widen as if he's had a sudden realization. It leads the nerd to slide forward on the couch and sit on the edge of it. Once he does, he points directly to Dr. Dreyfus. "You're Merlin!"
The moment those two words left Chuck's mouth he knew he wouldn't be able to take back those words. True, Dr. Dreyfus may not look or actually have magical powers like Dumbledore from the Harry Potter movies, but he does have powers of his own. A skill set that therapists have in which they attain this sort of mental mysticism in which they're able to somehow metaphorically cast a spell to get a patient to easily open up and talk about their issues. Granted, it may not be same for every patient as it takes time for a certain number of patients to open up depending on the level of the issues they've been dealing with.
In any case, if it were possible to take back or pop those two aforementioned words and they were seen in a word bubble above his head like in a comic book or in the classic 60's Batman series starring Adam West and Burt Ward, he'd do it. Unfortunately, he can't and hopes to God Dr. Dreyfus doesn't think he needs psychiatric help, he thinks to himself. Fortunately for him, the good doctor reacted in a totally opposite way.
He laughed. A type of laughter that caused Chuck to react with a mixture of confusion and worry to the point where it nearly triggered his anxiety. Fortunately for him, it didn't because the way he laughed helped the nerd alleviate any sort of confusion or worry he was experiencing. After Dr. Dreyfus' laughter subsided, he spoke up.
"I did not expect that, Chuck. Thank you for that." In response, Chuck expressed a sheepish smile. Afterwards, Dr. Dreyfus clears his throat and peers down at his watch. "Let's stop here for today."
"Time just flew by," he responded, standing up.
Dr. Dreyfus pushes himself up into a standing position as well. "4th dimensional thinking," he amusingly retorted, closing his black leather folder. "We'll talk again tomorrow." the therapist added, expressing a smile over to his new patient. Both men exchanged handshakes before Chuck exited his therapist's office.
XXX
"I told you Dr. Dreyfus would be helpful." Sarah cheerfully stated, holding her iPhone up to her right ear.
The Chief Operating Officer of Westside Medical Center stepped off the 3rd floor elevator into the hallway. Afterwards, she turned right only to quickly slide over to the right to avoid accidentally bumping into one of her co-worker. Speaking of the co-worker, she waved to her while acknowledging the collision that thankfully didn't happen and Sarah waved back. A few seconds later she rounds the corner heading down the left side hallway towards her office.
"He's awesome, Sarah. Did you know he's a nerd?"
Sarah suddenly stops in the middle of a somewhat busy 3rd floor hallway. Her office is about 30 feet away and even though she could have the phone conversation in her office she decided to have it where she's standing right now. However, the professional and courteous side of her made sure to take 2 steps to her left, turn and place her back against the wall just to avoid the possibility of a human traffic jam or an accidental collision. Afterwards, she gives her nerdy boyfriend her response.
"He's a therapist. I would think he nerds out on books, research papers, medical journals, clinical studies, conferences," Sarah listed off. "Anything that relates to his field and doing his due diligence in keeping up to date with the information." she added, shaking her head in disbelief.
"That's not it. It's something else that he nerds out about."
In that instance, Sarah's right brow arches up. "What is it? Please tell me it's not anything weird."
Sarah heard chuck's unmistakable laughter on the other end of the line. In her mind, she knows that he's been in a relationship with him long enough that he's not laughing at her, but laughing at what she could have possibly imagined Dr. Dreyfus' weirdly enjoys doing.
"He's a big nerd when it comes to Arthurian mythology. King Arthur, Merlin, Knights of the Round Table," he shared. "Anything and everything. It actually helped and opened a way into associating the mythological figure of medieval times to Jill, Bryce, El, Morgan, Devon, You…"
"Me? Who did you associate me with?"
"Guinevere." answered Chuck.
"Awesome. Then I take it you're my nerdy King Arthur."
"I am m'lady?" he responded back, in a British sounding accent. "Anyways, I thought I completely embarrassed by myself in front of him."
After hearing that, Sarah's eyes suddenly widened. "What happened?"
"I blurted out that he's Merlin."
This time it's Sarah who busts out laughing causing a number of individuals walking to and fro in the hallway to briefly look her way.
"I'm going back for another session tomorrow with Doc."
"Doc?" grinned the beautiful blonde.
"It just came out," There's a brief moment of silence on Chuck's end before he continues on. "At least I didn't blurt it out like I did calling him Merlin." Chuck added. The sound of disappointment and embarrassment in his voice.
The nerdy couple shared a laugh together before that eventually subsided. After a brief moment of silence, it's Chuck who brings up something to Sarah. "Have you talked to Carina and Zondra today? How about Alex?"
"I haven't had a chance to. It's been a busy morning so far." It's at this point, Sarah pushes herself off the side of the wall making sure not to check the foot traffic within the hallway she's standing in. It's minimal and makes her way towards her office. While doing so, they continue to talk over the phone. "I still don't know what those 3 are planning to do with Jill's fiancé's number? They've been tight lipped out about."
"I think it's best we don't know, Sarah."
"Why?"
Sarah is 10 feet from her door when she suddenly stops and hangs her head briefly before she not only responds, but Chuck as well.
"Plausible deniability." Charah stated, in unison.
Afterwards, Sarah shakes her head as she reaches for and grips the door handle of her office, but doesn't turn to enter.. Instead, she stands there for a moment and reminds Chuck about something.
"Bryce's surgery is today. Scheduled at 1 p.m." She hears a silence on the other end of the line. "I know it doesn't matter to you…"
"It doesn't" Chuck suddenly chimed in.
Again there's silence on his end. For Sarah, she can hear that distinct sound of regret in the way he was breathing telling her he didn't mean to do that. She was right.
"Sorry."
"It's okay."
After hearing the sound of a car engine starting up on his end, Sarah hears Chuck's voice. "Not that it matters, but…"
"Cole?"
"Yeah, him."
"I haven't seen or talked to him since I came into work. I guess he's been mentally prepping for Bryce's surgery." she shared, turning the knob that leads to her office.
After taking a few steps inside, she suddenly stops dead in her tracks as her door closes behind her.. Why? The reason she did is because Cole is sitting behind her desk in an annoyingly smug and arrogant way. He's leaning comfortably back with his feet propped up on the right side corner of her desk and his hands placed behind his head. A charming smile expressed on his lips and gave a slight nod towards her. As for Sarah, she rolls her eyes as she returns her focus back on her phone call with Chuck.
"Chuck, I'll talk with you later. I love you." she softly declared, with a smile on her face. Although she could have locked eyes with Cole when she professed her love for Chuck, she didn't. For her, she sent a significant message telling her ex that he's no longer of any consequence to her at all.
"Yeah," he answered back. " and I know. "
The conversation ends between the couple with Sarah sticking her iPhone in her salmon-colored pants suit pocket. She then shoots her Wildcard Enforcer death glare towards Cole who continued sitting the way she found him after entering her office. After slowly taking a few slow steps towards her desk with her arms crossed, she uncrosses them then leans down placing both hands down on the front edge of her desk.
"What are you doing here, Cole?"
XXX
NOTE: Everything about Camelot, King Arthur, etc. and how Dr. Dreyfus was a nerd about Arthurian mythology wasn't even going to be part of the story. It just worked out that way when I got curious and did some research on Arthurian mythology. I think it worked out quite well. What do you think? Share your thoughts and leave a review!
