Mrs. Stanley started with a knock before pushing the double leaf doors and exposing Maria's vision to another regal part of the extraordinary home.
Delia had made mentioned that her patient never left his room most of the time, to avoid people. However, upon their arrival, Maria discovered it wasn't a typical bedroom. The place looked like another home dwelling in the mansion. It basically had all the necessities of life, and there was no wonder her son was locking himself comfortably in the place. However, It bothered her to see what the Stanleys referred to as rooms. Her room back at home was not even as large as half of the place.
"Follow me, doctor," Delia stated, walking past her, and leading the way into the massive space.
Maria's eyes searched the room, and that was the action she had been doing most ever since she encountered the estate. It was large as already mentioned with tall ceilings and there was another high-arched door leading to a balcony that overlooked the entire mansion. There were also two smaller doors leading out into a walk-in closet and a bathroom. The floor had been tiled in red marble and the huge bed covered in red sheets made her assume the color red was the owner's favorite.
Her eyes shone when she sighted an aquarium at the far end of the room, full of exotic fish swimming around. There was another thing to take note of, her patient must be an aqua lover to own such a huge tank or it was just probably the excessive money speaking. Maria found herself spending longer seconds eyeing the transparent glass, staring into its depths. The water sparkled with little bubbles in time to the movements of the fish within. It looked so peaceful, the view creating an ambiance to her sight.
The unique action figures on a shelf stole her focus the moment her gaze shifted right. Some she recognized from movies or video games; others looked like they might have come straight out of science fiction novels. Her mind instantly drove to Ted at the sight of them and she could imagine how excited he would have been if he was present to see them.
A secret smile turned her lips, amused by her thoughts before finding the mini living room on another side. Beside it was a desk made from dark wood and had a massive monitor sitting on top. A thick sofa stood in front of it as well, with a large coffee table, which she quickly discovered held books.
The walls were covered with artistic wallpapers, giving the space a classy atmosphere, but what awed her the most was the massive television hanging against one wall. An incredibly massive television hung on the walls covered with artistic wallpapers that looked like paintings themselves.
The room was truly impressive, and she was not a bit surprised at its exoticness considering the kind of things she had been seeing ever since her arrival.
Despite her thorough searching of the room, she failed to find the reason that had brought her to such a place. Regaining her focus that had been lost in the charm of the room, Maria swayed a look towards the standing woman beside her and decided to seek her patient.
"Your doctor has arrived, son," Delia called right before the request and Maria could only wonder if her wealth had bought her telepathy.
At first, for the next thirty or more seconds, the doctor felt the madame had spoken to the air and not an actual person. The silence forced Maria to guess if her visit was simply being ignored or if the patient was absent from his room.
However, her unvoiced suggestions were proved wrong when a cologne that scented like a woodsy mixture of cedar and citrus flooded the atmosphere. Both mother and doctor instantly spun their head toward the direction the perfume sprung from to find the anticipated source of the stench.
The figure entering the room jolted Maria's eyebrows up at the sight of him. She immediately grew mad at Wikipedia for the cheeky portrait of him published on the internet. Because his appearance in the reality was more than what her mind had prepared for.
The man prowled through the space from the balcony with confidence, and his presence effortlessly commanded attention. His hands were in his pockets, his head held high, while he moved with purpose. His lips firmly held in a line made her guess his face was not made for smiles.
The scent of his cologne was the only thing that made her realize he was a real person rather than some sort of hallucination. Blonde strands framed his head and his eyes were like melting chocolate. He possessed a tall height that was worth admiring and was equipped with broad shoulders that tapered to a slim waist.
His face was handsome without a doubt, but it was the stare he gave off that made her feel like she was staring down the muzzle of a gun.
Aware of her son's presence, Delia quickly stepped toward him. "Jayden, this is Dr. Patterson, the one I told you about." The woman informed the man that was still under Maria's scowl.
He did not spare a single glance at the doctor when he began to walk away wordlessly and impassively took a seat on the sofa.
Maria's eyes followed him, watching how he settled himself comfortably with his legs crossed and arms folded. She was left behind in a daze, trying to get her mind back on track after witnessing such a rude display.
Delia cleared her throat to gain her attention, and the doctor finally returned to earth to meet her patient's mom. "This is exactly what I mean by his condition," she hushed, motioning to her son with a hand gesture. "Anyway, I will handle matters for the professional. I shall take my leave now, doctor." She added cheerfully, as though she could already envisage her son getting better in the nearest future.
"Yes, please do." Maria agreed without further comments, nodding her head to acknowledge her dismissal.
The older woman smiled back at her before turning around to exit the room. The door closed behind her, leaving the pair in utter silence.
***
Maria fixed her gaze on Jayden again, who seemed intent on ignoring her. His back was facing her, but his body language was enough to tell her he didn't want any interaction with her. How was she going to start a conversation with a guy that would not even talk to his mother?She decided to risk it anyway, and turned her attention back to the room, taking a brief scan of the area to regain her composure and prepare herself for whatever was coming before walking forward to stand before him."Good morning, Mr. Stanley," she began, stopping in his front so she could speak clearly and loudly to be heard. Her greeting sounded out clearly in the silent room, and there was no response. Not even a twitch. She cleared her throat, hoping to catch his attention, but the man remained quiet and unmoving like a stone statue. "I am sorry if I have disturbed your privacy, but am your new doctor assigned to handle your medical cases, Maria Pat---" Her words were silenced by a low growl that
Maria swallowed, her mind still reeling from the unexpected event, and tried to return focus to the conversation. She cleared her throat and spoke again, this time more confidently. "I can't leave yet," She asserted with a deep breath. "I promised myself, my boss, and your mother that I will do my best in making you feel better. You have to stop taking me as an enemy but as a friend. I am here to help you, Mr. Stan--""And who said I need any fucking help from white robe people like you?" He sliced in once again, anger creeping into every part of his voice and it was evident he was holding himself back from yelling at her.Her mouth hung open in surprise. Her eyes lowered to the table, and she could see his fists clenching tight and his knuckles turning white. His whole body was tensed and his lips were pursed together, forming a thin line as if he was fighting to keep his emotions in check. "You don't want to be helped?" She questioned, her voice trembling as she struggled
His mind was hazy and his vision blurred. The world around him was spinning and he could not focus on anything. A headache was forming behind his temples and his whole body was throbbing. Jayden knew something was wrong yet he wanted to ignore the sensations. He needed to concentrate on getting rid of the doctor and not create reasons for her to stay. But he knew it was too late when the lady by the door turned her attention toward him. He averted his eyes quickly, hiding the agony he felt inside. He could not afford to show weakness or vulnerability to anyone. Not even to her. His frame managed to move with a few steps, targeting the sofa for a seat but failed when the dizziness became unbearable. The next moment, he found himself collapsing onto the floor, unable to support his weight. "Mr. Stanley!" The loud cry of the doctor was what he heard next, followed by her footsteps running toward his side. Her figure was quick to find his on the floor as she squatted right
"I am not hungry," He stated flatly, his voice low and cold. His eyes remained fixed on the container, refusing to look at her.For several seconds, all she could do was stare at him in bewilderment. Her pride was hurt, no one had ever made her feel so insignificant before. Right, she agreed they belonged to a different caliber but he didn't have to spell it out to her face.But she was not ready to let him win this battle. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you. But you're going to eat." She declared, her voice firm.Jayden rolled his face away, his shoulders stiffening. "Get lost." He grumbled, his tone harsh and uncompromising.Her chest rose heavily as she contained all her exasperation into a deep sigh. She remembered her earlier conversation with his mother, realizing how completely wrong when she thought Jayden could never be any worse than the most difficult patient she ever encountered. He was not only worse, he was beyond terrible and unbearable. However, her promise t
The morning was bright and clear, the air crisp. The sun shone brightly on the white marble of the building grounds as it rose into the sky and a fresh breeze was blowing through the trees that lined the gardens.The next day had come so soon and she was back at the Stanleys' home as though the other night only happened in a blink of an eye.The chirping sounds of the birds had welcomed her like the day before. She looked around once Eric had driven away to park the car in a proper spot. The compound looked less lonesome than the day before. A small group of servants was busy doing their jobs, tending to the grounds. She wondered if she was supposed to walk up to one of them for directions or simply pretend to find it on her own with hopes one would notice her and offer to help.Fortunately, a woman in a similar checked uniform walked in front of her before she decided to stick to the latter."Good morning." She greeted her. "You must be the doctor."Maria nodded, pushing so
"Mr. Stanley?" She cried for attention for the millionth time. The word torment was an understatement for her situation. Her job had never been this difficult and exasperating in her entire life. It was all thanks to Mr. Grumpy Stanley sitting opposite her and adamantly refusing to open up to his doctor like a two-year-old who was forced by his mother to visit the dentist, and that doctor was almost getting to the point of losing her sanity. Her patient looked so much like someone who would not be able to resist seeing how far he could push her before she exploded into a fit of anger and tears. And to make things worse, there was always the chance that he'd go on a rampage if she pushed him too far, so she was being careful to not make him angry as he already was.Maria rubbed her forehead, her azure eyes dropping to her jotter to find a different question that would stimulate his interest. "Can you tell me your sleeping patterns and how will you rate your quality of sleep?"
The doctor had forced herself not to stare at him and instead concentrate on her job. "Thank you." She cleared her throat. "Now, I'm going to listen to your heartbeat."Jayden shifted his eyes away from her wordlessly, staring at the ceiling and rubbing his temples.Her fingers touched the metal of the stethoscope, feeling its coldness against her skin. She inserted the earplugs, listening carefully to his heartbeat, silence filling the room. After a couple of minutes, she withdrew the object from his chest and dropped it back onto the table."Perfect, nothing alarming." She noted more to herself, retrieving another medical device. "I also need to check your blood pressure. Please roll up your sleeves," she added, turning to face him, her voice monotonous with professionalism.Jayden kept his gaze on the ceiling, without showing signs of attentiveness, and the doctor took it as her cue to do whatever she wanted. She reached for his arm, her hand lingering, holding the materi
Running across the Stanleys' estate was something she never knew would happen in her life and being chased by a patient was more incredulous. But those two absurdities merging was the worst and craziest thing that could ever happen and unfortunately, it seemed that those impossible circumstances had decided to take a toll on her on that very day.There she was, on her second day as a personal day, running for her life (yes literally) and away from an angered patient trailing after her across the vast place.Maria had been running blindly, not knowing where to seek safety, the moment she had rushed out from the relaxation spot following the tragicomedy of ruining his hoodie by pouring bloody beer all over him. Her lungs were burning with intense pain, her heart pounding against her ribs as she flee past every servant watching the appalling scene.The garden was wide, giving her an excessive space to traverse through, hoping to find a space of refuge, but her path seemed to be