CHAPTER SIX;ANOTHER DOCTOR ANOTHER DEATH.

Watching his car drive off made me feel so exposed and vulnerable. Like he was protecting my sanity and my heart and him being gone had left me open for the taking. I start clearing the table and cleaning the dishes, hoping for a destruction. My mind keeps wandering off to Jade no matter how hard I try not to think of her. I wish she could just talk to me. My phone starts ringing immediately I'm done. It's a new number. "Hello, It's Avan," I breathe a sigh of relief. I am still worried that the strange caller might try to get in touch with me. "Oh, hi Avan," there's a brief silence before the baritone voice speaks again. "I heard from Christine that you are sick," I pause for minute before speaking. "I was but I'm okay now." "How quick? I was hoping for the chance to take care of you,"

I hear commotion in the background. "Where are you anyway? It's noisy." I hear the commotion die down before he speaks again. "Oh sorry. There was someone in dire need of a lesson. Can you hear me clearly now?"  "Yes, I can hear you. What do you mean when you say lesson?" He laughs, "nothing doctor. So you were sick and now you're not?" "We've been through that Avan. Are you by any chance hurting someone?" "Aren't we all hurting people? Just because I prefer physical, visible torture to the emotional kind doesn't mean I'm doing something more wrong than people who don't." "We are not talking about technicality here. It's wrong and that's the end of the debate." "Damn you're bossy after spending the night with the detective."

"Wait, what did you just say to me?" he coughs. "I mean you didn't think I wouldn't find out? You can't honestly be that naive." I hear a loud bang and screeching. "Avan?" No answer, "Avan!" still no answer. "Avan! Are you there?" "Avan! Avan! Avan!" still nothing. I 'm about to hang up and call the police when I hear his voice. "I'm here Vee. I'm here," he says in a husky voice before he starts coughing again. "What was that?" I ask, my voice shaking. "Just side effects of my job, especially if you have incompetent people working for you." "What work are you referring to?" I hear another voice, "boss, we have to move quick, they're all fried." "Okay doc, we'll talk later." Hey Avan are you okay?" He is silent for a long time this time, I actually look at my phone to confirm he hasn't hang up. "I'm okay. This phone call saved my life. You saved my life. See you soon doc."

I hadn't notice but somewhere in the middle of the conversation,I had slid down to the floor. Sitting on the kitchen floor, clenching my phone, waiting for the pain in my chest to pass, I knew he was not just a patient to me anymore. I have seen so many colleagues cross that line with their patients and it never ends well. I have to give him up. There's no way I can help him if he makes me just not think. I remember the last time with him in the office and goosebumps take over all my body. I have to recommend him to another psychiatrist, preferably male.  

I get to the office late. Christine is perkier than usual. I am still pissed of about her telling Avan that I was sick. She is on a call so I leave her a note to see me once she is done. Before she can come in , my ten am knocks. He is a decent guy who got really messed up over the death of his wife. The session is pleasant enough even though we don't make any big breakthroughs. He leaves smiling and determined to try and live to see another day, which is basically what we are all aiming for. 

Christine enters immediately he walks out. "Close the door," she does and comes closer. "Hey, what's wrong?" I close the file of my previous patient and return it to it's cabinet. "You told my patient I was sick?" "Which one?" I am trying so hard to hide the fact that I'm mad. "Avan," she looks confused. "Avan didn't come by yesterday and he didn't even call. The only person I told was the handsome detective." "Then how the hell did he know I was sick?" I think out loud. "Plus what's the big deal?I tell your patients you're sick all the time especially when you cancel appointments out of nowhere." She says before heading out and leave me wondering if I am making a big deal out of nothing. 

My office hours go so fast since I barely have an hour without a client. Jade had left a message for me to meet her at our usual spot. On my way there I worry about what she has to say even though I know I probably deserve everything she has to say. I find her sitting and drining a glass of wine. She does not notice me as I walk in with her eyes on her phone. "Hey you," she looks up from her phone. I wait for the lecture to begin but she smiles instead which throws me off guard. "Hey stranger. It's been a minute. Why are you just standing there? Sit and catch me up on what's been going on with you." I take a seat still terrified of this whole act. 

"Hey Jade I'm sorry about disappearing when you needed me the most," she takes a sip of her wine before looking at me. "It's okay, I know you have stuff going on. I was just feeling blue that day and I needed to vent." "Still I should have been there more," she holds out her hand which I gladly take. "You're my soulmate can't you see, I can never be mad at you," we hold hands until the waitress brings over our food. Over dinner we have casual conversation. She tells me how her parents have been fighting since the death of her sister. She secretly hopes her father finally divorces her stepmother. I listen to every bit of it. She doesn't seem so distraught over her sister's death. There aren't even mild signs of denial. To me it feels like the girl who called me yesterday and the one sitting infront of me are two different people.

Before going into my apartment I finally gather enough courage to ask what has been on my mind, "Hey, Jade did we ever have a burial for your mum?" "Yeah, don't you remember you were still in the hospital. I came by after and your doctor allowed me to sleep over." "Huh, and it was a burial?" She is quiet for a while. "No she was cremated. Because of the accident she was burnt beyond recognition so my dad opted for cremation." "Why are you asking though?" I cannot tell her about Kerrick, not unless I'm sure she is stable. "Nothing. I was just looking at some old photos and wondered what hapenned to her." She looks a bit uncertain but smiles anyway. "Okay. But don't think too much, it's not good for pretty girls." I laugh at that as she gets back to her car. "Good night my soulmate," I smile and wave at her as she drives away.

After taking a shower, I get in bed with a book. My mind is at ease since we made up with jade. I still have something nagging at me about her sudden change in attitude. I'm still confused about Laura and what really happened but decide to take my wins for the day and push my worries to the next day. Just as i'm about to sleep my phone starts ringing. It's doctor John. I had left him a message about taking Avan. "Hello, doctor john. Did you think about my preposition?" "Sorry, who am I talking to?" I sit up before answering. "It's me doctor Vienna," there' s a creak before he speaks again. "You mean Vienna Starr?" "Yes. Wait who is this?" "It detective Swindle. We've just found the doctor dead in his house," I am scared of asking the next question but I need to know. "Is it murder?" "We're not sure yet but it looks like suicide." It can't be." You were the last person he called. I look through my phone and true to his word, he had tried to call me when I was having dinner with Jade. I freeze up and hang up the phone. He had told me once he would never see another doctor apart from me. But how did he know I was thinking of referring him to another doctor and even more so which doctor it was.