Crossing Into Forever

Chapter 25

The doctor watched the professor as he casually walked toward him, and his words came out haughty and cold "I have a matter to discuss with you professor."

The professor squirmed in his chair and was managed to get out a shaky "Oh?" as he looked up at the doctor. His eyes were wide with fear

"It seems I have heard about some rather concerning behavior that is taking place in your class."

His words stammered. "I d-don't know what you could possibly be talking about."

The doctor sat on the other man's desk and as he did this the professor, as inconspicuously as possible, pushed his chair backwards little by little away from him. As the doctor began to speak, he lowered his voice, as if he were confiding in the professor about something. "What if I told you, that one of my students, one that happens to be very near and dear to my heart, was being ogled and harassed while in your class? The harassment has gotten so bad, I'm afraid for her safety."

"Well, I think I would have noticed if this were happening to one of my students. I have seen no such thing taking place, so I highly doubt that it is true"

The doctor eyed him with a glower on his face and the professor quickly questioned his rebuttal. Staying dangerously cool, the doctor continued his inquisition in the same cold voice he had started with.

"Tell me professor, do you know a student by the name of Ella Xander?"

The professor now became noticeably agitated again. He even had a small bead of perspiration forming on his temple. He tried bluffing again, with an uneasy chuckle. "Why yes, I have Ella in my class. She is quite a good student. Surely you are not telling me that she is having problems with someone. She should have come to me! Tell me which student it is, and I will take care of it immediately." He became more confident as he talked. He was proud of himself for sounding so sincere.

"Ahh... that's where the problem lies. I was wondering if you may be able to help me determine who the miscreant is. I am quite protective of Ella. I have known her since she was born. You may not have noticed, but she can be painfully shy, and she is also quite naïve. There are a lot of unscrupulous men out there that would prey on the innocence of someone like her. I might also add, that when I do find out who it is, the culprit will have wished they never laid eyes on her. I have quite a punishment in mind for them."

The professor swallowed hard and stammered his words again. "W-what sort of punishment. Surely you can't be planning on harming the...person?"

The doctor touched his chin with his index finger and thumb, as if he were thinking intently. "I think the word harm may be a bit strong. You see, I decided if it's a youngster, as in someone younger than 18, I will have some leniency. I know at such a tender age, one can do some stupid things and not really mean any harm. I will, however, speak to his parents. He will learn a lesson from this, and he will be punished. The punishment will depend on how sincere his apology is...and he will apologize. Now, if the fool is older, I will not be as forgiving. Of course, I will give him a chance to speak in his own defense. Perhaps this has been an unfortunate misunderstanding or perhaps they just need a little redirecting.

If I deem that the man is guilty as charged, I have a brilliant ideal. I thought long and hard about this, trying to come up with the best...one that fits the crime." The doctor's voice lowered again, as if he were telling the professor this in confidence. "The way I see it, the problem with a man that is a danger to a young woman, or any woman, is an inability to control one's urges. If a man can't control these, he is, in my opinion, quite a danger to everyone, actually. I have, in my lab right now, a chemical concoction that when injected directly into the scrotum, will cause complete and permanent impotence." A grin spread across the doctor's face. "Then our problem will be solved."

The professor sat there looking at the doctor for a moment with frozen wide eyes. He didn't move or speak for several seconds, and he had become ghostly white. The bead of perspiration had spread all along his brow. He swallowed hard and opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out except a croak like grunt . He finally regained some color and tried again. "Y-you can't be serious. don't you think that is a little harsh. I mean, it is just a little flirting. No real harm done...right?" He laughed nervously

The doctor leaned in closer to the professor and glared at him with a stone-cold look in his eyes. There was an unmistakable warning in them. The professor could not roll his chair back anymore, but he leaned back as far as the seatback would allow him. The doctor's eyes had turned dark and narrowed on the other man and he had a sinister sound to his voice. He spoke his words slowly, to emphasize his intent. "Oh, but professor, I am gravely serious. When I find out who this person is, they will wish there were no such thing as lust or sex. I take the safety of my students very seriously and having a predator on this campus is not an option. Nor is simply dismissing him. If I can save the rest of the world from the potential abuse, I look at it as my duty. Please do keep an eye out for our friend or I could simply ask Ella who it is that I need to speak with. I would rather her not know that I am aware of the situation and that I'm taking this matter into my own hands, so I would prefer to keep her out of it...you understand, I'm sure.

The professor sat there slack jawed and all he could do was look at the doctor as he nodded his head yes.

The doctor's mood changed almost immediately to a light, almost cheerful one once the professor agreed. He stood up from the professor's desk. "Good! Well professor, I enjoyed our talk. I must get back to my office. Please do keep me informed of any insight you may have. If there is anyone you suspect, I will discuss the matter with them, personally." With that, the doctor walked out of the room and shut the door behind him.