Deamons

Chapter 17 The good Doctor/psyche! part 3

Another night with no sleep and he as back at school the next day. He thought he would asked what happened to him and have explaining to do but that does not happen. Craig says he has to stay away for a little while until his dad talks to a lawyer. "Your parent are real dicks. They threatened to sue my dad like three times and said if I hang out with you they definitely will," Craig says. "They are dicks Craig. I told you that. That's why I ran away. Look we can hang in school I won't tell them," Starke insists. "Fuck them. We ain't afraid of them but my dad says we have to stay away from you for a week until he talks to a lawyer. They threatened my granddad too and he is to old for all this stress it could kill him." Starke understood. He loved that old man for what he had done for him. Anyone he touched his fucking tainted. They were poison. Kate would not talk to him at all. He did not understand that but there is not breaking that barrier. It is not because she has something going with Craig either because he is watching them both around and they are not talking as well.

It is a bad time for him. Something has come over him. It is different at school but it is more than that. Inside the deamons are hiding something from the gifts. It come in during the Sun Valley apartments removal. Slipped up his pant leg like a shadow and absorbed in his body like oxygen does with a breath. A new deamon just dying to poke his head out. Rejection keeps him under the rug, literally. Something about this one the gifts cannot put a finger on it. Rejections secret weapon.

It is the appointment day for Dr. Peacock. They enter the office together. Starke with the greatest hope. The smile from Ms. Mundy and all those Growing Pains episodes has him walking in on a high craving change. Dr. Peacock's receptionist is behind a wall and with a glass window. No one else is the office. Allan stands at the window leaning on the edge. He progressively takes heavier breaths in effort to grab her attention. She keeps to her files the left side of her face to him but she never even grants him so much as a sideways glance.

She must know we are here, Starke thinks. There is bell on a twisted piece of metal at the top of the door where you walk in. It rings whenever the door is opened and closed. Allan has stood there for five minutes. He is about to boil over, he is trying to throw his breath all over the room now. Left and right like as if Jack Frost and his breath threating to freeze the entire room with his huffs and puffs if she does not recognize him soon. Starke not wanting their session aborted and this being the first session the whole operation, opens the door and shuts it again three times making the bell ring. The reception throws the folder down she had been perusing and looked at Starke like she is medusa and any minute he should turn to stone. Starke wonders what is wrong with her. She is working in a psychologist's office, she should really have her stuff together. She finally recognizes his father and picks the folder back up off the desk and hands it to him.

"Fill this out and bring it back to me with your insurance card." Wow, our folder, Starke thinks. I wonder what it says? Dr. Peacock must have start an analysis of us from talking to Ms. Mundy and interviews of people we know. I have to take a look, Starke thinks. His mother grabs manila envelope out of his hand and pulls out a pen. Starke eases close to her. She is cussing as she checks off boxes. "Why does he need to know this. This shit is none of his business. Venereal disease! Really? What kind of scum ball assholes does he see. Allan what kind of place is this?" She asks. "It's a nut job place we don't need this shit. He is the problem, and its fifteen minutes past the hour. My time is money! I hope this asshole does not think he is charging me to sit out here!"

The receptionist heard him. "Sir, the first session is for the doctor to get acquainted with your case. He might not see you at all today," she says. "Then why am I here? I could have mailed this bullshit in! And why does a psychologist want to know if wife has venereal disease? What the hell is he planning to do with her?" Allan screams. "Uh uh that is not...That is a general form used by all kinds of doctors." Old Allan cuts her off he is on a roll now. Oh yeah who the problem is will be apparent now, and its not me, Starke thinks. "Do I have stupid written across my forehead because the look you are giving me now looks like you think you are reading that across my forehead. There is no M.D. on Doctor Peacock's credentials! What's the deal? Is he worried about catching something?" Allan is rolling, but the door opens to Dr. Peacock's office and he appears.

He looks the part. Glasses on but almost falling off, worn all the way down to the bottom of his nose. They must teach that in psychology school, Starke thinks, he could never wear his sunglasses like that without them falling off his head. He is balding with the hair he has left going in a clear circle around his head from his beard to where it meets his head hair circling above his ears around the back lower part of his head to the other side where it meets his beard again. He is a Freudian Roman Emperor, Starke thinks. We are going to get some stuff done.

"Come in," Doctor Peacock says. He takes the folder from Starke's mother hand and hands it to his receptionist. "But doctor they have not finished." "It will be alright," the doctor explains to her. Wow he knows it will be alright. Starke is in awe of the obvious gifted man. Then he puts a hand to Starke's chest stopping him from entering the office. "You wait out her. I will call you when we need you," Peacock tells him. His mother shoots a satisfying smile back his way.

Starke takes a seat with an eye on the clock just above the receptionist head through the glass. Ok ten minutes gone by and they he has not called me back yet. Then another ten minutes go by. He catches the receptionist looking at him with an angry eye as his eyes fall away from the clock on his last check. She gets lock the door to her little office. Starke smiles. How weird, like that will stop me if I wanted to get to her. I could push that glass window open and hop right through there, he thinks. She catches him smiling and stares at him with like her face is about to boil over.

Last clock check, five minutes until the hour is up, what the hell, Starke thinks. Then the door opens to Peacock's office. His parents come out smiling. His father chuckles when seeing Starke sitting there. Peacock looks Starke's way then the receptionist opens her door which swings out partially blocking Starke's view of the doctor. He cannot make out her words but can hear her tone, very angry. "Ok then, I will handle that," Dr. Peacock says to her.

"Starke can you step into my office?" Peacock asks him. Starke looks at the clock, three minutes. How is he going to explain himself in three minutes? He walks by the receptionist. She glares at him then slams her door shut, he jumps.

The office is small with a few cheap chairs scattered around the room and one comfortable looking desk chair for doctor Peacock, but no desk. The only thing to make the room look less like a plain box is one ten by twelve picture of a beach chair and beach ball on the wall and a plastic tree in the corner hidden when the door is opened to the room. They sit down in opposing chairs.

"What's your problem with my receptionist?" Peacock asks. "Problem?" Starke asks confused. "Do you hate all women?" "Hate women?" Starke eyebrows push down on his face. "What women?" Starke asks trying to figure where Peacock is going with this. "Well obviously you believe women are lesser then men. Do you hate your father too?" This is not how this is supposed to go. How is this guy going to help him? What do I say, Starke thinks? "Well let me tell you how this is going to go. Next week I am going to tell my reception to come in and get me if she feels uncomfortable and if she does you can wait outside. Wait outside? When is he going to talk to me, Starke thinks?