TWO WEEKS LATER
Dr. Atwood sat patiently at her desk, typing up the last couple of paragraphs to her previous patient's summary. Snow fell lightly against the window outside as December weather blew through New York City. The doctor hummed a quiet tune to herself as she hit the save button and checked the clock. She had a little bit of time until her next appointment started. She picked up her folder and got up from her chair, proceeding into the hallway toward the break room. As she walked, she could hear quick footsteps behind her. She turned to see Dr. Harlow approaching her in a jog. He smiled at her.
"Afternoon, Roxanne," He greeted. "What is it...six more days until the Bahamas trip?"
Dr. Atwood chuckled, shaking her head. "I guess so, yeah. Why do you care?"
Harlow shrugged. "Just trying to make conversation," He furrowed his brow. "If I may ask...what is the appeal of staying in a tropical country over Christmas?"
Dr. Atwood scoffed. "It's gonna be twelve below here on Christmas Day," She raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you think the appeal is?"
"I mean, sure," Harlow replied. "But...there's no snow or anything like that in the Bahamas. It's gonna be like celebrating Christmas in the middle of June."
"I'm fine without the cold," Dr. Atwood stated, pushing the break room door open. "And the snow. And the ice. And just...winter as a whole."
"Suit yourself," Dr. Harlow chuckled. "I'd better go, I have a rib fracture case in Room 24 I have to get to, and I'm one nurse short."
Dr. Atwood started to say something, then stopped herself. "Wait...one nurse short...?"
"Yeah...you didn't hear?" Harlow responded. "One of my RNs quit a while back, and my best one at that. I'm trying to get a replacement as quickly as possible, but...I fear no one's gonna be as good as August."
Dr. Atwood gasped. "...August...? That young kid? I thought...they loved it here...?"
"Yep. That's what we all thought. But...they quit on the spot a couple weeks ago, after an ambulance call," Dr. Harlow's disposition seemed more melancholy now. "I...still don't know why. They wouldn't tell me."
"Oh..." Dr. Atwood mumbled softly. She looked at Dr. Harlow sympathetically. "Well, I...I wish you luck...with everything..."
Dr. Harlow nodded, looking down at the floor. "Yeah...um, have fun on your vacation."
Dr. Atwood half-smiled. "...Thanks, Dorian."
She watched as her colleague continued down the hall toward his next patient. She sighed to herself as she turned and entered the break room. It was completely empty, as was the coffee machine. Dr. Atwood poured a decent serving of coffee grounds into the machine and got out her folder as she waited for it to finish brewing.
Let's see...who was my next client? I can't seem to remember...
She opened up the folder and flipped to today's date in her itinerary, her gaze falling on the next appointment slot. She reread the information to herself.
...Oh. That's right, it was the double booking.
Dr. Atwood was...honestly nervous. A returning patient, plus a new one, both in the same appointment. It would normally be against protocol, but...this was a special case. A really special case, based on what she had heard. It made her shiver just thinking about what could happen, but she knew that they both needed her help, and she wasn't about to stand on the sidelines.
The coffee machine beeped on the counter adjacent to her. Her cup was ready and filled with steaming hot coffee. She glanced up at the break room clock; it was nearly 4:30. She quickly poured a single serving of creamer and a packet of sugar into the cup and rushed back to her office.
Dr. Atwood sat down at her desk, placing her cup of coffee on the coaster next to her. It was now 4:27, and neither of her clients had arrived yet. She felt too restless to work on anything, and she couldn't leave the office now. The only thing she could do in the meantime was sit and wait.
Only a minute later, there was a knock at the door. The doctor looked up from her keyboard.
"Come in."
The door swung open, and her clients entered timidly. They gave quiet hellos and sat down next to each other on one side of the room, as Dr. Atwood sat on the other with her clipboard and her notes. She took a breath.
"Now...normally, having both of you here at once would be going against protocol," Dr. Atwood prefaced. "But...for the two of you, we made an exception."
One of the two clients nodded; a young man with a beard, and a winter hat on his head. "...Thank you, doctor...it means a lot."
The doctor smiled softly. "...It's good to see you, Jack," She sighed. "I just wish that it were under better circumstances."
"Yeah..." Jack mumbled. "So do I..."
Dr. Atwood paused for a moment, before turning to her other client. "And...who did you bring with you today, Jack?"
Jack glanced over at the other young man beside him. "Oh...that's Ryan...my brother."
Dr. Atwood nodded. "Jack's told me about you, Ryan. It's lovely to finally meet you."
Ryan glanced up briefly from the floor and smiled just slight enough that it would register as a friendly gesture. He then went back to staring at the corner of the doctor's desk absently.
Dr. Atwood frowned. "I was...going to start with a basic screening, but..." Her eyes focused on Ryan, "...we can do that later," She readied her notes and prepared herself. "So...something's going on. Talk to me."
Jack frowned, then sighed. "...They...came after us again..."
****
Dr. Atwood once again found herself sitting and listening in silent awe. She blinked a few times as she registered everything she'd just heard.
"Yet again..." She said, shaking her head. "If it weren't for the external evidence, the attitudes the two of you have had since you came in, the behaviors you've demonstrated...I don't know if I would believe all of that, but...the proof is here..."
Jack pursed his lips. "I wish I could say it wasn't true..."
The doctor furrowed her brow. "Can I ask, though," She leaned forward in her seat, "how did it all...end?"
Jack and Ryan's dispositions changed drastically. There was a clear shift in the room, as if a negative presence had made its way in. Jack's expression switched to something much bleaker, and he looked down at the floor. Tears seemed to be pooling around his eyes. Ryan closed his eyes tightly as tears streamed down his face.
"...It ended..." Ryan muttered, "...with our older brother...dying in front of us..."
Dr. Atwood's eyes widened as she fell back in her seat. She reached over and grabbed a box of tissues from the table beside her and handed them to Ryan and Jack.
"I'm...so sorry..." She apologized in a soft voice.
Ryan took the box of tissues silently and dabbed the tears from his eyes. He sniffled as he seemed to be making himself smaller, his eyes not leaving the floor.
Jack took a breath. "We...want to keep going. We want to move on. It's...what he would want us to do. But..." His eyes locked with Dr. Atwood's as he choked back a sob, "...it's fucking impossible..."
The doctor nodded with gently closed eyes. "...Loss is a difficult emotion. Even the strongest fighters can be broken down to their very core when they lose someone near and dear to them. No one ever truly heals from trauma - you just learn to live with it over time."
Jack looked down at Dr. Atwood's desk. "How long is that...going to take...?"
"As long as it needs to," Dr. Atwood's voice was calm. "Everyone works differently. We just need to figure out what works for both of you."
Ryan sighed, his breath staggered. He closed his eyes. "...There's...something else..."
Dr. Atwood squinted. "What do you mean?"
"After...we lost him..." Ryan tried his best to get the words out, "...we never...found...the body..." He shuddered. "We were...right by him...and he just...vanished..."
Dr. Atwood tilted her head with confusion, taking a moment to process what Ryan said. "...Well...Jack mentioned that there was an ambulance. Maybe they...took him to the morgue? Have you checked with them?"
Ryan shook his head. "I...checked with the morgue...he isn't there..."
"T-This isn't some 'we came back the next day and he was gone' sort of deal," Jack added in an anxious tone, fidgeting with his hands. "This is...we looked away for a matter of seconds...what...what happened?"
Dr. Atwood stared down at her notes, dumbfounded. She exhaled sharply. "I...don't know. I wish I did..."
Ryan stared at the wall across from him. "...When I fired that bullet...I was hoping that it would end all of our troubles for good..." He looked over at Jack, his whole body trembling with nerves.
"...Why do I get the feeling that...despite everything we've gone through...something's still wrong?"