Resolution
“I see we have a
new... guest.”
“Yes, Dr. Kay.”
The doctor looks up through her brows at her
assistant. Indicating the pitifully thin
file in her hands, she asks, “Is this all we have on him?”
The assistant nods.
“At the moment, yes. The rest of
his records are electronic. They should
be fully integrated into the database by the end of the week.”
Dr. Kay sighs. “Damn
but I hate all this bureaucratic red tape.”
The assistant says nothing.
She glances down at the papers again. “I see Jens and Lawrence were on duty when he
came in last night.” For a moment, she
wonders if they might know anything that’s not in this folder, but then she
spies their report. She scans the page,
noting nothing helpful. “Well, at least
they were thorough,” she muses wryly.
With a sigh, the doctor checks her watch and stands. “Well, I have a little time... I think I’ll
swing by and take a look at him.” She
glances at her assistant. “Are you
curious?”
The assistant grins shyly.
“A little.”
“Well, come on, then.”
The pair head down the hall, passing both open and closed
doors. Other doctors are working on
their computers, talking on the phone, and making recordings of the day’s
observations. Dr. Kay and her assistant
step into the elevator and begin their descent.
The assistant fidgets then smiles apologetically when the movements draw
the doctor’s attention.
“I’m sorry. It’s
just that I haven’t been down here before.”
Dr. Kay smiles.
“Yes, well, considering your area of interest, I thought you might like
to take a look. The medical profession
doesn’t solely focus on healing the injured and the ill. There is so much more we can learn after the fact...”
The assistant nods in agreement.
The elevator slows to a gentle stop and the doors whisper
open. Leading the way, Dr. Kay steps
into the long, white hall. She flips
open the file and memorizes the room number.
Beside her, the assistant is busy glancing about, soaking up as much as
possible. They turn down a second hall
and stop abruptly in front of a plain, white door.
“This is it,” Dr. Kay mutters and slides her access card
into the lock. The door swings out into
the hall, admitting the doctor and assistant.
“The observation room.” With a
sweep of her hand, Dr. Kay indicates that her assistant is to precede her.
The two of them step into the room and close the door
behind them. Then, to their surprise,
they both note that one of the senior staff members is already evaluating the
new arrival on the other side of the glass.
Dr. Kay moves toward the computer console with a grin. “Shall we?” she invites, flipping the switch
to activate the room’s speakers.
The voice of the doctor on the other side of the glass
softly fills the room. “...shall I call
you then?”
There is a long pause as the man sitting against the wall
considers his reply. In the end, he says
nothing and simply stares at his surroundings with interest.
The doctor tries again, “Do you know why you’re here?”
“Hm...” the patient says, still considering the walls and
ceiling. “I’m here because I am hers.”
“Whose?”
The patient turns his ice blue eyes toward the doctor and
grins. “You can’t understand. I can see that you’ve never had that kind of connection
with someone.”
“What connection is that?”
The man smiles. “I
thought she was mine and I was hers.
That we belonged together. Forever. But she’s denied me. Denied us.”
“What has she denied you?”
Laughter tumbles through the room. “She has surpassed her creator,” the man
muses, evading the question. “Even I
never considered...” He shakes his head,
leans back against the wall, closes his eyes, and whispers, “She is
perfection. And I am hers.” He opens his eyes and focuses on his
interrogator. “I hope you are capable of
making that profound distinction, doctor.
I am hers. Not: she is mine.” He sighs. “A formidable creation... opponent... indeed.” And then he grins. “I’m terribly sorry to be bragging to you
like this. It’s just that it’s too good
to not share.”
Those are the man’s final words.
The doctor asks more questions, attempts to elicit a
response, but the patient has nothing further to say. Dr. Kay turns off the speakers as the
interviewer leaves the room. Together,
the doctor and her assistant watch the man on the other side of the glass. He stares at the walls around him, smiling.
Voice soft, the assistant muses aloud, “I wonder what it is
he sees.”
The doctor replies with a small shrug and leads the way
back to the offices. As they walk away,
they are unaware that what the General sees is the white.
~The End~