A Silence Full of Sound [hiatus]

2.1 - Ria: The Deputy Chief of Staff

Like Stanley Keyworth, Ria Brewer was a bit of a workaholic, which was why she found herself holed up in the tiny office in her apartment in D.C., on New Year's Eve, as snow blanketed the ground, bringing most of the city to a standstill. After the frantic celebrations of a few days before, it was nice to look out her window and not see a steady stream of cars driving down the street. She knew it would pick up soon, though, as people got ready for New Years' celebrations. But for now, she enjoyed the calm and how it helped her slow down and pause, and not focus too much on her work.

Said work was spread across her little desk, a mess of handwritten notes and research on multiple different topics, ranging from PTSD to depression and anxiety. She could lie and say that it wasn't tied to her and that she was doing the research for a patient, but she'd spent too much time lying to herself. It was time for her to face the facts. Not that she was sure how well that would go, but it was a new year, and she was determined to help not only herself but also her patients.

A bitter thought flitted through her mind, but she didn't indulge it. Her brown-eyed gaze flicked over to a picture sitting on her desk. She barely recognized the blonde woman staring back at her, her lips curved into a bright smile, her bangs held away from her face with a pair of cheap plastic New Years' Eve party glasses. Ria turned the picture away from her and tried to push the thought out of her head and keep working, but that was disrupted by the flash of the lamp beside her. A frown creased her lips as she tried to keep working, but the light flashed again, causing her to huff. Her phone was ringing. Who could be calling her a few days after Christmas?

She reached over to press the little green button on her phone; her gaze fixed on the screen in front of her. Upon further scrutiny, she didn't recognize the number, but that had never stopped her before.

"This is Dr. Brewer."

"Dr. Brewer, this is Dr. Stanley Keyworth. I hope I haven't caught you at a bad time."

Her brow furrowed as she read the captions on the screen and tried to place the name. "Dr. Keyworth?" Then it hit her. "Oh! Dr. Keyworth. From the California branch of ATVA. My apologies."

"Apology not needed. You're fine."

The expression on her face softened. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Dr. Keyworth?"

"Please, it's Stanley."

"Only if you call me Ria."

"Ria it is, then." There was a pause in the captions. "Ria, I'm calling you about a patient of mine. I saw him before Christmas. I need someone local to take his case and see him on the regular."

Business it was, then. Ria should've known. The only calls she ever seemed to receive were for business. She didn't have many friends, or even relatives, who were patient enough to speak with her over the phone. Her deafness was always a problem, but she was used to it by now.

"I'm sure you've been told I won't consider taking him on until I understand his circumstances."

"Yes, your interpreter, Roger, did say something along those lines."

"Who do you have in mind for me, then?"

Outwardly, she was grateful for more patients. The more patients she had, the more time she needed to spend on them, the less time she had to spend on her own thoughts. Inwardly, she had to admit; she was already struggling with the caseload she had taken on over the last year. Roger was going to scold her for taking on anyone else, but she had a hard time just ignoring people who needed help. She'd been forgotten or ignored a lot in her life when she needed someone. She didn't want to be the person who missed anyone if she could help it.