Empath

Chapter 9

Ding. Yui pulled out his phone and saw that he got a message from a new patient, who requested an appointment for 8pm Monday night, if possible. Before he replied, he reviewed the attached forms. First, he looked at the patient's personal information, to make sure that it fit the requirements. Her name was Rose. She was twenty-five years of age and single, so there was no problem there. Then, Yui looked at the depression chart and saw that she was very much in need of his help. Lastly, he looked at the sex chart, to make sure he was prepared to give his patient the kind of treatment she preferred. Most importantly, he made sure that every patient checked off the box for allowing the use of condoms, if they wanted penile penetration. After confirming that Rose did in fact check the box, he continued to read her preferences. He saw that she preferred to be dominant and liked to put her partner in light bondage.

Yui was glad he had a day to prepare. He wasn't super well-versed in BDSM, but he didn't have a problem with it either. He just needed to know beforehand if he was going to be tied up. He made a mental note to pack his red shibari rope.

The night of the appointment soon arrived. They rode Yui's red and black Harley Davidson for the first time since they arrived in the city. Al was shocked by how cold the air felt against his fingertips as they whizzed through the autumn streets. When Yui parked his motorcycle, Al realized he had his fingers interlocked so tightly around Yui's waist that he had trouble pulling them apart. He wondered if they were frozen. Yui laughed when he tried to get out of his seat and realized that Al was weighing him down. He looked down and noticed Al's fingers on his stomach. He gently plucked Al's thick fingers apart.

"Sorry," Al said. He retracted his hands and hid them timidly under the long sleeves of his black trenchcoat.

"You're fine," Yui said with a laugh. "I'm glad you were holding on tightly." He shivered. "It's cold, isn't it?"

"Yeah, winter will be here soon, huh?" Al pondered.

"Man, I want summer back," Yui complained, as he rubbed his arms.

Al felt a strange desire to make an attempt to warm him, but he stopped himself.

"My patient is in this building," Yui said, as they faced a wide, many-storied brick apartment complex. Al shuddered as he looked at it, and something told him it wasn't from the cold. They walked up the concrete steps through the front door. There was an eerie silence in the lobby. They walked past the one person at the front desk and went into a dingy little elevator. There was chipped gold trim around the interior, which gave the impression that this place was once fancy, before it became dilapidated with age and neglect.

Yui pressed the button to go to the seventh floor. The doors opened, and the men walked down a narrow hallway with chipped and faded wallpaper. Al could feel the painful emotions of the inhabitants swarming around him like flies. It made him feel like the walls were closing in on him.

Yui could see that Al was uncomfortable. "A lot of people here need my help, huh?" Yui surmised, as he looked up and to the side at the face of his bodyguard.

"Yeah," Al said in a strained voice, as though the pain was weighing down his vocal chords.

"Well, we'll just have to help them, won't we?" Yui smiled innocently.

"You are not having sex with everyone in this apartment," Al protested.

"You sound like a dad," Yui said while laughing. "Or at least, what I imagine a dad would sound like."

Al tried laughing with him, but he suddenly felt a pang in his head. The emotional pressure in the apartment building was giving him a headache. He knew it would get worse the closer he got, but he promised he would be strong and be there for Yui.