Prevail

Chapter 2

Dr. David was a skinny man with glasses that almost always sat on the bridge of his nose. He was exactly what Henrietta would picture when she thought of a therapist, and he was the kindest person to her. Everyone in the office was kind to her. There was just an age gap that kept her separated from them.

"I saw that Facebook post," Henrietta's coworker, Sue, said as she continued her task of typing out the patient's form into the computer.

Henrietta turned slightly, still staying mostly focused on her own computer. "It got a lot of likes this time. I didn't even know you were on Facebook, Sue."

"Well, my grandkids showed it to me since it was my picture. It made me feel like a celebrity. Dr. David was right. You are good with tech."

Henrietta couldn't resist a smile. "It's an easy way to advertise. Plus, I get paid for being on my phone."

"I do think business has spiked since you began fixing up all of that," one of the nurses chimed in, dropped a stack of envelopes onto the desk Henrietta was working at.

"Don't you need to go, hon?" Sue asked, glancing at her watch. "You said you were meeting with your professor."

Henrietta glanced at the time. Sue was right. If she didn't leave now, she would be late.

"Thanks," she said, pulling on her jacket and grabbing her bag. "Do you all want me to grab you some lunch while I'm out?"

"I packed one from home today, " Sue smiled.

"Okay. Dr. David knows I'm leaving and I won't be gone long."

They waved goodbye and Henrietta rushed to her car.

Her professor's office was in the same building as the lecture hall at the very top floor. By the time she found parking, she was already late, and she dreaded the feeling.

Her heart thumped anxiously in her chest as she made her way to his office. She found it easily, and she relaxed a bit. She shuffled her books to one arm so she could knock, but the door was open.

"Dr. Wren?" she called, stepping into the small space. "Sorry I'm late, I was at-"

Henrietta paused, realizing she had just walked in on some sort of meeting.

The man sitting in front of Dr. Wren immediately looked up at her. His dark brown eyes gazed at her so intensely, it washed over her, and she took a faltering step back.

"I'm sorry," she squeaked softly. "The door was open."

"It's okay, Henrietta," Dr. Wren smiled. "He was just visiting. You didn't interrupt."

Her eyes moved from her professor, back to the man who was still looking at her.

That same anxious knot returned, twisting her insides and making her feel sick.

The man finally looked away when Dr. Wren spoke.

"How can I help you?" he asked her.

She chewed on the inside of her lip, realizing that the man was not going to leave.

"I- I can come back," she offered, now a bit of a mumble. Her cheeks were hot, and she clenched her fingers tightly around her textbook.

"It's okay," Dr Wren smiled, gesturing her closer.

It took Henrietta a moment to step further into the room, to get closer to the man. She didn't know what was going on, why she felt so weird around him.

She opened her book. Her shaky hands were noticeable as she struggled to flip through the pages.

"Alright, let me take a look." It was quiet as the professor read.

Henrietta took a daring look over, back to the man with piercing brown eyes. He was still looking right at her. His expression hadn't changed. She took in his sharp, hard features, but she glanced away quickly. She didn't want to make it too obvious she was staring, but this man's gaze hadn't wavered one bit.

Dr. Wren explained everything to her, and she did her best to gather her scrambled mind and focus on writing down his words. It felt like her whole body was vibrating, and she couldn't wait to leave the room.

"Thank you so much," she said after he finished. She wasn't even sure she understood any of that, but it didn't matter.

"You're welcome. Is there anything else I can help you with?" Dr Wren asked, pulling off his glasses.

Henrietta shook her head, trying to give a thankful smile.

"I appreciate your help," she murmured, gathering her things. "Have a good day."

"You too. Good luck studying."

She couldn't get out of there fast enough.