The SECRET- Destiny 18+only

Chapter 4

Twisha

"Nina I would like the list of appointments for today in my cabin," I called out .

The tall figure of a man abruptly stumbled into the room, gaping at me with a blank expression. 

"Hello" he spoke, his eyes unwaveringly fixed at me." "Do I know you?" I asked politely. He kept staring emotionlessly, as if he had been plunged into an abyss of numbness, his body rigid and unyielding. It looked like he was struggling to stay conscious.

"Excuse me, sir, are you alright?" I inquired again, my voice shaky with trepidation.

He shrugged and seemed to emerge from his trance, stuttering, "I...I am fine miss...?"

"Dr. its Dr Twisha Kapoor. Are you my eleven o'clock appointment?"

"umm...yes"

"No!'' Nina interrupted immediately, "It's Mr Mehta mam, your eleven o clock."

I looked at him perplexed and slightly unnerved by his presence.

"Actually...doctor, I am not feeling well and wanted an urgent consultation."

He attempted to explain his mistake with a hesitant plea. Even though I was skeptical of his story, he seemed desperate and in pain so I could not deny him help.

"Very well sir, Mr Mehta is not here yet, I suppose I can spare a few minutes for you. Please come in."

He entered the room with a defeated demeanor. I offered him to sit on the couch but he hesitated before complying, keeping his eyes trained on me as if expecting something from me.

"You can lie down too if you like" I suggested reassuringly as a flush of panic spread across his face. He gave me an apprehensive look. His eyes wandered around the room and finally settled on my degree - Twisha Kapoor, MD psychiatric medicine. I didn't think much of it and simply continued with the consultation.

"So how may I help you Mr.? I am sorry I did not get your name."

"Xavier...Xavier Frost," he answered in a low voice as he was inexplicably cast into a strange trance-like state. When prompted for more information about himself he replied hesitantly that he was from Alsdowne in Italy - visiting for business - before plunging back into an eerie silence.He was lost again. I gave him a moment but it seemed like his thoughts had a captivating pull on him; I could almost feel it in the air around us.

After years of experience, I can usually sense the thoughts of my patients, but when he walked through the door I felt a sudden rush of clarity; his entire being seemed to be spread before me like an open book, its pages waiting for me to peruse and uncover its secrets. 

"Sir?" I tried to shake him out of his trance.

"Umm. Ya..." He paused again and the intensity of his voice was like a hammer against my ears. He looked up at me with an unspoken pain in his eyes "From the past months I see an odd dream, and I see a woman in it. It keeps me from sleeping. I feel my head will burst with the very thought of her... Does that mean anything to you?"

His words trailed off as he looked away from me, his face a mask of despair and anguish."Okay, so who is this woman? Do you know her?" I asked as my pen scratched feverishly against the paper of my notepad.

I was met with complete silence; a void filled with the daunting presence of his innermost secrets.

"No, I don't", He replied defeatedly, as if all energy had been sucked out of him by a vacuum cleaner.