Angie of the Garden

Chapter Five-1

A week went by without the ghost appearing. Hollis faithfully looked out his window every night but to no avail. He found himself becoming preoccupied with the disappearance of his most intriguing patient. Olivia noticed the change in her husband's demeanor.

"Did you hear me?" she questioned him as they sat at the dinner table one evening.

Annabelle had already finished her meal and departed.

"Excuse me," Hollis lifted his head and replied.
"I said you have to do something about the way Frank is speaking to the plants,"

Olivia said in an annoyed tone.

"Many people talk to plants. It's said to improve their vitality and growth."
"Frank doesn't just talk to the plants, he threatens them. One day I heard him tell
the shrub by the front door that he was going to 'tear its droopy ass out of the ground and use it for a fucking bonfire if it didn't perk up'.'"
"Well, it did. It hasn't looked this good since we moved here."
"I can't argue that, but it's simply inappropriate. Mrs. Hollander heard one of his exchanges and was quite shocked by the language he used."

Hollis smiled. He remembered the profanity laced tirade by Constance Hollander after discovering that someone had put a dent in her Mercedes. Then Hollis quickly put her hypocrisy aside as she did a great deal of work for the foundation. He promised to speak to Frank about toning down his language when there were guests around the house.

"Maybe we should offer Frank's job to Sebastian," Olivia suggested.
"My brother isn't tough enough. The plants and trees would walk all over him."

They retired to the den for coffee. Hollis sat down in a soft red chair. He then leaned his head back and closed his eyes as Olivia occupied an identical chair next to her husband's. The rich brown paneling in this room provided a relaxing environment for the two of them after their respective trials of the day. Etchings of a feudal manor over the crackling fireplace invited their minds to drift into a far away time. Olivia chose to remain in the present, running her fingers through Hollis' hair. She was not sure where her husband's thoughts were at the moment.

"What is it, love?" she asked him. "I can't ever remember seeing you so consumed with your own thoughts."

Hollis had decided not to tell his wife about Angie. He knew her logical mind would produce a long list of reasons why this ghost from the past could not possibly be real. His wife was firmly anchored in the consensus view of what constituted reality. She would suggest Hollis seek the same help he offered to his patients.

"I have a case that is presenting quite a challenge for me," he answered her. "I thought we were making progress, but she has withdrawn. That troubles me greatly."
"Remember when you proposed to me? Do you remember what you said?" "Yes. I said I would only marry you if you gave me the left side of the bed."

Olivia playfully punched him.

"You said that you wouldn't bring home any problems from your office. And now, Mr. Simms, I'm holding you to that promise."
Olivia kissed him. Hollis laughed and chased all thoughts about Angie from his mind for the moment.
"Do you remember the talk show Harley told you about?" she asked him.
"Yes."
"The host, Robin Wainscot, called here today. She wants to meet you. I think you
should see her. It would be a nice diversion from your regular patients."

Hollis was not comfortable with the idea of practicing psychiatry on television.
Still, visiting the host could do no harm, and would placate his wife.

"I'll call her back," he told her.

Hollis agreed to meet the talk show host for lunch. Sebastian accompanied him on
the ride into Manhattan. He was meeting with some former co-workers at a restaurant there. This was the first time he would see anyone from McDivet Investments since being fired.

"Do I seem nervous to you?" Sebastian asked him.
"Yes, but it's understandable. You're revisiting a very traumatic experience." "I don't really care about the firm anymore. But I am curious about what's been happening since I left."
"You really want to know if they miss you. Again, it's perfectly understandable." "I suppose you're right."

Hollis dropped his brother off and drove to the NBC studios. He spoke with the receptionist before taking a seat. Simms observed the various posters on the wall representing the network's television shows. After a brief time Robin Wainscot appeared.

"Doctor Simms," she said in a husky voice.
"Ms. Wainscot. It's a pleasure to meet you."

They shook hands as she led him into her office. There were books and magazines
strewn all over her desk. She unceremoniously deposited a large pile of them on the floor before taking her seat. Hollis did the same with the ones on the chair in front of the host's desk before sitting down.

"I've heard a good deal about your work," she began. "After Fox recommended you to our producer I checked up on you. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all."
"You're regarded as a consummate professional by your colleagues. And they also see you as a humanist. Those two qualities just happen to be exactly the ones I'm looking for in the psychiatrist who will make occasional appearances on my show. I know you're at least a little bit interested because you're here. But are you interested enough to accept my offer?"
"To be honest, Ms. Wainscot, I..."
"The hell with the formalities, just call me Robin. Of course I'll insist on calling you Hollis in return."
"Just as long as you don't insist on calling me anything unflattering," he said with a smile. "I just don't know if I'm the one you're looking for. I'm not a showman. And I do take my profession very seriously."

The talk show host stood up and sat on the corner of her desk. She looked down on Hollis; though intimidating her guest was not Robin's intention.

"I know what most people think of talk shows," she said.
"They think it's just a way for millions of bored housewives to kill the day. I'll confess that some of the things we do are not much more than a ploy to bolster our ratings. But having you appear on the show would be a way of offering the viewers something worthwhile. You could reach many people who are afraid to ask for help, or who simply can't afford it. I'll bet the people who wear the 'I'm glad that isn't me' expression after hearing about someone else's psychological problems are secretly saying 'that's just how I feel.' You can reach those people on my show. You'll come into contact with more of them by appearing on television then you ever would through your practice, or at the hospital."

Hollis was intrigued, even though he had already heard that line of reasoning from Harley Fox. This was because Robin had a sincerity about her that was lacking in the movie producer. Dr. Simms had been concerned that becoming involved with daytime television would diminish his reputation, but now he could clearly see a benefit from accepting Robin's offer.

"We don't even allow fighting on The Robin Wainscot Show," she added with a smile after watching the doctor mulling over the offer.
"I'm glad to hear that. I'm not very accomplished when it comes to fisticuffs,"
Hollis told her.
"Neither am I, which is why we don't allow it. It wouldn't be any good for the star of the show to get beaten up. Though come to think of it that might help my popularity."