Reconciled in the End

Chapter 5: Encountering hope

The next day couldn’t have come quicker as Thomas grit his teeth nervously. He had been jittery all morning. His sick day yesterday left him restless to get to work today. Still sore and a mild headache, he mustered through the discomfort. Barely sleeping a wink due to anxiety, the time had been torture.

After several soldiers inquired about his health and wished him well, Thomas scrambled for his Crown once in his office and alone. It had been a whole day without access. He swiftly scanned her record with scrutiny. In relief, he discovered no change. If he had missed a final visit because of his own folly, he never, ever would’ve forgiven himself!

He shook away the fear as he loaded the Ecclesiastes document as a virtual file. He slid it into the restricted library of the asylum. With hopeful recovery, she could then seek it from their protected system. He again worked hard to be one of Sector thirteen’s Security Task Masters in region 7698. He had to gain four majors in school with intensive curriculum in graduate school. The testing both he and Siren had undergone was maniacal. He frowned recalling the traumatic moment in her psyche evaluation. She hadn’t passed but shut down entirely. She found something amiss with reality.

He looked over his preparations carefully. Some weird instinct within him declared this would be the greatest factor in her recovery. He couldn’t explain it, but compulsion took him over. This had to work!

Waiting for the virtual connection with a doctor as he analyzed any reaction to stimulus the second day weaned off her meds, the doctor hadn’t noticed too much as promising for neurological activity. Thomas listened to him dictate his record briefly, then he swiftly made his way toward Siren’s limp form. His sleek white form nuzzled her arm for attention gently. Her body sank flat from the shift in her position uncorrected in her mind. She lay passive on the ground, but her eyes drifted briefly toward the white fur again.

He gently whispered in her ear, “Ecclesiastes. Vanity of Vanities, all is Vanity.”

Siren shifted her eyes on the pages appearing before her. It was movement! Thomas held his breath. Quickly, for he knew there wasn’t much time left, he urged, “Look in the library, reading this will give you answers. There is a purpose in life! Read it, please!”

Thomas gripped his desk with apprehension after he lost connection. Had she really seen it? Was she attempting to decipher it? His heart pounded in his chest. Would he even be focused enough for his job today? He had to, but this was the most terrifying moment in his life! Worse yet, he would receive no swift results for what was done. It killed him inside to not know what was happening as he sat all day!

He shoved his mind into work to allay his anxiety. The day went swift as he realized he had stayed three hours later. He had missed the day prior, so at least he made up for yesterday’s absence. Just before leaving, he attempted to see if anything new was written in her record, but alas, they only updated a full assessment daily in the mornings. He’d have to survive another night of fears and sleeplessness he figured.

As he walked home, he realized he needed to grab a new Crown since he had been robbed of his sleek working, private one. Being so distracted the past few days, he felt foolish to have completely forgotten that. Most would have been traumatized with the lack in access, yet with much more pressing stressors, he merely shrugged it off.

Once home to his quiet, solitary apartment, he took off his uniform which tended to alarm the common citizen, into casual wear. He figured he yet needed a distraction from his thoughts, so the idea to shop for a Crown appealed to him.

Staying at work the extra hours, it was far past dusk. The nighttime air was energized with activity as shoppers perused the shopping district, bright and distracting. Holographic signs popped up to entice the crowd eagerly, gently suggesting, ‘come here, come here.’