"Are you ready to speak to a psychologist, Ms. Blackburn?" a nurse asked Shayna as she ate breakfast the next morning. Shayna's hand, holding her spoon of cereal, stopped mid-journey from the bowl to her mouth. "Why do I need to see a psychologist?" she asked, setting the spoon back in the nearly-empty bowl.
The nurse didn't look up from her clipboard. Continuing to scribble notes on the multiple papers on it, she said, "To ensure you're... stable."
"Oh," Shayna said flatly. Suddenly she wasn't hungry anymore. She leaned back onto her pillows and sighed.
A light rapping on the door finally made the nurse look up from her writing. A tall woman carrying a large purse sauntered in. Shayna almost mistook her for Astrid, except this woman had darker blonde hair, and warm brown eyes. She took a seat next to Shayna's bed, smoothed out her black shift dress, and waved at the nurse for her to leave the room. The nurse quickly hurried out and closed the door.
"Ms. Blackburn, correct?" the woman checked, rifting though her ginormous handbag. Shayna nodded.
"I am Julia Holt. I'm the forensic psychologist for your case. How are you feeling this morning?" Ms. Holt asked, finally pulling out a stack of papers and a clipboard. She took out a pen and clicked the top, ready to write.
"I'm fine," Shayna said shyly. She wasn't sure what this was for.
"Was breakfast alright? I know that when I was stuck in the hospital for a broken leg, the food was awful."
"It was pretty bad," Shayna admitted, becoming more comfortable.
They chatted about food and music and jobs for a while. By the end of the session, Shayna felt much more relaxed around Ms. Holt.
A light knock on the door startled them both. Astrid stolled into the room, her navy blue pump heels clacking loudly on the hospital floors. She stopped abruptly when her deep blue eyes met Ms. Holt's chocolate brown. Astrid's pale complexion turned rosy and she slid on her massive sunglasses again. "Julia." Astrid greeted her with a stiff voice. Ms. Holt tried not to chuckle and replied with, "Astrid."
Shayna glanced at the two of them, one stiff and nervous and the other cracking up. "Do you two know each other?" she asked, already having a guess as to how they knew each other.
Astrid's face became even more flushed, but she said, "Julia introduced me to forensics."
"And she's my fiancé," Julia added with a sly smile. Shayna felt a grin appear on her face and she said, "I knew you guys were dating! That's so great."
Astrid's face was ready to burst into flames. Julia stood and took off her fiancé's sunglasses, revealing burning red cheeks and bright blue eyes. Julia smiled and replaced the sunglasses and said to Shayna, "Well, it seems that Astrid needs to speak with you. I'll see you tomorrow, Shayna." She winked, then opened the door.
Shayna smiled and waved. The door closed and Astrid composed herself with her cool exterior once more. Shayna felt that she would do best not to tease the forensic officer-- she might be the next case to solve if she made Astrid flare up.
"What did you need from me?" she asked instead. Astrid tousled her hair and replied, "I'm sorry to ask you this, but your family is going shopping... for Kerry's funeral. Are you ready to go with them, or would you prefer otherwise?"
"No, I'll go," Shayna said, already getting off the bed and looking for something to change into. The hospital dress was scratchy and thin, and she sighed with relief when she slid on her softest jeans and light, fluffy hoodie. She slipped on her ballet flats and headed out to meet her family.
YOU ARE READING
A Ship Without Sails
Детектив / Триллер[ COMPLETED ] "You know how there's a bunch of nice, brand-new, fancy McMansions on a street, and then there's that one old, dull, small house that's totally out of place? The one everyone's just waiting to be torn down? I'm that house." Shayna Blac...
