Cotard Curse (#Wattys2016)

Chapter 5

Nichole quickly sat back down. She started explaining herself. "Jared, I promise that's not what I said. He misinterpreted-" 

"You can call me Dr Benson, please Miss Reynolds," Jared interrupted. Nichole stopped talking. She was fired, she knew it. 

Jared stood over her. "I want to make one thing very clear with you now, Nichole. The only reason I'm letting you keep this job is because I value what my staff thinks of me. If I were to fire you now they'd think I was dumb, stupid for letting this come in the way when you're such a 'fantastic' worker. I am not your friend or ally anymore. In fact, I'll be watching extremely close to how you work from now on. If I were you I would do exactly as I say or you'll be out of here immediately. This isn't a chance or a warning. It's strategy for me and deep shit for you. Get out of my office and take the boy to his next therapist." 

Nichole thought she might need to check her pants before she did anything else. She wanted nothing much than to tell Jared exactly what she thought about how he ran the ward, but she needed to pick and choose her battles. She nodded as she bolted out the door. Michelle said that bosses were usually dickheads, but this was a whole new level. 

Nichole stood in the hallway, needing time to cope before she went back to Alec. She should regret telling Alec what she had, but she didn't. She should be annoyed that Alec had told Jared, but she wasn't. She was a little scared of Jared now, but that was all she felt. 

Her heartbeat slowed back to normal and she opened Alec's door. She expected to see him staring into space but as she walked in, she saw him looking sheepishly at his feet. 

Nichole was thrown off guard when the look didn't fade as he reached her eyes. "Are you fired now?" He asked. 

She let out a laugh. It felt good. "Like I said, can't get rid of me that easily. Come on, gotta keep going through the day." 

Alec's expression was too hard to read, she wasn't sure if he was relieved or disappointed. Nichole pushed aside her curiosity as he stood up, asking "Where am I going next?" 

Nichole shrugged. "Jared told me to take you to your next therapist; sorry but I'm not sure who that is. Do you?"

Alec's face lit up and it was the most beautiful thing Nichole had seen. It wasn't just his eyes and mouth. It was his cheeks, his eyebrows, his forehead. Everything.

Alec settled as quickly as he had illuminated. He nodded. "I know who it is," he said, making his way out the door. He walked beside Nichole but didn't seem to notice her, eager to get to his next therapist. He had a slight swagger in his walk, a bounce in his step. It was pure excitement that made Nichole so curious as to what- or who- could cause this in a patient who supposedly felt nothing.

They reached a door and Alec jumped towards it, knocking repeatedly until it was thrown open. In the doorway stood a woman. She had light hair and was slender, looking to be in her early twenties. She had a calming smile and eyes that sparkled as she ushered Alec inside. 

"Hello dear! It feels like it's been so long since I've seen you, sorry I wasn't here last week. I was disappointed to miss out on our session," she exclaimed as Alec smiled- smiled- as he took a seat. The room had the same layout as most other therapist's room, though the walls were full of colour. They were a bright blue with puffy clouds that seemed to float on the walls.  

The lady faced directly to Nichole. "Hello Nichole! I'm Kate, one of Alec's therapists. I've heard a lot about you, all good things! I've been excited to meet you. I think we'll get along really well," She said warming, looking genuinely excited as she introduced herself.