It was bright when Max finally cracked open his eyes, white light so bright he thought he had died and was ascending to heaven. His head was pounding and he felt sore all over. His eyes stung from the light and he had to squint to see. Dark shapes seemed to protrude from his body like the spindly appendages of a daddy long legs.
When his sight finally returned,he saw, standing at the foot of his bed, a man and a woman dressed in long white lab coats. The man had a thick, well worn, manilla folder, corners of papers sticking out this way and that. He flipped through a few pages with an outstretched index finger, as he spoke in a mind rattling but smooth baritone. "There are mixed results here, according to the information fed to us from the I.D.T machine, the damaged portions of the brain are beginning to repair, but his dream imagery show he is still suffering through the same problems" he flipped again a few times, "ah yes, the PTSD and the accompanying anger issues are still a problem here."
Now the woman spoke in a sweet and soothing voice. "Yes, Dr. Ellsworth but the treatment seems to be working." She had a much more modern tablet about the thickness of a single pain of glass, she tapped and swiped a few times on the screen. " I believe if we increase the dosage a little more and up the intensity of the dreams on the Induced Dream Therapy machine, we will see more promising results within the next couple treatment. Subject 7,or Mr. Briggs if you will, has deeply rooted problems. Together with your tech, my drugs will work. I believe this subject will see a complete reversal." She stated, quite matter-of-factly.
Max was tring to make sense of this when he saw his wife, well they were separated, but she was still his wife, alone nothing else in the room, as a matter of fact the room wasn't even there anymore just Sarah. "Max, listen" she said, Max opened his mouth to speak. " No, listen this is the last resort. No more jail. No more asylums, if this doesn't work... I'm sorry honey but we're gone."
"We?" Max thought. Then he saw him. Lucas, standing behind Sarah. He knew this wasn't a dream it was a memory.
" no don't." He tried to say, but couldn't.
" Max I love you and always will but, I....we, can't live like this, so I'm praying for you." She whispered, obviously holding back tears.
"I love u daddy." Echoed in his ears, over and over as the memory faded.
"O.K. we will continue, as soon as you are ready Dr. Willis." Continued the deep voiced Dr. Ellsworth. Max blinked back tears and examined the room as they left. It was all white and clean. There was one large window to his left, but he couldn't turn his head very far with his head encased in this machine. The window had old rusty bars over it which made him think this must be an old building. A flash of lightning lit the window followed by a long, rolling clap of thunder. He tried to move but was still tightly restrained. The memory he just saw still fresh in his mind made him more calm and determined, none of his signature anger showed it's red rimmed face.
Max lay there and contemplated his situation. The woman doctor, Willis he remembered, entered and noticed he was awake. "Don't worry Max, you'll be good as new in no time." She said as she injected something into his I.V. "Don't worry." And then he thought he heard, " Good luck, you'll need it." The last part he was sure he must have imagined as he drifted off to his find his fate.
YOU ARE READING
Dream Therapy
General Fiction"Dreams have always expanded our understanding of reality by challenging our boundaries of the real, of the possible." -Henry Reed Ex-army Ranger Max was angry and depressed. Mental illness plagued him. Now he's stuck inside his own dreams with only...
