Haunted

Haunted: Chapter Two

Mother stiffened at the word. Flashbacks. She hated that I had to suffer the worst part of my life over and over again. I knew that she would take it all in a heartbeat, but there was no way on Earth that that could happen. No doctor could do that for us. 

Doctor Hoebriner continued, "Mrs. Toure, how long have Nanami's flashbacks been going on?"

A frown darkening her face, my paused before responding. "Two years. Since the... plane accident."

Dr. Hoebriner turned towards his desk and grabbed a pen from the small container. Shuffling through the papers, he pulled out a crisp, white piece of paper, speckled with letters, black like beetles. Poppping the cap off his pen, he scribbled down a few cursive sentences, neat and tidy. I craned my neck towards the desk, trying to see what he was writing. Mother, who was writing notes in her raven-black planner, caught me and yanked my arm back towards my seat, delivering me a stern glare.

Dr. Hoebriner spun back, the wheels of his chair squeaking and catching me by surprise. "Nanami. Please describe the accident."

I stiffened. Memories of the accident flooded back. It was as if I had built a dam in my mind, blocking the memories. Mother was always careful to not mention it at home, but this man didn't know that. My face crumpled, tears threatening to spill down my cheeks. I struggled to speak, choking on my own words: "I- I, uh, no, no, I...."

Dr. Hoebriner looked at me, a stern expression on his face. "Nanami, unless you describe the accident and what happens during your flashbacks I cannot help you. You need to tell me NOW!"

The end of his sentence came out as a roar worthy of a lion. Frustration was etched into his face. Apparently, all of his patients had been easier than this. Well, Enter Nanami Toure, the Frustrating Case.

My mother leaped out of her seat and snatched up her purse. Her heels clicked on the floor as she marched over to where the doctor was sitting and put an orderly finger in his face.  She looked more furious and frustrated than he did, if possible. When she started speaking, her voice came out crisp and stern, as if she had rehearsed this one hundred times before.

"Don't you dare talk to my daughter in that way! She's been through more than you ever will have to go though!! You're sitting here in your office with all of you fancy degrees on the walls, handing out random pills and prescriptions. You don't know what it's like to suffer! She does!! She knows more than you ever will in five lifetimes! I pity you! You know what? I absolutely PITY you and your tiny little mind!" Mother was red in the face, fury coursing through every inch of her and consuming her like a fungus. She grabbed her coat from the chair and turned to me.

"Get your notebook, Nanami. We're leaving." 

She turned on her heel and stormed out of the office. I grabbed my notebook and coat from the chair and ran after her, trying to keep up with her brisk walk down the hall. Her footsteps echoed through the rooms: Clop, clop, clop. I swiveled my head and gave one more glance back at Dr. Hoebriner's office. He was hunched over his desk, head in his hands, face and arms red. For a moment, I felt bad for him. Then, I remembered how he had yelled at me, and I suddenly didn't feel as sorry.

"Nanami, keep up!" My mother said, noticing that I wasn't right behind her as she pushed open the door of the building. I felt my face go red as the remaining people in the waiting room stared at me, and I rushed to keep up with my Mother. 

I yanked on the seatbelt of the car, tugging it until in stuck in the buckle. As I opened my notebook to a fresh page, a glanced over at Mother.

"That was quite a show you put on in there, Mother."

She only grunted in a noncommittal manner, but when I went back to my writing, I swear I saw her give a tiny smile to herself.

Mother: One, Dr. Hoebriner: Zero.