Seven Minutes in Heaven

Chapter Six

"I can't say it is wonderful to see you here, Jeremy. How about we talk about how you are feeling?" Angel-Mrs. Todd said grimly, reminding Jeremy of so many of his conversations with her after his many relapses.

"I don't think you are here to talk to me about my feelings Mrs. Todd." Jeremy replied respectfully. Unlike everyone else, who had either been family or a fellow teenager, he couldn't talk to an adult rudely. Although, he wished that he could. There were a few things that he would like to say to this woman.

"Very true. You always were a smart boy. Any idea what decision you are going to make?" She asked, reminding Jeremy that once this was all over, he would have to choose whether or not to go back.

"Why would you care?" Jeremy asked, still keeping his tone respectful, but the feelings inside him rising rapidly.

"I care about all of my clients Jeremy. Your mental health was my responsibility. Clearly I didn't do a good enough job helping you."

"No kidding. Besides, I was just another paycheck to you. You never cared about me or my wellbeing."
Jeremy spat, all politeness abandoned.

"That isn't true Jeremy. That is a delusion that you made up, and you are so convinced of it that you would defend your opinion until you die." She answered calmly, making Jeremy feel guilty for questioning her.

"I've realized that. I've realized that many of the people who I was convinced didn't care about me do, and have always cared." It felt strange to be saying these things out loud, essentially having an impromptu therapy session.

"That is something that I failed to convince you of. However, I'm glad you have come to this realization. Now it is time to see something that all teenagers love." A couple different options of what all teenagers love flitted through his mind. Vape, memes, cancelled tests, and rebelling were all included, but Jeremy didn't really know what any of those had to do with him deciding whether or not to live again.

"Can you elaborate?" He asked nervously.

"We get to see an adult failing." She said, still smiling, but there was a tightness in her smile that wasn't there before.

This time there were no bright colours. There was nothing but a dull and depressing grey that swept around him and chilled his body to the core. When the grey fell away they were in a large pavilon, standing next to a pretty young girl in a blue graduation gown. Names were being called and one by one, the students walked up for their diploma. The girl next to them didn't look young enough to be in high school, so Jeremy infered that this was a college graduation. The next name that was called was Eve Todd, and the girl calmly got up. He recognized this name as Mrs. Todd's name. Once he looked a bit closer at the girl he saw the resemblance. Young Mrs. Todd was more relaxed looking, with far less lines in her face, but both were attractive.

"That's you?" Jeremy asked incredulously.

"That is me. I am graduating from university with a degree in counselling minors, ready to begin working at a brand new job." She looked sad as she watched the girl walk happily back to her seat. "Well, best be moving on now. The big finale is coming up soon and I don't want to take up any more of your time than I have to." Jeremy saw her take one last look at her younger self before the world disappeared again.

They were now in a very familiar room, Mrs. Todd's office. It was just as Jeremy remembered, with the inspirational cat photos and fidget toys littering the room. The only thing different was the presence of two police officers going through a file at the desk. The pair watched in silence as the police officers questioned Mrs. Todd, asking her about their sessions together and looking through what Jeremy presumed to be his own file.