Jupiter [Marvel Phase I]

four.

In the time since Jenn had last been to his office, Dr. Ingram had gotten a new poster for his waiting room. 'Online gambling is still gambling,' an anthropomorphized desktop warned. The mascot's eyes bored uncomfortably into her own. It felt like everywhere she tried to look, she couldn't escape the poster's accusatory glare. I've never even gambled in person, she wanted to cry, despite the still-rational part of her mind reminding her how ridiculous it was to argue with a poster.

Instead of reading over the same posters she'd seen a hundred times, had practically memorized by now, Jenn decided to people watch. Both of the room's other occupants were too busy with their own work to notice her anyway.

Besides herself and Harry, there was only one other person in the waiting room; the secretary. Jenn knew her only as Val and that was all it said on her nameplate. Just like every other time she visited, Val was busy with...whatever it was she did on the computer. Jenn quickly grew bored and went back to watching Harry.

Like Val, his full attention was directed towards his work. If she peaked over his shoulder, Jenn could watch as he graded assignments for his "Biomedical Signals and Electrical Circuits" course. Maybe she should be working on class assignments too. But Jenn also knew that cracking open a book was an invitation for her session with Dr. Ingram to begin.

As if answering her thoughts, the door to Dr. Ingram's room swung open. A man walked out, clutching onto his jacket. His cheeks were dry, but Jenn could see the red around his eyes. She recognized him, but only from seeing him around the office. The man caught her gaze and a look of understanding passed between them.

A buzzing noise filled the room and Jenn looked to see as the light above Dr. Ingram's door switch from red to green. "You can go in now," Val said, but Jenn was already on her feet. She knew the drill by now.

The inside of Dr. Ingram's office was surprisingly nice compared to his waiting room, or even the building in general. Like Jenn's own flat, Dr. Ingram's practice wasn't in the nicest neighborhood. The stairwell leaked when it rained and the waiting room was an unpleasant yellow that probably hadn't been painted over since the eighties. By contrast, Dr. Ingram's office looked like a sitting room straight from the pages of a decorating magazine. An antique rug, velvet-upholstered furniture, a full wall of leather-bound books. Jenn figured he spent all his money on this room.

It worked, though. The space looked more like a nice living room than a psychologist's office. The warm lighting and scent of leather always made Jenn feel more relaxed after walking in.

"Good afternoon, Jennifer," Dr. Ingram spoke. He was seated at his desk, eyes on a stack of papers, but he looked up once Jenn was close enough. Then he stood and moved around the desk to meet Jenn at the coffee table in the center of the room.

Dr. Ingram was a man of average build and smaller stature, standing right at Jenn's eye level. Despite his intense features and the serious tone of his voice, Jenn knew him as a gentle man and patient listener. She'd been coming to him for years and saw him as something of a family friend.

"A-afternoon," Jenn stumbled in reply after realizing she'd taken too long to respond. She waited until Dr. Ingram was seated before taking the chair opposite him. "Thanks, by the way, for agreeing to set this up on such short notice," she added a second later.

"Of course, of course. It's no trouble at all, particularly if it's for Harold - and you as well," Dr. Ingram assured her. The look he gave was close to a smile. "Now Harold tells me you had a dream last night. A nightmare that differed from the one you typically experience." A nod from Jenn. "Could you describe it for me?"

Right into things, huh? That was probably why he and Harry got along so well. "I dunno...It wasn't- it was ridiculous anyway," Jenn huffed. She'd repeated the same facts all day and was tired of saying the same bloody things over and over. And besides, the nonsensical dream seemed particularly ridiculous to tell her therapist. But Dr. Ingram just looked at her patiently, urging her to continue. "It was just what I get for watching Doctor Who reruns before bed. I was trying to escape from a lab that was about to blow or something. Harry made a surprise appearance towards the end. Really, I don't know."