Flickering Memories

Chapter 10

Copter's POV

Earth sucked in his breath several times before speaking.

I waited impatiently for him to start talking.

"You know, Dr. K, I actually feel like I have betrayed Kim for not telling him about it the moment that I knew but ..."

I wanted to scream, "Dude!!! Just get to the main point of your story already!!!  I'm dying of suspense here and you're talking about your feelings. I can't be bothered about your feelings at this time!"

" ... but at the same time I did not want to be the cause of their split. I wanted Kim to find out for himself." Earth looked like he was about to cry. "And then again if I had told him sooner, his road accident could have been avoided."

'Looks like he did find out for himself on the night of his engagement party,' I wanted to say.

I leaned forward across my desk and took Earth's hand in mine. I heard him suck in his breath once more. Shit, I didn't mean to make him blush.

"Listen, Earth," I said in a very serious tone of voice, "first of all, whatever information you held back from Kimmon, you held it back with good intentions. Don't look upon it as betrayal. Don't beat yourself up about it. I know you care about him as much as I do..." my voice trailed when I realized what I had just said.

I noticed the look Earth gave me. It was my turn to blush.

Well, yeah, maybe I was starting to care for my patient. Maybe Kimmon had started to worm his way into my heart. I shook my head. That wouldn't do. I better be careful to keep things on a professional level.

I realized that Earth was staring at me, waiting for me to finish what I had been saying.

"I ... like I said, don't look upon what you did as betrayal. I firmly believe that it wasn't. Now will you please tell me what information you withheld from my patient?" I asked, pressing my thumb on the back of his hand.

Again Earth looked like he was about to cry.

"I've seen Newwie twice or thrice climbing into the car of another guy and I have seen that guy kissing Newwie before driving away with him," Earth said in a voice barely above a whisper.

I banged my fist so hard on my desk that it made Earth jump in his seat.

"I'm sorry," I said, "I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's okay," he said, his brows still furrowed, as he rested an elbow on my desk and letting one side of his head rest on the palm of his hand.

"Promise me, Earth," I said, "promise me that you will not mention it to Kimmon. I promise you that withholding the information at this time is not an act of betrayal on your part.  The information will not be of any use to him at this time because he cannot even remember who Newwie is. In fact it might only serve to agitate him more than he already is. Let's wait until he recovers his memory. I will apply all the best methods I know in the treatment of the kind of amnesia that he is suffering from."

Earth nodded his head.

I stood up from my chair.

"Let's go back to Kimmon. I promised him that we would be gone for only a few minutes."

"Sure," said Earth, standing up from his chair as well.

We walked back to the elevators and took one that brought us down to the sixth floor.

I knocked on Kimmon's door and the moment I walked in, Kimmon burst out with, "You took too long! You said you were gonna be gone for only a few minutes!"

His pouting lips looked so kissable, goddammit Copter, watch what you're thinking, I scolded myself. It was of utmost importance to keep my emotions on a professional level with this very attractive patient.

"But Kimmon, I was gone for less than fifteen minutes!" I protested but he wasn't listening to anything I was saying.

"I felt so alone while you were gone, Dr. K! Now I need a hug to make me feel better!"

I looked at Earth helplessly but Earth looked away as if wanting to give me and my patient some privacy.

"Fine," I said, almost in a whisper.

The moment I held Kimmon, his arms encircled me in a very tight hug.

Kimmon didn't seem to care that Earth had turned back to look at us. Earth had an unreadable expression on his face.