The Promise

CHAPTER 2

Ashley POV:

I'm a psychiatrist, the more I searched myself, the more i found the evidence that i was cut for psychiatry..

When it was time for me to decide upon a speciality, I held an inner dialogue with myself, Question: what makes me happy? Answer: making other people happy.

My ambition-to treat unhappy people and make them see the joy in life..

Now I was sitting in my conference hall, talkin to the interns and my senior members of the staff..solving their issue, which was about interns working hours continuously, we're seemingly ignorin the fact that human beings cannot function normally when tired, that the interns were being driven to the edge of collapse..

I made a point to all "its not in the best interests of a patient who is seen by a doctor who can barely stay awake, to be treated by a zombie. Tired people make mistakes.. So every intern will get a break accordingly."

Every one agreed simultaneously.

I dismissed all and took my appointment sheet, the next patient named "Kristen Holmes", it was 6:10pm and the patient was to arrive 10 minutes before.

I called at the receptionist desk to ask the where abouts of my patient but the call went on waiting..

I then decided to go out and have something as I was feeling hungry as soon as I made my way out, I saw a girl asking politely from the receptionist the way to my cabin but carlyn was busy turning the pages of a magazine and talking to someone on office phone, she was least concerned about the girl.

I suddenly saw that the girl was breaking down, I rushed towards her and grabbed her from her waist before she fell on the ground.

She kept her eyes closed sobbing, I dont know why it pained me to see her cry.

"Everything Is Alright"I tried calming her.

But she sobbed more harder, holding on me tightly..she was crying her heart out.

I softly spoke again rubbing her back "sshhh its okay"as I said it she jumped back and took two steps away from my arms.

Her sudden reaction shocked me for a minute but soon I calmed myself..

I turned around to my receptionist and said "Carlyn you're fired"

I then turned to face the girl, I thought to myself, she must be my patient Kristen Holmes, "Hi, I'm Doctor Ashley Charles and are you Miss Kristen Holmes?" I said smiling and holding out my hand for her to take.

She didnt shake my hand instead she just nodded.

I asked her to follow me to my cabin which was down the hallway.

I opened the glass door of my cabin and holded for her to step into it, I slowly closed the door behind her.

Sat her down on the couch, brought a cup of coffee for each of us, I sat across the table and asked "are you feeling good" yes was the only thing she said.

so I started and asked for the usual information-name, occupation and most importantly for the hospital, what health insurance.

The patient turned out to be one Kristen Holmes as I guessed, aged twenty-three.

"Fine" I said, putting down my pencil, "would you like some sugar in your coffee?"

she nodded.

She seemed to be extremely depressed about something, she wasnt opening up at all.

I asked her some more questions.

"Do you feel depressed for a majority of the day, fatigue, tiredness, loss of energy?"

she just nodded again.

It was getting me no where. She was scared of something but just in first examination I can not grab all the information..

I wanted so bad to know what made her like this, being a psychiatrist I can sense that she was broken from inside and out..

I wanted to make her comfortable first then I will slowly open her up.

So I asked her more questions about her health-does she have little interest in activities, insomnia or hypersomnia, indecisiveness, etc.

I could make it out the way she was avoiding eye contact that she has a feeling of worthlessness, something was eating her up, she has excessive amount of guilt about something..

I got up from my seat and squatted down beside her.

I asked her quietly "what incident occured that made you so depressed?"

she stuttered "he-he is gon-gone"

she started weeping again.

I was beginning to get the picture.

I closed my eyes and asked "who's he? he is gone? where?"

she took a deep breathe and said "My Love, Its painful, he went-went leaving me"

"Miss Kristen if you could tell me when did it happen and how?"

still stuttering in between her sobs, she spoke "Last year" and then she noticed my pencil was still "Aren't you writing all this down?"

"Dont worry, Kristen, just keep talking. Did anything else happened since then? I mean, was it otherwise uneventful?"

after asking I gave her a tissue box, by some means I was feeling closer to her.

After wiping her tears she said "I get nightmares every night of him leaving me"

"what exactly happened to him? Why did he leave?"

she closed her eyes, a groan escaped her lips and a tear came down rolling on her beautifull rosy cheeks and she finally said two words "HE DIED"

and she ran out of my office.