The Red Flag

Part II - "Dr. Broderick will see you now"

Dr. Broderick's office was nothing like I was expecting. Unlike the rest of the building that was all thick glass and tile, his was composed of dark cherry wood paired with a navy blue carpet. The psychiatric department was located on the top floor all the way in the back of the building.

Of course it's located at the very top! Cause god forbid it be located somewhere within the first three levels. Hey, what happens if the patient has a fear of heights? Does that mean that they can't be treated here? Or does the Doc. medicate his patients in the lobby?

"Shut up," I hissed under my breath.

Before I stepped into the elevator, I noticed there was practically no one here. I mean aside from the group of workers that stood behind the reception desk in the main lobby, there were hardly any other people.

I had envisioned this place to be bustling with people from all different departments rushing, working on helping those that needed some form of aid. Was I disappointed? Or was I grateful? Grateful for the fact that very people saw how much of a wreck I looked when I first stepped inside. I was almost positive that one of the girls behind the main desk mumbled something about me to one of her co-workers. Something along the lines of...

"Did this girl just walk through a hurricane?"

Why don't they just take a fucking picture, it'll last longer. Turn back around. I want to give them a piece of my friggin mind!

All of sudden it felt as though there was a thick, knotted rope wrapped about my waist that was fighting to pull me back. Oh, no. This was not the time nor the place for me to set my sanity aside just so I could mouth off a few workers. I needed to be somewhere important and I wasn't about to jeopardize it all over a mere comment. I kept my feet planted and waited for the elevator doors to open.

Once I was inside, the doors closed and then I was able to see my full reflection from the sliding doors. Yikes.

Now I knew why those people were staring at me. More than half my hair had already fallen out of my bun, and parts of my clothes had shifted out of place. Thankfully, I was able to see my reflection clear enough to be able to fix my hair and straighten my jacket over my cream colored blouse.

I stood out in the waiting room with my bag clutched to my side.

"Breathe, Amelia. Breathe," I told myself.

The area was filled with various leather loveseats and matching settees. About six feet away was a naturally pretty woman with dark brown hair sitting behind a gorgeous wooden desk that matched various bookshelves and hand crafted molding which lined the room. Less than ten feet away from where I was standing was Dr. Broderick's actual office.

The woman typed away at her computer before fully comprehending that I was in the room. Her gaze lifted to meet my own. Her face lit up just as I am about to introduce myself.

"You must be Ms. Peterson," she extended her hand, offering a kind smile to ease my nerves. "My name is Charlotte."

Nodding, I grasped her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Charlotte. I am so sorry about my lateness. Time had just slipped away from me." Her expression didn't budge. My eyes dropped from her face down to her noticeably bulging belly. It took me a few seconds to realize that this was the woman I would be replacing if I got the job.

Jesus Christ, this woman has to be due any day at this rate.

If her water was to break here and now it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. But what truly fascinated me about her was her unfaltering, jovial expression. If you're this far along, how the hell are you so damn cheerful? Either she's excited about her baby who's about to pop out, or she's looking forward to leaving this place. Maybe both? Although, if I had a boss that resembled an alluring male model I wouldn't be too happy about my leave of absence.