Remember Me This Way

Chapter Six

"Well, well... it's the elusive Mr. Carter."

Nick stepped inside the psychologist's office, grumbling to himself as he did. He'd cancelled three appointments over the last two weeks in an attempt to get out of it. After this he had to head back to Dr. Hansen, to talk about possible drug treatments to slow down his Alzheimer's and give him more time. Apparently, he was "lucky" because it'd been caught early in the progression of the disease. Nick however didn't feel lucky. He felt anything but. In fact, he felt cursed when it came down to it.

"I'm here, what of it?"

The therapist stretched a bit, giving a smirk rather than a smile. She wasn't what Nick expected. Frankly he expected a man, for one. Instead he got a young female, around his own age with shoulder-length brown hair, soft brown eyes and a look of impishness that suggested a wry sense of humor. She was dressed casually, nothing more than a simple blouse and slacks, which despite himself made Nick feel more at ease.

"The fact you're here helps. I don't think I could try and help you if you can't be bothered to even come in here. Don't you agree?"

"I have a busy schedule." He retorted, sitting in an easy chair before her.

"You're a Backstreet Boy, I'd expect you to. Now, my name is Dr. Anne Julewis, and stop giving me that evil eye!" She teased. "You're making me feel like I'm Satan, I'm simply here to help you Nick."

"Help...heh, no one can help me. Didn't you read my file? There's no cure for what I've got. No way out, so why give a damn if I'm depressed. Or if I want to die. It's all the same in the end ain't it? Hell one day I won't remember you, this session, nothing. It's all fucking worthless."

"It's not, you don't know how many years you have before it really starts taking affect. I'm told you're in the very early stages. It could be one year, it could be ten. Who wants to waste ten years?" She asked, keeping her eyes upon him.

Nick crossed his arms, staring her down. "You're not gonna break me, if that's what you're thinking."

"I don't think I want to. Have you told anyone yet?"

"Told anyone what?"

"About your diagnosis."

Nick rolled his eyes, glancing around the office. It was decorated simply enough, except for a shelf above her desk, which had the most random collection of items he'd seen. Many of the objects were zombie figurines though a cheap set of Noah's Ark dolls, finger puppets, and a furry, happy looking Bigfoot doll were among the collection as well. "What's with the zombie fetish?"

She shrugged, smiling. "I could give you some deep over the top psychological explanation about what zombies really mean, but it wouldn't be honest. I just think they're cool and like that they eat people's brains."

Nick nodded, suppressing a chuckle. He wasn't going to let her win. His eyes caught sight of something upon the shelf that was beyond unique. It looked like a skunk...except that it had the face of Adolph Hitler instead. That was when he couldn't keep in the laughter. His giggle was infectious, causing her to laugh as well as he pointed at it. "What...is...that?"

"Oh my Hitler Skunk, it was my Grandmother's. They made a lot of stuff to mock him during World War Two."

"Random."

"That about sums me up actually. Now, back to what I asked you, have you told anyone?"

He shook his head. "No, I haven't."

"Why not? Doesn't your family deserve to know?"

Nick snorted. His family. He loved them with all his heart, but if he wanted to be truly honest, the answer was no. His father forgot his family with Jane, content with the one he had with his wife Ginger, step-daughter Taelyn, and their son Kanden. A new family, with the old Carter family abandoned behind him. Nick didn't even know them, and it hurt more than he'd ever admit.