“My mother thinks Moira Flynn is haunted. That she has an espiritu maligno attached to her.” Jackie kicked off her shoes and stretched out her calves.
Richard turned his stereo on. The sounds of classical music filled the room.
“Can’t we listen to some rock or something?” Jackie said. “Classical is so boring, Richard.”
He shrugged and changed the station.
“She says she’s sorry she was called away in the middle of lunch. Babies come when they come.” Jackie waited a beat. “The baby was adorable too. You should have seen him. She emailed me a picture.”
“Espiritu…an evil spirit,” Richard said. “How does she come to that conclusion?”
Jackie sighed. “She senses things. My mother is very superstitious. You know that.”
“You want some ice cream?”
“Sure.” Jackie followed him into the kitchen.
“That’s interesting.” Richard slid a carton of ice cream from the freezer. He paused, lost in thought.
Jackie placed her hands on her hips. “You know what I think?”
“What?”
“I think you like her.”
“Moira?” Richard turned to her, his eyes wide. “Jackie, she’s my patient.”
“I know she’s your patient,” Jackie said, “but I can see by the look on your face right now that I’m right.”
“I’m a professional—”
“I know you’d never cross the line, but—”
“Any form of misconduct with a patient is a clear boundary violation—” Richard stopped. “Why am I telling you this?”
“I don’t know,” Jackie challenged. “Why are you?”
“Do we need to discuss your feelings?”
“Don’t try and psychoanalyze me, Richard,” she said. “We’ve been friends for too long. What would you do if she fell for you? Patients do that all the time.”
“That’s not going to happen,” he said. “In fact, she’s asked me to check on another patient she seems to like.”
“Did you?”
Richard looked away. “Yes.”
“You’re starting to become this girl’s knight in shining armor rather than her doctor,” Jackie said. “Is she worth it?”
“Yes, she’s worth it,” he said. “She’s a patient, Jackie. All my patients are worth it.”
“I don’t hear about any of your other patients. I only hear about this one.”
“This is a complex case,” Richard said. “She’s not like my other patients.”
“You mean she’s not like the other women you’ve met?”
“That’s not what I mean,” Richard argued. “I’m a professional.”
“You’re also a man.”
He took a deep breath and held his hands up. “Jackie—”
“I think you have a soft spot for this girl,” she persisted.
“That’s ridiculous—”
“You grew up in foster homes; she grew up in foster homes.” She shook her head. “I don’t know, Richard.”
“That’s got nothing to do with this.”
“No?” She raised her eyebrows. “I know it was tough for you. More than you let on. Personally, I think that’s why you don’t let yourself get too close to anyone—” She saw the look on his face and stopped. “Whatever. Do what you need to do.”
“Where are you going?”
“I came over here to hang out with you, but now I’m just…pissed off.” She grabbed her coat and forced her shoes back on. “Seriously, Richard,” she muttered. “You know how I feel about you. Do I need to keep humiliating myself?”
“And you know how I feel about you,” he replied. “You don’t understand the situation.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Oh, I think I do.”
His mouth worked silently as he tried to think of something to say to her.
“Exactly.” Turning on her heel, she walked out.
“Goddamn it, Jackie.” Richard thrust the ice cream carton back into the freezer and slammed the door.
He stood in the shower that evening, fingering the scar on his collarbone. I don’t want what happened to my mother to happen to Moira. That’s all it is. I’m not interested in Moira. I’m her doctor, for God’s sake. Richard leaned his forehead against the cool tile and waited for the hot water to wash away his tension. He was still waiting for his tension to abate twenty minutes later when the hot water ran out.
Richard lay in bed, his mind going in circles. Why are you letting Jackie’s comment bother you? She doesn’t know anything about why you were sent to a foster home or what happened to your mother afterwards. She just sees Moira as a threat. With that troubling thought, he drifted off to sleep.
He woke from a nightmare. Moira had been in it, she had been crying. Richard lay in bed for several moments. I could just call the hospital and ask them to check on her. He rolled over. The clock read eleven-forty-six PM. Something is definitely wrong, I can feel it. Without bothering to talk himself out of it, he quickly dressed and grabbed his coat.