“Circling True North” (332 words)
Another toothy smile, with a wink, and the doctor gains a little more of my distrust. Flamboyant, to say the least, but somewhat unprofessional, too. I stare blankly, trying to figure out what it is about her I do not like. She sucks in her cheeks and purses her lips slightly at my lack of response – seems she is holding back from saying something. Her eyes move to a corner of the room where I expect a highly discreet camera keeps watch on us. She clears her throat.
“Still, I want to monitor you closely and will keep you here for several days. Considering the circumstances, this may be preferable to the alternatives currently available to you.”
Alternatives being a detention facility, or worse. Circumstances may put me directly on the platform of The Eye of Justice, at the tip of an executioner’s blade. Justice is swift when evidence is insurmountable, these days. The thought of being disemboweled, just as my memory returns, makes me cringe inside – and apparently visibly. Dr. Walker pats my shoulder with a flat impersonal hand – or to avoid clawing me with her nails.
“I’ve ordered an increase in M-5 dosing to accommodate your pain, now that you are awake. We are not at max, so, if you need more relief, I will order it. We have wiggle room to administer as necessary here, at Health Corps – as needed for our patients. Though, we will handle increases in cautious increments,” she says, interpreting my reaction as an attempt to fight through pain.
Then, in a peculiar pantomime, she raises her elegant brows a notch at a time, closes eyes, flops head to the side, and hangs out a long, pink tongue. An imitation of me, I presume, getting higher, and higher, from the side-effects of M-5 and succumbing to another coma. Or death. An uncomely, but not remote consequence of M-anything – when doses are not compatible with individual biology.
Dr. Walker confirms this train of thought. “We don’t want you slipping away, now do we?”
Hello Friends,
Happy Thursday, Little Friday, or Friday Eve!
I hope this little story snack from “Circling True North” has intrigued you. I enjoy sharing these small bits with you, and excited for the time when I begin releasing full episodes, some time December!
More to come.
Take care of yourself – hug someone you love.
Joan❤
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