Hunted

Chapter 17: The Doctor Arrives

It had been days since the note was found. I didn’t mean to cause such a scene but it scared me more than I could have imagined. I knew now that I had to tell at least my dad a little bit more about what had happened to me. He had been giving me space. I could hear my Aunts and Uncles down the hall arguing with each other and my dad. Uncle Matt wanted my dad to come in here and demand I tell him what I knew about whoever was hunting me.

Aunt Sam was with Uncle Matt, she wanted to know what or who we were looking for so she could better prepare the pack security team. Uncle Luke told them that I would speak when I needed to and that they shouldn’t push it. It was a loud and upsetting mess. I wanted to tell them I really did but they wouldn’t think of me the same after.

No one ever felt the same or saw me the same after they found out. Not even my own mother. They all felt sorry for me or were disgusted by me. I couldn’t take having this family I had just grown to love be taken away from me by pity or disgust. I did not want that.

Hope had come by just about every day. She was so kind and never once asked me about anything. She just told me about the shop and all her friends. Delilah, Aaron, and Colton all wanted to come visit me and I told Hope that they could.

So each day I had a new visitor. I was starting to actually calm down and feel pretty good. I needed to get myself together if anything was going to come of this.

“Emmry…” It was my father.

“Yes dad come in…” He opened the door and smiled at me. He looked so stressed and tired. I assumed he was combing the pack territory trying to see if there was any trace of…him.

“Hey love…I..I’ve got something I want to talk to you about.” He crossed the room and sat on the edge of my bed.

“Is something wrong?” I frowned and started to get up.

“No no stay..nothing’s…changed. I just I need to talk to you.” I nodded and sat back down but I didn’t stop frowning.

“When you first arrived and we found out you couldn’t shift we had made some inquiries to different Shifter medical professionals about what could be the cause. Everyone said it was some malfunction in your genes and that you’d never shift…except we did get in contact with one doctor who said that your inability to shift could be psychosomatic. Some time of mental block…but she wouldn’t be able to know for sure unless she came to examine you and talk to you… I know things have been stressful but I had already arranged for her to come before…well before all this happened.”

What was he talking about…psychosomatic.. It’s all in my head?

“Is she here?” I asked and he nodded.

“She just wants to talk to you today. No examination or anything. She said that it may be a long process but she was hoping you’d come to my office to talk to her.” My dad’s eyes were full of hope.

“Alright. I’ll talk to her.” I got up and sighed. “I’ve talked to a lot of doctors over the years dad they all say…well the same thing.”

“I know honey but hopefully she will be different.” My dad and I walked to his office. He opened the door and leaning against his desk was a woman.

She wasn’t very tall especially for a shifter. She had shorter gray hair that barely covered her ear. The thing that I noticed about her the most was her smile. It was warm. She didn’t seem like any of the doctors my mom and I went to.

“Hi Emmry, my name is Colleen. It’s very nice to meet you.” She gave me a big smile and didn’t reach her hand out towards me she just wanted. I was relieved so I sent her a small smile back.

“Hi. It’s nice to meet you too. I went to go sit in the chair across from my father’s when she stopped me.

“No Emmry sit in your father’s chair. It’ll be yours one day. Only natural you sit there.” Her voice was gentle and low. She sat down in the chair across from my dad’s while I sat in his.

I hadn’t noticed my father had moved to the door. “Emmry I’m just on the other side if you need me okay?” I nodded and he shut the door.

“I know you’re probably really confused about me being here. I thought your father had told you but I heard there were other pressing matters.” She had a notebook sitting in her lap.

“Yeah. I just.. I’ve seen a lot of doctors and they all just tell me that I’m too old to shift now and that it wasn’t going to happen..I’m not really sure how you’re going to help me.” I couldn’t look up at her. I felt bad about speaking my mind. She was a doctor.

“I understand that. I’m…well I have a different process then most typical pack doctors. I focus on our mind and try and see how our mind can help us solve problems. I just want to talk today. I want to talk about your childhood and your mom. I want to know all your favorite things. I want to talk about happy things.”

That surprised me a little. Everyone just wanted to know about the bad and the sad things.. No one really…no one really wanted to know about all the good times about being with my mother.

“What’s your favorite memory of you and your mom traveling.” Colleen asked twirling her pen through her fingers.

“When we went to the beach.” I answered playing with my fingers. “My mom hated the sand and salt water but I loved it. I thought it was mesmerizing. We only went a few times but I just…loved it. She never complained even though I could hear her cursing at the sand in her trunk after we had gotten home. She was such a good sport about it.”

“That is a lovely memory.” I could tell that she meant every word. Colleen seemed to have an ability to relax you make you feel comfortable.

“Thank you.” I said and started picking at my fingers again.

We spent the next hour or so talking about my mom and all the crazy things I did as a kid. We never once talked about the attacks or the notes. She wrote so many things down. It was confusing I couldn’t believe she found anything I had to say interesting.

“Well Emmry. You lasted an hour. Now you’re done. I’m hoping you’ll meet me again tomorrow?” Colleen smiled as she closed her book and I nodded.

I had felt better than I had …in awhile. I felt…calmer.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” I smiled and headed out of the room. I heard her say “tomorrow” as the door shut behind me.