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“Hold on before you call 911, Dr. Johnston,” Mr. Graham insisted while closely monitoring Athena. “How long have you been eating the food, Miss. Clark?” It was almost absurd how much we both were invested in her response.
“About…” Her attention darted to the clock on her computer, returning to him. “…thirty minutes.”
His entire body exhaled. “You’re probably fine physically. If there was a fast-acting poison in the food, you’d be sick already. Just to be on the safe side, we’ll take you to the urgent care down the street and have you checked out. The bill for an ambulance is astronomical in this state. It’d take all three of us to pay it. I’ll give you both a ride for free. Before we leave, what name did the guy give for the appointment?”
Athena and I both cited, “Chad Lowell.” That man was too narcissistic to fake anything.
Mr. Graham’s gray irises imitated lasers as they landed on me. “So, you know who it is?“
“As much as anyone can know a stalker they’ve only met once. That was one time too many. He’d leave a bad impression on a block of wood. He’s…” Should I be telling him this? Shouldn’t I be protecting my patient and employee from this?
The only way Mr. Graham and Athena should be affected by Chad’s mind games was if I went missing on purpose again. Athena had a second job. Mr. Graham would only have to start over therapy with someone else. Maybe he should. Maybe I should close my practice. I was bad news for everyone at this rate.
Mr. Graham released my finger to grasp my whole hand and step closer to me. “Dr. Johnston, don’t shut down on me now. Tell me about this bastard.”
I took a moment to memorize Tobin’s face because I likely wasn’t ever going to see it again. Realizing I’d called him Tobin in my thoughts showed me how close I’d let him get to me already. I had to maintain some type of professionalism. “I shouldn’t draw you further into my mess, Mr. Graham. Believe me, I want to because I don’t want to go through this alone anymore. I can’t keep going through this. It isn’t healthy. Something has to give. That something is going to be me, and you already have enough problems of your own. It is my duty to not compromise your mental wellbeing with my problems. You need… you need to find another doctor.”
It nearly broke me to say that. Alas, I had to let him go on to safer pastures. Tobin was not of the same mind, however. He went from holding my hand to cradling my shoulders. Immediately, I was calmer. His touch was giving me a type of solace and support that Malaysia couldn’t provide as my sister from another mother.
Somehow, he managed it. His muscles and military training deserved a lot of the credit. “It’s not going to be you who gives, Cherise. I’m not going anywhere. It’s my duty to protect too, and I’m going to protect you. You’re going to let me this time. Or, I’ll continue to do it on my own. What’s it going to be?” The fierceness in his demeanor doubled down on his words.
Hell, I wanted to hand the entire situation over to him, but I had one more try in me to save him from me. “Mr. Graham, if my career is going to tank because of Chad Lowell, dammit, let me take pride in yours being great with the FBI after you find another therapist. There are so many in this city alone who don’t come with this kind of baggage. Don’t let mine drag you down with me. Please.”
Athena began whispering on her phone to someone. “Mom, my boss wants to be sure I wasn’t poisoned… Yes, poisoned… No, I don’t feel sick. It’s a short story, but I don’t have time to tell it… Oh, you’re nearby. I’ll tell them you’ll pick me up then. Dr. Johnston really needs to stay here to deal with this situation.”
I barely heard her. Not when Mr. Graham’s fierce manner was transforming to sheer stubbornness right before my eyes.
“Cherise,” emerged from him with a lot of force, “I repeat, I’m not going anywhere. Neither are you. I can help you. I’m trained to deal with men like Chad Lowell. They come in all forms. I’ll deal with him even if you don’t let me. It’ll be easier to protect you if you participate in your safety, though.”
“I don’t want you hurt,” I muttered.
He didn’t deserve to suffer because of my baggage, he had been hurt enough because of his own. “Chad Lowell isn’t going to do anything but get himself in some shit with me he can’t get out of. But if all you’ll take from me is letting me be a sounding board to relieve some of your stress, then tell me about Chad Lowell.” He spat the surname out as if cursing it. “What you say to me goes no further than this establishment. Your license will remain untarnished. That’s on my life.” The confidence in his tone was reassuring that using him as an outlet wouldn’t end up with me in front of a review board.
God knew I needed someone to unload on right now more than defend me. Stress festered into bitterness when pinned inside. I was too young to be bitter. Nevertheless, bitter was my destiny as my life dwindled into chaos. If I couldn’t keep my own world turning smoothly most times, I had no hopes of doing it for anyone else. It looked like Mr. Graham was going to be my sounding board, at least.
“Okay, Mr. Graham, you’ll get your way this time. We can talk when—”
“You can talk now,” Athena cut in, packing up her backpack purse. “My mom is coming to get me. I’ll let you know how everything goes.”
I couldn’t sit back and wait on results. “I want to go with you, Athena. This is my fault. I’m so sorry.” Guilt was an atrocious burden. How did my life go so wrong so fast?
Athena placed the lid on the tray she was eating out of. “Nothing for you to be sorry about. You didn’t send the food, Dr. Johnston, and you surely didn’t feed it to me. Stop taking the credit for something you didn’t do or had no part of. I am taking the fettucine with me, though, so it can be tested too. If it’s got something extra in it, I’m suing the shit out of Chad Lowell’s ass. The only thing I need to do is allow Mr. Graham to help you in any way you can. If I’m alive tomorrow and not contagious, I’ll be at work.”
A car pulling up outside drew everyone’s curiosity.
That’s my mom.” Athena rounded the desk, hauling me out of Tobin’s hold into a tight embrace. “You’re a good woman. Not many take people as they are or make it their life’s work to help people cope with the world we live in. Now, fight to take control back over your world. That’s what you can do for me.”
I smiled against the dark strands straying from her ponytail. “I plan to fight anyway, Athena.” If the most timid woman I ever met was telling me to fight, I would fight even harder.
Tobin
Miss Clark and I had to pressure Cherise to stay inside while I escorted Miss Clark, who requested I call her Athena, to her mother’s car. Cherise was more concerned with everyone else’s security than her own. She had abandoned Chad’s gifts on Athena’s desk and retreated to her office. I returned, locking the entrance behind me. She sat at her desk, head thrown back with her eyelids closed. Without bothering to open them as I commandeered the couch, she launched into a sordid tale.
A consultation with a sorry excuse for a man led to him targeting her because she wouldn’t bow down to his domineering nature. Local law enforcement had botched shielding and defending her. At the end of her rope, she’d put her home on the market. Quitting her job without notice, she ran for cover here. She shouldn’t have had to do that.
Because she did, my rage slashed and cut through me like a dull knife until I couldn’t see straight. No woman, especially this one, deserved to be going through this hell. She had so much to give to the world. Nonetheless, her confidence would weaken to nothing if Chad continued to control her world. Someone had to put a stop to it. That someone was me. I would be more effective if she worked with me.
“One dollar,” I proposed.
