"He's been catatonic for months now and we have seen no change in his condition whatsoever. I'm very sorry."
The doctor's distant voice momentarily broke through the bubble Victoria had carefully constructed around herself before she stepped into the waiting room.
"I see."
"You might want to start considering the treatment we discussed in our last session. I realize that this level of aggressiveness may have its consequences, but so far nothing else has worked."
"Yes. Yes we might consider that", Victoria mumbled. She pressed her hands together, letting the fingers slip through each other. He had always said that she had the hands of an angel.
"Won't you come through to my office? We can make an appointment for you to come back and review the situation with Dr. Bergman and I."
Why did doctors' voices always sound so forced? How many other people had she told that they may very well lose their already lost loved one? That they would be swallowed up by a darkness that could neither be fought nor controlled?
A deadly shiver ran through Victoria.
"Mummy. Mummy I want to go home. I don't like this place."
"Yes darling, Mummy is almost finished." Victoria turned to the doctor, who for the first time had taken her lifeless eyes off of her and had directed her cold, calculating gaze onto Jamie, Victoria's six year old son. He hid behind his mother when he felt the doctor's stare upon him. Being looked at intently made him uncomfortable, as if someone else wanted to be in his skin and expel him from his body. He had been that way since his father, the man now known only as "Catatonic SX655", had lost all possible sensation and had collapsed on the floor in front of him. He spoke solely with his wide-open eyes, pleading for Jamie to go find help. Then they glazed over and Jamie never saw a look of life in him again.
"Mummy. Mummy please."
Victoria caressed his little head. How she wanted to shield him from what was happening and what was bound to happen sooner rather than later."
