Eileen walked up to the hospital's reception desk.
"Can I help you?"
"Yes, I need to talk to someone that works here. She's a nurse. I think her name is Sally?" Eileen said unsurely.
"Sally Peterson?"
"I don't know," Eileen shrugged. "I don't know her last name. She's kind of young and has blondish colored hair."
"I'll see if she's available," the receptionist said as she picked up the telephone. "Why don't you take a seat?"
A few minutes later, Sal walked into the reception area. The woman at the desk, motioned towards Eileen, and Sal walked over.
"Hello, you wanted to talk to me?" When Eileen looked up, Sal recognized the young woman and her cheerful expression faded. She had tried to forget that awful night. It was so embarrassing to think she was being asked out by a guy, only to find that she was being set up with his friend, while he was on a date with another girl. She had hoped to never see any of those people again.
"I guess you remember me," Eileen said sheepishly. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"I'm very busy," Sal said. She was feeling very uncomfortable and was eager to get away.
"I know and I'm really sorry to bother you at work, but this is important."
"Alright," Sal gave in and took a seat.
"When we met before, you said that Hector came to the hospital to ask you some questions. Can I ask you what they were about?"
Sal sighed, "I don't know. That was awhile ago . . . I'm sorry, but I really don't have time to get involved in your personal life," she said as politely as possible and started to stand.
"You remember Clifford Stuart, don't you?" Eileen asked.
Sal looked surprised at Eileen's change of topic, "Oh yes. I was with him when he passed away."
"Did Hector ask about him?" Eileen asked.
"Yes, he did," Sal nodded. It was all coming back to her now. "He said he was investigating for the lawsuit."
"Really?" Eileen replied skeptically.
"He wanted to know if anyone had been in to visit Mr. Stuart on the morning he died. I was the nurse on duty and I hadn't seen anybody."
"I see," Eileen said slowly. "You didn't see anyone, but is it possible that someone did come visit him?"
Sally nodded thoughtfully, "Yes. I remember I was very busy that morning with another patient. At the time Mr. Stuart seemed to be doing well and he didn't need as much attention."
"Did Hector ask about anything else?"
Sal shook her head, "Not that I remember."
"Thank you," Eileen said as she rose to leave. "You've been very helpful. And I'm sorry about the misunderstanding before."
"Please," Sal cringed, "Don't mention it."
Edward fidgeted in his office as he awaited his next appointment. He felt ridiculous for being so nervous. He tried to remind himself that this was a professional meeting between colleagues. But this wasn't just any other colleague.
When he heard a knock on the door, he jumped up from his chair. He took a moment to compose himself, before answering, "Come in."
"Sorry I'm late," Veronica said quietly. "My last appointment ran longer than I expected."
"No problem at all," Edward replied, trying to remain cool. It had been years since he'd seen her, but she hadn't changed a bit. "Have a seat, won't you?"
"So Cassandra Barrett," Veronica said, skipping any small talk. "What do you want to discuss about her?"
"Well, um," Edward cleared his throat as he sorted through the papers on his desk. "She's had a few fainting spells. Once she fell and suffered a concussion. This isn't normal for a seemingly healthy young woman. I've ordered some tests, but she insists there's nothing wrong with her. She says it's happening because she's psychic," Edward scoffed. He leaned back in his chair. "And she's seeing you about that."
Veronica nodded, "She is. She starting seeing me after she was hospitalized for the concussion. The doctors then were concerned that the fall might have affected her thinking, but she's reported having psychic premonitions even before then. She says, as far as she can remember, she's always had psychic abilities."
Edward laughed, "You don't believe that's true, do you?"
Veronica shrugged. "I don't know. The mind is a complex organ."
"What I want to know is, do you think this could be psychosomatic?"
"That she's causing these fainting spells by her own imagination?" Veronica asked. "Possibly. I don't know. What are you thinking, Ed?"
"I'm wondering, if the tests come back negative, what can I do to treat her? I don't want this girl to keep working herself into a fainting spell, if that's what's happening. This may be your department."
Veronica nodded and stood to leave, "Let me know how the tests turn out and we'll decide what to do from there. If this is a psychological problem, we'll have to handle it very carefully. There are other issues to consider."
Edward stood up to show Veronica out. As he opened the door for her, he paused a moment to look at her. "It's been nice to see you again, Roni. You look well. I swear, you haven't changed."
"Thanks," Veronica replied. She looked away, embarrassed. "I should go."
"Just one thing," he stopped her in the doorway. "Are you happy with him?"
Veronica turned to look him in the eye. "Very," she said with a smile, then turned and walked away.
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