Reid
After making an urgent phone call to Dr Mercy, I manage to secure an emergency thirty-minute consultation with her. I’m buzzing with the questions filling my head. Questions I’m not sure whether Dr Mercy will be able to answer. I need to know, though. But how can I ask her what happened to her without making it obvious that I slipped something in her drink last night?
Paranoia rips through me. What if she saw me and switched the drinks?
No. Impossible. I was extremely careful with how I slipped that shit in.
I’m stuck between a rock and an extremely hard place. My mind is awash with one question: what the fuck happened last night? I saw Scarlet in my dreams, and although that’s not unusual, what is is the fact that it all seemed so real. It was like she was really here with me.
I can’t explain any of this shit without sounding like I’m crazy. She’s dead.
Isn’t she?
Feeling like I’m going round in circles, I pull into the parking lot just outside Dr Mercy’s offices and make my way inside. I take the lift to the third floor and make my way to the receptionist.
“Good morning, Reece. Dr Mercy is expecting you. Go right on in.”
I thank her and make my way inside to find Dr Mercy sitting at her desk writing notes. She has a more conservative blouse on today—less frilly. Her glasses sit just on the tip of her nose, enabling her to look up once I enter the room.
“Reece, come on in,” she says, motioning for me to sit down in my usual seat. “You seemed really anxious when you called. Has something happened?” With a worried expression on her face, Dr Mercy gets up from her seat and takes her usual spot when I do mine.
As I sit, I rub my temples. I still have a fucking blinder of a headache. “What happened last night?” I finally ask her.
I look up to find her mildly confused. “What do you mean? Can’t you remember? You had a little too much to drink, so I helped take you to bed.”
“And that was it?”
She grants me an unamused look. “Of course that was it.” She leans forward. “What’s the matter, Reece? You look really tense. You’re fidgeting, and your right leg won’t stop shaking.”
Looking down, I see she’s right. Shit. What the fuck is wrong with me? In an attempt to try to calm myself, I place my hand on my knee to stop myself from shaking it up and down.
“I can’t remember a thing about what happened. I woke up this morning with sweat dripping down me because the air conditioner was switched off, and I never switch it off.” I look her dead in the eye. “Did you switch it off?”
Again, she looks affronted. “Why on earth would I want to switch your air con off? I have no reason to. I helped you up, put you to bed, and when I saw you had passed out, I left. Your barman saw me leave.”
Sighing, I put my hand up. “Yes, Akilah already told me.”
Dr Mercy takes a long drawn out breath before slinking back in her chair. “What is it that’s got you so shaken? Did you have a complete blackout? Was that what that was?”
“I saw her,” I blurt.
Her forehead crinkles. “Saw who? Scarlet?”
“Yes,” I answer, with a little more venom than I’d intended.
She motions with her hand to carry on. “Tell me more. What happened?” She gets her pad and pen poised for my answers.
“I don’t fucking remember. All I do remember is that she was there, taunting me.” I rub my head to try and erase this confusion. “I’m pretty certain she was riding my cock.” I shake my head. “Fuck, this sounds fucked up.”
“She didn’t actually say anything to you?”
I try to think back on last night. All I can recall is a mass of blurry events. “I only remember red lipstick and her saying my name.” I’m pretty sure she asked me why I killed her, but I’m not about to divulge that little gem. It’s probably my mind playing tricks on me anyway. “She’s like a ghost—a fucking poltergeist that won’t leave me alone.”
I look toward Dr Mercy, and at first, she just stares at me like she’s trying to figure me out. “Your guilt combined with the fact that you can’t get over her death has caused these hallucinations to manifest.” She sighs like she knows she’s about to say something I won’t like. “I know I’ve mentioned medication before, but I feel it might be necessary at this—”
“I’m not taking any of that shit. I’ll deal with it my own fucking self.”
I can tell I’m frustrating her. “Okay then. How about something else? Instead of seeing me every week, how about every three or four days until we can resolve this together? How about that?”
I fix her with a glare. “Can you take her away?”
She offers a light smile. “No, Reece. That part is up to you. What I can do is help guide you there. What I do require from you is a bit of honesty from now on. Open up. Tell me about her and about the guilt you’re feeling inside. Until then, Scarlet will continue to haunt you.”
Fucking great!