Collaboration between YoshiSkittlez as Dr. Archie Hopper, and I as Dr. Faye Stevenson

*~*~*

Faye reached the office without incident, much to her relief. She looked at the door with Dr. Hopper's name on it for a few moments, before raising her hand to knock. She hesitated as fear of what could happen crossed her mind. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts before she finally rapped on the door. 

The door to his office opened moments after and Dr. Hopper gave Faye a reserved smile.

"Dr. Stevenson, please, come in." He held the door open for her, allowing her inside and then closed it after her. "Please have a seat." He said, gesturing to the small couch before heading over to the small file cabinet that held his patient files, however he only got halfway there before remembering he no longer had the files for Faye, and bit the inside of his cheek before turning back around and sitting across from Faye. He would have to do all from memory.

"So, how have things been for you since we last spoke...uh, a week ago was it? Yes, right. A week ago."

Faye nodded at his invitation, and she answered, "Thank you, Dr. Hopper," as she entered the office, and sat on the couch. She looked to him and she noticed that he wasn't looking through her file, like he did during their previous session. She nodded and said "It was a week ago," She then proceeded to ask, "Dr. Hopper, shouldn't you have my file?" She then felt a sinking feeling in her stomach and she asked politely, "I'm assuming that the doctor-patient confidentiality aspect of these meetings are still in effect, right?"

Dr. Hopper gave Faye a similar look to that of a deer-in-the-headlight before he began stammering, "What? Oh! Yes! Yes of course Dr. Stevenson!" He attempted to reassure her and cleared his throat awkwardly. "Your file? Uh, your file...well...with all that's happened with the earthquake and all...its been, uh misplaced-but tell me, how have [i]you[/i] been doing? Any more...episodes?"

Faye gave Dr. Hopper a look that clearly showed that she knew that he was lying through his teeth. She answered his question, "Yes, there have been more episodes. Thankfully, nothing...[i]unfortunate[/i] happened in the past week as far as I know," 

Archie felt his face getting red with the knowing look that Dr. Stevenson had given him, but felt himself able to breathe once again as she seemed to skip over the subject of her missing file.

"And the medication I've prescribed? How do you feel that's working for you?"

Dr. Stevenson shook her head at the mention of her perscription. She answered him, "It only works in bringing out my other persona sooner than she would normally appear," 

Dr. Hopper nodded in succession, steepling his hands together.

"A negative reaction then, good. This is good! This means we know just a bit more about your condition than we did last week." He said, now using his talent of positive thinking to keep the situation from looking bleak. Only then did he relax himself just a bit, his back reclining into the back of the couch.

"Dr. Stevenson, I need you to think back to your last...episode. What was going on in your head? What was happening in your mind? Any information you can give me may be useful and please, don't hold back."

Dr. Stevenson wasn't effected by Dr. Hopper's positive thinking. Every single medication she was prescribed in the past had the same effect. They were still at square 1. She thought back to her last episode...thankfully, she hadn't switched in Granny's, so that didn't count. The last time she had an episode was after diagnosing Mr. Gold...

She answered, "I was at the hospital, doing my job as I normally would. Then a certain patient came in..." She then added, "For the sake of Doctor-Patient Confidentiality, let's call this patient, Adrian Andrews," Her tone in that last statement had a discreet undertone that seemed to give the message "[i]Unlike you,[/i]" to Dr. Hopper. 

She continued normally, "Adrian Andrews was escorted into the hospital by Ruby and Mr. Kowalski because of what they described as a panic attack. I managed to convince Adrian into getting checked, and having diagnostic tests done. When I delivered them the result, they said they knew all along, and they refused to get treatment. I tried to convince them to get treatment, not only for their sake, but for their loved ones' sake as well. But...they have stubbornly made their point clear. After the patient left, I felt...angry. Enough to actually want to throw something or hurt someone. So I immediately headed home after that, however, I blacked out on my way back. When I woke up again, I found myself in my home at 4 pm the next day,"

"Dealing with stubborn patients is a normal occurance in your field, Dr. Stevenson. What made this particular patients case cause you to get so angry?" Dr. Hopper asked, leaning forward a bit so that his elbows were now resting on his knees. "Anger is a very normal emotion, wanting to throw something or hurt someone while angry is not at all uncommon, and it all just depends on how you deal with it..." He added, silently asking if she might have done something once she had gotten home that she might have forgotten to mention.

Dr. Stevenson answered his question, "The patient...they don't have the common cold, or something minor like that. The patient has lung cancer. They are dying ever so slowly and painfully. The fact that I can't help them because they are stubborn...that's what made me angry," At least, that's what she thought made her angry. 

She listened to his talk about anger. She answered his silent question, "Thankfully, from what I can tell, nothing unfortunate happened that night," 

Archie couldn't help but to run over in his mind just who might fit that particular description of a patient, only coming up with a handful of different names which didn't particularly help narrow it down. But that wasn't his job, his job was to help Faye.

"So, you had a lapse of...let's say eighteen hours where you remember nothing?" He asked, repeating what she had told him prior. He took a moment to rub his temples, attempting to erase the slight headache of trying to solve this jigsaw puzzle, not at all in any sort of irritation towards Faye, however.

"Last week, I brought up briefly of you carrying around a tape recorder, something that...your other persona and you might be able to communicate by. Have you looked into that at all?"

Faye nodded and answered his question, "That's right," When he asked about the tape recorder, she raised an eyebrow. She remembered clearly, thanks to her iedetic memory, that he had brought up the tape recorder five years ago. She told him, "You did bring that up...five years ago. I already have one. The other persona and I did communicate with each other, but that was only to set up an agreement. After that, I'm the only one who speaks to her. She hasn't left a message on the tape recorder ever since,"

Dr. Hopper rubbing his hand over his mouth, in deep thought.

"Anger seemed to be a trigger in your last episode, but it's not enough to go on to say that is what is causing these blackouts..." He said outloud, more to himself that to her. "I want to try something, an exersize of the mind." Dr. Hopper extendind his hand out towards the couch. "Would you mind lying down?"

Faye raised an eyebrow at Dr. Hopper's request, but she complied and lied down on the couch. She said to Dr. Hopper as she did so, "I sincerely hope you are not thinking of trying to communicate with my other counterpart,"

"Oh no, no no no no!" Dr. Hopper assured her, though he couldn't blame her, it did seem like that was what he was up to. "No, this is a small mind exersize to help me understand just a bit more about the anger that you went through the other night. Just close your eyes, and relax." He instructed, letting his voice become calm and soothing. "Just breathe, concentrate on your breath...good. Now I want you to begin to think...think, before your patient at the hospital, when the last time you got [i]that[/i] angry was..."

Faye followed Dr. Hopper's instructions, closing her eyes and concentrating on her breathing. She thought back to a time when she got that angry, and she saw a memory of being in the hospital trying to save a child's life. She answered, "The last time I got that angry...It was after I tried to save a child's life. The child patient...died from an accident,"

"Good." Archie commended her, not on the memory's context, but at being able to remember. He continued instructing her, having Faye fall into a sort of hypnotic state where Dr. Hopper knew that he could start getting some angers. This...alternate persona of Dr. Stevenson's had been around for as long as she could remember, which meant that Archie had to dive into her childhood for some answers.

"Let's go farther back. When was the first time you became so angry that you wanted to hurt someone?" He asked, looking like he was talking to someone sleeping on his couch. He just hoped he hadn't put her under too far...the memory was there, he just had to guide her to it.

Faye thought, trying to remember, but she only saw flashes of strange sceneries and heard only one familiar voice speak. She mumbled as she felt a headache grow in pain, "My father...abandoned me..." 

She then shouted in pain as both of her hands flew to her head, and she heard another familiar voice speak eerily in her mind, "[i]Not yet,[/i]"

Her eyes flew open and the pain ceased. She looked at Hopper and she commented "That didn't work..."

Dr. Hopper looked upon Faye with an obvious look of worry on his face, glad that she had been able to wake herself up rather than him; it was more dangerous that way, risking damaging the memories.

"But we got something." He said softly, unsure whether or not to sound excited. "You mentioned your father, but to my recollection you were adopted at a very young age..." He paused, but went on to his point. "Your patient, the one that caused you to feel angry this last time, is he a younger man, or someone that has a fatherly sort of disposition?"

Faye thought about her answer, not sure if she should answer it at all, because the answer may allow Dr. Hopper to figure out who's the patient, and she would end up breaking her end of the small deal with Mr. Gold. 

She answered cautiously "He does have an...elderly disposition,"

Dr. Hopper nodded at once, able to rule out all the others he thought might match the description of her patient.

"Mr. Gold." He confirmed, though his voice was barely above a whisper. He sucked in a deep breath at the new information, mostly about how Mr. Gold was dying of lung cancer and didn't wish to go through treatment. That was something Archie could understand to get so angry about, Mr. Gold was an infuriating man.

"Well, I think we've touched up on enough for today. Are there any questions you wish to ask me before we say goodbye?" He asked, his normal tone returning and becoming professional once more.

Faye winced as Dr. Hopper confirmed out loud, and she was about to say no, but instead, a different answer came out, "Yes...there is another question I'd like to ask before I leave,"

She then asked "Who has my psychological file now?"

It was now Dr. Hopper's turn to wince, though he couldn't blame her. She was a sharp woman, a sharp woman with an eidetic memory; he knew she wouldn't have forgotten.

"I didn't...[i]give[/i] it to her..." He started, wanting to make sure that Faye understood at once that it wasn't his fault. "But...you can't just say no to-"

"To any threats she makes if you didn't hand the file over to her?" Faye finished in a cold tone. She now had a good idea as to took her files now. Dammit, what did her counterpart DO?! She then stated "Dr. Hopper, The mayor doesn't have the right to have my psychological files unless she had a warrant,"

"I-she-but-" There was no way that Dr. Hopper could finish any of those sentences, and instead found himself holding his head in his hands in embarassment. "Your right, but she would have gotten a warrent anyway..." He mumbled a bit, unable to look at Faye. "I'm sure it's nothing bad, she'll probably return them this afternoon..."

Faye crossed her arms and as he tried to start a sentence he could finish, only to hold his head in his hands and agree with her. When he made his last sentences, she retorted "Get a warrant for what? And I highly doubt that, this may be very bad news," 

She shook her head at Dr. Hopper, and said as she stood up, getting ready to leave, "Also. Could you please keep our meetings confidential. That means not even telling the mayor," 

"I-uh, of course, D-Dr. Stevenson. Today's session was not logged, no one will know." He assured her, attempting to get his professionalism back into his voice without much sucess. He continued to look at her, an almost pleading look in his already apologetic eyes. "I'm so, so sorry Dr. Stevenson, the mayor...she's a very powerful woman..."

Dr. Stevenson nodded at his apology, but she continued sternly "Quite frankly, I don't care how powerful the mayor is," She then stated, giving Hopper some advice of her own, "You're a doctor! You have some power yourself. Do what you think is right, not what the mayor says. She's a mayor, not a Queen," 

She then greeted politely and professionally, "I hope you have a nice day, Dr. Hopper. I'll see you next week," She then started heading out of the office. 

Dr. Hopper had no reply, only shame continuing to rise at the truthfullness of the doctors words. He waved a pitiful goodbye, and watched her leave his office.