The Therapist

by Kelly Holm

  was young. It had been years since she thought about Leo. She wondered what he was doing now, what his life was like.

  As she continued down Santa Monica Boulevard for her showing appointment, traffic was heavy. When the car in front of her put the brake lights on, she followed suit. While she was waiting for the light to change, she watched as the black Charger made a left turn towards the park and library.

  Larisa closed her eyes and took a deep breath; the day had started out very stressful, but so far, no panic attack. She quickly went over her selling points as she maneuvered through the heavy traffic. I sure hope this traffic doesn’t make me late, she thought as she pulled up to the light. As she was waiting for the light to change, her mind drifted back to the past, and the last time she saw her brother Leo.

  It was the winter of 1992, and Leo was home for Christmas. She hadn’t seen him in months and was so excited to see him. He was only back for the day, but she didn’t mind, she was just happy he was there.

  “Leo, come here I want to show you something,” she said, as she motioned for him to follow her into the next room so her father wouldn’t see what she was showing him. Once they were alone, she pulled her hair to one side to reveal a small color tattoo of two little pink daisies with yellow centers on the back of her neck.

  “Holy shit, when did you get this?”

  “Isn’t it awesome? I went to that place over in Rockville, Lucky Tat, and got it.”

  “Well, it’s definitely good work. I love the way it looks like it’s coming right off your neck. It looks real,” he said, as he admired the tattoo. “What did dad say about it?”

  “Are you kidding, I didn’t tell him, he’d kill me. Promise me you won’t tell him about it.”

  Don’t you think he’ll notice it? He’s going to shit when he does; you know how he feels about tattoos, especially on women.”

  “That’s exactly why I’m not telling him, besides; he’s almost always drunk when he’s home so I doubt he’ll ever notice.”

  “Is his drinking getting pretty bad?”

  “He goes to the bar every night after dinner, and doesn’t come home until the wee hours.”

  “I had no idea.”

  “Don’t worry, it’s not that bad. I usually have homework to do anyway.”

  “He doesn’t try and… ya know, he doesn’t try and… touch you, you know… sexually does he?” It was difficult for Leo to

  ask her that, but he had to make sure she was safe.

  “God, no! He’s just having a hard time without Mama. He’s so sad and lonely. I feel bad for him.”

  That was Daisy, always thinking about the other person. It was something Leo really admired about her.

  “If he ever tries anything, I want you to run, and you call me immediately. I’ll come and teach him a lesson, understand?”

  “Sure, but he would never do anything like that.”

  “Booze makes people do things they ordinarily wouldn’t. I just want you to be safe. Promise me, you will tell me if he tries anything like that.”

  “Ok, I promise. Guess what?”

  “What?”

  “I have a date on Friday night.”

  “Really, who’s the lucky fella?”

  “Kurt Nettle, captain of the football team,” she said with pride.

  “That’s great Daisy, I’m really happy for you. Is this Kurt a nice guy?”

  “Of course,” she replied as she rolled her eyes at Leo.

  “Good. You have to be careful, Daisy. You’re a beautiful girl, you look just like Mama, and the boys are going to notice you. Make sure you never do anything with them that you don’t want to do. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

  “Oh, Leo, you’re always trying to protect me. I’m all grown up now, I’m almost eighteen years old, and I can take care of myself.”

  “Have you decided what you’re going to do when you graduate this spring?”

  “I’ve been thinking about it, but I haven’t decided on anything. Daddy said there isn’t money to send me to college, but I’m not sure that’s the way I want to go anyway. I kind of want to see what’s out there before I decide on a career.”

  “Sounds like you’re working on it. Let me know if you need any advice or anything. Ya know if you decide down the road want to go to college; I can help you out. Don’t worry about the money part. I’ll take care of that.”

  Ringggggg, ringggggg, the ringing phone brought Larisa back to the present. She looked at the caller id, it was Molly. Unfortunately, the light just turned, and cars were starting to move, so she let the call go to voicemail. She made a mental note to check to see what she wanted when she got to her destination.

  Larisa’s showing and listing appointments went better then she had hoped. She now had two more homes to list, and she had an excellent offer for Mrs. Roth that she was sure would be accepted. It had been a long day, and Larisa was ready to go home and relax.

  When she got home, she checked her computer to see if she could find any current contact information on Leo. She typed in his name and found fourteen Leo Mills in California, four of them in Sacramento. She started clicking on the links, but none of them looked like Leo. Then it dawned on her, she might not

  recognize him if she saw him.

  She tried typing in Sacramento Sequoia. She found a couple of old links that dated back to the early ‘90s, but there didn’t seem to be anything current. She tried social media, but again, nothing. She had no idea where he might be living. She wondered if he had gone back to Freyhill or maybe Rockville, but he always said he wanted to live in the city, said he wasn’t a country boy at heart.

  What if I type in Leo Mills 2019? She wondered, bingo. This time a link came up, but she didn’t recognize the name it belonged to. She quickly clicked on the link and what she saw made her gasp.

  It was an engaging photo of a man and a woman, probably taken by a professional photographer judging by the way they were posed and dressed, she thought. As she took a closer look, she could tell the man in the photo was definitely her brother Leo, he looked a bit different then Larisa remembered, but it had been over twenty-five since she last saw him.

  Back in the ‘90s, his hair was short, and he was cleanly shaven. Since then, he’s grown his hair long and wears it pulled back in a pony, has a short beard and a long goatee. He still looked pretty fit, although she could only see him from the chest up in the photo.

  As she was thinking about Leo, she noticed the woman next to him in the photo. She looks familiar, but where do I know her from? She studied the picture, and suddenly it hit her, this wasn’t just any woman. Holy shit, that’s the nice nurse that helped me deliver the baby all those years ago! She wondered how long

  the nurse and Leo had been together, and if the nurse ever told Leo about her secret. Her mind was racing.

  Suddenly she started gasping for air; she was having a terrible panic attack. She couldn’t catch her breath, no matter what she tried. Larisa quickly ran to her purse to get the bottle of pills that Dr. Thorton promised would take care of it. She opened the bottle, pulled out a pill, and quickly swallowed it with a slam of water.

  This attack was the worst one yet, and she was scared. What if they continue to get worse, what then, she wondered. As she waited for the pill to do its magic work, she put her head down on the sofa and closed her eyes. She tried everything she could think of to calm down, but nothing was working, not even yoga breathing.

  Once the attack subsided, she remembered that she ran out on her appointment earlier that day and decided to send a text to Dr. Thorton to reschedule for later that week. Larisa felt bad about leaving, but she thought she had no other choice; she had to save that deal. Now, more than ever, she wants to get these attacks under control; this last one was very severe, and they seem to be getting worse. This is getting too risky, the next one might come when I’m with a client, and that could end my career, she thought.

  Chapter 13

  Leo thoug
ht about his lunch with Mila the whole drive back to Rockville. He felt horrible the way it was left, but what could he do, Mila walked out and drove away. It was a tricky situation, him not being her father, but he knew it was his responsibility to protect her now that Krystal was gone.

  As Leo got closer to Rockville, he wondered what Maggie was going to tell him. He felt like he was on an emotional rollercoaster; he wanted to grieve for Krystal, but after Maggie mentioned that Dr. Blackmore might be responsible for her death, all he can feel is hatred for Dr. Blackmore. He worried about what he might do if he finds out that Dr. Blackmore actually was responsible for Krystal’s death.

  As he drove into Rockville, he noticed Myrtle Plumbing, the town’s only homeless person, pushing her shopping cart along County Route 48. Leo felt sorry for her, he remembered her from high school. When she was young, she was quite the looker. She married her high school sweetheart, had three beautiful children, and had what most believed to be an enchanted life.

  Then one-night Myrtle’s husband took the three children for ice cream, and on their way home, their car was hit by a car of teenagers drunk on blackberry brandy. Her husband and all three children died at the scene. Myrtle was never the same; afterward, the grief caused her to lose her mind, and now she is homeless and lives out of a shopping cart from Jasper’s Grocery store.

  Leo wondered if she would ever be able to get over her grief and move on, or if she was just destined for a life alone and homeless. He looked at his watch; it was 3:00 p.m., still early enough to pay Maggie a visit, so he drove past his street and went directly to Maggie’s house on the other side of town.

  As Leo pulled in front of Maggie’s house, a two-story craftsman that looked like it had seen much better days, he paused. He wasn’t sure he was ready for what she might tell him. The crazy thoughts were running rampant. Before Leo turned the car off, he realized he should have stopped and picked up some flowers or something, so he quickly drove over to the convenience store on the corner, and picked out a beautiful bouquet of colorful Gerbera daisies and sunflowers.

  When he got back to Maggie’s, Leo still wasn’t sure he wanted to hear what she had to say, but he knew he needed to. He had to find out if Krystal’s death was intentional. Leo walked up to the door and knocked; when no one answered, he wondered if he should have called first. It didn’t appear that there was anyone home, but moments later, a petite young nurse with short black hair came to the door.

  “May I help you?” she asked politely.

  “I’m Leo Mills; I’m here to see Maggie.”

  “Is that Leo?” Maggie yelled from the background.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Show him in, please.”

  “Please, come in.”

  Leo followed the young nurse to a room on the first floor. As he was walking through, he noticed an old photo of Maggie and Krystal standing arm in arm laughing. He remembered taking the photo several years ago when they were all hanging out at the lake.

  The house was beautiful inside, very different from the run-down look of the exterior. All the rooms were furnished with leather furniture and elegant fixtures, the walls were adorned with pictures of Maggie and her family, and there was the occasional drawing by Maggie’s youngest daughter, Elsa, framed next to the photos.

  As Leo walked into the room Maggie was in, she immediately noticed the flowers, and her eyes lit up.

  “Are those for me?”

  “Yes, I hope you’re feeling better.”

  “I am now. I’m so glad to see you.”

  “Would you please put these beautiful flowers in some water? Thank you.” Maggie asked the nurse. She waited a minute while the nurse walked into the other room before she started talking.

  “Is she out of hearing range?” Leo walked over to the doorway and peeked out.

  “Ya, she’s way back in the kitchen.”

  “Good.”

  “How are you doing?”

  “A little better each day, but man, it’s rough. I have no energy, and these damn stitches are driving me mad, they itch like crazy.”

  “Are you still trying to figure out what happened?” Leo asked.

  “Ya, but it’s beginning to feel like a lost cause.”

  “Why do you say that?” Leo asked as he pulled a chair closer to her bedside.

  “I can’t get access to my medical records, and besides, I have a feeling that even if I could, I wouldn’t find anything. This doctor is so slippery… but hey, enough of my complaining, how did your lunch with Mila go? Were you able to find out anything else about Dr. Blackmore?”

  “My lunch with Mila, well, I think I crashed and burned,” he said, as he closed his eyes and bowed his head.

  “Oh, no, that doesn’t sound good. What happened?”

  “I told her that her mother and I think that Dr. Blackmore is a bad person; and that Krystal was very concerned when she

  found out that Mila was working with him. It got ugly, and Mila felt like I was overstepping and acting like her father.”

  “Yikes, how did you leave it?”

  “She walked out of the restaurant, got in her car, and took off. I haven’t heard from her since. I tried calling her, but it always just goes to voicemail.”

  “Give her some time; I’m sure she’ll come around.”

  “Maybe, but now I know she’s working with Dr. Blackmore. I’m just not sure how deep she’s in.”

  “Hopefully not too deep, well, I mean, if what Krystal and I found out turns out to be true, I really hope that Mila isn’t too involved.”

  “Why didn’t I know that you two were investigating this guy? Krystal always told me everything.”

  “She wanted to tell you so badly, but she was afraid that something could happen to you if this thing went south like it did. Don’t be upset with her, she loved you so much; she was just protecting you. If it means anything, I didn’t tell Dave either.”

  “What did the two of you find out?”

  “It looks like Dr. Blackmore is using Freyhill Hospital to perform late-night surgeries.”

  “Why is that bad?”

  “Well for starters, he isn’t licensed to operate, and the patients aren’t registered with the hospital… ever.”

  “What kind of surgery is he doing? I wasn’t aware that psychiatrists performed surgery.”

  “They don’t. We never figured out exactly what type of surgery Dr. Blackmore was doing, but the main takeaway is that he isn’t a licensed surgeon. So, no matter what kind of surgery it is, it’s still illegal.”

  “What did you mean when you said that the patients were not registered with the hospital?”

  “The patients were never checked in or out, there’s no record that they were ever there.”

  “Really…wait a minute, how did you two find out all of this?”

  “It all started when Nurse Barron asked Krystal if she could spare one of her nurses for a few days. She said she needed help getting all the patients transferred from the eighth floor to the tenth floor. They are doing some major remodeling, and it was in the patient’s best interest to relocate them. So anyway, Krystal loaned out Ashley.”

  “Are we talking about Nurse Barron, your new boss?”

  “Ya, she used to be in charge of the eighth floor, and then when Krystal passed, she was transferred to maternity.”

  “Interesting, isn’t she also Dr. Blackmore’s assistant?”

  “I’m not sure about that, but she is a surgical nurse. I never really understood why she came to maternity.”

  “What’s on the eighth floor?”

  “Eighth floor is general surgery.”

  “Why was Dr. Blackmore even working on that floor?”

  “That was what we were trying to figure out. So anyway, one night, we were working the night shift, and Krystal got a call from Ashley asking if she could come up and help her with something.

  “Ashley told Krystal that two EMT’s brought a patient up, and when she told them that they
need to take the patient down to the emergency room on the first floor, Dr. Blackmore walked up and told the EMT’s to just bring the patient into the operating room. About an hour later, two men dressed in black suits showed up and walked directly into the operating room. When they came out about fifteen minutes later, they were carrying a large black box.

  “Minutes later, the patient was wheeled out and taken

  somewhere. Ashley assumed that the patient was taken to the recovery area on the tenth floor, but when she went to check on him a while later, she was shocked to see that the patient was nowhere in sight.”

  “Holy shit, what happened to him?”

  “We don’t know. Ashley said that she searched the entire tenth floor looking for the patient, but couldn’t find him. She even checked on the eighth floor, just in case, but it was like the patient just disappeared right after surgery. She was afraid to ask Dr. Blackmore or Nurse Barron about it because she didn’t want to risk losing her job.”

  “What the hell is going on over there?” Leo could hardly believe what he was hearing.

  “Krystal asked Ashley if she had seen Dr. Blackmore perform surgeries any other times while she was helping out up there. Ashley said that she hadn’t, but on her first night up there, she remembers seeing the same two EMT’s bringing in a patient and thought it was strange. She said when she asked Nurse Barron about it, she was immediately told it was not her concern.”

  “Interesting; so, he’s apparently got some sort of scam going on. But, hey, what was in the black box?” Leo asked.

  “The black box?”

  “Ya, the black box they carried out of the operating room.”

  “We don’t know. Krystal asked Ashley if she had seen anything else that seemed strange, and then Ashley told her about the EMT’s that brought all the patients in.”

  “What about the EMT’s?”

  “It’s the same two EMT’s every time, but here’s the kicker, neither of the EMT’s were from the Freyhill or Rockville Fire Department.”

  “I don’t understand; why does that matter?”

  “Well, usually most of the patients that are brought in by

  EMT’s are from the area, and so it’s usually the guys from either Freyhill or Rockville. It’s pretty rare that we would see other EMT’s.”