Doctor Visit

Tak sat on the hood of his car, and continued to talk on his phone. He seemed animated, but I wasn't able to really hear what he was saying; not that it was my business anyway.

He spoke for a few minutes, then came and started the car when the call ended.

"There's a slight change in plan," he said. "We will definitely see the doctor, first, but after that it's going to be a bit in the air. Lain, do you have a driver's license?"

"No, I wasn't able to get one," I replied.

"Do you have your social security card? Or birth certificate?"

"I don't think I have either," I replied. "I don't think that my parents would have held onto it, being honest with you."

"That's problematic," he sighed.

"What's up?" I asked, nervously.

"So, I guess it works out, because you're not using insurance," he said, thinking. "But for the rest, it's not."

"What rest?"

"Let's get through the doctor first," he said cryptically. He took my hand and held it on my thigh. "I know you don't like being kept in the dark, I'm sorry, really I am. Let's just get your note and get that out of the way."

"All right," I said slowly. We drove in silence for a while, entering the city. He pulled up his navigation and we drove another twenty minutes until we arrived at an old farm-style house. It stuck out like a sore thumb with the modern office buildings around it.

"This is it," he said, getting out and opening my door. Walking inside, it was more comfortable than anything, with couches and plush chairs as opposed to hard backed seats. I gave what little information I could to the nice receptionist, and received an absolute pile of paper in return. I sat down, and began working my way through it as quickly as I could.

When I was almost finished, the nurse called me back to sit in a room. I turned to Tak.

"Come with me, please?"

He hesitated. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," I said. "I don't want to be in there alone."

The doctor was nice, albeit a bit hands on. I didn't react well to her examination of my knee, but I knew that she had a job to do. She said that I had a torn meniscus, and that I needed ice, crutches, an elastic bandage. Tak listened intently to her instructions, but I was more worried about the bill, listening to everything she listed off.

When we went into the waiting room, I stood by the receptionist's desk until Tak pulled me away gently. "Grandad already paid," he said. "I said don't worry about it. Let's just get you some crutches."

It took going to three different stores, but Tak was able to remember everything that we needed for my knee, he ended up filling his trunk with medical supplies of one kind or another. I waited patiently until he had loaded everything and started the car again.

"So, what's the problem?" I asked directly, feeling the ball of anxiety return to stay in my stomach.

Tak turned on the windshield wipers as a little burst of rain began, pelting the car like tiny mallets.

"When we go back, there's going to be an officer there to speak with you," he said, slowly. "He's just there to make sure you're not being held against your will, that you're safe, and not being coerced. I guess, when I called your work, they kept the number somewhere, and they were asked for it. That phone call when we left the house was the police department, I invited them out to speak to you for themselves. Your parents must have opened a missing persons case when you didn't respond."

I felt my chest squeeze, and I found it hard to breathe against the pressure.

"Hey," he said softly, turning in his seat and taking my hands. "This isn't a bad thing. You just talk to the officer and tell him that you're just getting away from them. You'll be asked a few questions, but their job is to make sure you're safe."

"Like they've done an amazing job of doing so far!" I shot back, tears welling through no matter hard I tried to stop them.

He hesitated. "Nothing bad is going to happen this time. I'll be here."

"What if they take me back?" I asked.

"How are they going to take you back?" he responded, puzzled. "You're an adult, you're of sound mind. You're not being held against your will. If they ask you to come to the station, just decline. Tell them not to let your parents know where you are...that's your right. They'll report back to your parents that you're safe, not wanting to be found or contacted, and close the report."

"You sound very confident," I said, wiping my face.

"I know for a fact," he said seriously. "We had to learn a lot of boundaries when Grandad was getting established, for many things."

"Boundaries? Established?"

Tak sat silent for a few moments, staring out the window behind me. "Get through today," he said, finally. "Get through today, and I'll tell you everything. It's earlier than Grandad wanted, but-" he cleared his throat. "You're not the only one dying inside from waiting for the other shoe to drop."

"Is it that earth shattering?" I asked, getting worried.

"It's a little bit out of general expectations," he grinned ruefully. "I think that you'll be surprised, honestly, but I don't think it'll change anything between us." He leaned forward. "I'm praying it doesn't."