Chapter 24: A Year Fit Into Six Months

The Study, Rawsone Residence, Denver, Colorado....

Paperwork seemed to pile up out of nowhere as Hadrian Rawsone sat at his desk in his home office staring at the files on his new list of patients. The cup of coffee had done him a world of good as it sat beside him but was nearly cold by the time he got through the fifth file. Fortunately for him, his dutiful wife had sensed that he'd been in need of a fresh cup and knocked on the outer door to get his attention. He smiled when she entered, ever since he returned spending as much time with her as possible had been his main goal and as a result he took to working from home when he could for a while and only went into the office when he needed to to a consultation or to see a patient for a one on one session.

Julia seemed happy enough to have him in and around the house. It did wonders for her anxiety to know he'd be close by. There was still some adjusting to get use to as his disappearance had disrupted the course of their lives thus far. The girls remained in the dark about it as they were far too busy to involve and still adjusting to their new lives in college. Jasper and Ann came over on occasion, but allowed the couple to spend a good deal of time together in private.

Hadrian looked down at the stack of files in alphabetical order that were piled on his desk. He set to work sorting through them trying to better assess his number of current patients vs. his number of old patients who's files he still had at his home office. Julia put the hot mug onto the coaster that lined his desk and took up the old one.

"Thanks." said Hadrian sorting until he got to names that started with the letter B.

"That's some stack of files." said Julia noting his seemingly heavy workload. "Any chance most of them are past patients?"

"Possibly." replied Hadrian taking up his mug and looking at his wife. "But I've been gone awhile so there is no telling how much work I have to catch up on."

He smiled noticing that the mug was an old one bought for him by his twin daughters in celebration of a bygone Father's Day.

Julia seemed disappointed to hear this but put on a brave face none the less. Hadrian sensed her sadness and took a sip of his coffee before placing it back on the coaster on his desk and gently pulled his wife toward him after taking her by the hand.

"I love you." he said meeting her curious gaze as she landed in his lap.

"I love you too." she replied before treating him to a heated kiss.

Hadrian took in the scent of her perfume and closed his eyes. He had missed that scent in his absence and then some. It also occurred to him that she only wore it on special occasions and of course whenever they had a date night of sorts. A sure fire sign she wanted his attention in more than one way if any there was, but the recent incident ensured that would not be possible...at least for the time being. Knowing all too well what she'd been after, Hadrian pretended that he had not known what she was in desperate need to hint to him and turned his attention back to the numerous files on his desk.

Julia took the apparent hint and climbed off his lap and headed toward the door. Once more she hid her disappointment. Sadly, it wasn't in the least well enough to actually fool her husband.

"Don't work too hard." she said as more of a warning. "Save some time for me."

Hadrian nodded in agreement still pretending to be oblivious to what she wanted from him and took his time sifting through the files that lined his desk. He was once more staring at the files of patients past and present who's surnames started with the letter B.

"Bailey...Baker..." read Hadrian as he sifted through the files. He reached for his cup of coffee and accidently knocked over much of the pile before taking note of a file with the name "Bortnik" on the side. "Bortnik, Ivan Alexei."

After taking a drink from his mug, Hadrian focused on the file as the familiarity of the name had not been lost on him.

"Alexei Ivan Bortnik." he read intently. "Aged fourteen years and six months."

According to the file, Alexei Bortnik was only fourteen years old when he became his temporary patient at Cedar Pine Mental Care Facility. It was a place Hadrian himself had not been too fond of and disliked upon his initial arrival. He recalled Alexei being small for his age and malnourished to the point of his bones showing through his milky pale flesh. He looked more like a life sized doll than a boy as he huddled in the corner of the recreation room with his back pressed against a nearby wall and his pale blue eyes fixated upon the distant door.

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The Recreational Room, Cedar Pine Mental Care Facility....

The conditions at CPMC were enough to make Dr. Hadrian Rawsone's skin crawl as he moved swiftly through the hospital in a bid to get to his newest patient. He had volunteered to fill in for a colleague whom had gone off to get married, but this new arrival was much too delicate a situation to leave until the return. Hadrian had only agreed despite planning a trip of his own with his wife and daughters before they headed off to college due to the patient being a fourteen year old boy whom had showed psychological distress after the tragic deaths of his grandparents during a house fire. He was well aware that the old couple were the boy's only guardians and that he was quite the timid fellow when it came to socializing so much so that he was labeled a mute.

Hadrian made his way toward the back of the room, by passing a woman pacing the floors and moaning about a seeing music and humming an off key tone. There was a man huddled in the corner bemoaning his fear of spots and a young man staring at a wall with nothing in front of it as if it had been a television.

It wasn't a wonder that the boy was terrified after being placed in an establishment like this. The fire had happened so fast and there was no one to claim the boy so they simply put him in the mental hospital when he didn't speak and didn't seem capable of understanding what any of the rescuers had to say to him.

Hadrian was quite upset with the way this boy's case was handled, but kept it to himself for the most part. Alexei saw him approach and seemed curious as he'd never seen a man as tall as him nor had he seen anyone in such a fancy navy blue suit before. The fourteen year old had a blank expression filed across his face as Hadrian took a nearby seat at the table beside the wall where the boy sat with his back pressed against the wall.

Alexei took notice of his guest but didn't make a move toward him as if trying to figure out why he had a visitor. Hadrian was shocked at the terrible condition the boy was in, but remained calm as he attempted to get to know him.

"I am told your name is Alexei." he said in a strangely father-like tone. "My name is Dr. Rawsone and as it so happens I've been sent here to see about getting you well again."

Alexei barely acknowledged the rather one sided conversation. His attention was on the door on the opposite end of the room as it had been ever since he entered the rec room. Hadrian followed the boy's gaze and smirked knowing children as he did, he made a guess that the boy was fixated on that door due to it leading to the vending machines he passed on the way in.

"I wonder." said Hadrian once more drawing the boy's attention away from the door as he fished into his pockets.

Alexei seemed to be curious as to what he'd been after and kept his eyes on him.

Hadrian continued to fish through his pockets until he produced a chocolate candy bar nearly melted from the heat of being compressed in his attire, but still enough to get the attention of any hungry child.

While Alexei was fourteen he was still roughly a child in terms of development as if his genes were late getting the ball rolling. His small stature no doubt made him a target for bullies and angry adults alike to vent their frustrations out on.

Hadrian placed the candy bar on the table that was between them getting the boy's undivided attention.

"I'll wager that the food they serve here isn't exactly something a kid like you is fond of." said Hadrian with a smile. "So I'll tell you what, I'll give Alexei the candy bar if that is who you turn out to be then they'll be no worries, but you have to tell me if you are indeed Alexei Bortnik."

The fourteen year old looked at the candy bar. His stomach growled and his hands seemed to inch toward the table. He had not spoken a word since his grandparents were killed in the fire and had remained that way until this strange man showed up. As terrified as he was to speak in front of people he didn't know, he really wanted that candy bar.

"I-I'm Alexei." he said looking at the candy bar on the table with all of the angst a small dog would when looking at whatever food was in their owner's hand. "I'm Alexei Bortnik."

Hadrian passed the candy bar over to the boy with a smile on his face as he tore through the wrapper and began eating as if his life depended upon it.

"It's nice to meet you at last Alexei." he said still smiling. "I'm Doctor. Rawsone."

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The Study, Rawsone Residence, Denver, Colorado....

Hadrian Rawsone continued to look through the file he had on the boy Alexei Bortnik with a good deal of questions running through his mind. He apparently made a good deal of progress with the lad even getting him transferred to a better establishment with children his own age. Alexei seemed to grow comfortable in his presence and had even started drawing pictures for him. The progress he made with the boy was rapid, but steady in a sense that Hadrian knew exactly how to pace it. Alexei seemed at peace in the new place and even more so when he had taken him to a baseball game to celebrate his birthday.

The good doctor had been so engrossed in reading the file that he had not noticed his wife calling for him to come join her for dinner.

"Hadrian!" she said once more in frustration.

He looked up from the file he clutched in his hands and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm sorry..." he said closing it quickly before putting it back on his desk.

Julia looked over whom the name belonged to and shook her head.

"We are not going through this again." she said moving toward the door.

"Going through what?" asked Hadrian with an arched brow.

"The last time you dealt with that boy you were like a man obsessed and they had to remove you from his case because you were getting too personal with him." replied Julia with her arms folded across her chest.

"What are you talking about?" asked Hadrian unsure of what she meant.

"You're not his father Hadrian, as sad as his story was it was making you crazy dealing with him." added Julia. "They literally had to have you removed from his case and bar you from seeing him in a bid for you to get your life back on track....there is no way we are going down that road again abuse victim or not that boy has his own life to live now."

"Abuse victim?" said Hadrian attempting to recall what else he knew about the boy Alexei Bortnik.

"Anyway...dinner is ready and it's getting cold." said Julia changing the subject.

It was clear that she had not liked the fact that he was looking into his former patient especially one that he seemed to have been obsessed over.

"Just go ahead and start without me, I'll finish up here and be right down." said Hadrian turning his attention back to the file on his desk.

"No." insisted Julia as she folded her arms across his chest once again. "You are coming down to dinner now...those files can wait."

Hadrian sighed not at all hiding the fact that he was slightly annoyed with her at the moment.

"Julia I have work to do." he said narrowing his eyes at her.

"And you have dinner to eat." she insisted. "Those files can wait Hadrian, I will not be ignored yet again for the sake of your patients."

Knowing all too well that at this rate neither of them would have made it down to dinner, Hadrian conceded and got up from his desk to accompany his wife downstairs to the kitchen. He made a mental note to continue his research into the abused boy patient he had when Julia had gone to bed.

At least then he could finish his work in peace.