Day Twenty-Three < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Twenty-Five

The Appointment, Part 2

In the laboratory, the doctor ran some tests on the samples he'd taken, a puzzled look on his face. He then wrote a bunch of things on the clipboard, sighed, and headed back into the room where Jaz was.

"I'm afraid I'll have to do one last test. The previous ones were all inconclusive, so we need to pull out the 'big ones'" he said with a smile, and motioned for Jaz to follow him.

("Big ones??!!" - what does THAT mean??) Jazmyn wondered in fear, and followed him as quickly as possible.

He instructed her to go stand in a big scary looking machine, and went to dim the lights.

"Now, stand still, Miss Jazmyn." he instructed, and the machine's rings started whirring and moving around her. The doctor muttered to himself, and poked at the computer in front of him.

Eventually, he finished whatever he was doing, the rings stopped moving, and he began looking at some images on a screen on the wall. He nodded and mutters to himself some more, then motioned for Jazmyn to follow him once again.

He left her back in the first room, and disappeared into his office again, again without bothering to explain what was going on.

In the office, I find him browsing the web for a while, then began updating Jaz's records, shaking his head at the lack of past information. Finally, coming to a conclusion, he went to get a little red cup and put some pills in it, and took it and the clipboard back to where Jaz waited.

"Well, Miss Jaz... I can't find anything wrong with you. Other than the rash you had when you got here, that is. You seem to have calmed down, but I think it was mostly because you were so worried and upset. Are you sure you have problems going to the bathroom?"

Jaz looked at him, slightly bemused at the way he ignored whatever she said. "I can GO just fine." She said again, more firmly this time. "I just can't do it with someone else there."

"Oh. Certainly, that is a problem." the Dr. replied, then leaned over and patted her on the shoulder. "Well, here, Jaz, take these pills - the nurse will get you some water - this will help you calm down."

The nurse came in, got the water, and then the doctor had to explain HOW to take the pills. Eventually, Jaz managed to choke the small pills down, grimacing at the bad taste.

"Okay, now, is your mother in the waiting room?" he asked (seemingly without needing an answer, because he pointed at the door.)

Muttering to herself with annoyance, Jaz walked out ahead of the Dr., unable to stop herself from giving him a nasty look that he couldn't see as she walked out of the room.

The doctor headed to the waiting room, while the nurse took her to a small bathroom, and gave her back her clothes, instructing her to get dressed again.

After she changed, the woman came back and led her out to the waiting room where Dr. Winn was deep in conversation with Marnie.

(Please forgive these photos, I realize it's dark outside when it shouldn't be, but the photo shoot took far longer than it should have, and I wasn't paying attention to the actual light outside by the time I finally got the pics I needed. Pretend it's still daytime...)

Out in the waiting room, the doctor identified which parent was the right one, and walked over to Marnie.

"Good news, Mrs. Malone. There's nothing wrong with Jazmyn that a few tranquillizers won't fix." he announced, after sitting next to her.

"Wait. What?" she replied, confused.

"I'm afraid her problem with going to the bathroom is all in her head. There's nothing physically wrong with her other than the panic attack and rash she had at the beginning of the appointment." the doctor explained.

"WHAT?!!? What on earth does that mean? And what am I supposed to tell the school now. They're going to suspend her!" Marnie blew up at the doctor.

"Let me rephrase. We're referring Jazmyn to a local therapist. They should be able to get to the bottom of this. I checked your insurance, and it should pay for the first few visits just fine. After that, it will be up to you and your husband, though." the doctor said, watching as Jazmyn walked back into the room and found a chair in the kid's play area.

Jaz sat down, feeling a little woozy and dizzy. She wondered what those pills had been, and why they'd made her feel worse when they were supposed to make her feel better. She watched Dr. Winn and her mother chatting, wondering why Marnie looked so angry, but then shrugged to herself and tried to wait patiently.

"I'll explain the situation to Jazmyn myself, Mrs. Malone. Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of this problem, and I'll make sure she's not suspended so long as she gets the treatment she needs." he stood up, walked towards Jazmyn, and motioned her towards a pair of empty chairs.

Marnie was left fuming. How dare that doctor tell her there was something wrong in Jazmyn's head. How could nothing be wrong physically?? And if it WAS in her head, how were they supposed to fix it without paying out the rear with money they don't have. She, not thinking about people possibly watching, went and took out her aggression on a stuffed animal, trusting that the Dr. would tell Jazmyn what was going on without her help.

Jaz sat down across from the doctor, and waited impatiently for him to speak.

"You, young lady, need to stop being so stubborn. Going to the bathroom is perfectly natural, and everyone does it. Who else is there doesn't matter. I'll send you with a note for the school for missing today, but from now on, go to the bathroom in between classes or at lunch like everyone else!!"

Jaz looked at him incredulously for a moment, then finally lost her temper a little. "But I CAN'T!" she yelled, "Didn't you LISTEN?"

The doctor looked offended. "Of course I listened, Jazmyn. I don't think YOU listened. The problem is in your head. We're sending you to a therapist to help you figure this out. I was just telling you that, until it's figured out, you'll just have to go when you can, like everyone else does.

"A… thera…what?" Jaz asked, suddenly terrified through the haze that had settled over her head.

"A doctor that treats mental illnesses. A THER-A-PIST" the doctor explained. "They'll help you figure this out. However, I have other appointments. We're done here. Congratulations on your clean bill of health." He stood up, convinced he'd done the right thing, and walked out of the room with a self-satisfied air. One more patient seen to.

Seething.. and very, very dizzy, Jaz followed Marnie back to the bus, and remained stubbornly quiet the entire trip back to Magnolia Promenade. To be fair, Marnie wasn't talking either…. at least, not to her. She kept muttering angrily to herself, but she wasn't talking loud enough to be understood by anyone else.

They got back to the store, and Jaz hurried upstairs to get away from Marnie, immediately hiding away in her room, playing absently with the science table.

Myles ran out, and gave his mother a big hug. "I missed you!" he cried.

"I have great news, sweetie!" Marnie said, her whole face lighting up. "Thursday, you get to meet some new friends. Mrs. Goth and Alexander will meet us at Willow Creek Library for a play date. How fun is that??"

Myles looked at her, startled. Of course he knew who Alexander Goth was. Everyone did. He was probably the smartest kid in his grade at school…. and how on EARTH had Marnie gotten the Goths to spend time with the MALONES?!

Marnie, still in her own world, didn't notice Myles' expression, and sighed, heading upstairs to tell Bennie the news. (More money needed. Great.)

Bennie went from being in a good mood because his eldest son had come home with all of his grades improved to at least passing and playing his new guitar… to seeing red again. Not only had the appointment not figured what was wrong with that child, they now had to take Jazmyn to a "shrink". "First few appointments paid for" - his left foot. He couldn't pay bills as it was…. how was he going to pay to get Jaz's head examined?? Bennie walked away from Marnie, tuning out whatever she was saying about meeting Bella Goth (right. like a Goth would talk to a Malone.) .. and going to take a shower before heading to bed. He had some thinking to do.

Myles bragged to his brother about getting to actually meet Alexander Goth, but Phoenix apparently didn't care, so Myles just got quiet instead. They both played a bit on the monkey bars before bed, mostly ignoring each other.

Jaz was outside. playing chess quietly in the light of the streetlights when Colin came around the corner. "I missed you at school today. Can I join you?" he asked.

"Of course, you can." Jaz mumbled.

"So…? How'd it go at the doc's?" Colin asked.

"I really don't know." Jaz said. "Dr. Winn said I was fine, but told me I have to see someone called a Therapist."

"Oh. Really? At least nothing's wrong. Therapists are cool. I see one, to help me handle my parent's divorce. Maybe you'll get the one I have. She's really nice." Colin sighed, glad his friend was going to be okay, and completely unconcerned about the news of the therapist.

("Wait. Colin seems to think it's no big deal?? .. Maybe it isn't a bad thing, then?") Jaz thought to herself, and finally, a smile broke across her face. "We still have club meeting on Saturday, right?" she asked.

"Of course!" Colin replied, cheerfully. "I don't know about you, but I can't wait. Especially after last week's got interrupted by that awful storm!"

"You bet. Now, let's play!" Jaz didn't bother to mention the pills or the dizziness she was feeling, and they both set up a new game carefully. She lost the game, of course, because she couldn't think right for some reason… but it was fun to play with Colin, anyway. Checking the clock on the store wall through the window, Jaz sighed, waved goodbye to her friend and headed in to go to bed. Maybe she could avoid everyone else in the house on her way in?? .. It had been a long day.. and didn't want to deal with her family right now.

Day Twenty-Three < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Twenty-Five