Flight treatment

“I have good news and bad news.”

“Ugh. That’s so cliche. Do you actually have good news and bad news for me?”

“I do.”

“Because if you don’t, that’s just, like, really annoying that you would say that. You know?”

“Well, I do.”

“Right, but, a doctor saying they have good news and bad news for you, it’s just been played out. You know?”

Dr. James nods, struggling to suppress an eye roll. She looks down at her clipboard, holding one page up to peer at the page underneath.

“Wow. That whole clipboard thing you’re doing right now? Also very cliche. Looking at my chart while you should be looking at me, the patient, the person you supposedly have good and bad news for.”

Dr. James sighs and hugs the clipboard to her chest as she watches her patient’s feet swing back and forth and gently bump the side of the exam table. She doesn’t even attempt a smile, and tries for an expression of patience.

Sondra sighs and stops swinging her feet. “I mean, that’s not much better. The old clipboard hug. At least you’re looking at me and not my chart though. There’s probably not even any real information about me in that chart is there?”

“I can assure you, there is real information in your chart.”

Dr. James waits for another retort from Sondra, but none seems to be coming as the patient is busy picking at her cuticles. She steels herself to deliver the news that needs delivering. She remembers now why she chose a general practice and not pediatrics. Kids aren’t her favorite. The problem is patients, teenagers, like Sondra who are old enough to be seen at her practice without an adult, but who are mentally and emotionally a long way from being adults.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like a parent here with you?”

Sondra looks up sharply with a stoney glare fixed on her face.

Dr. James’ mind whirs into high speed. She’s only seen Sondra one other time. They don’t have a long history together. It’s not like some of her regular patients whose details she knows front to back. She should have actually read the chart rather than doing that phony flip-up-the-page move.

“My parents are dead.”

“Of course. Right. I’m so sorry.”

How could she have forgotten that? One of the most high profile cases in the last year. Head-on collision. No survivors, but still suspicious circumstances given Sondra’s family’s wealth. And their rare ability to fly. 

Only 5% of the population can still fly. It’s not entirely clear how the trait is inherited and why it’s passed on through some family lines but not others.

But Sondra’s parents were among the rare, elite group of citizens who could fly. And so is Sondra. Or, at least she was. 

“Is there another guardian you’d like to have here?”

“I’m my own guardian.”

“Another relative? A friend maybe?”

Sondra looks back down at her fingers and resumes picking away.

“Just get on with it already. This was just a wellness check and I feel totally fine. The bad news can’t be all that bad. And you even said there’s good news too. I’m sure it will balance out. So just tell me. I can handle it.”

Dr. James takes an audible deep breath. She doesn’t care what Sondra thinks of it, she needs to calm her nerves after making that monumental mistake. And she still has the news to deliver.

“You’re losing your ability to fly.”

Sondra looks up sharply again, this time a look of shock and horror on her face. But she seems to reconsider her initial reaction as her face relaxes.

“No I’m not. I just flew this morning. It was fine. I was fine.”

“I believe you, but I also believe your test results. Your flight skills are diminishing at an alarming rate.”

Sondra softens a bit, her hard edge fading away as she realizes this doctor might be someone she needs, someone who can help her.

“So what’s the good news then? You have a treatment? A cure?”

“A treatment, yes. But not a cure.”

“So…”

“So you’ll never have the flight skills you once had. But if we begin treatment immediately, we should be able to slow the depreciation process. Maybe even halt it completely.”

“Ok. But, like, I didn’t even notice anything was different. So, if I start the treatment right away, nothing will change right? Like you said, we’ll halt it. I won’t get any worse. And since I’m fine, I’ll just stay the same.”

“How long did you fly this morning, Sondra? And how high?”

“What? I don’t know. Just a few minutes I guess. Maybe 100 feet off the ground. Why does that matter?”

“Have you flown for longer than that recently? Or higher?”

“What? Maybe. No… I don’t know. I don’t, like, keep a record of every time I fly.”

“You should start.”

Sondra just stares, a look of disbelief on her face.

“My point is that maybe you haven’t truly tested your abilities in a while and so you may not have noticed that you can’t fly for as long or as high as you once could.”

Sondra takes this in. She’s slowly accepting this information, incorporating it into her reality.

“We can start treatment right away. I would encourage you to start a log of all your flights. Don’t try to go for too much too quickly. Work your way back up to longer and higher flights. It’s like exercising any muscle. You want to build up slowly.”

Sondra seems truly worried now. Worried that what has made her special her whole life might be slipping away.

“But won’t my skills just continue to fade? I mean, if I don’t test them, don’t use them, how do I know how bad it really is?”

“I have a friend, a specialist who helped me analyze your test results. He can help us determine what your skill level should be based on your health records.”

“So what’s this treatment?”

“It’s just medicine, really. You’ll have to go to a special clinic for it. Dr. Theo, the specialist, he’ll help us determine the appropriate dosage and frequency.”

“When do I meet this Dr. Theo? I feel like he’ll have more answers than you.”

“He will.”

Dr. James checks her watch.

“He’ll be arriving any minute. Why don’t we go meet him?”

Dr. James moves to the door.

“Meet him? Why wouldn’t he just come in here? Or into your office? This exam room is a bit cramped.”

Sondra’s confidence and skepticism begin to creep back in. Dr. James takes this as a good sign and holds the exam room door open while Sondra hops down from the exam table. Although, she doesn’t hop all the way down to the floor. Instead, she hovers a few inches above the tiles, proving that she is just fine, all her flight skills intact. She glides past Dr. James, a proud smirk on her face.

Together, Dr. James and Sondra move out to the back of the office building, to the parking lot. Sondra open her mouth to complain, to point out that Dr. Theo is nowhere in sight when he soars into view.

Dr. Theo flies in faster than anyone Sondra has ever seen and lands perfectly, gently, just a few feet away from them. Not only is he the best flier she’s ever seen, he looks to be just a few years older than her and the most handsome man she’s ever met.

Dr. James notices the genuine smile that has appeared on Sondra’s face. The one she can’t seem to wipe away. 

“I think I can handle this treatment.”

“Good. I thought so.”

“I think you misspoke, Dr. James. This was bad news, good news, more good news.”