An Unexpected Doctor's Visit

Tick, tock. Tick tock. It was mocking me, I knew it was. Waiting, waiting, not so patiently waiting. What could my results have shown? Why did Dr. Roberts need to see me right away? I had rushed out of the office, into my car, through town, only to sit here and wait. Trying to take my mind off of the clock and my impending results, I took another look around the room. There were six other people here, a young man with a cast on his arm; an elderly lady knitting as she patiently waited, a mother with her toddler, constantly reminding her to sit still and to be quiet, and last a middle aged couple both sporting very solemn expressions.

The knitter was closest to me and noticed my nervous composure and evident need to be distracted. “Hello, how are you doing today? My name is Carol”. “Alex and I’m alright I suppose, just wish I didn’t have to wait any longer”, I responded as my eyes inadvertently moved to the clock. “Yes, I don’t blame you there, I’ve gotten used to the long waits, that is why I never go to an appointment without my knitting bag. You should try it sometime, really calms the nerves and you can create some beautiful articles.” “Yeah, I’ve never…” I started, but stopped as I felt a tap on my shoulder, “Hello there” I greeted the young girl. Her mother right behind her, apologizing “I’m so sorry. Anya, please come sit down, you shouldn’t bother people”. “The girl just smiled, here you look sad, stickers always make me feel better”, the young girl softly explained while offering her gift before obeying her mother’s orders and returning to her seat. “Thank you” I mumbled, accepted the sticker of a smiling puppy, and returned the girl’s smile. “So sweet, reminds me of my granddaughter” Carol mused.

Suddenly it was black, the power was out. It only took a few seconds for the generator to kick in and the emergency lights to power on. It took my eyes a few moments to adjust to the sudden changes in light, but as soon as it did, I noticed the worried look on Carol’s face, I also caught small whimpering sounds coming from Anya. “Strange, wonder why the power went out, it isn’t storming” I pondered aloud. The receptionist was scrambling to get those answers. She was already on the phone with the power company, while looking out the windows and door to the neighboring buildings to see if they were in the same situation. They weren’t.

Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for us to learn that it wasn’t an issue with the power company, it was something much worse. A masked man burst through the door, he was carrying a flashlight in one hand and a gun in the other. The middle-aged lady let out an involuntary scream, the rest of us were in shocked silence, other than Anya’s continued muffled whines and her mother’s hushing. The middle-aged man was the first to speak, “What do you need us to do? We are only waiting on the doctor, you can have anything I’ve got on me, here”, he stated as he pulled his wallet from his pocket. The masked gunman was silent for another beat before finally announced his intent, “I’m not here for your money, I’m here for the doctor. Where is he?” He demanded, turning to face the trembling receptionist.

I could see that the poor receptionist was torn between giving away the life of the doctor and potentially saving the lives of those in the waiting room, herself included. She didn’t have to make that decision though, for a few seconds into her deliberations, the doctor appeared in the doorway. It only took a few moments for the realization of what was happening to strike him. He began in a calm, even tone, “Edward, please don’t do this. Whatever it is you think this will accomplish is not worth the consequences for you. Please leave before the situation escalates for us all.” “No. No, you don’t get to decide what my life is worth. It is worth nothing now that she is gone and she is gone because of you. These people deserve to know who you are, what you’ve done.” A frown appeared on the doctor’s face, “Edward, nothing I did was intentional, sometimes things are missed. What happened to Clara was very unfortunate, but I can promise you that I did my best with the information I had. Please come to the back with me, let everyone out here go, these people do not deserve ” It was obvious that the man did not care about the doctor’s excuses or words, he had removed his mask and his face was startling. He was young, maybe 25, and very handsome. He had piercing blue eyes, that were a little watery. His hand was trembling, I was worried that he was going to fire his weapon on accident.

During the exchange between the two men, those of us in the waiting room managed to form a protective semi-circle around Carol, Anya and her mother, and the middle-aged woman whose name I had not caught, they seemed to be the most vulnerable in this situation. The receptionist stood between our grouping and the doctor, indecisive of what to do or who to protect.

Suddenly Edward turned to us, gun facing the floor, still rattling in his unstable hand. “He killed her. He could have saved her and chose not to. She wasn’t like him, so he didn’t care. She knew there was a problem and he didn’t listen. She trusted him and he… he killed her. She needed help and he wouldn’t give her the chance. She was my life.” His eyes met mine, I could tell something clicked in his mind. He could see how frightened we were, he could hear the young girl crying. His demeanor had changed, he had gone from wrathful to vulnerable, no less dangerous though. His next words came out in near sobs, “I’m not going to hurt you… I just wanted you to know. To not trust this man. He won’t listen, he doesn’t care. I’m… I am leaving.”

I hadn’t noticed that the receptionist had moved back to her station. She was pale and shaking still, but he was leaving, so the tension had lessened a bit. As he opened the door, he turned around one last time. I heard the shot, it was earsplitting. I was shaking. He had done it, I didn’t think he would, but he did. When I looked up, I expected to see Dr. Roberts on the ground, but he wasn’t he was running towards the man. I turned my head to follow his movements and saw Edward lying on the ground, gasping. Confused, I hectically looked around and saw the receptionist still pointing a gun at the place the man had been standing. I slowly approached and slipped the firearm from her grasp, worried she would fire another shot.

I could hear the doctor was sobbing, “Not my son, no… no… you have to be ok. I’m so sorry.” Realizing someone should call an ambulance, I went to grab my phone, but it had fallen out of my pocket. I heard the man with the cast describing the accident and realized he must have already called. Unsure of what to do, I approached Dr. Roberts and Edward, asking if I could help. Edward was still gasping but conscious. We were only minutes away from the hospital, so it didn’t take long before I heard the sirens.

We all watched as the man was loaded into the ambulance, accompanied by the doctor. The police questioned each of us, starting with Anya and her mother so that they could be released first. I was one of the last. They took the receptionist to the police station and they confiscated both firearms. As I pulled out of the parking lot, I realized I had no idea what my impromptu appointment had been for and that I should probably find a new doctor. There is always tomorrow I suppose.