2020-05-18 - Saving Some - Gareth and Mary

Dr. Mary Henry had booked passage on the boat that made the weekly resupply to Alexandra island.  She arrived on the morning of Saturday May 16th and, taking her large flowered carpetbag, walked from the docks to the clinic.  There she spoke to Dr McKinney, who gave her the file on her new patient, Gareth Dunham.  She then got directions and followed them back to the water, where she met and spoke to Chief Stanley, who made arrangements for Mary to pick up Gareth’s entire work history.  From there, she visited Lydia Alvin and spent hours talking to her, recording it for her notes.  Then she  walked to the Parthenon and booked one of their rooms, where she spent the rest of the weekend giving herself a walking tour of Alexandra and pouring over the medical and work history of one Gareth Dunham.

On Monday, she walked from the Parthenon to the hotel.  She wore a long tan skirt and loose blue tunic top.  Her feet were in light brown ballet flats and over her nose and mouth was a face mask that had a nice smile on it.  Her purse was a computer bag decorated with a garden tapestry.  She checked in with Susan and, while they were talking about Gareth, listened to the Walrus and the Carpenter show which spoke briefly about the fire that had ultimately brought Mary to Alexandra.  The name Kira Delmonaco rang a bell and, as she climbed up to the second floor and Room 6, she reviewed the notes.  Finally she stood at the doorway and rapped precisely at 10 a.m … the time of their appointment.

Gareth was sitting up in his bed in a hospital gown looking listlessly out the window. He was unshaven and his hair was getting a little greasy. He was aware that he had an appointment and answered the knock “Come in.” He said quietly but didn’t immediately turn to face the invited doctor.

Mary walked in smiling genuinely.  “Good morning, Mr Dunham,  I’m Dr. Henry.  Mary, if you’d prefer.  I’m a psychiatrist.”  she sets her purse on one of the available chairs and stands beside the bed, not blocking his view.  “They told you why I’m here, right?”

Gareth slowly turns his head away from the window but still doesn’t turn it all the way to Mary “Yeah I know. And call me Gareth.” He pulls one arm across his body on the side of him that faces her, holding his other elbow like it’s a shield.

Mary nods.  “Good, that saves us a little time, anyway.”  She notes his body movement.  “So how are you feeling now.  It’s been a few days since the fire.”

Gareth gives the tiniest of shrugs “I dunno. Tired….numb a bit.” He sighs and looks at the blankets by where his feet are. “Shitty.” He admits.

Mary nods again, her smile fading.  “I can imagine.”  she looks him over.  “You lost a patient.  From what I've heard you are upset because you couldn’t save her … and .. there were others, as well?”

Gareth nods and then winces and shrinks into himself at the words you couldn't save her and closes his eyes when Mary talks about others.

Mary watches Gareth, still hugging files to her chest.  Not all of his patients were patients, if her talk with Lydia Alvin was any indication.  But this was a sort of triage mission.  Get Gareth up and back to work as fast as possible and then settle back and peel away the onion skin of his life later.  “I know the failures can be hard.”  she sounds sympathetic.  “And I always like to start on a positive note, if that makes sense.”  She takes an empty chair and moves it beside the bed without sitting in it.  “Let’s talk about your successes.”  she emphasises the word.

Gareth’s breath is slow and audible. She says she wants to start positive but he feels like all of the light has gone out from his entire being. Now he looks at her almost annoyed “Successes? “ He scoffs like this is futile.

Mary nods.  “Yes.  Successes.”  She sets the files on the bedside table under the window.  Then, without referring to any of it, says.  “For example.  I understand you’ve pulled a young man by the name of Owen Reinhardt out of the Alexandra Inlet on no less than four occasions.”

Gareth looks skeptical and then when she mentions Owen in the inlet he actually lets himself have one chuckle and looks at her with an almost smile “Yeah...well...yeah..”

Mary doesn’t let her own inner joy show in her demeanor.  “Well, he obviously lived … several times.  So … he’s one of your successes.”  she suggests.

Gareth tilts his head and shrugs “Guess so.” Owen in the inlet was almost a tradition in the town.

Mary offers a slight smile.  “But this IS an island.  However.”  she pauses.  “There have been others.  More serious.  More life threatening.”  she pauses and watches him.

Gareth sniffs derisively but his body posture opens and the arm drops to his side that was across him “Yeah a few I guess. I mean it’s the job. I don’t do it for the glory. I don’t have a fucking Jesus complex…..” He’s somewhere between a light joke and a snark at her. It’s hard to tell.

Mary nods.  “I wouldn't imagine you did.”  she pauses and thinks.  Her research has told her that this man has lost many patients … it comes with his job.  However there were three names that she had been told about.  One of them was his mother .. and two were related to his job.  “You’ve been an EMT for ten years here.  I think you know some of these people professionally more than you’d like.  Like young Mr Reinhardt.”  she grins.

Gareh nods lightly. If Mary didn’t know him she might think he’s a distant person but if she’s talking to anyone he knows she’ll know he’s normally much more talkative, outgoing, warm and charming. “Yeah well small town and Owen was a bit of a careless little shit about the ice.” He dismisses.

Mary knew this already. “That’s a good point.”  she agrees.  “And he never really came close to dying.”  she considers him.  “But I know one of your patients that you’ve saved many, many times, bringing from the brink of death … only to have to do it again.  And you won every time.”  she nods.  “You saved their life every time.”  she emphasises the last two words.

Gareth looks at her intensely and then shifts his eyes to the wall beside her head “You mean Kira Delmonaco?” His arm goes back across his body to the elbow and he turns a bit away from her. Kira triggered him. He had overheard the news on the radio and read since he’d started looking at his phone again. “She’s had a shitty deal….” he half explained and then stopped like he ran out of steam.

Mary arches her brows, curiously.  “Do you mean just this last week?”  she knows the girl is in jail, from the show she listened to.

Gareth looks increasingly uncomfortable, agitated even “No...I mean for like fucking years….I’m not her fucking saviour. She just keeps getting swallowed back up by the hole…” He looks oddly familiar with the darkness that keeps taking Kira and starts rolling his head to one side like he has physical tension from the whole topic.

Mary sees the tension, but also sees that this might be a path.  They aren’t always smooth.  Sometimes they are almost impassable.  Almost.  “I see.”  she begins.  “I’d like to talk about Kira more…”  she begins.

Gareth’s rolling head whip right around to Mary and he snaps at her “And I’d like you to fuck right off.” 

Mary isn’t surprised by the reaction.  She nods, collects her files and retrieves her purse.  “I saw a cute little place down the street.  I’ll have to check it out.”  she turns her back to him and heads out the door.  “I’ll see you tomorrow, Gareth.”  and she leaves the room.

Gareth knows he’s being an asshole. It’s not him but he doesn’t know where him is. The  conversation exhausted him and he lay down as he heard Mary go and closed his eyes to once again shut out the world.

Mary goes out of the rear doors and down the stairs.  She pauses to look in the windows of the greenhouse behind the hospital with a slight grin.  Then she pulls out her phone and sends a text.  “Like to talk to you ASAP Gurshan.”  she begins to walk down the street, pausing at the corner and looking down the street.  This really was a fascinating little town.

Gurhsan Singh sends off a couple looking happier than when they came in. He closes the door  to Susan’s office and breathes a sigh of relief and then feels his phone vibrate in his top pocket and  takes it out as he walks to his desk and sits down. He reads Mary’s text and then types back a reply. “I have one more appointment before lunch and then I’m free for the hour. Would you like to grab a bite somewhere or simply meet?” He’s not sure how closed door she wants the discussion to be.

Mary answers almost immediately.  “The more privacy the better.  I can pick up our lunch?  Tell me what and where then where to find you.”  She sends it off and watches the police at the station.

Gurshan is just about to glance again at the file for his next patient when he gets Mary’s reply and texts back “Are you near the police station or the radio station? The Daily Deli is very good. I love their chicken pesto panini. Maybe a platter with the minestrone soup? No drink. I’ll e-transfer you.” There’s a knock at the door now and his next appointment begins.

Mary reads the text and looks around her.  She thinks she sees it … and heads in that direction.  In front of the place, she looks at her phone, noting the time and the Gurshan is likely seeing someone, so she replies.  “I’ll meet you here with take out.  There's a nice park near I’d live to explore.”  she sends it and does a little exploring before she returns, ordering Gurshan’s chicken pesto panini and  a tuna melt for herself.  Once it’s done, she stands outside, waiting patiently for him.  It’s been a long time.

Gurshan’s appointment finished early and with a young woman storming out on her mother. The mother doesn’t wish to stay for the full hour so Gurshan shuts the door and slumps into Susan’s chair, rubbing tiredly at his eyebrows. He checks his phone and sees Mary’s message and smiles. Yes. Fresh air would be an excellent idea right now. He walks out to meet Mary and smiles at her warmly in greeting clasping her hands like an old friend “Mary, I’m so glad to see you in person. How are you?”

Mary sees him and, their lunches tucked in her purse, takes his hands.  “Gurshan!  Yes, it is good to see you in person.”  She seems to almost drink in the sight of him.  “I’m fine.  Masked for 14 days, even though Dr McKinney has given me a clean bill of health, you never know.  So I’ll wait out the incubation period.”  she heads for the corner of the deli and moves to the gap between, leading to the park.  “How is Sajani?  I was so worried about you two when this place just … fell off the map.”

Gurshan falls into step with Mary as they walk and beams “I know. It was very odd. But now she is wonderful. In fact she’s met a very nice young man. It warms my heart. And she’s back to work so I think a little less stir crazy in our house..” He laughs and then looks seriously at her “How ARE you doing?” He has his therapist look on as well as his compassionate friend face mixed in.

Mary beams at the news and her arms flail a bit.  “Oh I wish them every happiness!”  she  spreads her hands a bit.  “You mean regarding Ian?  I’m better.  Healing.”  she motions to a bench facing the library and sits, looking around.  “I feel I know this place, but it looks so much more grand in reality and not on my phone.”  she chuckles and takes out their lunches.  “I know I didn’t invent Selfie Stick Therapy but I feel I’ve done almost too much of it.”  she hands him his panini.

Gurshan sits down after nodding slowly at her self assessment and then takes his meal and sets it beside him. He pulls a small bottle of hand sanitizer from his pocket and flips the top up, offering it to Mary first “That’s good to hear. I know...it can be a long road. You’ve been a virtual resident, part time…” He teases. “Thank you for the panini and check your email.” He says with a twinkle in his eyes.

Mary takes the bottle, taks some and hands it back.  Rubbing it into her hands, she nods.  “We were so close and ..”  she sighs deeply.  “I could have used you so many times, Gurshan.”  she is a woman with restless hands.  She begins to unwrap her lunch.  “Well, I’m here now, maybe I’ll come see you.”  she chuckles. She checks her phone and sees the payment.

Gurshan santizes his own hands and looks at her with empathy “I know I’m sorry. And of course you can, anytime.” He unwraps his lunch and then looks up with delight “They accidentally gave me two pickles!”

Mary grins as she opens hers.  “Nope.  Just one for me.”  she sighs melodramatically.  “Story of my life.”  she sort of hefts the hearty sandwich.  “I met Gareth Dunham today.  Spent the weekend researching him and his past and I think things went very well.”  she smiles and takes a bite.”

Gurshan gives her a kind smile and breaks his extra pickle in half before any food goes between his hands and mouth and holds it out in offering “Gareth Dunham, yes, tell me about that?” With his other hand he takes a bite of what could be his half of the extra pickle should she choose to accept the other.

Mary takes the pickle and, as soon as she swallows, eats it as well.  Her finger sort of flies in front of her as she chews. But finally she swallows.  “We chatted, I wanted him to see that he hasn’t lost all of his patients.  After about twenty minutes and two examples he told me to ‘fuck right off’ and I left.”  She seems quite happy with the results of the session as she takes another big bite of her sandwich.

Gurshan eats his half of the pickle and then chomps into his wonderful panini with a momentary look of food bliss. He watches Mary and listens as he eats about half of it, nodding in confirmation. When she tells him about being sworn at he covers his mouth and laughs with it still full of a bite of food. Still chuckling he chews and swallows and takes a napkin to wipe at his mouth and beard “That’s fantastic Mary. The last time I saw him he was catatonic, so you win this round. In fact I’ve never gotten Gareth to open up at all, in all the years. He expressed himself...swearing is wonderful progress.” He bites into his sandwich again, this time trailing a dollop of goat cheese right down his beard.

Mary nods and takes another couple of bites as Gurshan speaks.  His praise is greeted by chewing, notting and the wagging of a finger at him that could mean anything with Mary.  “She swallows.  “I was thinking about that, Gurshan.  He had difficulties when his mother died, I’ve read.  And he had a hard time when his partner died … now this.”  she turns herself so she is half facing him.  “I used two examples of people he’s rescued multiple times.  One Owen Rainhardt and the other Kira Delmonaco .. the girl in the jail right now.  Over his career he’s saved that girl's life nearly 20 times.”  she paused and shrugs.  “That's when he got tense and when I pushed and told him I wanted to talk about Kira …”  she shrugs and spreads her hands, complete with tuna melt.  “He told me to fuck off.”  and she pops the last corner of that half of the sandwich in her mouth.

Gurhsan finished his sandwich while she explained her appointment details and moved onto his half cup of minestrone soup, eating with a little plastic spoon. He’s dabbed and wiped his face a few times now but hasn’t discovered or removed the last of that escaped goat cheese. Oblivious, he answers “Hmmm...the Kira Delmonaco connection is an interesting one. And his big reaction is very telling.” He thinks about this for a  moment “I had a session with her in the jail that was remarkably productive. Again, like Gareth she’s been a very challenging patient in the past, nonverbal even. I had diagnosed her as selectively mute. But after Jack Rose died, and her subsequent attack on his corpse, I think something shifted. Now there’s another factor perhaps…..” he holds up his pointer finger like he plans to continue but has to eat more soup. Giving Mary room to comment on anything so far though.

Mary nods as Gurshan talks and the moment he gives her an opening, she jumps through it.  “It sounds like something DID shift.”  she agrees.  “Is she talking talking, or is it a work in progress.  She stabbed his corpse … did he do something to her?  Was he the cause of her selective mutism?” She attacks the other half sandwich with gusto.

Gurshan now sets the soup container within the sandwich wrappings to dispose of later “There are words but not complete sentences. I employed mirroring combined with scribing and that was highly effective. I read her words back to her...and then in the end she spoke again self labeling. But she admitted to be through scribing that Jack Rose raped her analy. She was specific. So I firmly believe he was the cause, yes. Now...my other factor that may have worked in my favour with Kira is Sajani.” He admits. “Sajani and Kira were the best of friends in school and Kira ended up running into Saji outside one night and came in for a meal and a shower. The girls talked and I think it was a good one. Sajani told me she showed her pictures in the yearbook and that helped. It may have increased my rapport by association.” He casually rubs at his beard and then folds his hands together in front of him.

Mary eats as Gurshan talks, nodding frequently.  Finally she swallows.  “Oh, that’s wonderful to hear.  Not the rape, of course, but the breakthrough.”  she blows out a breath and nods.  “Sajani may well have helped.  But …”  she looks off in the middle distance.  “A lot of Kira’s behavior was very self destructive.  I know because of Gareth’s logs.  Heroin before this place …. Vanished … and alcohol poisoning after.  Plus he was the responder when she attacked a police officer, apparently unprovoked and got her shoulder dislocated.”  she pauses and looks at the last of her sandwich, thoughtfully.  “Now … what if he sets out to save women.  Certain women, of course.  He told me he was just doing his job, but when I mentioned Kira I didn’t mention her name or any of her injuries specifically and he knew exactly who I was talking about.  Was that just because this is a small town, or something else … or a combination of both?” and she finishes off her sandwich.

Gurshan turns his head to Mary and casually scratches at the back of it with the hand on the other side of his body “Flowering fields of Freud.” He teases “But yes I agree. That’s a sound analysis. He’s trying to save his mother. After he’s finished swearing at you we could see if he’d go  visit her? There might be some movement for them both in that coming together….risky...but...hmmm” He’s mulling it over. His hands slide back to his knees and he casually crosses one ankle over the opposite knee.

Mary nods, folding up her waste.  “Freud needed THREE therapists.”  she scoffs, then smiles.  “I agree with you on all counts, but …” she places the waste in the bag.  “I’d like you to talk to her.  Maybe bring Gareth up.  With a little luck, maybe she will ask to see him, or at least express a desire to see him.”  she shakes her head.  “I don’t know which is the better idea.  To try and get him to see her or the other way around.”  she throws up her hands.  “Not that it matters.  He’s in the hospital for another few days at least.  Then I want to release him to rest at home if he’s not yet able to face work.  And I heard on the radio that the girl is still in jail?”

Mary will know that it takes a great deal to anger Gurshan but at the mention of the radio news he drops his foot back to the ground and leans forward, elbow on one knee looking positively furious “I am still horrified that the radio show just threw her under the bus like that this morning. Walter McLeod should be sacked. It completely undermines her support system in the community to make her trauma the topic of gossip.” He takes a deep breath, trying to compose himself “Sorry…..I’m just so angry about it.” He breathes again and refocuses “I will consider how I can best broach that subject of Garethe with Kira. We have some time. And we’ll need it.” He looks directly at Mary with an apologetic smile.

Gurshan’s reaction does indeed surprise Mary.  She reached out and touched his elbow lightly before withdrawing her hand.  “I understand.  I expected them to keep taking calls, but thankfully they stopped after those two.  And both of the calls seemed to be supportive.”  she considers.  “I trust it was the rape and not a brain infection that caused her downward spiral?”  She knows the media can take the simplest things and twist them into unrecognIzable shapes.  Then she smiles softly.  “A little time for me.  Gareth didn’t start off demanding I die in a fire or of Covid or anything.  Telling me to fuck off … Well, I took it as progress.  I really want him off the meds and out of the hospital so the real work can begin … and if Kira Delmonaco can help, so much the better.”