Meeting the Doctor
We last left the Storm family when they moved into their new home. It has been 2 weeks since then. Zen has seen a few doctors but none of them seemed up to the task of helping him. Chaotic hadn’t given up hope. He had been searching all morning. That’s when an online add caught his attention. This add listed a psychiatrist with an extensive background in both magic and modern medicine. With a quick call Chaotic made an appointment. He was surprised when he was told he could come in later that day. With an appointment made for that evening the only thing left to do was tell Zen and Ruby the news.
Luckily both Zen and Ruby were in the basement of the house doing laundry. Chaotic came down the narrow stairs to find Zen folding his clothes while Ruby put the next load in the dryer. Zen noticed his approach and stopped what he was doing. Have any luck with your search? Chaotic nodded. Yep we have an appointment later today. Ruby started the dryer and turned to Chaotic. That was quick. What’s the doc’s name? Chaotic shrugged. I think it was Dr. Realm. He has a pretty good background in magic too.
Time seemed to fly. Before they knew it, it was time to go. With a 45 minute drive they found the address the site had listed for the doctor. Ruby turned to Chaotic. You sure this is the right place. I mean it looks like a rundown store. Chaotic shrugged as he parked the car. He then pointed at a sign on the building. It says child psychiatrist and physician. Not everyone has the money for a fancy office. Let’s just go see what he’s like. Zen sighed in the back seat. I just hope I don’t make him cry like the last guy. Chaotic chuckled. I don’t think that guy was cut out for the kind of work he does. We won’t know what Dr. Realm is like till we meet him though. Zen nodded. Let’s go.
With that said they got out of the car and entered the front door of the rundown looking building. On the inside it wasn’t nearly as rundown. Chaotic looked around for a moment before calling out. Is anyone home? We set up an appointment this morning. There was an eep from one of the side rooms. A young dragon women bust through a side door almost falling on her face. I’m sorry, I lost track of time. You must be the Storm family? Chaotic nodded walking to the small desk the dragon had just sat down at. Are you Dr. Realm? She eeped again. Oh I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Dr. Realm’s assistant. I’m also his daughter. Nice to meet you my name is Jewel Realm. You can just call me Jewel. Chaotic smiled and extended a hand. I’m Chaotic Storm nice to meet you Jewel. Jewel shook his hand before turning her attention to Zen. This much be Zen correct? Chaotic nodded. And beside him is Ruby Singer. Jewel tilted her head. Singer, not Storm? Ruby chuckled. We just started dating but we have known each other for years.
As introductions were made a door opened from the back of the room. A large gray dragon much like Jewel came walking through the door. He was wearing all white. His face and hands had scars. To Ruby this man looked too scary to be a child psychiatrist. She thought Zen would be scared stiff. Zen however didn’t seem bothered at all by the man’s appearance. The man approached Zen kneeling down. Why hello there I’m Dr. Realm how are you today? Zen wasn’t scared of the man but he was still shy. I-I’m doing okay. Dr. Realm chuckled. Let’s go to my office where we can talk. He looked at Chaotic and Ruby with a smile. Please follow me.
A short walk through the door he had entered from and down a narrow hall led to an office. Once inside the office Dr. Realm offered everyone a seat and began asking a few questions. He turned to Chaotic first. If I may ask, why do you think Zen need’s my assistance. Before Chaotic could answer Zen stood and walked to the doctor. Once Zen stood directly in front of Dr. Realm he looked him in the eyes. I may not look like I’ve had a hard life, but I can say without a doubt I have more scars than you. Dr. Realm’s eyes widened a little. Why on earth would you have any scars like the ones I have? Zen shrugged. I was abducted when I was 1 year old. After a year my life turned into a living hell. That’s the only way I know to describe what happened. Zen looked down for a moment. I know I need help. Chaotic and Ruby have picked up the pieces. But I know they will need help putting them back together. Dr. Realm looked over to Chaotic and Ruby. Is all this true? Chaotic nodded. Truth is we only know a little about what happened. He was abducted by dark mages. Physically his body has recovered. But the mental damage is what worries me. And then there is the amount of magic energy he has in his body.
Dr. Realm nodded. I see, how many doctors have tried an evaluation of Zen? Chaotic shrugged. 5 so far. Most of them said it was too much for them. The last one even started crying. Dr. Realm shook his head. I can see why most wouldn’t be willing to even attempt a case like Zen’s. Trauma like this isn’t something that is easy to deal with. I however take on cases no one else will. I’ll be happy to do everything I can for Zen. Now with that said, have you enrolled him in school yet? Chaotic nodded. He will be starting in 2 weeks at Flare City K-12. Dr. Realm smiled. That’s wonderful. I will contact the school and have an office prepared for me. Chaotic looked shocked. You will be working at the school? Dr. Realm chuckled. Why yes, it wouldn’t be good if Zen didn’t have a place to go if he gets overwhelmed. I’ve done work at the Flare City K-12 School before. The school knows my work well enough that there should be no issues.
To start I believe we should schedule appointments 2 or 3 times a week. This will give a break between sessions and hopefully have a beneficial effect. Of course things don’t always go as planned when dealing in the unknown. Zen’s case is one that will be touch and go. Chaotic nodded. I agree. There is a lot to go over. I just hope the school is willing to work with us. Dr. Realm smiled. You shouldn’t have to worry about that. They generally make any accommodations needed for all students. Dr. Realm turned his attention back to Zen. Are you excited to start school? Zen nodded. I can’t wait. I just hope I’m not teased. Dr. Realm tilted his head. Why would you be teased? Zen scratched his chin. Well I can’t remember the word… he looked to Chaotic. What was it that Black called me and Irene? Chaotic for a moment didn’t know what Zen was talking about. Oh you mean hermaphrodite or herm? Zen nodded. Yes that’s the word herm. I don’t know if I will be teased for that or not. Dr. Realm shook his head. I don’t see why anyone would tease you. From what I can see you’re a healthy young man.
Zen looked down. Well not all of me looks like other boys. Most people that have seen me without clothes on thought I was a girl. Either way, I’ll just have to wait and see. It’s not like I can see the future. Dr. Realm chuckled. Yes that’s a good way to look at things. If you dwell on the unknown for too long you’ll find that you are just standing still. Taking things one step at a time is usually the best way to go. And if you find that people can’t accept you for who you are, look for others. There will always be someone somewhere that will accept you. Sometimes you find them in places you least expect.
After about an hour and a half of talking it was time to head back home. They would be visiting every Monday and Thursday to start. Once back in the car Chaotic gave a sigh of relief. I never thought we would find someone. Ruby chuckled. I was worried when I first saw him. Looks like he’s a good guy though. Zen tilted his head. Why were you worried? His aura didn’t look bad at all. Chaotic chuckled. We can’t see auras without casting a spell. Zen scratched his chin. Oh yeah, I forget that not everyone can see what I see. Ruby turned to Chaotic. What do you say we try that Chinese restaurant for dinner? Chaotic shrugged. Why not, we can at least see how their food is.
With dinner decided it only took a few minutes to get to the restaurant. Zen tried a few different dishes finding he liked the more spicy foods better. Once everyone had their fill they headed back home. When they arrived home Chaotic turned to Zen. I never thought you would like spicy foods. Zen shrugged. I don’t see what the big deal is. It wasn’t hot at all. Ruby chuckled. Fire proof and spice proof, who would of thought. Chaotic laughed. I guess so. I just hope your stomach can handle it. At any rate we will have to get some school shopping done. I think there is a mall nearby. We should be able to get anything we need from there. We can also get some clothes and stuff for the house.
Zen walked over to the kitchen table and sat down. He looked at Chaotic. How often do you think I should use magic? Black said that using magic would make it easier for the seal to hold my power back. It’s been a week and I haven’t used any magic. Chaotic scratched his chin. What does Black have to say about it? Zen shrugged. She hasn’t talked since we got near the city. I don’t know what’s up with her. Chaotic sighed. Maybe she used too much power in too short of a time. I’m sure even demons have their limits. Zen looked down. I hope your right. I don’t know what I would do without her.
I can’t take a break can I? Zen’s ears perked hearing Black’s voice for the first time all week. She yawned. It like fire butt said. I got tired so I slept it off. Zen shouted startling everyone in the house. YOU WENT TO SLEEP FOR A WHOLE WEEK. WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME BEFORE YOU PASSED OUT? I WAS STARTING TO THINK I LOST YOU… Zen’s eyes began to tear up. Black sighed. Kill the water works will ya. I fell asleep before I could even tell you. I think I fell asleep shortly after we met Irene. Zen wiped his eyes and looked around the house. Both Chaotic and Ruby were staring at him. He shrugged. Black’s back. You were right she tired herself out. Zen walked to his room and laid down on the bed. He put one arm over his eyes. He started focusing on Black and before he knew it he was in the room he had dreamed about before
Black was standing in the middle of the room. She turned to Zen and smiled. Looks like you are getting a little better at focusing. Did you want to talk about something? Zen nodded. How often do I need to use my magic to keep the seal from breaking? Black shrugged. My guess would be at least once a month. I would say opening one or 2 gates and casting a few spells would do the trick. With this kind of seal it’s really trial and error. Zen gave a sigh of relief. So it shouldn’t break as long as I use magic often. Black nodded. My guess is if you can get control of your power after opening the first gate you should be fine. The trick will be getting that control. If you think you’re powerful with all the gates closed, when you open even one it’s going to be one hell of a boost. Zen smiled. I’ll just have to practice. I should probably get to bed… I need to say goodnight to Chaotic and Ruby too. Black chuckled. Don’t let me stop you. I’m just along for the ride remember. I’ll help you where I can but it’s up to you to live your life. Zen thanked Black just before the room went dark.
Zen moved his arm away from his eyes and sat up. Chaotic was sitting next to him on the bed. Have a nice chat with Black? Zen nodded. Looks like I will need to use magic once a month with at least one gate open. I don’t know how safe it will be the first time I try it. Ruby came walking into the room. We will have to find a place you can practice without having to worry about things getting destroyed. Chaotic nodded. There are a few practice halls that will work for that. They have barriers that will prevent any stray magic from damaging anything but the testing area. We should make some reservations at one and probably make regular visits. More than once a month to be safe. Zen nodded. I will get to practice magic too. This will be great. Both Chaotic and Ruby chuckled. We all better get to sleep though there is still a lot of stuff to do. Since we have Dr. Realm, there is just getting things ready for the start of school.
With that said everyone said their goodnights and changed for bed. Zen had rather peaceful dreams for once. He woke up feeling well rested. Chaotic and Ruby were sitting at the table in the dining room when Zen came walking in. Chaotic looked up from the papers he was looking at and smiled. Good morning, did you sleep well? Zen stretched and nodded before sitting down at the table. Ruby chuckled. You look like you could use a little more sleep. Zen shrugged. I’m fine, just need to wake up a little. Chaotic grinned and took a sip of his coffee. We will have a light breakfast and be heading to the mall. There are quite a few stores in there that we will be stopping at. Zen looked a little nervous. I hope there aren’t too many people there. Ruby smiled. You don’t have anything to worry about. We will be right there with you.
With that said breakfast was made. Some scrambled eggs with cheese and a couple sausage links. Zen got changed and headed to the front door where Chaotic and Ruby were waiting for him. With everything set they made their way out to the car. The drive took a little over an hour. Once the car was parked and they had made their way to one of the entrances Zen gasped. He hadn’t seen a building like this before. Sure the hospital was a good sized building but it looked like you could fit it in the entrance of the mall. Looking around Zen could see many people entering and leaving shops all around. There were 3 floors of shops. He hadn’t thought this place would be so big.
Ruby turned to Zen. You okay kiddo? Zen’s only response was to take her hand and get a little closer. Chaotic looked at Zen and then to Ruby. We will make this a quick as possible. With that said Chaotic started leading the way from shop to shop. It seemed the longer they stayed the more nervous Zen got. Seeing so many people for the first time was a little much for him. Ruby noticed this and recommended a short ice cream break. She had spotted an ice cream shop not far from where they were. It also looked like there were a lot fewer people in that area. Chaotic agreed. A break would be nice. Seems like we have been walking for hours. They made their way to the ice cream shop and set their bags at one of the tables. Ruby stayed with the bags and Zen while Chaotic ordered 3 vanilla ice cream cones. Chaotic brought the cones to the table handing one to Ruby and one to Zen. Zen tilted his head and sniffed the ice cream. What is this stuff? Ruby nearly dropped her cone. You’ve never had ice cream? Zen shrugged. Maybe I’m not sure. Is it any good? Chaotic chuckled. Try it and find out. Zen shrugged and took a big bite off the top of his ice cream. He started chewing with an odd look on his face. He then swallowed and shivered a little. It’s really cold. Ruby burst out laughing. Just lick it don’t try and wolf it down. You’ll get a brain freeze if you eat it too fast. Zen tilted his head. Brain freeze? Chaotic chuckled. It’s when you eat something really cold really fast. Your head will hurt a little.
Once the ice cream was eaten, the trio set out for the last stops before they could head home. Zen seemed a little better after the short break. The last stop was for some art supplies. The usual things a kindergartener would need glue, crayons, and some other coloring supplies. While they gathered up what was needed for Zen someone took notice of the little white wolf pup. An elderly bear woman approached Zen and Ruby. She was just a couple of feet away from Zen when she knelt and began to speak. Why aren’t you the cutest little thing? Zen turned and when he saw how close the woman was he jumped back almost knocking Ruby over. Just like with the bath tub Zen started panicking. Seeing people from a distance wasn’t bad but being surprised by one getting face to face was too much. Everything in him told him to run. He was shaking. Ruby tried to get closer to him to try and calm him down but he kept backing away. The bear woman looked at Ruby. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare him. Ruby shook her head. It wasn’t you. I should have taken him to the car earlier. He has been struggling being around so many people for the first time.
Chaotic noticed something was wrong. He saw Zen backing away from Ruby. He quickly dropped the basket he was carrying full of art supplies and went to try and calm Zen down. By the time he reached Zen, Zen was shaking and he had that faraway look in his eyes again. The bear woman saw this and covered her mouth. What wrong with him? Ruby looked at the woman. Look lady he’s having a panic attack. Just stay back and hopefully we can get him calmed down before he bolts. This is the second time I’ve seen him like this and trust me, we don’t want him running around here.
Chaotic had reached Zen unnoticed. He reached out and put one hand on Zen’s shoulder. Without a word Zen turned and swung at Chaotic. Thankfully the swing missed and Chaotic got his other hand on Zen’s other shoulder. Zen was starting to tear up. His shaking got worse. His eyes went wide hearing a familiar voice. Black called out to him. We’re fine Zen. Chaotic and Ruby are right here with you. Don’t forget you have me here too. Zen fell to his knees. He started crying and Chaotic picked him up and hugged him tight. It’s alright. We should have taken this slower. Let’s get you home. The bear woman approached Ruby. Is he okay? Ruby chuckled and shrugged. Leave it to his dad, he knows what to do. Chaotic looked at Zen. Think you could say hi to this nice lady and show her you’re okay? Zen slowly nodded tears still running down his cheeks.
Chaotic walked over still carrying Zen. The woman looked at Zen with a smile. I’m sorry I startled you. Zen wiped the tears from his eyes. I wasn’t ready to see someone that close. I guess I scare easy. The woman shook her head. I should be more careful approaching people. You never know how someone is going to react to seeing a big old bear right next to them. Zen chuckled. You’re not scary. And you look really nice. The woman smiled. Thank you, I had better get going. My daughter is waiting for me. Again I’m sorry to have scared you. Have a nice day. As soon as the woman was far enough away Chaotic sighed. He looked at Zen with a smile. That was a close call. Did Black help you calm down? Zen nodded. Yeah she was talking to me. I’m glad she is awake now. I think I would have been hard to catch if I started running. Chaotic set Zen down with a chuckle. That’s an understatement. If you ran like you did the day I met you, you would hit an exit before I could even catch up to you.
Chaotic walked Zen back over to Ruby and returned to his basket that he had dropped. After picking it up and paying for everything it was time to head home. All the excitement was rather draining. Once they got home and had everything put away they ate a light lunch. It was decided to spend the rest of the day relaxing.
Chaotic had applied for a teaching position at the same school Zen was enrolled in. He was in luck, the school had one of its enhancing magic teachers retire recently and they were having trouble filling the position. With Chaotic’s background he was over qualified for the position. Ruby was going to be taking classes in enhancing and elemental magic. Since there was only one car Chaotic decided they needed another one. They would be car shopping soon. More than likely they wouldn’t want another 2 door car.
Most of the evening was spent watching movies and reading stories. Zen was feeling much better now that he was home. Chaotic had called Dr. Realm telling him about the latest episode. Dr. Realm felt it would take quite a while before Zen would be able to spend extended amounts of time in crowded areas. Hopefully Zen wouldn’t have trouble with people his own age.
It wasn’t long before Ruby started cooking dinner. She had fried up some potatoes and onions. For meat she made some pork chops. Once everyone had their fill it was time to prepare for bed. Zen went and took a shower. He felt guilty about putting a crack in the tub in the master bathroom. Chaotic had it fixed only a day after the incident but Zen still felt bad about what happened. After his shower Zen went to Chaotic and Ruby to give them a hug and say goodnight. After saying goodnight Zen went to his room and tried to get to sleep. His thoughts went back to what had happened at the mall. He wondered if he would ever get over his fears. There was so much he didn’t understand about what was happening to him.
Once Zen did manage to fall asleep he had trouble staying asleep. The dreams of his past were back. It seemed that tonight would be a long night. Zen could only hope that this wouldn’t happen too often. It seemed for now that the bad dreams would come at random. At some point Zen wound up going into the master bedroom. He snuggled up between Chaotic and Ruby and fell asleep. This is where he staid till morning.
