System, I'm Sick...Again!

Vin (9)

Silence surrounded three men at a cemetery. Only the constant sniffles can be heard.

"Do you feel better?" Scott asked. Vin nodded and wiped his tears away.

"That's great. Do you want to go now?"

"Actually, can you please drop me off at my apartment? I have to get some stuff." Vin requested shyly.

"Of course. Aldrich, are you coming or do you have work?"

"I'll join you. I don't have any patients to see today and tge remaining paperwork can be continued tomorrow." Aldrich replied.

"Let's go then."

Vin sat inside Scott's car and they went to Vin's apartment with Aldrich following behind.

"Um, Mr. Scott? Can I ask you a question?" Vin said, looking dow at his fingers.

"Sure."

"What were you both doing at the cemetery? Its just that...I didn't see both of you going to somebody's grave."

Scott froze at the question. He hasn't yet come up with a great reason if Vin asks that question.

"Oh, uh. We, uh, we met by the gate and I was going to visit my grandparents when we saw you." Scott quickly came up with an excuse.

With all the hesitation in his voice, it would be obvious that he was just making up an excuse, but Vin was fooled by the lame excuse and accepted it.

"Oh, okay."

The rest of the ride was a comfortable silence. Once they arrived at Vin's apartment, he requested to be alone for a while and the two men agreed.

Once Vin went inside, the two men faced each other.

"You think he's really okay? With all those words he said before, I think he always blamed himself about his parents' death." Scott said.

"Do you want to hear my thoughts as a psychiatrist or as a friend?"

"Both please."

"Alright then. In my professional perspective, he isn't okay.  He always suppressed those thoughts inside him and when those thoughts eventually come crashing on him, he would have a worse break down than what he had earlier." Scott was about to ay something but stopped, he anted to hear all of Aldrich's thoughts first before commenting.

"As his friend, I also think he isn't okay, but he's trying to be. With the time I'm with him, not a single smile of his was fake. He never faked being happy just so people wouldn't notice what he was really feeling. It's just that, his parents' death anniversary became the hole that released all the suppressed feelings inside of him."

"What do you suggest we should do? Just go with the flow or talk about it?"

"Let's leave that decision to him. Vin will tell us when he's ready and if he can't, then we shouldn't force it out of him or we might damage the relationship that e have built with him."

Scott nodded in understanding. He didn't want Vin to be estranged to him. He became a part of his daily life now. He wasn't sure he'll get used waking up knowing Vin was with him.

While they were talking, Chaim was busy digging through Vin's stuff. Hoping to find something that could serve as a clue.

"Thank goodness I didn't live here when I took over his body. This place is horrible." Chaim whispered to himself. He was now inside Vin's closet, digging through the boxes that laid on the closet floor.

Almost all of the boxes were filled with miscellaneous stuff, except one. It was a medium-sized box that was hidden in the very corner of the closet. It had dust covering it and it looked like it hasn't been opened since the day Vin moved here.