The Patient's Painkiller is a Psycholologist

Chapter 36

So many things had never been given so quickly before. Sure, her daddy had made sure she had everything she could ever want, Ellie knew he was trying to make up for lost time and for how her mother had neglected her…

Wade, her daddy, would get her everything and anything if she wanted… If not today, then someday- he’d never forget. Ellie could say she wanted the stars from the sky and her daddy would find a way to get them even if it took all his lifetime. That’s how dedicated he was to her, how much he loved her.

When her dad had suddenly gotten sick, freezing in places and shaking, Ellie had been worried and scared for him- she didnt want the only person to love her to go away, to die like her mother did…

Then her daddy was taken away and she was put in an orphanage despite having a daddy- despite telling them so.
They claimed that he wasn’t ‘stable’ enough to look after her but Ellie would show them who wasn’t stable enough to look after her (its them, if that isn’t clear)…

Everytime someone looked even a bit interested in taking her in as their own, she decided to act bad. She would become the baddest kid so none would want her and so her daddy would have the chance to come for her, to take Ellie back. Then they could have the life they had before the world turned against them.

She didnt mind it… Sure, all the kids stopped being her friend and the ladies at the orphanage would get mad at her and blame her for pranks that weren’t hers. Sure, at school no teacher wanted to teach her because she couldn’t sit still, classmates didnt want to talk to her because she dressed the same as yesterday or smelled…

It was all worth it if it meant Ellie could be with her dad once again.

“What’s your name?”

Then she met Peter.

She hadn’t understood why all the kids in the assembly had seem excited to see a nerd give a presentation but she still couldn’t help wanting a high-five like all the other kids- because they thought getting a high-five from this man was good so maybe when Ellie got one, she could tell everyone that she got one too.

“Nice to meet you, Ellie”

Peter wasn’t as nosy as other people, not as mean as Mrs Pabby and he didnt look at him sadly like Miss Whitman.
He sat and listened and shared a bit of his own story, Peter was an orphan too and also had lost his mother… They were similar and Ellie wondered if shed grow to be a nerd too.

That evening, Ellie received new clothes. They hadn’t had any designs and were bland but she still thought they were the prettiest clothes she had gotten in a long time.

“Why don’t you just adopt me then?” Ellie had offered, finding familiarity in the way Peter held her in his lap- it reminded of her dad, only his arms were much softer and thinner.

“Huh…” Peter blinked, taken a back “no, thats actually a good idea” he mumbled to himself, considering and part of Ellie relaxed further because Peter thought it was a good idea to take Ellie, this bad kid, in…

Because it gave Ellie a chance to be with her daddy again.

Peter had come to visit her more often after that talk. He seemed to always ask the same thing, checking if Ellie was truly sure about being adopted by him.
Ellie noticed Peter wasn’t very confident in taking care of her but that was ok because Ellie can take care of herself anyway.

As Peter came by more and more, Ellie began to notice more things about him too:

He would dress in simple clothing outside of work and wouldn’t wear his glasses as much. Once he wore a rock band shirt and Ellie had been sure he was just one of those people who thought the shirt looked nice- She knew her dad would get offended if Peter didnt know the band too.

Peter had a thing with keeping things neat and tidy. He’d line up things on tables when he sat down , even if for a moment- He would make sure his phone was always face down on the table by his right hand and if it was slightly tilted, he’d always fix it (Ellie tested it).

Talking to Peter was sometimes weird. He sounded like a one of those guys in documentaries that made Ellie fall asleep then he’d fumble over his words- Ellie tested this by giving him random questions and came to the conclusion that Peter tended to be bad with unplanned conversations and surprise questions.
She also noticed Peter had a line between being too quiet and too talkative, she didnt mind it though… but she liked it best when Peter would ramble, it reminded her of dad.

“Hello, Eleanor” Peter calls playfully when he came to collect her from the orphanage at last, he seemed to like to poke at Ellie but never took it beyond her full name.

When Ellie first moved in Peter’s home, she hadn’t expected much- maybe some nerdy things here and there but nothing for her…

But Peter let her choose a room, let her have a place in his own office and allowed her to help decorate the home. He got her so many cute school stuff and let her choose all the toys she wanted, he allowed her to decorate her own room and helped put up posters and clean it all up and even bought some of her favorite snacks…

Just like daddy, Peter was trying to give her everything… it scared her at first.

Ellie had been afrai that the more she took, the more Peter would get annoyed or find her troubling… but Peter seemed to barely do things for himself much less buy anything of his own-
So Ellie made it her job to help him decorate his room too.

Living with Peter gave Ellie more opportunities to grow to know more about Peter and his ways. She found that if Peter had a habit of treating people like something he needed to study, so she decided could do the same as well…

Using one of the notebooks Peter had given her, she named it Pesearch (Peter Research) and would take notes of Peter’s behaviors too.

Peter liked cereal in the morning just like Ellie but he puts in the milk first because he’d rather have more milk than cereal as he likes to drink it.
When Peter eats toast, he likes to eat the crust first then the centre- Ellie tried it once and now she may or may have not picked up the habit.
He also places fries inside his burger and doesnt seem to mind fries with milkshake when Ellie showed it the genius combination to him.

Peter seems to like most cartoons Ellie watches as well as some boring documentaries. Ellie was more than happy to fill him out on the character’s backstory and loved it when Peter took it just as seriously in analyzing the characters- she found his professional input fascinating.

At night, Ellie found that Peter has began to learn how to style her hair and the gesture makes her feel special and cared for.

Peter seems to usually like to work, which was crazy to believe in at first- Ellie had thought he was being forced to work at home at first.
However, Ellie found that Peter has began to work less when she involves him in activities so she tends to talk to him despite how busy he looks… No one likes to work.

In the office, Peter has many books, most boring but Ellie found a collection of fantasy and romance kept at the very bottom, they seemed very used and old. She hasn’t seen him touch them yet, he seems to be currently reading a book called “Making Evil”.

Ellie has also noticed Peter hasn’t fully opened up to her either which doesnt make her hurt at all or anything-
He talks kindly to her but still speaks and plans his thoughts before speaking… Ellie prefers when he rambles about things he likes like the character who he believes to have ADHD or the bad guy who he has began making theories of.

Surprisingly though, Ellie has began to enjoy the quiet days more and more.
Before, she hated them. It reminded of when she lived with her mother or of how her father wasn’t here anymore to fill the silence with his crazy thoughts and jokes…

Now, though… She enjoyed sitting in the office with Peter reading after finishing her homework, not because she had to but because the book was nice. She liked hearing the soft mumbles of Peter thinking out loud or reading a line to himself.
Ellie loved when they’d sit on the sofa, Peter reading his weird psycho books with a peaceful look in his face while she draws on the coffee table as the tv quietly plays some boring show…

She likes it because it means that the quiet moments aren’t as lonely anymore… Certainly, so many things had never been given so quickly before.