ENDOHUMAN: Book 1 - Love Vs Duty (Completed)

Chapter 27: Doctor Dolos

"How are you feeling?" asks Doctor Gannan Dolos.

"Better."

I look at the old man seated opposite me in the brightly lit room. It was only a three-minute walk to the room from my cell. Still, it was good to be able to walk, and to stretch more than ten feet, which was the width of my cell in the Pallford Psychiatric Criminal Ward. At least that's where they have told me I am. I do not have a clear recollection of events, or how long I have been in this strange place.

The doctor opens his closed palm in front of my face, revealing the yellow pill I have become accustomed to taking. The letters HMN are printed on it. I pick it up, looking at it for a brief moment, and then I close my eyes and pop it into my mouth.

Dr. Dolos is the only person I have actually interacted with since they brought me here. Though there is also the tall, thin male nurse who escorts me to and from the doctor's office. He also brings me food, but he never talks. The nurse only opens my door and signals me to either enter or exit the cell. Perhaps he is not allowed to talk to inmates.

Is that the correct term? Am I an inmate?

I hear other people too, especially at night. Incomprehensible whispers and agonizing cries that travel through the thick walls with difficulty. Other than that, it is eerily silent.

The facility gives the impression of being extremely modern and futuristic, rooms painted white and lit by harsh fluorescent strip lighting. My cell is minimally furnished: just a plastic chair, a white toilet, and a white bed. The corridor is even brighter with four banks of fluorescent lighting running across the ceiling. Dr. Dolos' office is predictably larger than my cell. In the middle of the room sits a white plastic table and two plastic chairs.

Dr. Dolos scratches his fingernails deep in his scruffy white hair and takes another drag from his pipe, releasing a cloud of scented smoke into the room. The smell of bitter apples fills the air. I have become used to it. His hard, beady eyes look deep into mine and he squints, making the black circles underneath them appear even more prominent. "Do you think you are ready?" he asks.

"Yes, Doctor."

"You will only get one chance to address the Medical Council. If they are not convinced, you will be sent to the County Prison and face criminal charges, like your grandfather."

"He is not my grandfather."

"Good." He smiles.

"Doctor? I understand. I am feeling better. Everything is clearer now."

"Hmm." He stands and walks to the door. He is wearing a bright white doctor's gown. The door opens and the nurse, who has been waiting outside, hands him a bundle of clothes that he places on the floor. "Put these on and then we can go see the Council."

I look at the folded suit on the floor. It is black. It feels funny to see black after being surrounded, trapped, in this enveloping white environment for so long.

I put on the suit and the mute nurse escorts me down the corridor. We walk for more than five minutes until we reach an open, circular area.

In the center of the circle is a high, podium-like structure. Six people are seated on the podium. They are wearing medical gowns. Three men and three women. They have solemn, grey faces, and appear bored and emotionless beyond explanation. I can only imagine how many of these hearings they have to sit through every day.

Dr. Dolos moves to stand beside me. My mother ("Mother!" That still feels so weird) enters from the other end of the room and rushes towards me. I haven't seen her since the night they arrested the Howler.