Authors: Melissa Delport
“A bottle of water, please,” Doctor Sheldon glances across at me.
“Two, please,” I confirm and then turn my attention back to him. “And this will work? Adam will be Adam and he and I can be together.
Just the two of us?”
Doctor Sheldon laughs.
“In a nutshell, yes, but it is a massive commitment from your side, not a decision to be made lightly. You cannot abandon Adam down the line because it becomes too hard for you or too much effort,” he cautions. “Adam was responding very well to treatment. Many patients are able to obtain a full recovery but only a few can maintain it. Without continued therapy, even after the personality has become fused, a patient will often dissociate again. It is imperative that we ensure that Adam remains in therapy for the rest of his life, even once he’s recovered. A partner who is willing to ensure that happens is obviously an invaluable asset.” He peers at me out of the corner of his eye and I frown in consternation. Am I Adam’s partner? A month ago we were engaged. Yesterday we were enemies. Now I feel that I barely know him.
I think of Jack Sullivan Senior. He worked side by side with Adam for five years. He knew two of his alternate personalities and he got along with them both. He trusted Adam enough to leave him a huge portion of his wealth. Even Jack Junior didn’t press charges against Adam; a sure sign that as much as they disagreed he didn’t despise him. Doctor Sheldon obviously cares for him too. I feel suddenly impatient. I need to see him. I need to see him and we can figure things out from there.
By the time our plane finally touches down in Manhattan my nerves are getting the better of me. I force myself to take deep, calming breaths as we collect our luggage from the carousel. Strangely it is not Adam who dominates my thoughts, but Kevin. I can’t help but wonder what he would think of this mess and what advice he would give me. I am pretty sure he would tell me to follow my heart, and seeing as though Adam now possesses my whole heart, Kevin would probably be cheering me on from the sidelines right about now. I close my eyes and whisper, “I miss you” allowing myself one brief moment of self-pity and then I hoist my battered suitcase off of the conveyor, forcing myself to put all negative thoughts aside and focus on the positive. Kevin is gone but Adam is alive and he is going to get the help that he needs. He is still Adam. He still loves me and I love him; that is all that matters. The rest we will deal with.
Doctor Sheldon notices me shivering.
“I’m so sorry, Paige,” he apologises, “I should have warned you about the temperature difference. California winters are much warmer. You must be freezing.” He glances down at my utterly inappropriate three-quarter pants and beaded sandals sympathetically.
“It’s not your fault,” I stammer, pulling a cardigan from my holdall, “I should have remembered.”
Christmas is only six weeks away and winter is almost upon us. New York is freezing and it is only going to get colder. I need to get myself a decent coat urgently. I set my watch forward three hours. It is 4 o’clock in the afternoon, New York time. Carl has asked if I would like to rest and go and see Adam in the morning, but I shake my head emphatically. I will see Adam today; I cannot wait a minute longer than is absolutely necessary.
We catch a cab to the Bed and Breakfast that Doctor Sheldon has booked me into. It is quaint and pretty with a beautiful green lawn, and the owners, Mr and Mrs Bass, are retired. He was a surgeon and she was a nursing aide. I smile at them both and then gratefully accept Mrs Bass’s offer to show me to my room. I dig in my suitcase for a change of clothes and take a quick, hot shower; the jets of heat stinging my freezing skin, waking me up and clearing my head. I pull on a pair of denims and a peach jersey top that Adam loves. Thankfully I brought my brown leather boots. I brush my teeth and tie my hair back in a ponytail. Pulling on two pairs of socks, I zip up my boots and I am ready to go in under 20 minutes. Carl, waiting downstairs, looks suitably impressed. He is old friends with the Bass family, having gone to the same college as Mr Bass. They politely end their conversation, but, as we prepare to leave, Mrs Bass gives a shriek of protest, rushes to the closet in the hall and bundles me into the warmest, cosiest sheepskin coat. I try to object, but she is insistent and so I thank her profusely and then, before I know it, we are standing back at the car. The doctor hands me the keys.
“This car will be for your use only for the duration of your stay,” he remarks, catching me off guard. Not wanting to show how nervous I am about driving around an unknown city and possibly losing the freedom of having a car, I settle confidently into the driver’s seat.
Five minutes later Carl is visibly wincing as I grind the gears noisily.
“I really appreciate it,” I say, smiling apologetically at him, surprised at his excellent taste. Manhattan is renowned for its lack of private car ownership and its excessive use of public transportation. The majority of Manhattan households do not own a car. The small, sporty silver Audi is gorgeous, far more expensive than my own little Chevy, one of the perks of being a medical professional, I suppose. The interior is so luxurious that I am nervous to touch anything for fear of leaving fingerprints all over the gorgeous stainless trim.
“I’m normally a really good driver, I just have to get used to the gearshift. Back home I drive an automatic,” I add, by way of explanation and he smiles.
“You don’t have to apologise to me, Paige, it’s not my car. It’s Adam’s, although he never drives it, it wouldn’t be safe, in light of his condition,” he informs me calmly and I nearly veer off the road in surprise.
“Sorry,” I mutter, trying to imagine Adam cruising around Manhattan in this sexy car. I can picture it only too well and I grin at the thought. I also now automatically adore the Audi, knowing that it belongs to him.
Dr Sheldon says nothing more, speaking only when he needs to direct me, and all too soon we pull into the Joan Hart Institute. My stomach is in my mouth as we park in Doctor Sheldon’s parking bay and walk through the doctors' entrance at the back of the building. My heart is beating so hard and so fast I feel like it might burst from my chest. We make our way down two corridors and then the doctor stops outside a plain white door.
“Are you ready?” he asks and I nod. I feel like I have been waiting forever to see Adam again. Dr Sheldon pushes open the door and I see him lying on the bed, reading. He glances up at me, recognition crossing his face and he swings his legs off the bed. He is so beautiful, his blue eyes warm and familiar and his curly black hair slightly longer than I remember.
“You need a haircut,” I hear myself say and I giggle nervously.
Adam grins wickedly, his gaze travelling up and down my body and I feel suddenly shy in front of the doctor. Turning to assess his reaction, I see a brief look of surprise on his face, before his usual deadpan expression settles back in place. I follow his gaze and see that Adam is still staring at me.
‘Well,” he finally breaks the silence and I notice that his voice is slightly deeper than normal, “it’s nice to see that you’ve stopped screaming, pretty lady.” He winks at me and, in the blink of an eye, I realise that this is not Adam. I am officially meeting Kyle for the first time.
My head is whirling with different thoughts and I suddenly wish that I had asked Carl what I should do in this situation. As it is, I am completely unprepared and there is no way that he can offer me any advice now. I take a deep
breath, tell myself that this will serve as my 'something scary' for the month of November and take a step forward, my arm outstretched.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I say confidently, “I’m Paige.” Kyle takes my hand and lifts it to his lips.
“Kyle,” he inclines his head arrogantly and then turns his attention to the doctor.
“What’s up, Doc?” he grins. “Long time no see.” Doctor Sheldon steps forward and shakes his hand quite calmly.
“Nice to see you again, Kyle. Where has Adam gone off to?”
“Aw shucks, Doc. You know, you might want to stop asking about him, I might start to think he’s your favourite.” He tilts his head to wink at me.
“Kyle you know I have no favourites,” Carl chides, “but could I speak to Adam?” he continues. “This lady has come a long way to see him.” He gestures at me. Kyle bites his bottom lip as though considering, then he shakes his head and addresses me directly.
“He’s so boring, darling. Why don’t you have a visit with me, instead?”
I can see that the doctor is about to intervene but I feel the need to understand more of how this works and I very discreetly shake my head at him.
“Sure, Kyle.
Why not?” I force myself to smile and then I turn to the doc, “Does he have to stay in here? Can we go outside, get a coffee, maybe?”
I am not sure how this all works and again I find myself wishing I had asked the relevant questions before we arrived.
“Absolutely,” the doctor answers, moving aside and allowing us to pass. Kyle offers me his hand and after a moment’s hesitation I take it. He steps confidently forward, leading the way and I glance back at Doctor Sheldon desperately unsure of how to proceed. He nods in encouragement and follows us back along the corridor, down a few stairs and out into a garden.
Dr Sheldon then leads the way back around the building, back to the parking-lot where the Audi is parked. The chill in the air seeps through my clothes despite the warmth of the borrowed jacket and I shiver involuntarily.
“We’re still driving the pocket-rocket, I see,” Kyle remarks and then immediately jumps into the car looking very at ease in the driver’s seat.
“Kyle,” the doctor leans down, looking him straight in the eye, “I need to speak to Miss
Petrova privately for a minute, if you don’t mind?”
Kyle raises both hands in the air in the universal sign of surrender and grins. It pains me to see Kyle’s smile on Adam’s face.
“Whatever you say, Doc, you’re the boss.”
“Oh, and Kyle,” Dr Sheldon adds, “Miss
Petrova will be driving.” Kyle clicks his tongue in annoyance but moves across to the passenger seat, his long legs getting caught up in the gear stick. We walk a short distance away.
“Is this okay?” I whisper frantically as soon as we are out of earshot. “I’m not sure; I don’t even know if it’s allowed?
Aargh!” I smother my face in my hands, stifling a scream of frustration.
“
It’s okay, Paige, it’s good,” he soothes. “Kyle is obviously comfortable enough to go with you and that’s a good thing. Possibly he finds you familiar through your connection to Adam.” I look up at him, wondering how any of this could possibly be a good thing. “You must remember that Adam is not a prisoner here. He stays here voluntarily most days, but he could just as easily reside elsewhere and come in for his sessions provided that he was monitored closely. He’s not dangerous. He’s Adam. And the others are just that: Others; not criminals, not serial killers, just other people. You need to get to know all four identities if you are to fully understand the man you are dealing with. And hopefully,” he pats my shoulder reassuringly and smiles kindly, “hopefully one day soon it will just be you and Adam. Isn’t that why you’re here?”
I nod and head back to the car feeling only slightly more confident.
“Where should we go?” I ask Kyle and he grins.
“I’m easy,” he replies and I laugh, partly because he is funny and partly because of the nervous hysteria that I have been experiencing on and off since the moment Carl Sheldon walked through my door. Whatever the reason I feel better already.
“Yes, but I don’t live here in New York,” I reply, by way of explanation. “I’m from L.A.” He ponders that for a minute and then takes charge, directing me while intermittently whistling strains of The Beach Boys
California Girls.
We soon arrive at an upmarket apartment block and Kyle indicates that I should park in the underground lot.
“They serve the best coffee here.” He opens the door and gestures for me to go first. We are on the ground floor and there is a small deli close to the pool. He is right; the coffee is fantastic.
“How did you find this place?” I muse out loud.
“I live here,” Kyle answers, as if that were obvious.
“What?” I blink at him, looking around, although for what exactly I am not sure; possibly a sign that says 'Kyle’s Room'. I smile at the thought.
“You live here?” I ask again, my curiosity piqued. If Kyle lives here then Adam lives here. I am suddenly desperate to see Adam’s home; the one that he would have decorated himself, however badly.
“Can I see your place?” I ask Kyle automatically.
“No,” his answer is curt and almost rude.
“Why?” I splutter, slightly shocked.
“Because, I don’t know you,” he answers, speaking to me as if I’m retarded. “It’s my house. Respect my privacy, will you? The Doc might want me to spend time with you and I’ll go along with the Doc, but don’t think that because Adam has some pussy-whipped thing for you, that you have some sort of claim on me.”
I reel; taken completely aback. For the first time I realise that Doctor Sheldon is right; there are not four versions of Adam inhabiting this body; there are four completely individual people with their own personalities. And so far this one does not like me very much.
Great start, Paige
.
Kyle, however, seems to realise that he may have been slightly over-aggressive and he relaxes somewhat, leaning back in his chair and regarding me steadily.
“Listen, sweetheart, there’s only one way that strange women are allowed into my place if you’re that eager to see it,” he waggles his eyebrows suggestively and I cannot help but laugh.
“I’m okay, but thanks for the offer,” I reply, but Kyle is not listening. He is staring intently at something over my shoulder. Curious, I follow his gaze to the pool and I recoil in shock and horror. Lying by the pool an older, very made-up woman is tanning, her predatory gaze making a meal of Adam. I mentally shake myself. She is making a meal of Kyle; Kyle, not Adam. Kyle leers back; his fingers drumming the table, he inclines his head and she smiles seductively.
Oh no! This is not happening
. Kyle smiles secretly. “Lila,” he murmurs, seemingly oblivious to my shock and revulsion. She reminds me all too clearly of the blonde woman in Adam’s apartment.
Kyle stands abruptly and walks through the
french doors, going over to stand beside her. A minute later they are deep in conversation and neither is paying the slightest attention to me. I flip open my phone, desperately scrolling down to Doctor Sheldon’s number and hitting the dial button. I raise the phone to my ear; I am pretty sure that I may be having my first panic attack. I cannot do this. I cannot watch this. I consider going over and explaining to the cougar, filling her in on the situation, but I can only imagine what Kyle’s reaction to that would be. I am praying like crazy that Adam or any of the other
alters
will suddenly appear, but I realise that this is futile; I need to fix this myself. Just as Doctor Sheldon’s phone clicks onto voicemail I make my decision. I stand, and before I can consider the foolishness of my actions, I stride right up to Kyle, laying my hand intimately on his arm and, smiling confidently up at him, I take a deep breath and utter the words I know are going to land me in a whole heap of trouble.