Day 33: Doctor's Office 9 (Dr. Sohma)

[damned_doctors]

It was Thursday.

Dr. Hatori Sohma noted this, allowing himself a small, private smile as he pored through patient files. He'd arrived a little earlier than usual today, after all the patients had gone to breakfast but not much later, in an effort to get a little bit of chartreading done before his office was invaded by obnoxious (but occasionally

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[kagurazuki]

Sneak away, Leon had said. If they couldn't make it out the doors in the daytime, what made him think she could sneak to Hatori's office? It was on the other side of the building from most of the usual activities, but as they started leading the patients out, boys to the recreational field, girls to the greenhouse, she noticed they were heading in the right direction! If the greenhouse was this way, she'd pass right by the hallway that lead to Hatori's office! Lucky

[damned_doctors]

The racket was rather deafening.

Hatori hadn't expected 'Thomas Appleby' to sound so womanly, but he was willing to accept that for the sake of therapy. Nor had he expected the patient to know his first name by now, or to use honorifics with a name like Appleby, or to seem so - desperate. But he simply supposed the nurse had discussed him with the patient on the way to the office.

"Come in," he said quietly, methodically relocating his half-eaten breakfast sandwich to one of the drawers in the desk. The coffee he left out on top, figuring it to be normal enough to stay.

[kagurazuki]

Kagura burst into the office with all the grace and poise of a rhinocerous. She stumbled into a heap when the door gave and looked up to see Hatori, sitting calmly at his desk drinking coffee. She didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or scream.

She could hear hurried footsteps behind her, only moments away. She pulled herself up and looked at her cousin worriedly. It would be ok now, wouldn't it? Hatori would make everything all better! "Hatori-san! Hatori-san, it's me Kagura! Please, you have to help me! There's been some kind of mistake!"

[damned_doctors]

The door swung open, and it was, indeed, a girl. A very hysterical girl, but a girl, no less. No, there was no chance this was Thomas Appleby. Especially when she pulled herself off the ground and called herself by that name.

There was no sign of recognition in his only visible eye, just that same cold gleam that was unmistakably Hatori, and a modicum of surprise.

"Yes, it does seem that there has been some kind of mistake," he said icily. "I do not believe you are one of my patients. Why are you here?"

Of course he'd heard from multiple patients of the girl who claimed to be his kin, but he had not expected to ever meet her in the flesh.

[full_score]

Breakfast had been interesting, to say the least. Not that he hadn't really seen any of it coming as soon as soon as he found out the blue-haired captive was studying heraldry at Bachtein. It was just...after being on Expel for so long, he'd gotten used to people not knowing a thing about his background, so it was a little jarring when he finally stumbled across someone who did. But that was to be expected if he was looking for people who had the same memories of Earth that he had

[damned_doctors]

Rather ruffled from his experience just a moment ago - one would be, if a hysterical woman pushed her way into one's office and made false and rather alarming claims - Hatori had pulled his breakfast sandwich back out, ready to take a few more bites before the patient came in.

But he had scarce picked up the lukewarm meal before the door opened again, and a much more Thomas Appleby-looking person entered and stared at him for a moment. ...Which was an immense relief.

He put the sandwich back down and wrapped it back up, rather dejected about not being able to finish it quite yet.

"Good morning," Hatori said, trying his best to sound calm and professional as he stowed his breakfast back in his desk. "I'm Hatori Sohma, and I'll be your doctor here at Landel's." Then he took a deep breath. "What would you like me to call you?"

Of course he already knew what the patient called himself - everything was in the file. But he was trying these days to go the extra mile to make the patients seem comfortable.

[full_score]

His nurse hadn't been joking when she said Dr. Sohma was very professional. He was the very image of a medical expert -- he was calm and down to business, the office didn't have many unnecessary decorations, and the bookshelf was filled with what looked to be a ton of medical books. The only weird thing was the very distinct odor of cigarette smoke that clung to the air, but Claude supposed even doctors had their vices.

"Well, I'm supposed to say Thomas Appleby, aren't I?" Claude said after a moment. His eyebrows furrowed a little, and he paused, considering what to say. "I'd rather you call me Claude, though." There was probably some merit to the idea of just playing along, but he wasn't about to go asking people to call him by his assigned name. Besides, the worst that could happen was Dr. Sohma saying no, in which case he could just grin and bear it. That's what he did with the nurses, anyway.

Not to mention it was probably better to keep things light and friendly if he could.

[damned_doctors]

The doctor took a slow sip of his coffee, listening to the somewhat polite young man speak. So far, it seemed to be a breath of fresh air. No taunting. Yet.

"Claude, it's understandable if you don't yet feel comfortable with that name again. Names are a symbol of identity," he said quietly, trying his best to be friendly but realizing that this poor boy was likely just as mentally unstable as all of the others.

"And for someone like you," he continued, "whose father is ..who he is, it's more than understandable. Many people would have done the same thing in your situation." The doctor doubted he would have, but there was no escaping the Sohma name anyway.

"So, tell me, Claude. How are you feeling today?"