Chapter #16Appointment with Dr. Strange, Part 3 by: Nostrum   “Jeff?” Mireya gasped as she saw Jeff emerging from Dr. Gustavo’s office. “What a surprise to see you here!” she said, her slight accent slipping further than usual. “I wouldn’t expect to see you here, of all places!”
“Yeah.” Jeff points at the office, blushing. “Have an...uh...appointment.”
“With Dr. Gus?” Mireya grinned in surprise. “He’s not a doctor. He’s a researcher. Head of the Institute, in fact.”
“Well--! I-I got a call from, uh... A friend. Said Dr. Gustavo was interested in, well...”
“Mireya”, said Dr. Gustavo as he emerged from the office, standing at the frame. “Do you know this young man?”
“Yeah!” Mireya replied. “I’m friends with him and his brother--”
“Brother?” Dr. Gustavo’s question seemed to startle Jeff, as his eyes dropped to the floor. Though she knew him little, she noticed that was one of his tell-tale reactions – usually, when he was caught and wanted to flee. “I thought he was here to talk about his brother.”
Mireya’s mind connected the dots as she recalled the reason for her unexpected departure. “Is this the ‘young man’ you talked to me about, Dr. Gus?”
“Yes, he is. May I ask how you know Mr. Prescott?”
The doctor barely had any time to finish, as Jeff swiftly pushed him inside. “I-I’ll tell you all about it inside, alright?” He turned to Mireya, his eyes darting. “Mireya, I promise, I’ll tell you once I’m finished!” He then slammed the door, leaving her outside with more questions than answers.
--
Though it didn’t take long for the door to open, it felt like an eternity to Mireya. Her mind was consumed by multiple thoughts. Why did Jeff react like he was trying to hide something? Why did Dr. Gustavo refer to that patient as Jeff’s brother, and why did he call him “Mr. Prescott?" She was still wrangling with possible explanations, when Jeff and Dr. Gustavo emerged from his office.
The doctor flashed her that mystifying smile that seemed so plastic, so undecipherable. “Sorry if I had to cut our conversation short, Mireya. I have to take Mr. Harrison to meet the patient. Charlaremos en otra ocasión.”
But Mireya blocked them. “Oh, no! I’m not leaving before I ask a few things to ‘Mr. Harrison’”, she said.
Jeff flinched. “M-maybe later! Dr. Gus and I--!”
“Jeff?” Mireya growled. “Let’s make this easy. You’re hiding something. What are you trying to hide from me?”
“Mireya...” Dr. Gustavo laid his hand on her shoulder. “I’m afraid I can’t disclose any further details.”
“Dr. Gus? You know I respect you. You worked with my mother; hell, she left you this place. But my acquaintance here is acting very suspiciously. I know his brother, and far as I know, he only has that brother.” Mireya turned towards Will, her steely gaze pushing him back. “Just explain me this little detail, and I’ll let you go. Do you have any other siblings I should know? Or is it a situation like Frank and Joe?”
“Like Frank and Joe? Whaddya mean by--?”
“Is Marty your real brother, or is he a kid they saddled you up with?”
Jeff clenched his fists. “Of course he’s my brother!”
“Good. One last question. Is your real name Jeffrey Harrison?”
“Mireya, what kind of question is that!?" he stammered
She recalled the moment she interrogated Jeff back in Olympia, and figured she could read his tells – when he tried to lie, when he tried to deflect a question, and when he was honest. She still doubted herself at times, but allowed her gut instinct to follow through – after all, it was that instinct that led her to realize Jeff Harrison was a Stellae. That she was curious pushed her to cower the young man into answering.
“It’s a simple question. You do know that ‘Frank’ and ‘Joe’ aren’t their real names, right?”
Jeff’s shocked stare answered her question faster than his words did. “Uh...I...well...yyyyyeah?”
Mireya sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Don’t tell me they suggested that stupid idea of fake names.”
“Well, no.” Jeff winced as he leaned on the wall, trying to stave off his frustration. “I thought it was a cool idea, alright? Except... Look, I shouldn’t be telling you that! I already answered all your questions!”
“That’s true.” Mireya smirked as she glanced at Dr. Gustavo. “I said you could go. I won’t hold you back, then. But—" She blocked him again before he could bulldoze past. "Dr. Gus told you about why he wants to see...well, whoever’s there?”
“Yes”, said Jeff in a huff, “but that’s none of your business.”
“Unfortunately, it is kind of my business.” She glanced again at Dr. Gustavo, who looked sweaty and nervous – a rare occurrence, being the consummate professional he is. “Did he tell you why he wants to check him?”
Jeff returned a cold stare. “Whaddya want? I already told you all I needed to say.”
“Jeff - or whoever you are, honestly – every time I see you, you keep something hidden from me. You didn’t tell Marty about you being a Stellae--” Mireya glanced at Dr. Gustavo, who looked genuinely startled by this revelation “-and by the looks of it, you didn’t say anything to Dr. Gus either. And now, I learn that ‘Jeff Harrison’ isn’t your real name. What’s up with you?”
“Nothing you should care about,” said Jeff, drawing a scowl in his face.
“But unfortunately, I do. Ever since Marty told me about what happened to your parents, I’ve tried to be a friend to you two. But, every time we meet, you’re always distant. I know it hurts. I know it... It’s hard to realize your parents will...” Mireya felt as her emotions began to return, the heavy weight of her guilt pushing her to the floor. “...will never return. I want to help you. But if you want to? You have to be honest.”
Jeff remained silent, staring Mireya, looking for something. With a heavy sigh, he turned his back and moved, but not before making a comment. “Fine. You can come. You already know a lot about me. What’s with knowing a few more secrets?”
--
Moving to the hospital wing of the Institute took only a couple of minutes. Compared to the offices, this area was obviously newer, judging by the sterile, modern, and very white architecture. Signs in both Spanish and English gave directions to the very few areas within – the intensive care unit, the neonatal care unit, the surgery room and the individual rooms. Escorted by Dr. Gustavo, they moved into a room in the second basement floor – one of the “restricted access” areas where they dealt with “peculiar cases”, where they saw the body of a young man cared by two nurses.
Mireya gasped as she saw the young man. She was used to see Marty, tall, strong and vibrant; what she saw was someone completely identical to Marty, though somewhat smaller and definitely frailer. This Marty seemed asleep, his vital signs pinging stable, but other than breathing, there was no other movement. She turned to look at Jeff, who cast a hard stare at the apparent doppelganger standing before them.
Sending the nurses away, Dr. Gustavo locked the door and began explaining as he revised the patient. “Mr. Harrison, I take it this is the patient that was transferred from Hochstetter?”
Jeff nodded, though he made no step closer. “Yeah. That’s him.”
“Jeff!” Conversely, Mireya approached the comatose body, astonished by the uncanny resemblance. “What’s the meaning of this? This...this is Marty!”
“No”, said Jeff, coldly and in pain. “That’s not Marty. It’s...a long story.”
“Then, if that’s not Marty...?” Mireya stopped as she noticed Dr. Gustavo removing a needle from the patient’s veins. “Dr. Gus! What are you doing?
“It’s a necessary action to take.” As he disconnected the monitors and removed the patches from the patient’s body, Dr. Gustavo beckoned Jeff to approach. “Mr. Harrison, if you may.”
Jeff approached with almost reverential pace. He cautiously approached the young man’s face, almost caressing it, before grasping his temples and forehead as if a claw. Then, with eyes closed, he made an utterance in a language Mireya couldn’t understand, and repeated it three times.
What Mireya saw sent her to the floor, shrieking. Before her eyes, the young man became a statue of what seemed white marble, chiseled almost to perfection in the image of another man. In Jeff’s hand was a mask, like that of a tragedian’s, but with a rare blue glow. She crossed herself with a shiver, stammering. “¡Ay Jesús, María y José! ¿¡Que brujería es esta!?”
After listening to Dr. Gustavo’s translation, Jeff turned towards Mireya, the mask still in his hand. His face was full of anger and anguish. “This ‘witchcraft’, as you call it? Remember what I told you about the book I had? The one the warlock stole?” With a frightened nod from Mireya, Jeff finally made his confession. “That’s what he did,” he said as he pointed at the statue in the bed. “My name’s not Jeff Harrison. My name’s Will Prescott, and the man you see there...? That’s my father.” You have the following choice: 1. Continue |
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