The New Patient

The New Patient

“I’m so sorry you had to wait so long,” Dr. Benjamin said to his new patient. She was a striking woman, stylish in her long coat and high leather boots.
“My last patient was having a crisis. I had to call the squad and make sure he was alright. Have a seat; today’s appointment will be no charge because of the lateness,”
Dr. Benjamin gestured to a gold soft chair. Sabrina sat down on the edge of the chair, not removing her coat and looking very uncomfortable.
“Well, let’s get down to business since I’ve wasted so much of your time already. I’ve looked over the form you filled out and there are a few things I really don’t understand. Can I ask you a few questions before we start so I can clear up a few things and then we can start talking?”
She was nodding and said, “Sure, I expected that anyway.”
“Ok,” the doctor replied, “could that be because you say, while writing your family’s health history, that you are mermaids?” He didn’t have too many patients that were this out of touch with reality but he had dealt with a couple of them in the past so he wasn’t completely unable to handle the situation.
“Well, yes,” she answered. “Every time I say that everyone laughs or gets mad at me for lying. But I’m not lying!” her voice raising. “I am a mermaid!”
“Calm down now,” Dr. Benjamin blurted trying to stop her before she became too emotional and they would get nowhere.
He continued, “If you are a mermaid, how are you sitting here on dry land?”
“Well,” she retorted, “for a few hours a day I can take on a regular body.”
“Oh, I see, well why did you come to see me then?”
She sat back in the chair, seemed to take a deep breath, and started talking as if she had been holding back these words for a long time.
“A few months ago, I met a great guy and we started dating. I don’t know what to do - I am afraid to tell him the truth because I know I’ll lose him. But I really like him, more and more as we spend time together, I want to be honest. I have no one else to talk to on land so I thought a psychiatrist would be someone who could help me work this out. What do I do?” She exhaled as she relaxed, finally being able to tell someone about her dilemma.
“Well, Sabrina,” he hesitated, then said, “I really don’t think I can get in the middle of this. I know nothing about you and I have never had a situation like this.”
As he was saying that, he was thinking how crazy this whole thing was and how she belonged in an institution. He was trying to keep her calm and wanting her to think he really believed her. A mermaid! Come on! In spite of what he was thinking, he kept talking as if this was commonplace.
“Well, you realize this is sort of an unusual situation don’t you?” He looked right at her, making eye contact so she would hopefully trust him. “Why don’t you give me some time to think this through? Could you come back tomorrow and I’ll try to sort this out and see if I can be of any help.”
Even as he was saying these words to her, he was thinking how he might have to try to have her committed but first he needed to gain her trust. It had been a taxing day and he needed some down time to think things through.
“Ok,” she said, “I’m just happy that you want to try to help me. I need to get back to the water anyway and I thought you might throw me out or think I was crazy!”
“Oh, no, I’m here to help,” he said as he escorted her to the door anxious to get rid of her for now. As he guided her towards the door, he was aware of a faint odor, like the sea. As he opened the door and she walked through it, he looked down and saw a wet trail from the gold soft chair, now following her down the hall.