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zg_shadows2008-03-28 03:35 pm
lanfykins.livejournal.com) wrote in zg_shadows2008-03-28 03:35 pm
The cure...
"Nobody messes with my mind." Alexandra turned and walked away.
The train went.
The train came.
She walked down the stairs.
The barrier opened.
People shouted behind her.
The barrier was closed in front of her.
Train. Barrier. Shouting. Alexandra swam through a series of random events, looking for a connection.
Oyster card. Alex swiped.
A great blast of hot, dirty air came down the tunnel.
"Mind the gap."
Someone grabbed her arm.
The doors opened.
Train. Doors. Alex stepped forward.
She bounced off the closed doors.
"Are you all right?"
This wasn't right. This wasn't right at all. Fighting down panic, Alexandra stepped away from the platform edge. "No," she said. "I don't think I am."
---
"Miss Kerr? Yes, an interesting case. Did you get a chance to look at her notes?"
"Briefly." The other doctor shuffled the pile of manila folders in his hands until he found the one he wanted. "Some sort of defect in the brain's sense of timing, you think?"
"Mmm. At first it looked like some form of dissociative disorder, but if you look at the transcript in the back, she's actually answering the questions, but the answers are out of order. Rather difficult to spot, actually." There was a note of pride in the older doctor's voice as he stubbed his illegal cigarette out in the illegal ashtray and stood up.
The younger doctor flipped through the list of tests. "No obvious trauma to the basal ganglia or the parietal lobe... some old damage to the prefrontal cortex, but no previous history of impairment... cerebellum fine... You're treating her with a dopamine replacement?"
"Yes, though I rather think the root cause will turn out to be psychological. She's coming out of it now, anyway; the average delay's down to about a minute. Want to see her?"
"Love to."
Alexandra sat by the window in a room of her own.
"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Holy Mary, mother of God, blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus... no..." She frowned in fierce concentration.
"Miss Kerr? Alexandra? Alex?" said the senior doctor, in the gently encouraging tone one uses with the insane.
"Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Hail Mary, the Lord is with thee, pray for us sinners."
"Alex? Can you hear me?"
"Come in." Alex looked up at the door expectantly. Then she snapped her gaze around to look irritatedly at the two doctors. "I see you have. And you might give me a chance to answer before you." she waited expectantly.
"Err, I'm sorry?" hazarded the other doctor.
"Things are starting to make sense again. What's the delay now?"
"About a minute."
"Talk over me."
"Err, what?" the junior doctor said bemusedly.
Alex shook her head frustratedly. She closed her eyes, a deep furrow of concentration on her scarred brow. "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death."
She opened her eyes again. "Was that right?"
"I think so?" The younger doctor looked at the elder, who was staring blankly at the ceiling as he mouthed the words over to himself.
"Yes, I think so too," he agreed.
"Thankyou, gentlemen." Alexandra stood up. "Right. I'm going to have words with Leslie Penhaligon."
The train went.
The train came.
She walked down the stairs.
The barrier opened.
People shouted behind her.
The barrier was closed in front of her.
Train. Barrier. Shouting. Alexandra swam through a series of random events, looking for a connection.
Oyster card. Alex swiped.
A great blast of hot, dirty air came down the tunnel.
"Mind the gap."
Someone grabbed her arm.
The doors opened.
Train. Doors. Alex stepped forward.
She bounced off the closed doors.
"Are you all right?"
This wasn't right. This wasn't right at all. Fighting down panic, Alexandra stepped away from the platform edge. "No," she said. "I don't think I am."
---
"Miss Kerr? Yes, an interesting case. Did you get a chance to look at her notes?"
"Briefly." The other doctor shuffled the pile of manila folders in his hands until he found the one he wanted. "Some sort of defect in the brain's sense of timing, you think?"
"Mmm. At first it looked like some form of dissociative disorder, but if you look at the transcript in the back, she's actually answering the questions, but the answers are out of order. Rather difficult to spot, actually." There was a note of pride in the older doctor's voice as he stubbed his illegal cigarette out in the illegal ashtray and stood up.
The younger doctor flipped through the list of tests. "No obvious trauma to the basal ganglia or the parietal lobe... some old damage to the prefrontal cortex, but no previous history of impairment... cerebellum fine... You're treating her with a dopamine replacement?"
"Yes, though I rather think the root cause will turn out to be psychological. She's coming out of it now, anyway; the average delay's down to about a minute. Want to see her?"
"Love to."
Alexandra sat by the window in a room of her own.
"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Holy Mary, mother of God, blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus... no..." She frowned in fierce concentration.
"Miss Kerr? Alexandra? Alex?" said the senior doctor, in the gently encouraging tone one uses with the insane.
"Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Hail Mary, the Lord is with thee, pray for us sinners."
"Alex? Can you hear me?"
"Come in." Alex looked up at the door expectantly. Then she snapped her gaze around to look irritatedly at the two doctors. "I see you have. And you might give me a chance to answer before you." she waited expectantly.
"Err, I'm sorry?" hazarded the other doctor.
"Things are starting to make sense again. What's the delay now?"
"About a minute."
"Talk over me."
"Err, what?" the junior doctor said bemusedly.
Alex shook her head frustratedly. She closed her eyes, a deep furrow of concentration on her scarred brow. "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death."
She opened her eyes again. "Was that right?"
"I think so?" The younger doctor looked at the elder, who was staring blankly at the ceiling as he mouthed the words over to himself.
"Yes, I think so too," he agreed.
"Thankyou, gentlemen." Alexandra stood up. "Right. I'm going to have words with Leslie Penhaligon."
...........
IMPROMPTU SCiEnCe!