“New patient for ya, Jack. A walk-in,” said Denner.
“He’s a young kid, probably no older than eighteen, nineteen? Definitely psychotic. All he needs is a prescription written and the rebate is all yours. I was gonna take him, but think of it as my early engagement present to you.” He made a finger gun and clicking noise and disappeared from sight.
Jack put his notepad down, tore off another page, and hid it from view in his desk drawer. Indecision clouded his mind, swarmed with a list of endless possibilities: ‘Jack and Eva, hearts forever united’, ‘Jack and Eva, our love is eternal’, ‘Jack and Eva, two souls, one heart’ and the classic ‘Jack and Eva, till death do us part’. He never thought making a simple choice for an engraved ring could be so hard. As Jack closed the draw shut, his patient walked in.
The boy was a mess. His shoulders were hunched in, his hair was greasy and pointing in different directions, his fists were clenched and his clothing choice was seemingly random. Shorts and a heavy duty jacket. A shredded scarf and brand new gloves. His face was blank, and his eyes were glazed over. As he sat down, grains of sand fell like snowflakes around him. Jack looked at a couple of grains that rested on the boy’s shoulder. The sand struck him as odd. There was no beach or desert within a thousand kilometres. Jack took a breath and prepared himself for his rehearsed introduction, when the boy spoke.
“I’m a time traveller…from the future. I got lost. Took me centuries, but now I’m here.” His gaze was fixed on his bare and weathered knees. Jack reached for his notepad and wrote delusional at the top of the page.
“Maybe we could just start with your name?” Jack asked delicately.
“My name’s not important.” He lifted his head. “I’m from the year 2245. I’m going to save her. Correct the timeline. Prevent the Great Descent.” His fingers were twitching perfectly in sync with the movement of his eyes, which were now fluttering in every direction.
Jack had seen enough psychotic patients and addicts to know he wasn’t going to get much from the boy. He needed proper care, and he needed it now.
“Could you excuse me for one second?” asked Jack. He picked up his phone and started to dial the community assessment team. A loud bang startled him, and the phone slipped from his grasp. The boy had slammed an object on the desk. It was a weathered gold ring, half covered with a dark red crust. Without thinking, Jack picked up the ring and examined it closely. His heart stopped and his blood turned to ice as familiarity washed over him. With a trembling hand, Jack held the ring between his thumb and index finger, and read the engraving.
“Jack and Eva, till death do us part.”
