Chapter Text
“Time of death?”
The man in question gently pulled his stethoscope from his neck, fingers shaking a little as he placed it on the counter of his desk.
“Doctor Harvey?”
“Why don’t you go home for the night Maru? I’ll lock up and finish the paperwork myself.”
Normally she would object, but after a year of interning with him she liked to think she knew him better than most, and she could see the need to be alone written all over the tense line of his back.
“Of course.” She left to grab her coat from the stand in the waiting room, and when she returned to say goodbye, he still hadn’t turned to face her, his hand resting on the old rotary.
“I’ll lock up the front when I leave…hey doc?”
“Yes Maru?”
“Try to get some rest tonight.”
“I’ll do my best. Goodnight, Maru.”
“Night doc.”
As soon as he heard the tell-tale bell signal her exit the tired doctor sunk into his worn chair and heaved a shaky sigh. Sweat was pooling down his face and he immediately loosened his tie, leaning back and sucking in a labored breath. He’d come out here to avoid the unavoidable and had managed to do so, until today. Hands already shaking he retrieved the key from his pocket and undid the left-hand drawer. Inside, an unmarked bottle of tablets, and next to it, a clear bottle of the strongest liquor. Fingers danced over the familiar shape, considering. But paperwork glared at him from his desk, and they danced over to the bottle, and he shook out a only a few more than he should. He dry swallowed one and pocketed the rest, robotically locking the drawer and throwing the key into his lab coat. One for the tremors to stop, and the rest so he could sleep soundly when all of this was over. He dialed Lewis’s number and balanced the phone on his shoulder, watching his clammy fingers pluck a pen from the bunch and start filling in the blanks.
The voice that answered was exhausted, on the verge of sleep. “Mayor Lewis, speaking.”
“I’m following up with you in regards to Farmer Wilson…as his emergency contact and notary you should know that he-he passed on today.“
Silence. Just as he thought the line might have gone dead, he heard him swallow.
“I understand. Thank you for telling me.”
“I have no other numbers to contact…did he have any family left?”
“Both sons died in the war, long before your time with us doctor. I remember one was seeing a woman in Zuzu city…I might need to pull some strings, but I can try to track her down to give her the news.” He sounds tired, more like he’s talking to himself than Harvey.
“Would she have known him?” His voice is monotone, he stares at a box; the letters blurring together. He taps the pen against his desk.
“Perhaps. Regardless better to be thorough.”
“Of course. Of course.”
The line goes dead. He leaves the paperwork. He climbs the stairs one at a time. He climbs into his shower and sits with too long legs crammed into the tiny tub. The water ran until he was shivering. He turns the faucet and sits for some time longer, until his hair is only damp, and he feels exhaustion deep in his bones.
He goes to bed so he can lie down for a few hours, eyes open in the dark.