Chapter 17
Ajna was already home when Edward arrived. She was sitting on the couch watching the news as he walked in the door. He went over to the couch and lay down, resting his head on Ajna’s lap. She began stroking his head with her fingertips. “Rough day, hon?” she asked.
“I kinda got carried away about that whole screening business, didn’t I?” he asked.
“Yeah, you did,” Ajna replied.
“I’m sorry I gave you such a hard time about it,” he said.
“It’s o.k.,” Ajna said. “But it was irritating.”
She smiled at him in a moment of forgiveness.
“Ya know, I get it now,” Edward said. “There are so many people out there who need help.”
Ajna was a bit startled by his dramatic change of heart.
“Alright,” she said. “Who are you and what have you done with my husband?”
Edward sat up and faced her.
“I’m serious,” he began. “Here we are with our perfect lives. We make a pretty good living while most people live below the poverty line if they’re lucky.”
Edward stood up and began pacing.
“Ya know, we should start making some donations,” he said. “We’ve got boxes of clothes that we’ll never use. I say let’s give them to goodwill.”
Ajna was impressed by Edward’s sudden humanitarianism.
“And I’m sure there are a couple of local charities we can donate some money too. It would be good for them ‘and’ it would be tax deductible.”
Ajna had never seen this side of him before. She was impressed by his intentions, but she also began to him as being a bit agitated. She wondered if the stress of work was starting to get to him. Or, maybe he felt anxious for her safety after she’d almost been killed at the clinic a few months ago. “So, how did your screening go?” she interrupted. Edward paused to gather his thoughts.
“The screening?” he asked. “Oh, yeah. It really wasn’t what I thought it would be. Actually, it was pretty straightforward.”
Ajna was stunned. Given Edward’s previous anxiety and paranoia over the simple idea of getting screened, she found herself at something of a loss as to understanding this change in his behavior. As Edward continued in his unbroken stream of thought, Ajna also started to wonder what exactly had happened during his screening. Edward had changed. He was pacing back and forth like a mad scientist on the verge of some brilliant, yet irrational.
“Ed, c’mon over and sit with me,” Ajna said.
He stopped suddenly and looked at her with wide eyes. Ajna had never seen Edward like this and it terrified her.
“Uh… yeah, sure,” he replied.
He walked over and sat on the couch next to her, still a bit agitated. Ajna put a hand on his back.
“Hon, what happened at your screening?” she asked.
“They… drew some blood,” Edward answered. “I had to take some kinda psych tests. Oh, they did say they would call if there was a problem with my results.”
Ajna thought for a moment.
“They didn’t give you anything, did they?” she asked.
Edward looked at her with a puzzled expression. “Give me anything?” he asked. “What do you mean?”
“Anything,” Ajna said. “A pill, a glass of water – anything,”
“No, they didn’t give me anything,” he said. “Why are you asking me about this?” Edward was agitated again.
“You’ve been…anxious lately,” she said. “I’m just worried, that’s all.”
Edward thought for a moment. He could think straight, but clearly felt stressed.
“Ya’ know,” he began. “With everything that’s been going on – the shooting, the hospital, getting back to work and now this stupid screening – I feel like I’m gonna pop.”
Tears began streaming down his face.
“I thought you were gonna die – all those tubes and wires and machines.”
Ajna threw her arms around him as he began sobbing.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she said. “We’re gonna leave all of that behind us, o.k.?”
Edward nodded his head as Ajna reached up and wiped the tears from his face.
“I was so afraid that I was gonna lose you,” he said.
He had started trembling a bit as Ajna held him and gently began rocking him back and forth.
“Do something for me,” she said.
He sat back to catch his breath and pull himself back together.
“Of course,” he said. “What is it?” Ajna looked him in the eyes.
“I want you to talk to someone about this,” she said. “You’ve been through a lot. All I had to do was get better. You did everything else, including playing nursemaid to me.”
A moment went by and Edward realized that he did have a problem.
“I have been kinda freakin’ out lately, haven’t I?” he said.
“I just don’t want this turning into something serious like post-traumatic stress,” Ajna said.
Edward again nodded his head in agreement.
“I’ll look someone up before I go to work tomorrow,” he said.
“Or,” Ajna began. “You could go online and e-mail for an appointment.”
“You are brilliant,” Edward said.
He reached over and kissed her on the lips.
“And that’s why you married me,” Ajna said playfully.
Edward got up to shake off some of the stress and tension he was feeling. Thinking that his job probably had something to do with his behavior, Ajna thought that this might be a good time to bring it up.
“So, how’s work been going?” she asked. “Work,” he said rather bluntly. “I don’t think the corporate mentality will ever change. The little guys are always gonna get shit on while the big guys just sit back in their ivory towers.”
“Things are that bad, huh?” Ajna asked. “Haven’t things always been like that?” Edward replied. “People like them have never cared about people like us. What really pisses me off is when they find a way to tell us they don’t care.”
Ajna listened intently. She understood exactly what Edward was talking about. After all, she was a doctor and healthcare was not immune to the effects of corporate greed.
“And those assholes in Beijing. Why should they give a shit? As long as they get their money they’re just gonna see us as a means to end – just like every other corporation,” he said. “But, hey, at least we have jobs, right?”
Ajna just sat on the couch and let him talk it out. She didn’t have any solutions, but as long as Edward needed to talk she would always listen. She would always be there for him.