The cuff tightened on her arm. “Don’t think there will be too much trouble for me to stay away from it.”

The doctor looked at the readings and then took the cuff of Ruby’s arm. “Good. Blood pressure is fine. How are you feeling? Have you had any feelings of panic or extreme fear?”

“Not extreme,” Ruby paused. “Some flashbacks and dreams, but I seem to get over them quickly.”

“We’ll need to watch these things, as we don’t want you to end up with post-traumatic stress disorder. Just make sure you have the appropriate support around you, particularly over the next few weeks.”

Ruby felt strong but understood what the doctor said. It had been a traumatic event.

The doctor checked her pulse and then went behind her with her stethoscope. “Now the lungs.” She lifted Ruby’s top and Ruby jumped with the coldness of the stethoscope on her skin. The doctor moved around to the front. “Now the tummy and the heart.” 

Ruby looked into the doctor’s eyes. “I think I’m coping, Doctor. It’s just . . . I’m not sure. It’s like there’s something coming but I can’t explain what it is.”

“It’s anxiety, Ruby. I’ll give you a prescription to handle your anxiety. Use the pills if you need immediate relief—they’re not for long-term use. I know you pretty well and know you’ll get over this.”

Ruby took the prescription reluctantly. “Hopefully I won’t need them. This is the sort of stuff they must have put in me.” She closed her eyes.

The doctor stood up and walked over to a cabinet. She poked around and found what she was looking for. She gave Ruby a sample pack of the tablets. “It’s okay to take them, Ruby. They will help you.”

Ruby closed her fist around the package and shook her fist. Who did this to her wasn’t going to get away with it. She’d read somewhere that anger could be channelled into positive energy. That’s what she would do. She’d let the anger motivate her. An image of her bursting out her clothes came to mind, but she had huge bulging muscles and green skin. She needed to do something about her imagination.

“Here's a certificate for your work. It’s up to you when you go back. Come back next week and see me, because I want to see how you’re doing.”

Ruby smiled, put on her coat and stood to leave.

The doctor gave her a hug.

As Ruby entered the passageway, she nearly bumped into the assistant who’d peered on her in the waiting area. She wore earrings with the same symbol as Shoana’s pendant. Ruby apologised and walked off. She looked back. She sensed something. Nothing there, but her arms were covered in goosebumps.

Ruby opened the door to leave the clinic, and a man shoved past her. He gave a grunt and looked back at her with watery eyes filled with contempt, then turned and moved towards the counter. The receptionists didn’t look like they enjoyed his visits. She had empathy for those women, having to deal with people like this. The guy was probably a drug addict, a dependent. That’s what she was avoiding—dependency.

Drugs opened a doorway and handed over control. Ruby didn’t want that. No, she wanted to remain in control. Drugs made people think wrong thoughts. 

Drugs made people bury people.

30 – Enter the clown

JILL WORKED IN THE CLINIC on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and that was all she could cope with especially when they had patients like this idiot man who now stood at the counter. She’d seen him before. Most of the time only the threat of calling the police would persuade him to leave.

She looked out on to the street and saw the girl snuggled up in a warm coat and blending back into the world of people and things. Yes, the gods were with her. She couldn’t believe that the redhead would turn up so soon but it had happened for a reason and she needed to act.

A loud bang brought her attention back to the clown at the desk. The clown was banging his fist on the counter.

The receptionist had her phone in her hand. “I’m calling the police.”

“You do that, creep,” the clown said.

“I will.”

He reached over to grab the phone. 

She pulled the phone back out of reach.

Jill came to help. “I think you’d best calm down, sir, or the police will be on their way.”

“Oh yes, and who are you? Have you come to take me away to the psycho ward?”

Without warning, the man calmed down. He blinked, as if trying to make out something. 

“Now, I want you all to stay calm. Keep still,” the clown said. “There’s a large green reptile standing behind that lady.” He pointed towards Jill. “It’s trying to tell me to be quiet.”

The man slowly backed out of the clinic, raising his hands as if to indicate surrender to the invisible reptile. One of the patients stood and opened the door to let the crazy man out. 

There were nervous smiles and raised eyebrows throughout the clinic.

“Let’s give thanks to the large green reptile for helping us deal with that,” the receptionist announced. A few people clapped.

The receptionist’s phone rang. She answered. Things were back to normal. The waiting patients returned to their magazines, phones, and the television.

Jill watched the man walk off. His appearance wasn’t an accident. The gods sent him. Now she had to understand why. 

<°)))><

Ruby sought the comfort of her coat as she walked in the cool breeze. There were a few people seated and sipping coffee at the bakery. She stopped and ordered a takeaway coffee, but managed to resist the tempting pastries on display. 

Was she now a super sensitive person who was going to pick up all sorts of vibrations? She looked back at the surgery and thought of the lady in the light blue uniform—she'd picked up some bad vibrations near her. Go away. 

The druggie walked out of the clinic. She hoped he’d stay away from her. 

“Ruby,” an unconnected voice called. She collected her coffee from the counter, but had a momentary lapse about where she’d parked her car. She needed that coffee. She looked in both directions and saw her white Mazda waiting for her. The car gave her a wink when she pressed her remote. As soon as she was seated, she locked all doors. Good timing, because the crazy man walked past and turned and looked at her. It almost looked like some kind of acknowledgment, but thankfully he moved on. Ruby’s heart pounded hard in her chest.

Zoe had told her they were missing her at work. It had only been two days, but she was going there now. She needed to get stuck into something, to distract herself from the crazy world that had opened up to her. It was time to draw the curtain for this act and start a new one. 

She placed her prescription on the passenger seat, reversed out of the carpark, and turned on to the main thoroughfare. 

“Music.” The car heard her and obliged.

She looked at the prescription on the seat. 

Maybe I’ll need those.

<°)))><

The clinic was quiet now. The receptionists had gone home. One of the doctors was still seeing a patient, so Jill had to wait in case her services were needed. Her title was Clinical Medical Assistant and her job involved providing assistance to the doctors where required. Because of her nursing training, she took vital signs, drew blood, administered medication. She also helped out with administrative tasks. She called on this knowledge of administration to find the details of two individuals: the redhead and the drugged clown.

Ruby Fischer lived in an apartment block not far from the clinic. The details for the crazy man weren’t as clear but there was a phone number. His name was Bret Oram. 

Bret Oram was definitely someone sent by the gods. The man should not even be walking the streets—a common occurrence these days. Many people were screaming for a review of police bail procedures.