Chapter 3

"Vincent I would like you to meet Dr. Stephens. He will be observing our session today. He was the doctor I interned under, It is a policy of his to check on his former interns every so often."

"I take it I was too hard a diagnosis for you to do by yourself? It doesn't really matter, though. Can we just get this over with please? The cable guy said he would be there between 4 and 10 and if I'm not there, they will just leave, and then I will have to start all over. Again. I mean honestly it is enough to drive a person crazy. Don't you think so Dr. Stephens?" Vincent's smirk is peeking through as the new doctor treats him like a person.

"That was always the one thing I hated about the cable company. Always so very late, Why can't they just make appointments? I mean we do it. Why can't they?" An annoyed look crossed Dr. Kurier's face as we continued our little chat, his fingers tapping steadily faster until his notebook flew from his knew and he had to get up to retrieve it, clearing his throat as he did so.

"I understand your equal disgust of the cable company, but this is a paying session and I would like nothing more than to get back to the matter at hand before I have another patient come in for their session."

"I thought I told you to schedule this as your last session for the week." An annoyed look crossed the face of the older doctor as his student ignored his professional opinion once again.

"I did! I am just worried that if I let you two keep babbling as you have been I will still be here Monday Morning. Now can we please get back to the reason we are here?" Vincent chuckles slightly as he saw that Dr. Stephens was poking fun at his student as well.

"Wow, doc you do have a sense of humor. But I think you want this sessions to be about open dialogue, right. Or was that line just a another load of Bs you fed me to prolong the length of the session. I mean really, Dr. Stephens understands that that is exactly what we were doing." Vincent gasps in shock as the armor the doctor had up around himself start to crumble. Already Vincent was beginning to think of them as Shrink A and Shrink B, and B was definitely the one he liked more.

"Fine you would be right it is about open communication. Let's try a different direction for our sessions then, shall we?" I want to ask you to relate the one of your experiences to us. I believe you told me of one when you were on what you called world three." Shrink A always seemed a little more direct and seemed to like bashing his way to the answers instead of earning the patients trust...

"No I would very much like to keep what we have going. IT would be for the best if we keep the path of communications open even if it is about how evil those bastards at the cable company are." Dr. Stephens counters. Vincent's smirk gives way to a rare smile as he watches the older doctor stick up for him. " Vincent is there any one else that you hate?" The smile falls from Vincent's face immediately as he sits there wondering how he hadn't seen it coming.

"Two people pop to mind immediately. My father, because he belittles and degrades my mother." Vincent points his finger at Shrink A and takes a deep breath before going on" And you because you try and do the same thing to me and claim that you are trying to help. If I didn't have to be here I would have walked out a long time ago." Vincent looks at Dr. Stephens for a second before whispering "Sorry it just seems like him and my dad are so similar. They both kept me from my grandpa. Forgive me for my outburst, but I tend to hate people who try and keep families that should rightfully be together apart."

"I understand. My father was killed in a robbery attempt on our house. I have always hated the guy that did it but we have to let go of our anger sometimes. It took me a long time to get where I am now, and I still haven't quite come to terms with his death." Dr. Stephens adds a hint of pain etched in his voice.

"The patient doesn't really need to hear about your loss. I doubt he even cares to be honest with you. I have found him to be rather argumentative at best most of the time."

"I have a name! but the only one you really care about is the name signed on the bottom of the check when you get paid. I can't stand YOU! All you do is berate me and act as if I am not here. I make a simple joke around you and you put me in more sessions that only make me feel worse and worse because I have to spend time listening to you go on about how big a waste of time I am, like I don't hear it enough at home! You and the asshole are the only ones who see the fucking good in the situation for me here. Let me guess you just want what is best for me! Am I right?" Vincent gets up You send me to the looney bin and then that cock sucker can tear down the little bit of self esteem she has left. The little bit of her that makes her who she is and you expect me to just let you do that to my family. You wonder why I don't cooperate. You don't know why I don't want to see you? Well figure it out. You remind me of my father. You make me sick as I have ever felt, and you know what makes it worse? I have to pay you to make me feel like shit."

"Where do you get off talking to me like that? How. Dare. You! You little bastard." Mort gets off his chair as if to strike Vincent but Dr. Stephens interjects by flying between them.

"Calm down right now! Sit down Mortimer. Vincent SIT! He was my student I know how badly he can make you want to hit him but trust me he is not worth wasting the energy on. Even if you get to hear the sound of his jaw crack as you shatter it. IT isn't worth it." Vincent chuckles as Dr. Stephens turns to stare down Morty. "I know I have wanted to do it again ever since he divorced my daughter. By the way Mortimer make sure that you get her alimony check to her on time this month."

"Wow that must have sucked having a slimy ass toad like this as a son in law" Vincent adds knowing Morty was getting hot, he launched from his seat but was immediately shoved back in place by his former teacher as Vincent watched in amusement.

"I... SAID... STAY... SEATED! That will be your last warning Mortimer WE are here to make this young man better not to have you try and harass him further."

"But Eric even I have some sort of professional courtesy but he is showing me nothing but disrespect... How am I expected to stay professional around such abuse?" Morty tries weaseling his way out as Vincent gets up.

"That goes for you as well Vincent"

"Sorry Doc, but the water pitcher is across the room and I just needed to get a drink. Hey Doc can I call you Eric too since that POS did? I know it isn't exactly professional but I don't anything in this session has been so far."

"Sure Vincent you can call me Eric but we need to get back to having our session now after all that is why I am here. IF you wouldn't mind Vincent just start from thr beginning and we will go from there. I think a fresh start would be best for all of us." He reaches over and picks up on of Morty's pads and settles down to take notes again.

"Eric you know he won't want to cooperate look how this session has gone so far. He ahs never wanted to cooperate with me even when I did get this information from him. Why do you think that he will for you?"

"Frankly Mortimer I could care less about your opinion right now so much as if your patient, who seems rather normal to me, is willing to cooperate with me. Vincent are you ready to cooperate with me on this?"

"Of course doc I just really hate Morty over there. Like I said before he is a pain in the ass what do you want to know?" Vincent sits back slightly still not quite comfortable but getting there as the more gentle of the two doctors begins talking to him as a person.

"Eve will you please stop pacing the damn floor you are making me very nervous. Just sit down besides you are blocking the damn TV. If you are going to be pacing then go back and forth from here to the kitchen to get me another beer this one is almost gone."

"Don't you even care about our son? He has been at his therapists office for several hours now. Don't you think it is kinda strange?"

"Look darlin' the doctor told us that they were going to have a longer... about time" he takes the beer from her and takes a long swig before even looking at her again " They were going to have a much longer session this time because it would work out better for him. Now relax and sit down you are starting to bug me."

"It's our son aren't you worried at all?" She looks at him the hurt of not knowing obvious.

"Come here." She nestles in next to him and he pulls her close. "It will be fine now be quiet about it okay? I'm sure he will come home just fine now be quiet so I can finish watching my show."

Voice Journal Entry October 6th

I have decided to tell someone about my grandfather and this lousy recorder seems to be the only one that will listen. At least the only one that will listen without telling me that I am crazier than they already thought I was. My grandfather was an extraordinarily rich man. Though how he came upon his riches no one would ever believe. Well none that weren't of my family line that is. He began to get lost like Vincent is now, except the worlds he would chose to get lost in were of wealth the likes of which you couldn't even dream. Among the stone she had found were the ones that gave him strength and a stature that was passed on to my father but was lost to me. I watched him change slowly over time. But the difference I remember the most was the last time he took me with him. It was so strange seeing the world be so easily turned upside down. The world he kept going back to had all of the precious stones and metals of our world in an overabundance. The unending supply made us rich beyond our dreams but he gave away his soul as he began to steal stone of power as well. I once watched him kill a man just because he refused to give him a few dollars more per pound for his gold, but how can you prove a murder when the body parts were all sent to different dimensions?