Remember Me Spain

Epilogue

The sound of the grandmother clock could be heard again in the background. A satisfied sigh came from the Doctor as she finished the last of her notes. I could hear the sound of her pen scratching along the paper. It sounded distant.

"We covered a lot today Amaris," came Dr. Vellamo's voice again as she placed her pen down on the desk beside, what seemed like, a sea of papers. She gave a nod and sat back in her chair, her fingers pressed gently together.

I shook my head and looked up from my lap. Were we done already? I thought to myself. How long had I been talking? I thought. I glanced at the clock. Two hours had passed since I had entered. Strange, it had felt like much longer. She had obviously allowed me to talk much longer than time permitted. Something wet was on my cheek. It seemed that I had been crying. Quickly, I wiped the tears away with the back of my hand.

There came a light tapping from the table that drew my attention back to Dr. Vellamo. I watched her give the collection of notes one last tap before slipping it into a neat, beige folder. I waited in silence as she placed the folder back onto her desk before finally looking up at me. She gave me another sweet smile.

She cleared her throat. "You certainly have had many hardships throughout your life. Losing your family and Colony, living under such harsh conditions as an assassin, constantly travelling, losing the one you loved. It must have been hard for you to recall those memories Amaris," she said. "But I think I'm beginning to understand what's causing these nightmares of yours."

"What do you think is it?" I asked, weakly.

"From what you're explaining, I believe that you may be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This is a common problem for people, like you, who've survived a traumatic event," she explained as she took off her glasses to clean them. When she was done, she raised them to the light to inspect the glasses before retuning them to her nose. "Commonly, these nightmares, like you described, often have reoccurring elements. For some it might be watching someone they care about die. For others, it may be them killing someone. For you, this element is dying at the hands of Rhea. For centuries she was your tormentor. So, it's only natural that your nightmares always have her in them," she finished.

"I see..." I went silent as I tried to come to terms with the Doctor's hypothesis.

Of course, her diagnosis made sense, especially for the early years of my life. I had gone through a lot since my youth. But that didn't explain the reoccurring nightmares I had after Ales' death.

"You seem quiet Amaris. Is...something else bothering you?" She asked.

"I understand how you came to believe that I'm suffering from this Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, especially early on in my life. But...it's just that..." I took a moment to rub the back of my neck. "These nightmares have been occurring for a long time. Even after Ales and Rhea's death. And I feel like those nightmares weren't related to the ones I had as a child."

Dr. Vellamo nodded and again pressed her fingers together thoughtfully. "Well, it's only one theory of many. And of course, I cannot come to any rational conclusions based on just one session. It's obvious that we'll have to talk more. Unfortunately, we've run out of time. We can pick this up again next week. Meanwhile, I would like to have a look at your journals, if you would allow me too," she said.

I nodded. "Of course...I'll have someone bring them over as soon as possible," I replied.

"Thank you Amaris."

On her desk, Dr. Vellamo pressed a small button, which signaled the nurse to return. She got to her feet and I followed. With another smile she stretched her hand out, as a sign of respect. Hesitantly, I took it and we shook. The door opened seconds after our mutual handshake. I turned. The nurse stood solemnly at the door.

"Come on Amaris, it's time for lunch," the nurse said gruffly.

I sighed and with my head lowered I obediently made my way across the room again to the door. The nurse placed a heavy hand on my shoulder and rushed me out. I gave another sigh as I heard the cries and shouts of the other patients. I cupped my hands together and slowly walked down the hall.

End of Book One