Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience. MY ALARM SOUNDED LOUDLY AND I JUMPED UP. MY KEYS WERE SITTING ON TOP OF MY ALARM CLOCK AND I SMILED, MY LITTLE BROTHER ALWAYS CAME THROUGH FOR ME. I STRETCHED AS I MADE MY WAY TO THE BATHROOM AND STARTED MY DAILY ROUTINE: SHOWER, HAIR, TEETH, CLOTHES, SHOES, FEED THE KITTY, THEN HEAD TO WORK. MY CAR SMELLED LIKE CIGARS AND I FROWNED LIGHTING A CIGARETTE. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD TIM NOT TO SMOKE IN MY DAMN CAR? I WISHED THAT KID WOULD LISTEN SOMETIMES. THE DRIVE TO WORK SEEMED LONGER THEN USUAL BUT I WASN'T SURE WHY. I PULLED INTO THE SAMSONITE MENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTION AND PARKED MY CAR. AS I GOT OUT I FOUND MYSELF FEELING BAD ABOUT LYING TO RAELYNN. I QUICKLY PUSHED THE THOUGHT FROM MY HEAD AND WALKED INTO THE BUILDING. I LET THE CHAOS SURROUND AND DROWN ME. "DR. KAVANAGH! DR. KAVANAGH!" I SPUN AROUND AT THE SOUND OF MY NAME AND FROWNED AS FRAN DIPMAN RAN TOWARDS ME. "GOOD MORNING FRAN." "MORNING DR. KAVANAGH... WE HAD A NEW INTAKE LAST NIGHT AND I WAS WONDERING IF YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO SEE HIM THIS MORNING SO WE CAN GET HIM ON SOME MEDS." "DO YOU HAVE HIS FILE?" I LOOKED AT THE NURSE. "YES DR. IT'S ALL RIGHT HERE. HIS NAME IS SYLAR SCOTT. HE PREFERS TO GO BY SY THOUGH." "OKAY... HAVE HIM BROUGHT UP TO MY OFFICE IN TWENTY MINUTES." "YES DR. THANK YOU." "IT'S MY JOB. NOW I JUST SAW TONY SMITH TRYING TO JUMP ON THE COUCH IN REC 1. GO DO YOUR JOB." I TURNED AND WALKED BRISKLY TO MY OFFICE. ONCE INSIDE I SAT DOWN BEHIND MY MAHOGANY DESK AND SIGHED DEEPLY. THIS IS WHAT IT HAD COME DOWN TO. MY LIFE SUCKED SO BAD THAT I HAD TO LIE ABOUT WHO I WAS IN ORDER TO GET A HOT WOMAN TO SLEEP WITH ME. I GRABBED A NEW NOTEBOOK AND OPENED IT UP TO THE FIRST PAGE. I WROTE IN SYLAR'S NAME AND JOTTED DOWN A FEW NOTES FROM HIS FILE. A KNOCK SOUNDED ON THE DOOR AND I STOOD UP. FRAN ENTERED WITH SYLAR AND I SMILED. HE WAS A HANDSOME MAN. HIS BLONDE HAIR WAS A LITTLE SHAGGY BUT IT LOOKED GOOD, HE WAS TALL AND HAD A VERY MUSCULAR BUILD. HE HAD A BABY FACE AND DIMPLES WHEN HE SMILED. "HEY SY... YOU CAN HAVE A SEAT WHEREVER." I SAID TO HIM THEN TURNED TO FRAN. "YOU CAN LEAVE FRAN." "OKAY... UHM... DR.?" "YES FRAN?" "HIS SISTER IS IN THE WAITING ROOM. SHE WANTS TO SPEAK WITH YOU AS WELL." "OKAY... TELL HER I WILL SPEAK TO HER ONCE I GET SY HERE SETTLED." "OKAY DR." FRAN BACKED OUT OF THE ROOM AND SHUT THE DOOR. I WALKED OVER TO MY DESK AND SAT DOWN. SYLAR LOOKED AT ME INTENSELY AND I STARED BACK INTO HIS FAMILIAR LOOKING LIGHT BROWN EYES. "SO YOUR THE DOCTOR? YOU LOOK YOUNG." "I GET THAT A LOT AND YES I AM THE DOCTOR. CAN YOU TELL ME WHY YOUR HERE?" "CAN'T YOU READ IT IN THAT FILE." HE POINTS TO THE FILE ON MY DESK. "YES, I COULD READ IT THERE BUT I'M NOT INTERESTED IN WHY OTHER PEOPLE WANT YOU HERE... I WANT TO KNOW WHY YOU ARE HERE IN YOUR OWN WORDS." "OH... WELL I... MY MOM JUST DIED A FEW WEEKS AGO AND IT WAS KINDA HARD... ME AND MY SISTER, WE'RE CLOSE, MAINLY 'CUZ WE'RE TWINS, BUT ANYWAY... UHM SHE DIED AND ME AND MY SISTER WERE GOING THROUGH IT... LAST NIGHT SHE TOLD ME THAT SHE WANTED ME TO STAY AT MY HOUSE, 'CUZ I BEEN STAYING WITH HER AND SHIT...STUFF... SORRY. WELL I KEPT HAVING NIGHTMARES AND STUFF AND I TOOK A WHOLE BUNCH OF PILLS AND PASSED OUT... MY NEIGHBOR CAME UP TO FEED MY CAT AND FOUND ME. SHE CALLED THE AMBULANCE AND HERE I AM." "WERE YOU TRYING TO KILL YOURSELF SY?" I LOOKED AT HIM, DARING HIM TO LIE TO MY FACE. "YES I WAS DOCTOR. IF THEY HADN'T PUMPED MY STOMACH I THINK IT WOULD HAVE WORKED." "DO YOU WANT TO HARM YOURSELF RIGHT NOW SY?" "NO... I REALIZE THAT AT THE MOMENT I WAS WEAK AND LET MY EMOTIONS GET THE BETTER OF ME. I DO HOWEVER WANT TO STAY HERE FOR A FEW DAYS OF MY OWN WILL AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR THERAPY GROUPS... IS THAT ALLOWED?" I WAS LOST FOR A MOMENT. NO ONE HAD EVER ASKED PERMISSION TO STAY. "YES... I CAN PUT YOU ON A 72 HOUR HOLD. THEN YOU CAN LEAVE." "THAT WOULD BE GREAT DOCTOR..I'M SORRY I DIDN'T GET YOUR NAME?" "KAVANAGH.. DR. KAVANAGH." "DR. KAVANAGH... THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING." "IT'S MY JOB." "AND I CAN SEE THAT YOUR GOOD AT IT." "THANK YOU." "RIGHT THEN. WHAT NOW?" "OH... RIGHT.." I REACHED FOR MY OFFICE PHONE AND DIALED THE EXTENSION FOR THE FRONT DESK. I TOLD FRAN TO COME GET SYLAR AND BRING HIS SISTER IN. A FEW MINUTES LATER SHE CAME INTO MY OFFICE AND I STOOD FREEZING. "CAITLIN?" RAELYNN SCOTT STOOD BESIDE FRAN, HER MOUTH GAPING OPEN. "RAELYNN...UHM.. MS. SCOTT... PLEASE HAVE A SEAT. FRAN WILL YOU GET SY HERE SET UP AND PUT HIM ON A 72 HOUR HOLD." "YES DR." FRAN REPLIED AND SY FOLLOWED HER FROM MY OFFICE. SHE SHUT THE DOOR AND I COLLAPSED INTO MY DESK CHAIR. "I CAN EXPLAIN." I SAID BEFORE RAELYNN COULD SAY ANYTHING. "EXPLAIN WHAT? HOW YOU LIED TO ME?" SHE WAS ANGRY AND I COULDN'T BLAME HER. "I'M SORRY... I HONESTLY THOUGHT I'D NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN." I GAVE THE EXCUSE AND SAW THE HURT IN HER EYES. I TOOK A DEEP BREATH AND STARTED OVER. "I SHOULDN'T HAVE LIED. THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR MY ACTIONS." "YOUR RIGHT... SO LET ME GUESS, THE BLACK MASERATI IN THE DOCTOR ONLY PARKING SPACE IS YOURS?" I BLUSHED. "YES BUT-" "NO BUTS... YOU ACTED LIKE YOU HAD NEVER SEEN MONEY BEFORE AND HERE YOU ARE DRIVING AROUND IN A BRAND NEW MASERATI. YOUR A LIAR." "I HAD MY REASONS." "LIKE WHAT?" "LIKE IT WASN'T ANY OF YOUR BUSINESS." I FELT LIKE A CHILD USING SUCH CHILDISH ANTICS. "I DON'T WANT MY BROTHER HERE. I WON'T HAVE HIM BEING TREATED BY A LIAR." "WELL UNFORTUNATELY IT'S NOT UP TO YOU. SYLAR IS 24 YEARS OLD. HE'S A GROWN UP AND HE HAS CHOSEN TO STAY HERE." "FINE. WE'RE DONE HERE." SHE STOOD UP AND MY HEART BEGAN TO RACE. I WAS HAVING A PANIC ATTACK. SOMETHING THAT HAD NOT HAPPENED TO ME IN TEN YEARS. I BREATHED DEEP AND STOOD UP. "RAELYNN... PLEASE WAIT. I'M SORRY." "AS YOU SHOULD BE." SHE OPENED THE DOOR AND PULLED IT CLOSED HARD BEHIND HERSELF. I FLINCHED AT THE SLAM AND SUNK BACK INTO MY DESK CHAIR. I WANTED TO CHASE AFTER HER BUT I KNEW I HAD SCREWED UP AND THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO. I RESTED MY HEAD IN MY HANDS AND COUNTED TO TEN. WHEN MY BREATHING WAS NORMAL AGAIN, I STOOD UP AND GOT READY TO DO MY ROUNDS. I HAD PATIENTS TO SEE AND I COULDN'T ALLOW MY THOUGHTS TO TAKE AWAY FROM MY PATIENTS. I WATCHED HER ROAR OUT OF THE PARKING LOT AND SIGHED. SOMETIMES I WISHED I DIDN'T HAVE TO LIE.