135 The Psychiatrist
Jae-Geun looked at Nivritti and comforted, “don’t think about that. I will handle it. Just tell me are you alright now?”
Nivritti took a deep breath and replied, “much better now. Thank you.”
“If you want you can sit for some time and take deep breaths. You will feel much better,” suggested Jae-Geun.
“I am fine now. Thank you, Jae-Geun,” replied Nivritti.
“Stop saying sorry and thank you,” shouted Jae-Geun and stood up in anger.
“But I just wanted to appreciate the fact that you took care of me,” said Nivritti, sadly.
“Oh, um… I just meant that we are friends, you don’t need to make everything so formal. Sorry for shouting,” replied Jae-Geun and lowered his head with shame.
“Friends don’t shout at each other,” she pouted.
“Don’t tell Jaehwa. She will kill me for shouting at you,” he replied, pleadingly.
.....
That made Nivritti smile. She looked at him and smirked, “you are afraid of her?”
Jae-Geun gasped at the sudden appearance of brightness on her face. The pale white face was full of colour. His heart leapt out of his chest due to her cuteness. “Oh, you have no idea how wild she is. She always jumps on me, pulls my hair, keeps punching me, ah… you have no idea how difficult my life is.” While talking he lifted his head up and stared at the roof dramatically.
Nivritti tucked her lips inside, trying to avoid laughing but a loud chuckle escaped her mouth, and she started laughing loudly. Looking at her laughing, Jae-Geun sighed with relief. Finally, she was herself. She forgot about the bloody hand and was enjoying the moment.
“Okay, I will not say anything to her. I don’t want you to get hurt,” smiled Nivritti.
“Then, let me take you to my good friend, Tan Hei-Ran,” said Jae-Geun.
“Tan Hei-Ran?” asked Nivritti.
“Yes, your therapist,” replied Jae-Geun.
“Oh!”
Nivritti smiled at him and moved towards the door. While she opened the door and went outside, Jae-Geun smiled and recalled, “she doesn’t want me to get hurt. Aww… cute!”
“Are you coming?” she asked from outside.
“Ah… uh… yeah, yeah, I am coming,” he shouted and facepalmed. Picking the empty water bottle, he ran out of the room. “This way,” he signalled.
Nivritti followed him and they both stood before an elevator.
“We have to go to a different floor?” asked Nivritti.
“Uh… yeah. Our psychiatric facility is housed on the 11th to the 13th floor,” replied Jae-Geun.
“Three floors?” questioned Nivritti, shocked.
“Yeah, our facility gives extensive mental care. We even house patients who need the utmost care. Alas! Mental health is still treated as if it is not necessary,” said Jae-Geun.
The lift dinged and the door opened in Jae-Geun’s face. “Let’s go,” said Jae-Geun and gestured for Nivritti to get in. The moment they stepped in Jae-Geun’s phone started ringing.
“Excuse me!” he politely stood behind her and picked up the call. “Yeah, Heirana! Sorry, we are late. We are on our way.”
Nivritti looked behind at him. “Yeah, yeah, just two minutes, we will be there,” he said on the phone. He disconnected the phone and raised his eyebrows, “ohh! She is angry that we are late.”
“Oh!” said Nivritti, worried.
“Don’t worry, I will talk to her,” he assured her.
Smiling she turned back and stared at the lift door. “Please climb fast, please climb fast,” she kept muttering.
The lift stopped at the 12th floor and Jae-Geun asked her to get down. Walking briskly, they reached outside a door that read, “Dr. Tan Hei-Ran, Senior Psychiatrist.”
Jae-Geun took a deep breath and knocked at the door. “Come in! Said an authoritative voice.” He slightly opened the door and peeped in. “Heirana!” he said sweetly.
“Just get in, you fool,” shouted Hei-Ran in Korean.
Jae-Geun opened the door and signalled Nivritti to follow him. “Heirana!” he again said sweetly.
“Why are you late? Explain yourself. I have other appointments to keep,” she shouted at him in Korean.
“There was a problem, that’s why we are late,” replied Jae-Geun.
“What? What? You had to bring her directly to my office. Did you stop mid-way to admire her beauty?” shouted Hei-Ran.
“Excuse me!” shouted both Jae-Geun and Nivritti, together.
“Oh no! Does she understand Korean?” asked Hei-Ran.
“Yes, I do,” replied Nivritti.
“Aisshh… why do women around me act like this? This will traumatise me for my life,” facepalmed Jae-Geun.
“Sorry! I was angry. So just blurted out,” pouted Hei-Ran.
“And she is a senior psychiatrist. If you cannot control your emotions, how will you treat people?” scolded Jae-Geun.
“We help them to express their emotions not suppress them, you idiot. Now, why are you late?” reprimanded Hei-Ran.
“Well, she came through the emergency door,” replied Jae-Geun.
“Oh no! Really! That’s bad,” Hei-Ran replied. Nivritti was shocked that with only one sentence she understood everything. “So, what did she see?”
“A bloody, severed hand,” replied Jae-Geun.
“Ew!! Sorry you had to see that,” said Hei-Ran to Nivritti. “Are you alright?”
“I am fine now,” replied Nivritti, slightly angry. Hei-Ran immediately noticed that.
“You, get out. I need to talk to her. We have already wasted so much precious time,” said Hei-Ran and ordered Jae-Geun to get out. Bowing to both of them, he left the room for the two women to talk.
“I am sorry for that inappropriate statement,” Hei-ran apologised again. “I was just teasing Jaegeuna. Sorry if that was offensive,” she said, embarrassed.
Nivritti took a deep breath, thought for a minute and replied, “well, I can forgive you. After all, you called me pretty.”
Hei-Ran who was feeling guilty and had her head lowered with shame immediately looked at Nivritti who was smirking at her.
“Ah! You are sweet,” said Hei-Ran. “Sorry, again.”
“It’s okay, you can relax. I am sorry to be late,” Nivritti bowed down to her.
“Please be seated. Will you be comfortable in talking in Korean or English?” inquired Hei-Ran.
“Whatever you want, I am fine with both,” replied Nivritti and sat on the chair in front of Hei-Ran’s table.
“I think we should carry with English. As I am going to use English terms. It would be better if we have the whole conversation in English. Jumping between Korean and English would be awkward,” explained Hei-Ran.
“That too is fine, Doctor,” replied Nivritti. And the conversation shifted to Korean.
“So, let’s start with basics. This is just getting to know session. I will ask some questions to you and then decide how to help you. You too can decide if you want to continue with me or want someone else,” said Hei-Ran.
“Okay.”
“One more question before we start. Have you done this before?” asked Hei-Ran.
“You mean therapy? Yes, I have.”
“Okay, then you should know how it starts. Please start by telling me your name,” inquired Hei-Ran.
“My name is Nivritti Rathod.”
“Age?”
“34.”
“What made you book an appointment?”
“My fear and my nightmares,” replied Nivritti.
“Which one bothers you the most? Your fear or your nightmare?” asked Hei-Ran.
“Um… I don’t know. All I can say is that my fear came back first and then the nightmare started,” Nivritti replied, thoughtfully.
“May I know what fear that is?” asked Hei-Ran.
“Um… cynophobia,” answered Nivritti.
“Have you been diagnosed, or it is a self-diagnosis?” asked Hei-Ran.
“No, my doctors diagnosed it when I was little,” replied Nivritti.
“So, you have been working on it?”
“I almost overcame it. But it again came back after I arrived in Korea, about a few weeks back,” replied Nivritti.
“Okay, so anyone else in your family has a psychiatric history?” questioned Hei-Ran.
“No, no one before me,” answered Nivritti. “But my parents took counselling with me.”
“Have anyone of you been hospitalised for mental health reasons?”
.....
Nivritti gulped at her question. She clenched her fists as all the sad memories came flooding back into her mind. Hei-Ran who kept a close eye on her noticed the sudden change in Nivritti’s behaviour.
“Take your time and answer. If you feel anxious, just a deep breath, relax and then answer,” comforted Hei-Ran.
Nivritti exhaled loudly but her breath shuddered. “I have been hospitalised once,” she replied.
“Any medication?”
“Yes.”
“Same doctor, who treated your cynophobia?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm… were they helpful?”
“Yes, very much. I stopped talking to everyone. I was almost like a dead body after a traumatic experience and he helped me a lot. He brought me back to life,” replied Nivritti.
“Were there any side effects from the medicine he prescribed?”
“Um… I don’t think so.”
“Well, I would need his number for your history. Better if you talk to him and tell him that I would be calling him,” suggested Hei-Ran.
“Of course,” replied Nivritti. “May I ask why my fear came back?”
“Um… I cannot say for sure. I would be able to help you better after I make myself familiar with your history. All I can say is that there are a number of factors, a new place, new experience, new job, stress, excitement, anything can trigger emotions in us and emotions can take any shape. The same things go for your nightmares. All I can do is prescribe you mild sleeping pills to help you sleep better. After I get your history, I would be able to help you better,” explained Hei-Ran.
“Hmm… okay. I will talk to my doctor. In the meantime, this is his number,” she opened her phone and showed the number to Hei-Ran. Hei-Ran took the phone from her and noted the phone number on the piece of paper on which she kept jotting down bullet points about Nivritti.
“Your number too,” asked Hei-Ran. Nivritti recited her number and Hei-Ran noted it down. “Here is my number,” Hei-Ran handed her visiting card to Nivritti. “Call me after you talk to him. I will review your history and will inform you about your next appointment, that is if you want one.”
“So, you are ready to take me on as your patient?” asked Nivritti, shocked.
“Of course! I have to make for the offensive comment,” teased Hei-Ran. Nivritti smiled at her tease.
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