Doctor Finch

Calliope sat silently as Dr. Finch told his story. Her eyes darted back and forth from the look on his face, then back down to her lap. The reason behind her doctor’s physical contact issue was very dark and disturbing, and she found herself wishing she hadn’t asked in the first place. However, she did, and a part of her felt touched that someone was willing to sit down and tell her something so personal. Due to her disorder, people never bothered with sitting and talking to her. It was nice. When Dr. Finch finished his story and revealed his scar to her, a gasp escaped her lips before she remained silent for a moment. “Wow,” she finally said, unable to evoke much emotion. She was never good at that sort of thing. “I’m… I’m sorry. That’s…” she trailed off. “So you never let anyone touch you? Not even, like… women?” She knew the question was inappropriate, but she didn’t care very much. 

His eyes darted up fast, locking with hers as he sought the meaning behind her question. His rationality started to sink back in that he was divulging intimate information with his patient but another part of him wanted to continue. "Women?" he raised a brow, straightening up from his slouched position. "...um..well that would be....I'm not entirely certain" he stuttered for the words, breaking eye contact, nervously drumming his fingers on his desk. "I'm- probably ....then again uh you mean as in...intimate? er...um..." 

Calliope stood, staring at Dr. Finch as he paced. She could tell she hit some kind of a nerve and almost dropped the situation completely, but she was curious. Is he saying he’s just as twisted as his patients are? Calliope thought, licking her lips anxiously. She knew she liked Dr. Finch. She expected him to go on, but his question caught her off guard. “I won’t tell anyone,” she said, meaning it. After all, he was letting her have her spell books back. “I promise. I’m just… curious.” She pulled a chair up to the other side of his desk and took a seat. 

"Curiosity can do horrible things to people" Dr.Finch whispered weaving a hand through his hair. "There was a fire at my families ranch once, my grandfather started it, and he fell from the barn house catwalk in to the fire filled floor, with him fell oil and gas barrels" he sucked backa hitched breath and swallowed hard. "I hated him" he murmured staring past Calliope. "But I wasn't going to let him die, I was only a kid- I ran in and stopped in front of the flames. He was screaming and then he saw me- he was burning all up in flames" closing his eyes Dr.Finch buried his face in his hands. "He reached out and grabbed my wrist and it burnt so bad. He pulled me closer to the fire screaming words that didn't make sense and I started clawing at him to let go but I couldn't look away from his face, he was angry and scared and I finally pulled away and ran" a moment of silence went by before Dr.finch whispered "Ever since I can't bring myself to make contact..." he slowly rolled up his left sleeve revealing a large and nasty chemical burn scar. 

Calliope knitted her eyebrows together in confusion, slowly drawing her hand back as he reached out to her. It was obvious that Dr. Finch was having trouble with even a handshake, and while she usually wouldn’t care, the doctor had been nice to her. So, she decided to let the handshake go, crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s a handshake… I mean, I’m not asking you to have sex with me,” she said before she could stop herself. An awkward silence followed before she asked the obvious question. “Why?”

"of course not!" he sputtered withdrawing his hands and stuffing them in to his pockets. He stood quickly and began pacing back and forth "I suppose it's sensual if I explain, I don't want you to feel offended but...." his stride faltered and he stood absolutely still. "I'm not far off from every patient here- or I wasn't once i guess, it's a reason I always had static positions rather than...fulltime, but then thornewood excepted me, with out even asking of my past" he shook his head and returned to his seat with a heavy sigh. "Calliope? why am I telling you this?"  he murmured. 

Calliope frowned a bit. “Well, I guess you’re right. I wouldn’t want to get you into any trouble. You are my favorite doctor here by far, after all,” she said, wringing her hands together and smiling at Dr. Finch. “What about a handshake?” She asked, holding out her hand towards him. “Come on, I’ve gotta do something to show you how happy I am!” She waited.

Doctor Finch hesitated once more, nervously looking around at his paper work before clearing his throat in the silence. "I'm not....um" he sighed and leaned his head in to his hands " I'm not very good with physical contact- it's nothing personal!" he said the last bit quickly as she shot out her hand for him to shake. Almost fearfully he started to extend his hand towards hers, his fingers trembling slightly. 

Dr.Finch looked up “I’m not going to tell anyone, I promise” he stated, telling the truth as he wrote down exactly what she’d just said on her documents. He finally met her gaze and sat back in his seat, “I would like to propose a possible deal with you, I will give you one and only one of your books back if you can prove to me while you have it that you don’t and will not hurt anyone with it and your potions” he leaned forward. “If you can promise me that, as well as see Dr Adams and myself for regular sessions then every third week I will give you another book. but only if you promise!” he held her gaze, his words very stern  and serious. 

Calliope leaned forward as Dr. Finch proposed his deal. A smile stretched across her face as she did a little dance in her seat. “Really?!” she squealed, not even a bit embarrassed. “That’s great! That’s wonderful! I promise. Can… Can I hug you?” Calliope didn’t give many hugs, but this was necessary. She’d been on her best behavior just to get her books back, and now she’d finally have them! Even if all she could do was read them, she was still ecstatic. 

The biggest grin stretched across Dr.Finch's face as he nodded along with everything she said but then visibly froze "uh hugs? uhm uh...." immediately he reverted his eyes all around the room, his breathing slightly hitched in a panic "no no that's all right- I don't think a hug would be professional haha" he chuckled scratching the back of his head. 

"So if I’m not trying I don’t have to fake like I am? Great." she leaned back with a small sigh, knowing she hated it here but didn’t feel like acting as if she wanted to ‘get better.’ She smirked as her second topic brought out the reaction she was hoping for. 

"Trying to twist this session on the me isn't something we are going to do" He muttered, quickly busying himself and breaking eye contact. He re stacked some papers on his desk and began shuffling things around making it look tidier. "How bout we take a look at your file hm?" he asked reaching across the desk closer to Kazia to a folder. 

Calliope shrugged, even though Dr. Finch wasn’t looking at her. “Well, they said it was because it isn’t healthy,” she answered, looking down at her lap, then glanced around the office. “Honestly, I think it’s because they’re afraid of my power. But I would never do anything to harm anyone. I only did that once back in high school because a girl called me a freak. But only one other patient here knows that. And now you. Please don’t tell anyone,” she begged. 

Dr.Finch looked up "I'm not going to tell anyone, I promise" he stated, telling the truth as he wrote down exactly what she'd just said on her documents. He finally met her gaze and sat back in his seat, "I would like to propose a possible deal with you, I will give you one and only one of your books back if you can prove to me while you have it that you don't and will not hurt anyone with it and your potions" he leaned forward. "If you can promise me that, as well as see Dr Adams and myself for regular sessions then every third week I will give you another book. but only if you promise!" he held her gaze, his words very stern  and serious. 

She giggled, shrugging. “I’m Daisy, I’m five and one quarter.” Eponine sat down next to him. “You have messy hair from sleeping. And,” she scanned the office. “You need alotta help, mister.”

Dr.Finch chuckled, replacing his gloves with new ones “I’m a better Doctor then I am a Therapist” he admitted rolling back his chair a few feet for his comfort level. “Just hold that cotton swab there for a moment please” he reached back in to his desk and pulled out a band aid, then gently placed it over the mark. “Perfect- er uuuh yes…” he perked up remembering he had to take his as well. He scooted back around the table and rolled up his sleeve, prepping another needle. Once it was ready he poked it in to his arm and began depressing the syringe, wincing while doing so.

Calliope did as she was told, holding the cotton on her arm until Dr. Finch returned with a band aid. She then watched as Dr. Finch put a needle in his own arm. She was fascinated and a little freaked out that the same had just been done to her. A laugh escaped her as she saw Dr. Finch wince. I guess I’m not doing very well with controlling my impulses, she thought. “I bet I could have brewed a potion that would make that hurt less if this place had let me keep my books.”

"hmm I'd be grateful for that" he murmured pulling the needle out and tossing it. He repeated what he did for Calliope, to himself. Putting a bandage over the puncture and rolling his sleeve back down. "So why did they take your books away?" he questioned putting the needle kit away and locking the drawer. "I can understand if you did something you shouldn't have, and something that was dangerous to others" he spoke calmly, not looking at Calliope and checking off a list. "but if not then why do you think they took it away?" 

Kazia watched him stone faced as he spoke, when he finished she sat up slightly in the chair. “I’d like to talk about how necessary it is for me to actually attend therapy and group therapy, I really don’t think I should have to go to either…. or we could talk about why you don’t like physical contact.”

Dr. Finch laughed quietly shaking his head "The reasons you attend therapy are souly by your own choice, you've been given a scheduled and I thank you for following it. If you didn't want to attend therapy then you are no closer to leaving this place then you were your first day you started. Attendance shows us that you're here, and you are trying" he reached over his desk to grab a note pad and began scribbling things down, but as she asked about him his pen dug in to the paper bleeding ink. He stiffened, eye shooting up to look at her. 

Calliope took a deep breath as Dr. Finch swabbed her arm with alcohol, watching what he was doing. She tried to remain relaxed. However, when he picked up the needle, she squirmed around nervously again. She took the doctor’s advice and looked around the room. The office didn’t have much to it yet, but Calliope figured it was because he was new. Before she knew it, Dr. Finch was finished. “That’s it?” she asked, looking down at her arm where her puncture mark was being covered. “I didn’t feel much at all, really,” she admitted, smiling at Dr. Finch, “You’re good at this.” 

Dr.Finch chuckled, replacing his gloves with new ones "I'm a better Doctor then I am a Therapist" he admitted rolling back his chair a few feet for his comfort level. "Just hold that cotton swab there for a moment please" he reached back in to his desk and pulled out a band aid, then gently placed it over the mark. "Perfect- er uuuh yes..." he perked up remembering he had to take his as well. He scooted back around the table and rolled up his sleeve, prepping another needle. Once it was ready he poked it in to his arm and began depressing the syringe, wincing while doing so.

"A flu shot" He pulled open a drawer  and took a wooden box. "I have to give myself one as well if it makes you feel any better" he grimaced, even being a Doctor he still hated the thought of needles. Inside the box were a set a neatly placed never used needles and a syringe bottle with a vaccine in it. Dr. Finch put on some blue medical gloves and started prepping one of the needles. "Alright- who wants to go first?" he whispered looking up at Calliope a bit nervously yet smiling reassuringly. 

Calliope squirmed in her seat a bit as Dr. Finch prepared the needles. It actually did make her feel a lot better that he had to get a shot, too, and that he was equally as nervous about it. “I guess I will,” she answered, smiling back at Dr. Finch. She rolled up the sleeve of her shirt, then pressed her lips together. “Is this going to hurt?” she asked.

Dr.Finch nodded, sighing and rolling his seat around the desk so he was facing Calliope. Awkwardly he took a alcohol swab to the crook of her arm and dabbed it. He hated physical contact a lot but was thankful he was wearing gloves. Disregarding the swab to the garbage he snatched up the needle from the desk. "It'll be just a small pinch and then done. I find it helps to focus on something else in the room" he moved the needle to her arm and poked it past her skin in to the muscle. Very focused on what he was doing he slowly depressed the needle and then pulled it out chucking the needle to the trash and pressing cotton swab to the puncture mark.  "There! are you ok?"

"A flu shot" He pulled open a drawer  and took a wooden box. "I have to give myself one as well if it makes you feel any better" he grimaced, even being a Doctor he still hated the thought of needles. Inside the box were a set a neatly placed never used needles and a syringe bottle with a vaccine in it. Dr. Finch put on some blue medical gloves and started prepping one of the needles. "Alright- who wants to go first?" he whispered looking up at Calliope a bit nervously yet smiling reassuringly. 

Dr.Finch grinned “Ah Calliope!” he jumped from his seat and strode past her straight to his desk. He rummaged through some papers and pulled out her file “Oh no please stay- in fact I did have to speak with you anyway- I heard Doctor Adams was away and that I’d be substituting…. but I fell asleep” he shook his head then looked up to Calliope. “Please make yourself comfortable! just have a few things to go over with y-” he stopped mid sentence reviewing something on her file. “what’s this… Potions?” his eyes scanned the paper in the silence. 

Calliope watched as Dr. Finch looked over her file. So far, Dr. Finch seemed nice enough. Then again, Calliope had only been with him for about two minutes. When the doctor had mentioned potions, Calliope’s face heated up. She was hoping that she’d be able to have that detail overlooked. Can’t get anything past the staff, I suppose, she thought. “Yes, potions,” she answered, then gestured to the couch. “Can I sit?” 

Dr.Finch waved his hand towards the black leather seat in front of the desk, refusing to tare his eyes away from the paper. He suddenly broke out in to a smile before sitting back, and clapping his hands together. "Yes please take a seat, You have an interesting talent with making those potions,, I know I couldn't do it- well partially because I'd get fired" He laughed but looked generally concerned at the thought of losing his job. "Is there anything You'd like to address or talk about today? I'm sure Dr Adams must have advised you of the vaccinations you'll be receiving by me- if not, are you alright with this?" 

Dr.Finch grinned "Ah Calliope!" he jumped from his seat and strode past her straight to his desk. He rummaged through some papers and pulled out her file "Oh no please stay- in fact I did have to speak with you anyway- I heard Doctor Adams was away and that I'd be substituting.... but I fell asleep" he shook his head then looked up to Calliope. "Please make yourself comfortable! just have a few things to go over with y-" he stopped mid sentence reviewing something on her file. "what's this... Potions?" his eyes scanned the paper in the silence.