Rainstorm

Doctor Ana Santiago sank into her plush chair, kicked her feet up, and closed her eyes. It had been a rather long and interesting day for the young Costa Rican-born doctor. She had seen Rain Rudkin a few times for thyroid and anxiety issues. Rain was hard to figure out. She wasn’t sure if she was dealing with an intelligent woman who’d had some rough experiences in life or if she was a ticking time bomb that could explode at any given moment. She supposed that, although high-strung, Rain probably wasn’t dangerous to others—but she wasn’t sure just how safe Rain was from herself. The police felt certain that Rain hadn’t been involved in the shooting death of her husband. The real surprise had come when Ana learned Rain was staying with the endocrinologist who had treated her upon moving to the state—after supposedly being stalked by an unknown woman. She’d received the call earlier in the day from the specialist. She’d already known that their patient had moved in across the street from her and that she’d been referred to someone else; she just never would have thought Doctor Linden would have wanted to take her in. Not so much because Rain had been a patient, but because of the extra baggage she carried after her experiences. Doctors didn’t expect perfection from people, and it wasn’t that they looked down on others, but Doctor Linden and Rain seemed worlds apart. Ana had tried to assess Rain’s mental state as best she could when she’d seen her. She was only her primary care physician, not a psychiatrist, so she wasn’t exactly an expert on mental health. She could only go by her gut feeling. She didn’t believe Rain’s thyroid medication was the only factor in her anxiety. She thought it might be a contributing factor, but she’d had a nagging suspicion there was more to it. And then the doctor had shared with her some things she probably shouldn’t have—things Rain might not want her to know. If Doctor Linden hadn’t been a highly respected figure in the community, Ana might not have taken what she’d learned so seriously. But being stalked by an identified person after nearly being raped would put anyone on edge. And now this. The doctor had informed her that Rain had agreed to stay with her while the investigation into Troy’s murder continued. Ana was pleased Rain had somewhere to go—she couldn’t remain in the home, understandably, since it had been sealed off as a crime scene. But she found the doctor’s tone and attitude a bit odd. It was almost as if Doctor Linden didn’t sound as upset for her patient—former or not—as one might expect. If anything, the doctor had actually sounded pleased by the fact that Rain would be staying with her. Still, Ana was concerned about Rain’s mental state. The woman had been through so much in the last year, and now she’d lost her husband in a brutal fashion. Doctor Linden had described Rain as quiet, withdrawn, and shocked—but otherwise stable. Or at least as stable as one could be in her situation. It was agreed that Rain would remain with Doctor Linden until other arrangements could be made and that the doctor would notify Ana if any changes occurred that might be concerning. Doctor Linden, however, had informed her in a way that seemed almost overly confident—Rain would be okay with her, and she would also have a neighbor stay with her during the morning hours when she was seeing patients. ________________________________________ Rain didn’t want to wake up the following sunny Saturday morning. As she floated upward toward consciousness, she kept her eyes closed and willed herself with all her strength to fall back asleep. But she was denied the escape into a sleep that would only be filled with nightmares anyway. As much as she hated to, she opened her eyes and sat upright on the edge of the bed. Bright sunlight and the sound of chirping birds filtered into the doctor’s bedroom. Her head felt like it weighed a ton, and she still felt exhausted, as if she hadn’t slept at all. “How are you feeling, sweetie?” Rain turned quickly to glance behind her. The doctor was lying on her side, facing her. “Shitty.” “Can I get you anything?” Rain flopped back onto the bed, her head coming to rest near the doctor’s midsection. “A new life, maybe.” “I know you don’t want to hear this—and that you probably don’t believe it either—but it will get better in time.” “You’re right. I don’t believe it. That sick bitch is never going to be caught and made to pay for the things she’s done.” “The police are doing everything they can.” “That’s what they said back east.” “But no one was killed in that case. Trust me, they aren’t going to take this lightly. They’re going to do everything they can to—” Julia stopped when Rain burst into tears. She reached out and patted her shoulder, but Rain pulled away. “I feel so trapped, Doc. Just totally stuck. I don’t want to go on living anymore, but I have to—because if the cops can’t find the bitch who did this, then it’s up to me to find her myself.” “They’ll find her. That’s what they do.” “Not every murder is solved.” “True, but many are. So just give them a chance to do their job. I called Doctor Santiago, by the way.” Rain turned and looked at her. “What for?” “To let her know what’s going on.” “But why?” “Just in case you felt you needed anything to help with the anxiety and depression an experience like this brings. This way, she’s up to date and can treat you more quickly. Besides, your name’s been on the news, so most people have probably heard something about what’s going on.” Rain wasn’t sure she liked the idea of the doctor calling her primary care physician without consulting her first, but that was the least of her worries right now. Finding Troy’s killer was the number one priority. “After what I went through on Prozac, I’m not exactly in any hurry to take psych pills again, Doc. I mean, yeah, I’d love to mask the pain I feel right now. But if I dope myself into a fog, I can’t focus on helping to make sure Troy’s killer is caught and rightfully executed.” “You don’t have to be in a fog, Rain. And I wouldn’t count on the killer being executed, either. Caught, tried, and convicted? Yes. But execution? Most murderers don’t even get life.” Rain was silent for a moment. Then she said, “When this bitch is rounded up and convicted, I’ll slaughter any judge who doesn’t give her what she deserves.” Julia pulled Rain against her into a warm, snug embrace. Rain was surprised by the doctor’s strength. “Let’s just think of the here and now and take it one step at a time. Very important in times of crisis—one day at a time. You must remember that. First step: getting up, getting dressed, getting breakfast. The rest will take care of itself.” “I don’t have any appetite,” Rain said, sitting up. “But I’ll go shower and dress.” “Okay,” the doctor said. “We’ll see if you can resist the aroma of my killer French waffles when you come downstairs.” ________________________________________ A few minutes later, as the warm water pinged off her body in the shower, Rain’s thoughts raced from one extreme to another. She just wanted to shut down her brain and be swallowed up by a giant hole. She wanted to die and be reunited with her beloved husband on the other side—if there was one. But she also wanted to find the sicko responsible for his death. Since none of these things were likely to happen today, her thoughts turned to the doctor. Something wasn’t right. The doctor was… well, a little too eager to help her. Rain knew she should appreciate it—most people probably wouldn’t give a shit, much less care to get involved in a murder investigation—but it was like the doctor seemed a little too pleased to have her around full-time. There was no way in hell Rain could ever live in the duplex again. In fact, without Troy’s income in addition to hers, she couldn’t afford to live anywhere. He’d had no life insurance, no policy—nothing. She would now be on her own if she didn’t remain with the doctor, and she wasn’t sure she was up for that idea. Troy or no Troy, Rain hadn’t exactly felt right in the doctor’s arms. She was as flattered as she was surprised by how much Julia seemed to care for her, but Rain couldn’t see herself as more than friends with the doctor at any point in time. And she didn’t want to give her the wrong idea, either. She now had two tasks before her: to become self-sufficient and to find her husband’s killer.