Two men in white coats walked side by side along a pristine and sterile corridor. It was all so very quiet aside their voices and footsteps that echoed into the distance. Doctors, the most expensive doctors that money could afford. One clutched in his hand a medical file while the other devoted his full attention to his superior.
“I would rather you on this case Tanaka than any other, this is after all your area.” He nodded to himself as they rounded a corner. “It has been two weeks and still not a word out of him.”
“Hisakawa Yori you said?”
“Yes, the one and the same. It’s a complete conundrum. It was a complete media frenzy, missing without a trace at fifteen and then he pitches up three years later without so much as a scratch on him.”
“Simply case of missing persons trauma but he was still referred here.”
“You would think so but his mother insists that the boy has changed. No signs of physical abuse, three years normal growth, he's just silent. The only real problem seems to be the lethargy he suffers.”
“Lethargy?”
“Yes he seems to be suffering some internal stress that normal rehabilitation just could not reach. He spends about fifteen in every twenty-four hours asleep and for the time he is awake he says nothing to anyone. Not a word since he turned up on his mother’s doorstep as though he’d never been away.
The doctors came to a stop at the end of the long symmetrical corridor outside a white door with the name Hisakawa Yori on the nameplate.
“Is he capable of speech?”
“Physically and mentally yes, when asked he nods his head. It appears he simply refuses to verbally communicate. He just stares off into space.”
Giving a soft knock on the door the superior opened the room door to reveal a teenage boy sat in the centre of the bed hugging his knees looking out of the window.
“Good morning Hisakawa-kun.” The superior doctor said in an over loud patronising tone. “This is Doctor Tanaka your new specialist.” The boy’s eyes were already looking over the new face beside the older doctor, although his face remained expressionless.
Tanaka nodded his greeting to his new patient automatically taking the teen’s file as his superior handed it to him.
“Thank you Hayashi-san.”
“I will leave you to it.” The superior turned and left the young mental health specialist alone with the teenager.
No sooner had he left Tanaka took off his white coat, less professional but also less intimidating to the patients he felt. Shedding the coat revealed straight black pants and a white shirt with rolled up sleeves. As he began to pull up a chair by the bedside the boy unnervingly turned to sit cross-legged facing the young doctor. Tanaka cleared his throat giving him a chance to avert his eyes from the gaze a moment.
“How do you prefer to be called? Given name?” The boy nodded. “Okay then Yori-kun, you can call me Tanaka if you feel doctor is too formal. You can call me however you feel comfortable alright?” Yori nodded again. His intense stare was very disarming and uncomfortable for Tanaka and he shifted in his chair giving himself another opportunity to look elsewhere. “Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?” There was a long pause before the silent male sedately shook his head. “Good… so do you like it here? Are you comfortable?” The boy nodded. “That’s great, are you happy to be back?” Taking a moment to think the teenager then nodded.
Tanaka asked a series of other very mundane questions about the food at the hospital, his mother; he even went as far as to ask if he thought that the weather was pleasant. However Yori never even batted an eyelid he would just shake his head or nod depending on the question. Never so much as one expression showed on his face. The young doctor was determined to find at least one trigger for emotion, he would have to ask a tougher question.
“Would you like to talk about what happened to you?” There was a long pause as Yori processed the question and then he cocked his head to one side almost in puzzlement. “Did someone do something bad to you?” Blank dark eyes showed something else for a minute, he jingled an object he had been fiddling with his hands and then the teen nodded. “Are you frightened Yori-kun?”
The teenager shifted slightly and raised his head giving a faint smile.
“Not anymore doctor.”