Turning Pages

"Ruby Glover?" A woman spoke out, looking over her clipboard that she gripped tightly, she looked around the quiet, almost lifeless waiting room of the small clinic, trying to pick out who the name belonged to. Nobody moved an inch, she looked back down at the papers that she was presented with moments prior by the receptionist, rereading the name, just in case she got it wrong, but, it read the same one she just called out, she looked back up, clearing her throat, "Ruby Glover?" She called out once more.

That's when a petite, red-haired, woman stood up, she straightened out her long skirt, taking in a deep breath before she walked over to the woman who called out her name, "I must have spaced out, sorry about that," She murmured out a small apology to her.

"That's alright, it happens to the best of us," She reassured her with a smile. Ruby couldn't help but notice the red lipstick that was painted on the woman's thin lips, it was messy as if she quickly ran the lipstick over her lips early this morning because she was running late. The lipstick was accompanied by a pink blush on her cheeks. The woman guided her through a long hallway. As Ruby followed behind her, she studied the walls, they were painted white, some of the areas were clumped up. There were a few pictures on the wall, most of them were landscape paintings, there were also some posters that were based on mental health. Once they got to a room at the end of the hall, the woman stepped to the side, sliding the clipboard onto a nail that was sticking out of the drywall. "Doctor Hansen will be in shortly, just have a seat."

Ruby nodded, turning into the room, she walked towards the chair that was scooted up against the wall, black marks on the wall showed that everybody that sat in the chair nervously rocked back and forth waiting for the doctor. She sat down in the chair, it was poorly padded, causing immediate discomfort. Ruby opened her purse, peering down at a small black book that she was carrying with her. She felt as if it was the reason she was here today.

She found the book tucked away in her late grandmother's attic, she flipped through the pages the day she found it, it was a journal, elegant writing filled the pages until the middle of the book, then the rest of the pages were left blank. She flipped to the back of the book to see if there was some sort of name attached to it, but she was met with money resting in a carved out area of the pages, the money was quite old and worn, but, still useable as she learned after speaking to someone at her local bank who assured her she could use it, even though the condition wasn't the greatest. She used it to spoil herself, buying items she couldn't imagine using her own money on.

Shortly after this, she started to feel paranoid, like someone was after her or watching her. After this started happening, she read through the book more thoroughly, she was fearing that there was something attached to the money she carelessly threw around at shops. As she read the pages, she didn't get her answers, the language wasn't something she understood, she wasn't even sure what the language was, and this worried her even more. Her paranoia grew into hysteria. She began to forget large parts of her past. She received letters from her husband who was overseas, she tossed them away, not even remembering the name Kent Glover. She hardly could grasp onto her own name, it took her a while to realize when her name was spoken.

After waiting for about 20 minutes, there was a knock on the door, she watched a tall, older doctor walk in. His face was scruffy and he wore small round-framed glasses that rested on the bridge of his nose, he was holding the clipboard that the woman who guided Ruby here was carrying prior. "Hello, Mrs. Glover, I'm Doctor Hansen, I hear that you have been having some interesting symptoms that you can't quite place?" He had a thick southern accent as he spoke to her.

Ruby's facial expression showed how confused she was, "Mrs?" She questioned him, she started to wonder if she was truly married or he had made a mistake.

He looked down at the clipboard, "You are on your husband's insurance plan, Kent Glover?" He started to realize how serious her condition was, he pulled the pen that was in his front pocket out, flipping the page to the symptoms page, he jotted down notes as he spoke to her, "You do recall who your husband is, don't you?"

Ruby tilted her head to the side, in a way that a curious child would when learning a new thing, "I get letters from him, but, I just can't place the name, I can't place many things anymore, that is why I'm here."

He continued to write, Ruby started to grow nervous, the chair hitting the wall behind her as she rocked back and forth. She watched the doctor peer over his glasses, then he turned around without a word, leaving the room, leaving her alone. It only took about 5 minutes before some people walked in, "Mrs. Glover, I apologize, but it seems you're going to have to come with us," The taller of the two said to her.