From: Erinstone1@aol.com

Shrink - Chapter 4
ErinStone1@AOL.com
Rated: PG-13
Spoilers: none
Category: Scully/Slash
Archive: Yes-please make me aware of any final posts to a site.
Feedback: Any/all is welcome
Disclaimer: Scully and Mulder are not mine. I make no profit from this story.

Summary:  Scully decides she needs to take responsibility for her unhappiness.

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The doctor got into work at 20 minutes to 10:00. She walked past the front 
desk and smiled at Marlene, "How was your night?"

"Relaxing. Yours?"

"Same." She breezed through the lobby door and went into her office, shedding 
her coat and purse onto one of the chairs across from her desk. She pulled 
off her sunglasses and balanced them vicariously on her wadded up coat then 
proceeded to rifle through her messages.

Marlene ceremoniously got up from her desk to do what she did every workday 
morning.

She walked into Dr. Aris' office, unbalanced the sunglasses and put them into 
the doctor's purse, then walked through the panel door to the doctor's 'real' 
office and hung both coat and purse on the coat rack.
She then poured a cup of coffee for the doctor and set it gently on her desk, 
dodging the doctor's reach for the phone in the process.

"Marlene?"

"Yes doctor?"

"Thanks."

"Certainly."

Dr. Aris looked at her for a second and Marlene could tell there was 
something else.

She raised her brows and said, "Doctor?"

"Were there any 'loadie' calls on the machine this morning?"

"One."

The doctor sat back in her chair and rubbed her chin. "Man?"

"Yes. He repeated 'Is the doctor in?' three times. He had some screechy music 
playing in the background." 

The doctor ran an index finger over her bottom lip. "Define screechy."

"It sounded like he had six cats by their tails and he was spinning them in 
circles over his head."

Dr. Aris smiled at her and gave a little chuckle. "That draws a picture."

"Can I get you anything else? Mrs. Harker will be here shortly."

"No Marlene, thank you." 

Marlene's radar was telling her that the caller had spooked the doctor. Dr. 
Aris rarely paid attention to prank calls. She had once told Marlene, after 
receiving a particularly vicious call, that it was probably just one of her 
clients. 

'People in therapy are often unsettled by the non-reactive behavior of their 
therapists. They'll sometimes say or do extreme things to try to get a human 
reaction. I think they just want to know that the therapist has some sort of 
emotion or truly cares about them in some way.'

Throughout the doctor's explanation Marlene was thinking to herself, 'BUNK'. 
In truth she had very little patience with people who couldn't seem to pull 
themselves together. There were only a handful of clients in the weekly 
parade of people in and out of the office that Marlene thought had valid 
reasons to be there. In her opinion the rest were just looking for a 
scapegoat for their lousy decisions. Most of the time it was their parents 
who took the brunt.

The doctor's first appointment, Mrs. Harker, was looking for a scapegoat. She 
was standing now in the lobby, looming over Marlene's area, tapping on the 
glass. 

Large icky knuckle smudges.

How unpleasant.

Marlene used to have an open reception area. Then Mrs. Harker set her first 
appointment. She sat in the lobby waiting for the doctor and felt compelled 
to tell Marlene all the intimate details of her tragically wealthy life. She 
told Marlene things she could have gone her whole life without hearing. She 
mentioned the episode to the doctor after Mrs. Harker had left.

A next day the doctor had glass sliders installed.

Marlene loved them. But they were so hard to keep clean.

"Mrs. Harker if you'd like to have a seat the doctor will be right with you."

The woman parked herself in a chair and commenced rummaging through her 
$500.00 embossed leather 'Coach' bag. 

Marlene pulled the slider closed and turned to the phone, "Doctor, Mrs. 
Harker is here. Shall I bring her in?"

"If you must."


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The week flew by.

Marlene had taken to saving the now expected 'loadie' calls they received at 
the office overnight. They'd escalated to three and four times an evening. 
The calls were now taking a toll on both her and Dr. Aris. Marlene suspected 
that the doctor dealt with as many calls at home as she did at work. Dark 
circles were forming under her eyes and she'd been agitated much of the 
morning. 
 
After lunch her mood seemed to brighten. She'd left the office to 'take a 
drive' shortly after 3:00. This was one of her coping mechanisms. Marlene was 
used to it. She hadn't yet returned when Dr. Scully showed up for her 5:30 
appointment. Marlene glanced at the clock when the redhead walked through the 
door. She was 20 minutes early.

Marlene pulled the slider back. 

"Dr. Scully, it's nice to see you."

"Nice to see you too Marlene."

"Dr. Aris went out for a bit but she'll be back any time now. Would you like 
some coffee while you wait?"

Dr. Scully sat in a chair facing Marlene's desk. "No, thank you."

Marlene resumed filling out her supply order. 

Her phone rang and she picked it up. "Dr. Aris' office."

Dr. Aris' voice on the other line, "Do you like to drive Marlene?"

Marlene smiled at the phone, then on a whim hit the intercom. "Beg pardon?"

The doctor repeated her question, unaware that it was broadcast. Scully 
looked over to her and Marlene smiled conspiratorially.

"Drive Marlene, do you like to drive?"

Scully smiled slightly, her brow furrowed with mild confusion over Marlene's 
motives.

"I suppose. I like to get places. That narrows my options."

"I love it."

"How nice for you doctor."

Scully let out a silent laugh from her chair.

"I'm pulling into the parking lot."

"Okay."

"Is Dr. Scully there yet?"

"Yes, she's waiting patiently in the lobby."

"I've been calling her Ms. Scully. I think I should give her the option to go 
by
Dr. Scully, don't you?"

"Well, it's a huge accomplishment to become a doctor. If I were Dr. Scully I 
think I'd like people to 
know I'd made that sacrifice."

"Hmmm. Good point Marlene.  You 'spose I can do her any good?"

"Are you fishing for a pep talk Dr. Aris?"

"No. No time for that now. I'll see you in a minute."

"Alright."


Marlene hung the phone up and winked at Scully, "Thought you'd like to know 
what a loon she really is."

Scully laughed.

Marlene liked the sound of it. 

-end-