Dr Elizabeth Bannon Series

Sample Read Part 1 

Placing his hands on the hot green railings, the temperatures soar to thirty-five degrees Celsius. The warm breeze brushes his face.  From his high view point, he casts his eyes across the bay to the distant white cliff face.  Large cargo ships sail by.   A young couple brings his attention to the beach on his right.  Summer tourists.  The girl is standing on the sand and her partner is in the water.  He is trying to encourage her to get in.  She refuses.  After several attempts, she gives up and returns to her sun lounge much to the disappointment of her partner.  A sea gull’s screech draws his eyes away from the couple on the beach, upwards to the bird soaring high searching for a morsel of food.  Returning to his task, he pulls himself upwards on to the hot railing steadying himself.  He peers downwards, and his eyes rest on the bed of rock below.

One final check to ensure that the climbing harness is securely fastened, he releases his feet from the railing and abseils down the rock face.  The high temperatures force beads of sweat to form on his forehead.  The climbing equipment is not helping. 

He sways slightly as he lowers himself almost half way down the rock face.  His eyes catch sight of the cat perched between the crevices of the rock.  It sits wedged and frozen in fear.  Moving in closer, he opens the cage he has strapped to his harness.  Studying the cat for a few seconds, he reaches in, grabbing it and placing it inside the cage.  Allowing himself to suspend for a few moments off the cliff face, he surveys the view of the beach to his left.  It is filling up for the day. 

The sound of a wave crashing into the base of the rocks below disturbs his thoughts.  He focuses his eyes downwards as the swell of water disappears from beneath him.  A loud vibrating sound rises upwards from the ocean as he tries to swing his harness around to have a better view.  Unable to move in his harness, the rising waters speed upwards towards him.  Yells escape his mouth and the force of the water overwhelms him, pushing him against the rock face.  While forcing himself to breathe through the power of the water, he gasps for air against the rising foam and water.   Darkness descends on him.  Everything becomes quiet. 

A voice gradually becomes audible in the distant darkness.  It clears and a woman calls his name.  Lifting his eyelids, piercing hazel green eyes stare into his.  Her raven black hair surrounds her pleasant face.  He recognises her.  Dr. Elizabeth Bannon.

Swallowing hard, he wipes the saliva from the corners of his lips.  Pulling his body upwards on the long couch, he surveys his surroundings.  He returns his attention to Dr. Elizabeth Bannon while she continues to hold his focus, sitting in her chair and throwing her pad on the nearby desk.  She stands and moves to the window running her hands through her hair.  He keeps his eyes on her as she continues to stare out of the window for some time before returning to her chair and sitting down facing him.  Her lips part in a gentle smile.  

“I know this is difficult for you Jacob, but I need you to try harder.  We have been trying this technique for the past two days, and still you are unable to get beyond the cliff face,” Elizabeth says lifting up her writing pad again.

“It is Friday.  I go to work as normal.”

“Yes, I know it is Friday.  You keep reliving the morning of Friday the 8th of June.  You have a run on the beach. You go to work as normal. Your first stop is the National Park.  You get a call to rescue a cat from the cliff face of George’s bay.”

“Then it happens.”

“Tell me.”

“The sound is horrendous.”

“Describe it.”

“It’s like the ocean is vibrating.  I try to turn around but the harness restricts me.  I see the water disappearing at first from below me and then I notice it rising upwards towards me.”

“It overwhelms you and pushes you against the rock face,” Elizabeth continues as she softens her voice. “Relax. What images or thoughts come to your mind next?”

“I don’t know. I think something emerges from the ocean.”

“What is it?”

“I’m not sure.  It’s big and very loud.”

“Let’s return to earlier that morning, prior to receiving the call to rescue the cat.  You mentioned seeing birds plummet from the sky and drop into Creek Lake.  Tell me about that.”

“On arriving at Quesser Creek National Park, my radio stopped working.  Then I noticed a flock of birds from the park flying overhead and circling the lake.  They dropped dead into the water before my eyes.  Each bird was micro-chipped for monitoring, but I had no idea what had happened. I reported it and continued with my duties.”

“Okay Jacob, I think we have enough for now.  You get some rest.  I’ll check in on you in the morning,” Elizabeth responds.

Jacob nods watching her take the file from the desk and smile at him.  The sound of the door clicks shut.  Slowly standing to his feet, he moves towards the window, his eyes hurting from a throbbing headache.  

##

Dr. Elizabeth Bannon opens her laptop to update her patient’s records after the day.  Top of the pile is the file on her newest patient Jacob Fontain, a twenty-eight-year-old man from Quesser Creek, a small seaside resort. Jacob was transferred to her less than a week ago from Dr. Joseph Winters who had diagnosed his patient with a delusional disorder.  Dr. Elizabeth Bannon, an esteemed psychiatrist and renowned expert in the field of delusional disorders of all types, found the patient’s file interesting.  After her initial analysis and a brief period of psychotherapy, she is not convinced that Jacob Fontain is really suffering from any mental disorder.  She believes that some traumatic experience on Friday the 8th of June triggered a response causing him to relive the day over and over.  From the patient’s history, she learns that Jacob moved to Quesser Creek two years ago to take the post of the town’s new park ranger.  The park at Quesser Creek is an extensive national park covering many acres of wood, scrub land, and contained within, is a large lake called Creek Lake.

Placing down the file, Elizabeth picks up the coffee cup she got three hours earlier.  Her lips touch the cold liquid and she throws it in the bin.  She rubs her head in an attempt to wipe away the slight headache after the day and closes the file before her.  She will resume her analysis of Jacob in the morning. She grabs her jacket and bag and leaves the office.

##

On arriving at work the following morning, Dr. Elizabeth Bannon receives a page to report directly to see her patient Jacob Fontain. She meets with a nurse stationed on the fourth floor who informs her that the patient had a revelation during the night but would only talk to her.  Since Jacob was assigned to her care, she has learned in the past few days that he is a kind and gentle person, but seems wary of his surroundings.  She concludes that it is as though he is distrustful of people in general. She has somehow earned his trust putting her at an advantage with him.

As she opens the door, she sees Jacob sitting on the bed.  Smiling at him, she removes her writing pad from her bag and takes a seat by the desk. 

“Good morning Jacob.  How do you feel today?” she begins.

“I remembered something last night when I was asleep.”

“Did you have a dream?”

“It felt real, but it must have been a dream as I have no way of leaving this hospital.”

“Tell me about your dream.”

“I was on the cliff face again.  I managed to put the cat into the cage.  I thought it would scrape and bite, but it behaved.  I heard the wave crash into the water below me and saw it rising towards me.  The sound vibrated up from the ocean,” Jacob reiterates rising from the bed and stepping towards the window.

“Go on, what happens next?” Elizabeth asks gently.

“Nothing came out of the ocean.  It’s something beneath the ocean.”

“Beneath...can you explain?”

“I can’t.  All I know is there was something beneath the ocean; beneath the bay at Quesser Creek.”

Elizabeth observes him closely, watching him return to his bed and sit at the edge.  Placing her pad and pen down, she leans slightly forward on her chair.

“Your girlfriend Nadia is visiting you today. I am going to speak with her when she arrives,” she adds standing and moving towards the chair placed at the side of the bed. 

“She won’t know anything.  She wasn’t at George’s Bay, but you can try.”

She nods smiling.  Returning to the desk, she takes her pen and pad and exits the room.  As she steps into the corridor, she observes Dr. Marvin Speel in conversation with the senior nurse at the nurses’ station.  Lifting his head, his eyes lock with hers. Nodding slightly, she watches him walk towards her.  She has little time for Dr. Speel, and many others at the hospital share her views.  Dr. Speel is chief of staff at the hospital and is also on the review board.  His belief is running patients through like an assembly line, and if they are not responding to treatment, or present difficulty in analysing their conditions, they are moved on again.  Nursing homes and institutions benefit from his decisions.  It is about money.  Get the patients in and pass them on.  He reaches her and his thin lips part in a smile that does not reach his eyes.

“Doctor, how is Mr. Fontain responding?”

“Slowly, Dr. Speel.  I still have more therapies I would like to try.”

“He is delusional Doctor.  He was passed to us by Dr. Winters who wanted a confirmation of his analysis so we could commit him to the right place where he would get correct treatment.”

“I am still assessing him.  Currently, I do not agree with Dr. Winters’ assessment.  I am meeting with the patient’s girlfriend Nadia Marshall later today.  She may give more information on the missing gaps.”

“I have been reading your patient’s notes on this one.  He still believes he had a work colleague named Daniel Maywell, when in fact, he was assigned to Quesser Creek National Park to replace Maywell who had been killed in a freak accident.”

Holding his stare, she remains silent.

“Time is ticking Doctor.  The room will be needed for other patients,” Dr. Speel replies, turning his back on her and continuing his daily morning rounds. 

##

Elizabeth arranged to meet with Nadia Marshall at 3pm.  Her hopes are high expecting Nadia to add some new light on Jacob’s condition.  Carrying a fresh warm cup of coffee, she spies Nadia seated in the corridor outside her office waiting for her.  She is a small girl with shoulder length brown hair and a nervous look.  Elizabeth welcomes Nadia into her office and they both sit.  She updates Nadia on Jacob’s condition and allows her some time to relax.

“Is there anything you can tell me about what might cause Jacob to keep reliving that moment on Friday the 8th of June?”

“I’m not sure what it is I can say Doctor.  I don’t know what happened to Jacob that morning.  I left for work as normal.  I work as a nurse in the town.  Jacob left for the park at his usual hour.  It was the first place to visit each day.”

“I see.  What about Daniel Maywell?”

“What about him?”

“Did Jacob often talk about him?”

Nadia falls silent.

“Please Nadia, I am trying to help Jacob.”

“There is something you should know Doctor, but I’m not sure if I should tell you as it goes against your profession and might only condemn Jacob more,” Nadia answers nervously.  Elizabeth watches her stand and move towards the window overlooking the small hospital garden.

“Nadia, I only have a little more time before I have to make a judgement on Jacob’s condition.  Based on that decision, he could be placed on medication that could radically alter his lifestyle.  Anything you can tell me, I am sure can only help.”

Nadia responds by casting a trustful look in her direction and returns to her seat.

“Jacob spoke of Daniel regularly,” Nadia begins, shifting slightly in her seat. “I first met Jacob at the local town fair that is held each May.  We did not start dating straight away.  He had already been living in Quesser Creek eight months by then.  He is funny, loyal, loving, but a little wary of people.  Six months ago we decided to rent a log cabin by the beach.  Life was good until this incident happened.  Jacob has his job for the National Parks Association and I am a nurse to the doctor in the town.  Quesser Creek is a small town Doctor.”

“Tell me about Daniel.”

“He would often ask me about Daniel.  Everyone in the town knew of Daniel Maywell.  He was a great character, funny, and would help anyone if he could. No one understood how he died.  He was found dead one morning in the park near Creek Lake.”

“Was Jacob inquisitive about how he died?”

“It was more than that.  Jacob has the ability to see things that other people cannot.”

“Was he able to communicate with Daniel?”

“I believed what he told me.  He is able to get information from Daniel about the park.  He found Daniel’s notes and used to read them daily.”

“What were these notes about?”

“I don’t know.  He refused to show me, but used to say Daniel knew something.”

Sitting into her chair, Elizabeth gathers her thoughts.  Nadia is right.  This is information she could not exactly share or record on her patient’s report.  Jacob’s claim of being a medium and being in contact with the spirit of Daniel Maywell would have him locked up within the day by Dr. Speel.  

“Is it possible for you to get me these notes so I may look at them?” Elizabeth continues, leaning forward once more in her chair.  

“Sure, I will try.”

“Here are my contact details. If you could forward them on, I would appreciate it.  Time is against us I’m afraid.  Thank you for visiting today.  It helps Jacob.”

“Do you think Jacob will be alright?”

“At this moment, I’m at a loss to say.  I’m sorry.”

Elizabeth extends her hand to Nadia who silently leaves the office.  Tasting the hot coffee in her mouth, Elizabeth ponders the information and the new route she now has to question Jacob.

##

Placing her hands on the green railings, she points her face in the direction of the sun closing her eyes.  The warm breeze caresses her cheeks relaxing her mind.  She listens to the shouts and screams of the bathers on the beach to her right mixed with the screeching sea gulls feeding their young; their calls interrupted by a distant sea horn of a cargo ship exiting the faraway port.  Quesser Creek is alive with activity and momentarily transports her away from her thoughts. Elizabeth Bannon has travelled to see for herself the locations that her patient Jacob Fontain has been describing in therapy.  Her patient is consuming her interest and curiosity. Opening her eyes, she bends forward leaning against the railing eying the bed rock below her.  The sea is deep at this point of the creek which turns inwards forming a gentle cove creating a beach of sand.  Over the last century, the cove has become a popular bathing ground giving rise to the development of the local town, in contrast to the winter time when it becomes a bleak and desolate place. 

Wiping the beads of sweat from her forehead, she returns to her car.  She reaches across to the passenger seat and picks up her folder pulling out a small black note book held together by an elastic band.  As she opens it, the name Daniel Maywell stands out in block letters written in a blue pen.  Nadia posted the notes to her the next day after the meeting.  Daniel Maywell’s notes were scribbles of conspiracies and government cover ups.  Making sense of the ramblings would take time.  The national park holds her curiosity and is referenced many times in Daniel’s notes.  The incident with the birds dropping into the lake described by Jacob in therapy may actually have happened.  If so, it would have been documented by the wildlife association making it easy to verify.  Starting her car, she drives from the cove towards the small town of Quesser Creek.  The town has one main street radiating from a church, with many restaurants, cafes, a local hardware shop, post office and knick knack shops.  Many houses have sprung up over the years at the rear of the main street creating a small urban centre.  Elizabeth drives to the end of the main street past the small church decorated with hanging baskets of many colours and enters a tree lined road until she reaches the entrance gate with a large brown sign reading Quesser Creek National Park.  The car park is almost full showing its popularity with tourists offering a peaceful and cooler restbite from the hot sands.  Exiting her car, she begins her walk into the park.

The park is extensive and only certain areas have been open to the public to safeguard wildlife breeding grounds and plant life.  She studies the map at the entrance and her focus is on Creek Lake which is situated in the centre of the park cut off from public access.  The park consists of many smaller lakes and ponds abundant with wildlife that could be viewed by the public.  The lake holds a mystery for Elizabeth.  Daniel Maywell had many sketches of the lake in his tattered note book and his own theories of the lake’s purposes.  It was also the spot where he was found dead.  After walking three kilometres through pathways and woodlands, the steel fencing and gates come into view.  Wildlife authorities have gone to great lengths to protect the breeding grounds by the erection of the barriers she sees before her.  Placing her fingers through the wire meshing, she looks intently at the road leading away from her beyond the large steel fenced gate and disappearing behind a thick tree line.  As she removes her mobile phone from her pocket, she notices she has no signal.  Pulling her attention back to the roadway leading away from her, she realises she has one way to get inside.