Rhapsody on a Theme by Matthew J. Metzger

Author:Matthew J. Metzger [Metzger, Matthew J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: JMS Books LLC
Published: 2014-05-26T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

The very next morning, Dr. Zielinski paid a home visit, issued a six-week prescription for half the current dose of fluoxetine, and then complete cessation after that.

“Fluoxetine should not be causing panic attacks,” he said firmly. “It is a very rare side effect and one I am not happy about.” But Darren didn’t seem to care, was still exhausted from the last forty-eight hours, and once the doctor had left, went straight back to sleep. Jayden let him.

Jayden had to go to work, though: the blog deadline was looming, and Rachel—in the midst of the February half-term—had agreed to cancel her date with Tony and stay in.

“I’ll keep an eye on him,” she said cheerfully, and set up camp on Jayden’s half of the bed with Pog and a pile of the Game of Thrones novels that she was attempting to work her way through. Jayden had been reluctant to go, hovering over Darren until the very last possible second, and making Rachel promise to text every half hour with updates once he was finally persuaded to leave.

Unsurprisingly, he had been fairly late to work, and had walked straight into Stephanie grilling Gina on his whereabouts. “I’m so sorry,” he blurted out, dropping his bag in his chair and running both of his hands through his hair. He hadn’t even styled it, he’d been that rushed and that…distracted. “I just…Darren had a really—really—bad night, and I had to call the doctor this morning, and…”

Stephanie softened fractionally and nodded. “All right. Come on, dear,” she said, turning him around by the shoulder. “My office. Gina, a cup of tea for him, hmm?”

Gina jumped to it; Jayden let himself be led into the little office and slumped into the visitor’s chair, feeling sick and shaky himself all of a sudden.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated, and Stephanie waved him off.

“You’re a hard worker, Jayden,” she said. “When you’re late, I know there’s a reason, and you haven’t turned in a thing overdue yet.”

Jayden fidgeted. “I…”

“Do you need to be at home today?” Stephanie asked gently, sitting down across the desk from him and leaning her elbows on it, studying him. She had a kindly face, covered in understanding, and Jayden began to relax.

“My housemate is keeping an eye on him,” he said slowly.

“What happened?”

Jayden licked his lips. Gina plonked a mug of tea on the desk, squeezed his shoulder, and retreated, closing the office door behind her and muting the chatter and clatter of keys out on the main floor. “He, um…” He swallowed. “The doctor put him on antidepressants. Prozac, you know, fluoxetine.” Stephanie nodded. “He started that about six or seven weeks ago, and he got…he got worse, much worse, and they never started making him better, and then yesterday he lashed out and destroyed the kitchen and he seemed really…I don’t know, he seemed panicky, and he was saying he needed air and he couldn’t breathe, and then last night…well, this morning, about two or three, I woke up and

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