I Didn't Do It!

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“Really,” Sean confirmed with a smile and a slight nod. “I had a teacher I spent a lot of time with, and I used to love speaking with him.” That had continued until the end of Robert’s life, and he had been fortunate to have the elder telepath as a mentor long after he graduated.

“Trust me when I say I understand.” Everything he knew about Glee, he knew from snippets of thoughts and overheard conversations. “It can be hard finding something to talk about with other students sometimes, but I can promise you I won’t talk about television. Unless that’s what you’re interested in.” He was sure that she wouldn’t be interested in the few shows that he watched. Fewer than last year, since TNT had canceled Men of a Certain Age.

The psychiatrist noticed the attention that she was giving the platter of cookies; additionally, he heard her inner debate about politeness. He wouldn’t influence her, but he did nudge the plate just a bit closer, should she change her mind or decide that she wanted to take one for later.

“I don’t mind,” he assured her. He didn’t believe that she should censor herself in any letters that she wrote to her Father Boe back home; she could mention him in any light she so desired. From the perspective of her authority figure, he thought he would be relieved to hear that she was in good hands, if he was in Father Boe’s position. On a more personal level, he found it somewhat flattering that she considered him worth mentioning outside of that assurance. He also heard the thought about stamps, and he added, “If you need any writing supplies, I’d be happy to share mine with you.”

He had an abundance of stamps, since he still did so much of his work by pen and paper, rather than by computer.

[Caroline Mason]

Dr. Neville was the neatest, nicest... he was just the best, and Caroline dug her toes against the tile of the floor happy that he would be willing to help her with stamps. "Thank you soooo much! Would... um, could I maybe borrow a stamp to send a letter once I get it written? I need to work on my project with Ollie first, but then I could write to Father Boe and if I already had a stamp I could drop it in the box on the way to class in the morning."

The cookie was forgotten in her excitement and gratitude. Writing letters was a fun thing to do, and now that she actually had someone to write to, that made it even better. Passing notes in class was one thing, actually mailing something across the country was even better. A whole new experience to boot. She had promised Father Boe letters, but hadn't thought about how to get them there before. But with Dr. Neville's help, that little oversight had been solved.

"Thank you!" she repeated all smiles. Maybe she'd draw a picture to send too. Since she didn't have any photographs she could send. Or a camera to take them.

Staring at the man behind the desk for a moment, Caroline focused on remembering his hair color and his eyes. the shape of his nose and the the width of his head. The picture wouldn't be photo-realistic by any stretch of the imagination, but she could try. Even with the limited number of colored pencils she had for class, she could get something closeish to give Father Boe an idea. That was what mattered.

Once that was done, Caroline grinned again. "I should probably get to my dorm. Ollie will be waiting I think. I don't want her to think I forgot about our project or got hurt or something."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Her thoughts were flattering, and somewhat unwarranted which was why he never let such impressions affect his ego. Sean also made certain not to smile at the thoughts themselves; fortunately, he had decades of practice with that. Instead, he nodded in response to her question. “Of course.” Sean pushed back from the desk to allow him to reach into the drawers. Opening one, he pulled out a book of stamps and then held it out to her. “Hold onto these, so you can write and mail your letters on your own schedule.”

Understanding that she was studying him, the psychiatrist accommodated her by not breaking the silence or his pose. When she finished, he offered her a gentle smile and a nod to convey his understanding. “We certainly wouldn’t want her to worry.” He held his hand out for a handshake, extending his arm across his desk toward her. “Thank you for coming to meet with me; it was nice to be able to chat.”

It was also encouraging to see that she was adjusting so well, and the telepath would be sure to make a note of that in her file when she left. While he would still continue to keep an eye on her, it was encouraging to know that it wasn’t as sorely needed as she might otherwise have required.

[Caroline Mason]

Accepting the book of stamps with both enthusiasm and gratitude, Caroline pushed herself off the chair and reshouldered her bag.

"Thank you for checking on me, Doctor Neville." Giving him a toothy smile the young meta bounced out of the psychiatrist's office then turned to wave before disappearing down the hall off to the her dorm where Ollie was no doubt waiting for her so they could continue their project.

It felt good to know that she had an adult she could go talk to the same way she'd talked to Father Boe. Perhaps not about the same things, Doctor Neville was a doctor and not a Priest, but someone nonetheless. It was a good thing, and Caroline was happier for it.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“You’re welcome, Caroline,” the psychiatrist replied, returning her smile with one of his own. “Don’t be a stranger; you’re more than welcome to come stop in whenever you want.”

He was sincere in that offer. Technically, that offer stood for all of the students, even the ones who caused more headaches (such as Vincent and Sam, or even Mira although she only came to visit because of mandated sessions). However, Sean truly hoped that she would take advantage of the ability to stop in when she had troubles, or if she simply wanted to talk. She was such a sweet young girl, and already he found he was fond of her.

It seemed that he would have another Estelle on his hands; that thought kept the smile on his lips after she had left the office.

Once he was alone, he pulled down her file and opened it, leaving a few notes to himself about what she had said regarding friends, about her trainer, and about her adjustment to Hammel thus far. Satisfied with that, he put in another note, tagging her as someone he would continue to watch over. He moved her file to where he kept the others in that group, and then he returned to work.