Arnaut was deep in thought, as he munched on the tomato and basil salad that Ein had traded for his kimchi.
He was listening to Ein as he spoke about the dreams that visited him this morning as well as the dreams he experienced while he was unconscious. Eventually, Arnaut finishes his food and sets down the empty lunch box. A relieving sigh escapes from his mouth.
"It's good to hear that you're experiencing dreams in your sleep. At least it's a good indication for me that you're getting enough rest! Haha!" Arnaut gives a pat to Ein's shoulder.
"Sleep is good, but being woken up by nightmares every now and then stresses me out more." Ein stretches his arms and sits up straight on the hospital cot.
"Actually… you only had one dream Ein, two of those dreams that you mentioned, sounded like a memory."
Arnaut crosses his arms and glances at Ein curiously. "When people dream about bad memories, they would consider it as nightmares in their sleep."
"Two of them were memories?" Ein's dark blue irises dilated in shock.
"Dreams in psychology are usually interpreted as one's subconscious desires or repressed emotions. I saw signs of those from your second dream… but the first and the third…" Arnaut scratches his head in frustration. "Yeah, the first one is clearly a memory since I remember reading that from your daily journal when we first had our sessions. But the third, it has the signs of a dream but…"
"Strange… I can't recall anything about meeting a blonde-haired kid." Ein sighs as he ponders. "And I certainly do not recall anyone with the name of Hobbes."
"Well… I'm taking a guess, but I think it had something to do with the memory lapses you incurred after the assault incident." Arnaut's expression stiffened and his eyes were glued onto Ein.
"Ein, could it be that you're starting to recollect your lost memories?"
"I don't know… My memories after getting kicked out and Monique's family taking me in are still a blur, so I'm not sure." Ein massaged his temple as he felt a dull headache coming at him.
"Well, don't force yourself to remember, that will just stress you out, you know!" Arnaut stands up from his seat and clears away the empty food containers from the overbed table. "I'll clean up first, you should stay here and rest for the meantime."
"Alright, see you in a bit, doctor." Ein gazed at Arnaut with a forlorn face and waved his hand, it looked like he was giving his final goodbyes to Arnaut.
"Hey, don't do that! It feels ominous!" Arnaut groans, he felt goosebumps grow on his nape. "I'll be back after a few minutes to check on you and close the windows, so you better stay put. And don't remove that monitor on your arm, Ein!"
Arnaut shuffles out of the room and closes the door gently. He went to the health centre's kitchenette and placed the food containers in the dishwasher. He then pulls out his phone and sends an email to Monique, copying Seori into the thread.
[Subject: Ein Therapy Log 10/16/2023]
[1:02 PM Just finished eating lunch with the patient. Apologies for the early log. (• ▽ •) Ein is on leave tomorrow so this has been sent a day in advance. (・–・) Sorry for the unexpected spam.]
[Ein is stable, but still recovering from the stress of the anxiety attack. He refused to speak further about the incident at the elevator. I asked him if it was related to his college memories and he said yes. Ein mentioned he dreamt thrice today.]
[1st dream was a memory of the past when he was disowned. The 2nd dream was where he met his child self and pushed him away. The 3rd dream was a memory about a blonde-haired, beaten up kid he met, but Ein was unsure as he can't recall further. He did mention the name "Hobbes" but doesn't recall meeting anyone with that name.]
[No signs or symptoms of concussion yet, but I suspect that Ein is gradually recovering his lost memories. After all, his lapses in memory were the aftereffects of overdosing flunitrazepam (Rohypnol) at the time of his sexual assault.]
[Will monitor him until the end of business hours (6 PM) and send him home after. (・–・)ゞ I recommend that he goes for a check-up the day after tomorrow to rule out a concussion.]
[- Ar U Naut Entertained (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ- 1:08 PM]
Arnaut sends out the email and slips his phone back into his pocket, he then closes the lid on the dishwasher and turns it on to clean the food containers.
He felt his phone vibrate and pulled it out again to check His face grimaced as he read the name on the notification bar. It was a direct reply from Monique.
[RE: Ein Therapy Log 10/16/2023]
[Excellent work my liege! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*.✧ Your efforts will be rewarded handsomely. (see the attached file on this email) And thank you for the early update while looking after Ein. (人 •͈ᴗ•͈) ]
[Note: You've already met "Hobbes" earlier. (ﾉﾟ0ﾟ)ﾉ~ If you want to know more about it, call me later at 6 PM, I'll explain the deets. (≧▽≦) I'll reward you more if you cooperate with me!]
[- MonMon yo' Frenemy 1:13 PM]
Arnaut was intrigued at Monique's reply. "What does she mean I already met Hobbes?" Arnaut felt confused as he read Monique's note. "Hmm… additional rewards?" His eyes squinted as he scans the attachment. "I hope this isn't a scam."
He then opened the attached file on the email. His jaw drops as he sees several Amazon UK gift vouchers amounting to £5000.
"Holy shit!" Arnaut almost drops his phone in joy.
'Well, I guess this will help me and Seori complete our stations in the game room.' Arnaut's eyes sparkled with glee, he quickly redeems the vouchers and places orders on a set of his & hers gaming chairs, peripherals, video games and volumes 1-5 of Love Bus manga.
"Seori will be shocked when she visits on the weekend. Heehee…" Arnaut cackles as he heads back to Ein's room to check on him.
~~~~~
To be Continued.
~~~~~