That night, I called Dr. Lee. Charles had been in a good mood all day, and as far as I knew, he hadn't seen anything of the shadows since that morning I'd found him in my car. Given his continued improvement, I was wondering if it might be a good idea to reschedule his next appointment.
On the phone with Dr. Lee, I explained my case. "Do you think it might be better to just see how this plays out? I mean, he's only been with me for a few days, but I can already tell things are getting a lot better."
"Adam," Dr. Lee replied, "I'm very happy that Charles is doing well, but I can't recommend abandoning therapy in favor of what, frankly, is an avoidance technique."
"I'm not saying we should cancel the appointments altogether," I corrected. "I just don't see it doing any good to remind him of the problem when he's not thinking about it. Maybe just push back the next appointment, see what happens."
"I wouldn't advise it. I can sense that you're enjoying your time with Charles, but don't let that shield you from the fact that he does have a serious condition that must be dealt with. I agreed to release Charles back into your care, as I don't believe he's a danger to anyone; you would be abusing that trust by attempting to make medical decisions on his behalf and against my advice."
"Okay," I conceded apologetically. I'd been expecting as much. "We'll see you in a few days, then."
"Yes. Goodbye, Adam."
Hanging up the phone, I considered one of the last things Dr. Lee had said about me enjoying my time with Charles. Had he been implying that I was keeping Charles around for my own benefit, like some kind of pet? It was nice having my friend back, I could admit, nice recapturing some of our younger spirit, but this was still all about Charles. Being together now was like going back to some of the best times of my life, but I hadn't forgotten that, ultimately, I was there to help my friend. Or maybe the two weren't mutually exclusive. Charles seemed to be enjoying himself in the same way I was, even given the circumstances that brought him here. I sensed an unspoken agreement in him that going our separate ways had been a mistake.
Our next appointment was in two days, though; my argument hadn't been able to sway Dr. Lee. And for Charles' sake, I hoped I wasn't right.
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