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Mr. Finger stepped inside the hospital lobby, he walked straight to the reception and told the lady behind the counter that he had an appointment with Doctor Finn, the lady asked him to write his name on the visitor's book, and wait on the bench until she called him back. Mr. Finger glanced at the big round clock on the wall behind her. Five minutes to nine o'clock. He's five minutes early. He waited watching people walking going one way or another across the lobby area.
The reception lady surprised his wandering thought when she stood beside him, telling him that Dr. Finn is ready to see him now. Mr. Finger smiled and followed her down the hall on the left side of the lobby. They passed a long hall with rows of doors on both sides. Some doors have names on it, some doesn't.
They stopped in front of one door with Dr. Finn's name on it. The lady knocked on the door three times and opened the door handle when someone's voice from the inside instructs her to do so.
"Doctor, Mr. Finger." the lady announced him and stepped aside, holding the door until Mr. Finger stepped inside the room.
Mr. Finger nodded and smiled his thanks to the lady, she nodded back and retreated back to the hall and closed the door behind her.
"Mr. Finger." the Doctor smiled and offered his hand to shake his hand. "Please sit down,"
"Thank you, Doctor." Mr. Finger shake the Doctor's hand and slowly lowered himself to the chair.
"Thank you for coming on a short notice. How is your leg?"
"Oh, no problem Doctor. It's getting better, my Doctor just put me on new treatment and it worked great."
"Ok, good to hear, then." Dr. Finn smiled. He pulled his chair closer to the table and his face turned slightly serious. "Mr. Finger, I think you might have a good idea on why I asked you to come here today."
Mr. Finger, blinked a few times in confusion, "I'm sorry Doctor, I don't think I follow you."
Dr. Finn huffed and went, "Mr. Finger, the nurses found these." he slide a stack of opened envelopes in front of him. "They found it hidden under your daughter's mattress. I just thought you might be able to explain them to me?"
Mr. Finger now had stopped smiling. He froze and stared at the stack of letters in front of him.
"Mr. Finger, I know you love your daughter, but now I know you've been secretly giving her these letters. I know you think it will make her feel better and happy, but this is not helping her. This will not help with her recovery," Dr. Finn paused for a few seconds, then continued, "I don't want my patients living here for the rest of their lives. I don't want your daughter living her for the rest of her life. She's still young, still has a lot of good things waiting for her outside of this place. You have to help me to help her understand, realized and accepted that Hange Zoe is dead, but that doesn't mean she should stopped living too. I can't do that if you keep fabricating these letters, pretending it was from Hange, making her believe that Hange is still alive and one day will come and rescue her, and secretly giving them to her. You keep giving her false hope and keeping her living in this fantasy world that just doesn't exist."
The two sat in silence for what felt longer that it actually is. Mr. Finger still sat on his chair in silence, eyes not leaving the stack of letters in front of him. Dr. Finn let out a sighed and leaned back on his chair. "I already talked to Pieck about this and informing her that I will talk to you to stop giving her these letters."
Still staring at the stack of letters, Mr. Finger only nodded .
"I genuinely want her to get better, Mr. Finger. I know you do too and I know that YOU know that the letters will not help her. At all," Dr. Finn paused again, "Well, that is all that I want to discuss to you today. Now, I know you want to say hi to Pieck. Let's go visit her."
They walked to outside of his office and went down the hall again towards the lobby. From there, they went on to the door on the left side of the reception desk. The reception girl greeted them when she saw them coming and immediately went to the door, opening it for them.
They're met with another hallway surrounding a courtyard, they stepped unto the path that split the courtyard in half all the way to the opposite hall where there's another gated door. A male nurse stood up from his station, greeted them and opened the gate for them. The gate opens to another courtyard, much bigger than the inner one. There were paths that leads to a big shallow pond in the middle of it. Scattered around the courtyard are benches where patients are now sitting. Some were alone, some with nurses, some with a friend or family member visiting.
They walked straight to the pond where several benches surrounding them. Pieck was sitting in one of those benches alone, looking down. Dr. Finn called out to Pieck when they were a few steps away from her. She looked up and look over her shoulder.
"Father..." Pieck's smile slowly widened. She extended both arms to her father as he rounded the bench to get in front of her. Mr. Finger immediately hugged his only daughter before he made his way to sit next to her.
"Oh, your knitting now?" Mr. Finger asked when he saw the yarn in the wooden box next to her.
"Just learning. Nurse Leni taught me how. I thought maybe I could make one to give to Hange when she comes here." she cheerfully told him.
"Pieck..." Mr. Finger's cuts her off, his face turned serious when Pieck mentioned Hange's name
Pieck also looses her smile and went, "Oh..." she looked at Dr. Finn who were standing behind the bench and back to her father.
"I've discussed with your father about the letters, Pieck."
Pieck looked at her father with her now glassy eyes.
"I'm really sorry Pieck. I just wanted you to see you smiling again without really thinking about how it would destroy you even more." her father jumped in.
Pieck stayed silent and looked down at her lap.
"I want you to get better, Pieck. I want you to come home." Mr. Finger scooted closer, squeezing both of Pieck's hands with his. "Pieck, I love you. I want you to get better, but I need YOU to want to get better too."
"Father..." Pieck's barely inaudible voice called him "I missed her..." she continued with a sniffle now.
"Oh, my child," Mr. Finger moved the yarn box to his other side an immediately wrap his arms around his only daughter. "I know you do...I know."
Dr. Finn had moved aside and watched them from afar. Nurse Leni came to his side, watching them too.
*****
As Mr. Finger and Dr. Finn were back inside his office. Mr. Finger hesitated at first, but finally talked, "Doctor, I received this letter from the island a few days ago. It's from Levi Ackerman. They fought together in the war and a long time comrade of Hange before she met Pieck. He's asking, should Pieck has time to spare, he wants to invite her to the island and visit Hange's grave, there's some of personal belongings of Hange that he thought Pieck might like to keep."
"Do you have the letter now? May I see it?"
"Yes, of course," Mr. Finger fished his jacket pocket and handed the Doctor the letter. "I'm not sure it was wise to mention it to her back in the courtyard." he continued while the Doctor reads the letter.
When he's finished, he folded the letter and put it back inside the envelope. "Thank you for informing me about this, Mr. Finger. I think you should keep the letter for now and not mention it to her for the time being. I will slowly bring this up during our session when she finally has fully understand the reality of her life."
Mr. Finger nodded in agreement, "I understand, Doctor."
"Well, thank you so much for coming today Mr. Finger. I really appreciate it."
"Thank you, Doctor. I'm sorry too, for what I did the entire time."
"I understand, Mr. Finger. No parents enjoy seeing their child suffer."
Dr. Finn walked Mr. Finger back to the lobby and asked the reception to help Mr. Finger get a cab ride home. After another numerous thank yous and goodbyes, Dr. Finn went back to his office and Mr. Finger to the bench by the wall, waiting for his cab.
While sitting on that bench, Mr. Finger realized that this time it's his turn to help his daughter, his only family. She did hers when she decided to join the warrior's program as a seven year old child that enabled him to get the necessary treatment for his illness back then when he needed it.
His only child who almost lost her life numerous times in wars and from the titan curse. Now, back in his arms in one piece, but in body only, not in mind. That day he promised himself that even if he's an old man now with another old man's illnesses, he's not gonna lose to that seven year old child many years ago. He will help his daughter get better. It's his turn now.
THE END