176 What's next?

Continuing the indie film project "50/50" on the bustling hospital set, Adam navigated the corridors, seeking Dr. McKay. A helpful attendant directed him to the office, a small, chaotic space brimming with psychology texts and papers. Amid the disarray, Anna Kendrick, embodying Katherine, lounged on a couch engrossed in a file, indulging in a rather unruly sandwich. Her appearance, much like the room, was delightfully disheveled.

As Adam peeked inside, Katherine glanced up, sandwich in mid-bite, and asked if she could assist. Adam, taken aback by her casual demeanor amidst the clutter, mentioned his appointment with Dr. McKay.

"Oh, right, please, make yourself at home," Katherine said, hastily making room on the couch while juggling her sandwich. Standing to greet him, she extended a hand, introducing herself as Katherine, to Adam's hesitance.

"You're Dr. McKay?" Adam's voice carried a mix of surprise and confusion.

"Yes, that's me. Please, have a seat," she corrected herself with a friendly tone, tidying up her lunch.

Adam, bemused, couldn't help but reassess the young doctor before him, his skepticism barely masked by a polite nod.

Anna, embodying Katherine, couldn't help but notice Lucas's flair for improvisation as Adam. She'd seen him in action with Seth, who played Kyle, and admired Lucas's skill for adding humor and spontaneity to scenes with his adlibs. Although Anna didn't consider herself as naturally adept at improvisation, she was determined to play along with Lucas's cues without missing a beat.

"Aren't you supposed to be like sixty-five and wear earth-toned sweaters? You look more like you should be in a college dorm than a doctor's office," Adam remarked, his tone rich with incredulity. The surrounding cast and crew couldn't contain their amusement at Lucas's unexpected line.

Katherine, missing the jest hidden in Adam's observation, responded with a hint of defensiveness, "Why? Did someone actually describe me that way?"

Her reaction underscored her straightforwardness and her struggle to catch the underlying humor in remarks about her youthful appearance as a doctor.

Adam, gently shaking his head, pressed on, "No, but seriously...how old are you?"

"24," Katherine replied, slightly thrown off by the question.

Adam, unable to resist, quipped, "Twenty-four? What are you, Doogie Howser?"

Katherine's puzzled response, "Who?" only propelled the conversation into more comedic territory.

"Doogie Howser, the teenage doctor," Adam tried to clarify, but Katherine's continued perplexity left him speechless. How could a doctor not catch such a humorous reference?

When Katherine innocently asked, "Does he work here?" Adam's bemusement deepened.

"No, never mind... But really, aren't you a bit young to be a doctor?" Adam concluded, his mix of admiration and disbelief encapsulating the scene's light-hearted yet revealing exchange.

Katherine, in a mix of earnestness and slight embarrassment, admitted, "Oh, technically I'm not a doctor yet. I wish. I'm actually working on my doctorate." She caught Adam's skeptical look and quickly added, trying to maintain a semblance of professionalism, "This is a training hospital."

Adam, intrigued, leaned in, "I see... So, have you seen many patients?"

Katherine started, "Well, my patient history isn't—" but was cut off by Adam's sudden realization.

"I'm your first patient, aren't I?"

Quickly, she rebutted, "No, not at all."

Undeterred, Adam guessed again, "Your second?" No answer came. "Third?" he tried once more.

Katherine's silence was all the confirmation he needed. His eyes widened, a mix of concern and curiosity taking over. "How are the first two doing?" he probed.

Katherine hesitated, finally confessing, "Can't really talk about that."

Adam, half-joking, half-concerned, continued, "And all this... it's part of your training?"

"Yes, it'll be a significant part of my dissertation. But don't worry, I won't use your real name or anything."

Adam, now visibly uneasy but trying to hide it with a nod, conceded, "Okay. I guess that's fine." His attempt at reassurance was more for himself than for Katherine, as the realization settled that he was part of a learning experience quite literally.

An awkward beat filled the room as Katherine pulled Adam's file closer, breaking the silence with a tone of professionalism, "So, Dr. Ross filled me in on your situation. This must be incredibly difficult."

Adam, maintaining his composure, simply shrugged in response. Katherine, looking for more, asked, "How are you feeling?"

"You know, honestly, I feel fine. I've actually never been more calm," Adam confessed, his tone betraying no concern.

Katherine, a flicker of pride crossing her features, jumped at his admission, "That's a very common symptom found in patients like yourself. Right now your body is in survival mode. What you're actually experiencing is shock..."

Adam, facing Katherine's unwavering confidence with a speechless gaze, interjected, "No, I think I'm fine."

Undeterred, Katherine pressed on, "That's why you feel that sense of calm. Would you describe what you're feeling as a kind of "numbness"?"

Adam, steadfast, countered, "I would describe it as fine."

Katherine, persistent, began again, "Because certain patients--"

Adam, raising an eyebrow in a mixture of amusement and exasperation—a look that silently screamed, Are we really doing this?—asserted, "I feel great."

Katherine, finally conceding with a reluctant smile, offered, "Wonderful, I think that's wonderful -- if it's alright with you, today I'd like to start with some very simple relaxation exercises."

Adam, leaning back, the epitome of tranquility, couldn't help but quip, "But I am relaxed. In fact, I'm so relaxed, you might need to wake me up to start those exercises."

Lucas's spontaneous adlib almost coaxed a laugh from Anna, but she managed to maintain her composure, seamlessly moving on with her lines, "I know you are. But if you want to lie down..."

"Lie down?" Adam's tone was laced with incredulity.

Katherine simply nodded in affirmation, "Yeah."

Though skeptical, Adam complied, reclining as Katherine hit play on her laptop, filling the room with the soothing strains of new-age meditation music.

"And close your eyes," she instructed further.

"Really?" The disbelief was palpable in Adam's voice. Yet, upon seeing Katherine's earnest nod, he obliged, closing his eyes. His body tensed awkwardly, his expression was a mix of bemusement and incredulity, eyebrows raised, lips pressed in a tight line, almost as if he was resisting the urge to burst into laughter at the absurdity of listening to generic calm music, likely sourced from YouTube, as a form of therapy.

"Next, are we going to start chanting?" Adam quipped, his tone light yet dripping with sarcasm, prompting a wave of laughter from the crew.

Anna stifled her chuckles, her mind racing. "If Lucas keeps this up, I might actually start falling for him," she mused silently, appreciating the unexpected levity he brought to the scene.