The Skeptic Page #4

- No, you cannot miss one meeting.

And do you know why?

'Cause you're a control freak

who doesn't miss anything.

You missing' one meeting is like

a regular guy missing'

his own flicking' wedding.

And now I'm good and worried.

Yeah, 'cause I think you're

having' some kind of breakdown.

- Oh, get out of here.

I'm not having' a breakdown.

- Oh, how would you know?

See, people that are having'

a breakdown don't know

that they're having' a breakdown.

They just think the water tastes funny.

You left your wife.

You left your son,

both of who I know you adore.

You move into this creepy old house.

And then you miss a meeting.

- Okay, I will never miss

another meeting.

That's an oath.

- Becks,

you have amazed me

for 111/2 years straight.

So if you need a break,

you raise your hand.

You don't have to be

the good dog that runs

until his heart explodes.

Look, I'm sorry I had to bust your balls.

Need a hug?

- [laughs]

Not from you.

- Well, check your inventory, pal.

I'm all you got left.

[door creaking]

- Hm.

Old trunk.

[sighs]

Well, my dear Watson,

what do you suppose

is in the old trunk?

The remains of someone murdered

in this house perhaps?

[wind blowing]

[wooden creaking]

- [whispering]

Bryan.

[thumping sound]

- Who's in here?

Who's in my house?

- I want your lab work Friday, okay?

Oh, yeah,

and I need the correlation

between night terrors

and serotonin level.

We already spoke about that.

- I saw something this time.

A woman at the bottom of the stairs.

She was just sitting there.

There's no woman in my house, Doctor.

It's empty except for me.

So what did I see?

- I have no idea.

- Are you telling me that no one

has ever reported seeing something?

- Yeah.

Not that held up.

- Held up?

- I know this is difficult,

but is there any history

of mental illness in your family?

- Are you serious?

[scoffs]

You're serious.

You're trying' to pin this on me?

- I'm not trying to pin anything on anyone.

But as rational people,

we need to look at every possibility.

- I am not a possibility.

- So your answer's no.

There's no history.

- That's right.

- All right, so just...

there's no schizophrenia?

- No.

- Hallucinations?

- No.

- Manic depression?

- Any bipolar disorders, Bryan?

- One uncle, maybe.

So what?

- Well, I'm just going off a list.

But if there's any familial history at all,

and you've had this episode,

I think you should see someone.

- [laughs]

You think I should see someone.

- I do, I do.

And I know a very good man...

- How dare you try to pin this on me?

I happen to be, Doctor,

one of the most boringly sane people

that you have ever f***ing met!

Tell him it's Bryan Becket.

[kids chattering]

I just don't get the way

we dress kids for Halloween.

Murder victims, Lizzie Borden.

And then we stand back

and snap pictures of it all

as though it's something

we should cherish

right up there with our first communion.

- What's troubling you, my friend?

- Oh, just my usual.

Insomnia.

- Ah, well, we can fix that.

- Hey, Doc,

when you have persistent insomnia,

can it lead to other symptoms?

- Sure.

What kind of symptoms?

- Hallucinations.

- You've been having hallucinations, Bryan?

- Just one.

Maybe I was sleepwalking,

and I saw something

sort of ghostlike, I guess.

I flicked on the light,

and it disappeared.

- Yeah, yeah.

Sleep deprivations can cause

hallucinations, definitely.

But if it occurs again,

you'll let me know?

All right?

- All right.

- Why aren't you sleeping?

- Work.

It's brutal right now.

Tons of big cases.

And on top of that,

Robin and I are separated.

- Oh?

- Yeah, I think with Robin and me,

it's a game of marital chicken,

you know?

Just give each other

a good scare and move on.

I think we'll be all right.

- Yes, I think it'll work out.

You're a good couple.

- But in the meantime,

I moved into my aunt's house.

And I got to tell you,

I haven't been alone in...

- I'm sorry.

You moved where?

- To my aunt's house for now.

- Oh.

And is that where you had

this hallucination?

- Yep.

- And this ghostlike image,

was it male or female?

- It was a woman.

- Oh.

Was there anything about this woman

that was interesting or odd?

Anything about her face

or her eyes?

- I couldn't say.

I just saw it from the back.

- It?

- Her.

Her.

- [chuckles]

Excuse me.

I was just struck with the memory

of the first time your father

brought you here.

It was just after your mother passed.

I was new to my profession,

unsure of myself.

And you were this

precocious little guy

who looked at my diploma wall

and asked

why I hadn't been

to one of the top med schools.

- Oh, Jesus.

Did I?

- Yeah, we did good work though.

We were making progress.

And then...

well, I always thought your father

pulled you out too soon.

- My dad hated shrinks.

I think he feared that if you

poked around in my head,

you might discover some

deep family secret.

- Hmm.

Well, whatever the reason,

I think you came out of it too soon.

- Hence my insomnia.

- And your issues with death.

What I think you need...

- Is to spend more time on your couch.

Yeah, I know.

You suggest that every year.

- Well, what do you think of it this year?

- I think you drive a fancy enough car.

You don't need another patient.

- Ooh.

You're getting better.

- Thanks, Doc.

Appreciate it.

It's funny though.

You mentioned my mother.

It's sad.

I can barely remember her.

Except for titbits,

there's nothing.

- She's in there, Bryan.

She's in there.

[birds cawing]

[glass shatters]

[loud shattering]

[women screaming]

- Ver. Staten.

Dr. Sheppard.

Okay, I'll be right there.

Hi.

Hey, you.

I can't do this right now.

I have a meeting.

This is for him.

He thinks you left us

for another family.

Come on.

- You a werewolf?

Whoa.

Scary werewolf.

No.

Not scary.

- Oh, okay, not scary.

There's nobody here but me, pal.

Do you want to look for yourself?

You want to explore?

Okay.

Hurry up.

Dad's got a meeting.

- What are you doing here?

- We need some time apart, Robin.

- I want us in therapy.

- Therapy.

- Yeah.

- I have my doubts about therapy.

- Oh, you have your doubts

about everything.

All you do all day is have doubts

about what everyone else thinks.

- Well, uh, what would you rather, Robin,

I was one at those fanatics

who was certain?

- You are every bit as certain

as any fanatic I've ever seen.

- Okay, that's absurd.

That is an absurd thing to say.

I am not certain about anything,

and if you can't see that,

we're even farther apart

than I thought we were.

- So what do you call it then

when you are so positive

the rest of us are wrong,

flawed in our thinking?

I call that certain, arrogant.

And I don't think it's 'cause

you're smarter than anyone else.

I think it's 'cause you're lost.

- Well, guess what, Robin.

I hardly care what you think,

'cause I got trial in the morning,

I lost my expert,

and I got a 200 page deposition...

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