Dr. Julia Hoffman

A screen capture of actress Grayson Hall as Dr. Julia Hoffman in the Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows.

Mood.

#DarkShadows #DrJuliaHoffman #GraysonHall

Vintage cigarette ad with the tagline "More Doctors Smoke Camels Than Any Other Cigarette". A doctor checks out an old woman with a blanket on that looks suspiciously like the Collinsport Afghan in Dark Shadows.

Julia was filled with a strange desire to tell Roger of the dream, but it was too ridiculous. And it was not at all important now. "I'm glad to see you, Roger, and I'll do my best to help you."
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Julia shook herself. She must get a grip! "Of course, please come in. You'll forgive my manner... It's not everyday I see someone come back from the dead." This was not entirely true, she realized after she spoke with a glance at Barnabas, but it was as good an excuse as any.
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From inside Julia stared at the door with a disturbing sense of déjà vu. Barnabas gave her a quizzical look...just like the dream. And when she opened the door it would be Roger just like the dream. With a will of steel, the doctor moved to open the door. There he was. @uncleroger1966.bsky.social

Dr. Hoffman forced a smile and shook her head. "It's nothing. Probably a side effect of pain medication they gave me yesterday." She took a puff on her cigarette and wished he would hold her. But at that moment, a knock came at the door. It sounded all too familiar to Julia.

She could hear the knock at the door and the sense of dread would set in. "I...just haven't been sleeping well, that's all... I keep having a dream."
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"Of course not! Why would I hide something from you?" It was too abrupt of an answer to be convincing, but she was embarrassed to talk about it. It was too absurd. Being afraid of a dream! Anytime she closed her eyes that dream would begin again.
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Julia smiled at his naive assurances. He would do his best, she knew, but could he really protect her from this new evil? Was anyone safe? Nevertheless, it was comforting to hear. "I know, Barnabas. I am...not at my best today."

"I'm sorry, Barnabas. You're right, of course. We have no choice but to try and help them, even if there turns out to be something more to it." She lit a cigarette from one of the drawing room candles to stop herself from pacing again.
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Dr. Hoffman noticed all too clearly his sudden change of subject. He often did that when things between them got too close. But Julia had learned about patience in her research work and said nothing about it.
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It was about his own past. His own future. His own regrets. She looked back into his ebony eyes. "You do have a future, Barnabas. I will help you make one."
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Julia let him grip her shoulders. Everything seemed like it was spiraling out of control lately and his hands felt steadying. She still didn't understand what Laura was, or even their history together, but she quickly realized it wasn't about that for Barnabas.
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"That's my point, Barnabas. What if she isn't telling the truth? I'm not saying that we shouldn't hear them out. I just don't know why you seem to trust her so much." Or why he hadn't told her that he'd known Laura before.
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Julia made an exasperated sound as she paced back and forth. The dizziness from earlier had subsided and she was almost feeling like herself...almost. If it hadn't have been for that strange dream.
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Julia closed the door behind her and carefully locked it. If only that would really keep the monsters out...

"That's very nice of you, Mrs. Collins." She stood up gingerly to see the woman out. When Laura was gone she would be alone again with the dream. Even the company of a possible enemy seemed better than that. But she would not let such weakness show.

Julia had never been the least bit afraid to be on her own before but today she was worried. There would be silence. And in the silence she would think of the dream. She knew this would be true, even though it was ridiculous. "I'll be fine. Barnabas was with me, but then..."

She fingered her cigarette and relaxed ever so slightly. Julia could respect a no-nonsense woman, and she felt a strange relief to be seeing Roger so soon. "Alright. I would like to see him — so I can properly diagnose him, I mean."
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Julia knew she wasn't getting anywhere on her own. They needed help and a fresh pair of eyes might be just the thing. She didn't fully trust Laura yet, but she didn't need to at the moment. In the evening Barnabas would be awake and they could face her together.
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Julia was startled with the revelation that the witch had returned. "You've seen Angelique?" Could she be behind all this? "There have been so many strange occurrences lately," Julia began shakily. "They should be clues, but it doesn't add up. I can't make sense of it."
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The look in the other woman's eyes as she spoke of the witch was almost frightening. Such hatred and vehemence! It almost reminded Julia of Barnabas and how he sometimes spoke of Angelique. At least it removed any doubt that Laura and their old enemy were allies.
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The smoke from their cigarettes mingled in the air between them. "In the basement...I heard you talking about Angelique. How do you know her?"
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"I see," she replied dryly, almost blushing at the frankness. Ms. Murdock—or Mrs. Collins or whatever she wanted to be known as these days—was staring at her intently, waiting. How could she trust Laura when she was hiding things from her?
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There must have been. "Not anywhere? They wouldn't have to be just on his neck." Mrs. Collins might not understand. Those under the control of a vampire would take great care to not be exposed. Carolyn managed to keep the marks on her neck hidden from Willie for some time.

"You mean he was bitten?" Julia's mind flew to Barnabas, but surely he would have told her if he'd been compelled to... The other vampire! Maybe it wasn't about Carolyn at all, but the whole Collins family.

Laura talked lightly and with some sense of ironic humor. Was the woman actually making a joke about this? Then again, the dry tone did remind her of Roger. Julia's brow furrowed. "You mean he's alive and well?"

The words of the rhyme in the dream echoed in her head: ᴏɴᴇ ᴅᴏᴏʀ ʟᴇᴀᴅꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ ᴏꜰ ʀᴇᴛᴜʀɴ.
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"You keep talking about Roger almost as though he was still here." A little tickling of fear resurfaced as she thought of Roger. There was also an unexplainable urge to see him. Strange... And it would not happen ever again, anyway. Roger was dead.
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"I am feeling better. Now, you tell me just why you are here and how you know about Barnabas." Laura may have helped her, but Julia needed to know her intentions before she could fully relax.
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