Splinters: Part One

Part One | 14

Chapter 14

An Involved and Considerate Family

"I heard this therapist is amazing," Melissa said, keeping her eyes on the road.

"But it's twice the driving distance?"

She glanced at me. "Unfortunately, but a good friend of mine says he's great."

"He?"

Melissa froze. "You're okay talking to a man, aren't you?"

I thought for a moment. I'm probably more comfortable with a man than with a woman. I definitely would be versus Dr. Hamelon.

"Yeah."

"That's what I assumed."

Melissa stopped talking and turned up the radio.

"Can we turn it to "Saturday, in the Park"?" I asked.

She nodded. "Of course, Brayden."

I took her cell phone and swiped the screen. Melissa never kept a lock on it, which made me feel like she didn't have anything to hide. I liked that, considering my biological family had everything to hide from me and did so without hesitation.

"Saturday, in the park,

I think it was the fourth of July,"

I bent my head back and let the music continue. My eyes closed and I thought for a moment. I wondered what Collie was doing. That happened to be a usual thought to me. I was constantly thinking about her, if she was alright, if she was annoyed, blah blah blah. She seemed to have taken over my brain, and I was totally okay with it.

Suddenly, the car stopped.

"We're here!"

The car shut off as Melissa ejected her car keys from the ignition. I slowly exited the passenger side and waited for Melissa to walk next to me. When she had her purse and all, we began walking past a few offices and entering one in particular that said "Life is a dream. Dr. Johnson's Family-Therapy".

Melissa opened the door and let me enter first. The office smelled like Dr. Hamelon's and that didn't ease my nerves the slightest bit.

"Hello, Brayden Pierson?" Melissa said to the woman behind a desk.

"Dr. Johnson is just finishing up a session. He won't be long," the woman smiled.

Melissa nodded uneasily and we both took a seat. The couches were different from Dr. Hamelon's. They were warmer, both physically and emotionally. I definitely felt more comfortable here than at my previous therapist's office. I felt like she just forced things out of me, like, I didn't even get closure from my secrets. I felt like I wanted to go to Dr. Hamelon and take back everything I said just so she couldn't know. I hated people knowing. They didn't need to know. It was none of their business.

The woman behind the desk had been wrong. Dr. Johnson took a lengthy amount of time finishing up with his last patient. I nearly fell asleep listening to the Christian music coming from a radio in the corner of the room.

The door to his office opened. A man stood with a tie and black slacks with a blue button-down shirt. A girl left his office, telling him a happy goodbye which he returned. She glanced at me, stopping for a moment, and then shook her head slightly, leaving the office.

"Hi, Brayden? I'm Dr. Johnson," he said, advancing towards me.

Melissa and I both stood up from our positions on his couch.