Splinters: Part One

Part One | 26

Chapter 26

Another Aunt

"So, how've you been lately, Brayden?" Dr. Johnson asked, taking a seat in his black chair. "It's been a while since we've had a session."

I shrugged. "It's been a little..." I trailed off and was going to stop talking, but his eyes seemed to show me that he was waiting for me to finish my sentence. "Crazy."

He laughed sort of. "It was your birthday yesterday, no?"

I nodded shyly.

"Happy belated birthday."

"Thanks."

"Did you do anything?"

"My family surprised me by inviting all my friends to the Rec Center."

"I bet that was fun."

I smiled, thinking about Collie and I at the lazy river. She made it so much better.

"Have you been getting along with your family?"

I felt uncomfortable now and didn't want to answer the question, but I knew I had to. "Well, Greg and Melissa have been great, but my sister and I haven't really been getting along lately."

"Let's start with Melissa and Greg. How are they to you?"

I inhaled. "They've been..." I trailed off and let my mind think for a moment.

Greg and Melissa. They've been everything. They're the best parents in the world. Compared to my biological ones, they put them to complete and utter shame. There were times where I thought, hey, maybe I don't want to see my mom and dad ever again. Maybe the Piersons are enough, but sadly, they aren't. I still want to see my mom and my dad. I still want to show them how far I've come and tell them I love them.

As much as they don't deserve it, I still care. I still want to have them in my life again. They still matter to me. I didn't even notice that I had been crying until a tear fell onto my hand.

"You all right?" Dr. Johnson asked.

I blinked and looked up at him. "Y-yeah."

He handed me a tissue. "What happened there?"

I swallowed and shook my head. "They've been amazing."

He smirked a little. "Yeah?"

I nodded. "They probably saved my life."

"How so?"

I tilted my head. I didn't want to say it, but I knew that it was another Splinter I had to remove. "I would've tried to kill myself if they hadn't found me."

He was quiet as he watched me.

"Orphans don't make it."

"I'm sure that's not true."

But it was. No orphan made it. No orphan goes to the top. They start from the bottom and they stay at the bottom. That's how it is. That's how it's always been. J was the first to prove that at St. Anne's. I would've ended up just like her. Suddenly, a question struck me. I hesitantly met his eyes, almost eager for his answer.

"Dr. Johnson, have you ever had an orphan as a patient?"

He shook his head. "You're my first, but I have had kids who were adopted."

"D-do they hate their real parents? You know, the ones they're actually related to?"

He thought for a moment and then puffed out his bottom lip. "Some of them say they do, but I don't think so. They don't hate their parents, they hate that they're not with their parents, but in the end, their adoptive ones mean the most. They're the ones that have been there since the beginning. At the end of the day, you thank them, don't you?"