Crossing Boundries

Dr. Micah Summers, 33 years old


Poppy Olsen, 24 years old

@ Dandy lion

Dr. Micah Summers was in his office trying to ignore a major migraine. The room was a little more brightly lit than he would prefer, but he couldn't turn the lights down in the blue and grey themed room. One of his long term patients, Poppy, was due any moment for their weekly therapy session, and he needed to concentrate, but the throbbing pain behind his eyes was one of the worst headaches he had in recent memory. Sighing, he swallowed a few ibuprofen dry, and resolved to outlast the pain. It was crucial that he was present, both physically and mentally, because Poppy, one of his favorite patients, was at a vulnerable stage in her life and she needed his support.

After a moments of trying to will the migraine away, there was a quiet knock on the door to his office. "Come in."

@ oddrascal

Poppy Olsen swallowed the lump in her throat as she drove toward her therapists office. This would be her first visit with Dr. Summers since her mother was murdered by her father, and she really wasn't looking forward to it. Poppy had been seeing Dr. Summers for almost six years now, the abuse from her father having taken a toll on both her and her mother. She walked into the office, taking a few deep breaths, she knocked on the door, her chest getting tight.

"Hi, Dr. Summers." She murmured and sat on the little couch, folding her legs into herself and pulling them close to her chest. She always made herself relax, he could always make her feel better.

@ Dandy lion

Micah could tell that Poppy was distressed as soon as she entered the room. He'd been informed about the grisly events in her family, but this was the first time he would discuss it with her in person. He knew she would be feeling a volatile mix of emotions, so he intended to proceed with caution. "I know we left off on an important note last session, but obviously there are recent developments to discuss first." Pushing his glasses further up his nose, he reached for a pen to take a few notes on their session. "How are you holding up, Poppy? Are you sleeping at all?" He tried not to show any outward sign of the pounding in his head, running his fingers through his hair absently. He was worried about her, and she seemed so fragile curled up on the sofa. If it wouldn't be considered a breach of his professionalism, he would embrace her.

@ oddrascal

Poppy couldn't look Micah in the eyes, she felt as if she was in a blurry haze. The memories of the that night had been playing over and over on a loop in her head. She had gone over to her parents house to help her mom with something, and something had set her dad off. Her small body was covered in cuts and bruises, but she couldn't care less about it. "No..." She murmured. "I don't feel anything..." She added. She had just opened up to him about the sexual assults, but this was a bigger issue. "I-I...can't do this..." She said and sprang to her feet. "I'm sorry to waste your time..." She mumbled and hurried towards the door.

@ Dandy lion

"Poppy, wait." Micah stood up to follow her, touching her shoulder lightly. "If you're not ready to talk about it, that's okay." He let out a sigh and then offered a reassuring smile. "We've been making great progress, don't discount that. We can talk about anything in here, you know that. We'll come back to your parents later, okay?" Poppy had always been slow to open up to him, but Micah was a patient man, and he did not want the lovely young woman to walk out of his office feeling alone. "Or, we can reschedule. I know this is a big set back." More than anything, he wanted to know that she would be alright.

@ oddrascal

Poppy bit her lip and turned and looked at him. "I don't want to waste your time, I just I-I can't talk about it anymore. I need to get away...I think maybe I should stop my therapy." She murmured. "You've helped me for so long...but I just can't talk about this stuff anymore..." She added and looked into his eyes, as if a look could make all this go away. "Thank you...for everything..."

(Sorry it's a little short I'll be using my phone for a bit.)

@ Dandy lion

Raising an eyebrow, Micah studied his patient's face carefully. It was true that a person could spend too much time in therapy, but given that Poppy had recently witnessed a horrific act of violence, he didn't agree that now was the time to stop. It was her decision, of course, but without a stable support system, things could get out of hand. "What if we change gears for a while, and work on coping skills instead of talking about your family and the past? I can't make you do anything, but surely you understand why I'm concerned." He tried to keep his expression calm but reassuring, looking her in the eye.

@ oddrascal

Poppy slowly nodded. She didn't want to stop seeing Dr. Summers, he had always made her feel less alone. "Okay..." She said softly. "We can try that..." She added and slowly made her way back to the small blue sofa. "I was kind of thinking of moving away...trying to get a fresh start...but I don't think I'm strong enough to start over...I know how pathetic I sound...I guess...I just don't trust anyone anymore." She said and kind of felt out of place as she realized the words were just spilling out of her mouth. "I haven't left my apartment since the day I came home from there hospital. I keep having the nightmares and I need to block it out...I was thinking a fresh start could be good...but I don't have you if I move away. Again I know I sound pathetic but I just feel so normal when I'm here talking with you..." She blabbered on. She could feel her face tingle as hot tears formed in her eyes. "I just want to be normal..."

@ Dandy lion

Rather than go back to his desk, Micah sat down on the sofa beside Poppy. "Sometimes a fresh start is exactly what we need when things get tough, but ideally, I'd like to see you sleeping well and with a good plan in place, first." He resisted the impulse to touch her. There was always a risk of getting attached to a patient, or a patient getting attached to him, but he'd known Poppy long enough by now that he thought any such danger had passed. He wasn't important in this scenario, it was all about her and what she needed. "Normal is an idea, not a reality, but I will teach you what you need to know to get through this. I can't promise that you won't have nightmares, but I can promise that you'll be able to handle them when they occur, okay? There's nothing pathetic about the way you're feeling." He meant every word. Micah lived for his patients and Poppy's tears made him forget about everything but looking after her.

Poppy wiped her tears, feeling pretty stupid. "Okay..." She said softly. "I trust that you can help me." She added and sat upright on the couch. Sure Poppy had been seeing Micah for years, and he could always make her feel better, but she couldn't help but sometimes feel that there was more to it. She looked over at the clock and noticed the time. "Well, my session is over..." She said and grabbed her purse. "I'll see you next week?"

@ Dandy lion

In a way, it pained Micah that Poppy was so eager to leave, but he guessed that even here in his office, there were many bad associations in her mind. Maybe he should focus on getting her out of there, he thought, just help her get through this, and then recommend that she discontinue their sessions. He feared that he could exacerbate her anxiety and intensify her traumatic memories. He turned away slightly, studying the subtle pattern on the carpet. Facing back toward her, he gestured to his desk. "Would you like to meet somewhere different next week? Surely, you're as sick of these four walls as I am." He flashed a genuine grin, leaning forward slightly, hoping to cheer her up just a little.

@ oddrascal

Poppy was kind of shocked when he asked her if she wanted to meet somewhere else next week. "Really? We can do that?" She asked and sliped a small smile. "Where can we meet?" She asked leaning against the door, as a ripple of pain hit her chest at the thought of going back to her apartment to sit alone. "You know it's kind of funny...I've been coming to you for all these years, and I don't even know anything about you?"

(Sorry for being a little slow.)

@ Dandy lion

Micah chuckled softly. "Sure, we can meet someplace." He touched the back of his neck sheepishly while wracking his brain for a suggestion. "Coffee maybe?" A public but informal environment seemed like a good place to start, so he went with it. "Do you have a favorite coffee house? I know a decent one nearby." Realizing that his colleagues may not approve of this decision, he stood up and went to his desk. "I'll give you my personal number, so we can arrange it." It wasn't like he was trying to socialize, he just wanted to make his patient feel at ease, and the endless sterile formality of his office seemed to be an obstacle in that sense . He scrawled the number of the back of his card and gave it to her. "And if you know nothing about me, that's because I'm doing my job correctly, so don't worry about that." With that, he gently guided her toward the door with a smile. His migraine was flaring up again, and he needed all the time he could get to prepare for his next client.

(Your good, I'm just glad you posted because I'm stuck at school until 7:30 with nothing to do.)

Poppy bit her lip and took the number, a small forced smile came to her lips. "Thank you." She said and left his office. She knew that knowing nothing about him was how it was supposed to be, but in a way she felt he was all she had, and she knew deep down inside that she was just another patient to him, he didn't really care about her. Poppy wandered around the neighborhood driving for a while before she went home and poured herself a drink. Then another, and another. She had drank nearly a whole bottle of vodka. The numb feeling had taken over again, and sleep was all she could think of. She knew she couldn't sleep on her own, so reached into the medicine cabinet and took a small bottle of sleeping pills out. She shook a few into her hand, and then a few more, and a few more just for good measure. She took the handful of pills and a glass of water, waiting for the darkness to over come her. She knew she wouldn't die from this, she had done it before, it was just enough to keep her sleeping for a while, something she really needed. Before the darkness pulled her in she pulled out her phone and called Micah. She knew he wouldn't answe because he was with another patient. She left him a quick voicemail. "Hi Doctor summers, it's poppy. I just wanted to let you know that you have been the only stable person in my life, I know it's only because I'm your patient but I just wanted to say thank you. Also I know you told me to stop taking the sleeping pills, but I need sleep. I'll see you soon." She dropped her phone and before long she was out like a light.

@ Dandy lion

Micah managed to get through his next two appointments, but by the time his last session of the day came around, he had to reschedule and head home. He'd been getting headaches more frequently, and it was wearing down his stamina at work. The drive felt like it took an eternity but when he finally got indoors and away from the harsh sunlight, he started feeling better. He was planning to go to bed early, but he paused to check his voicemail. It was a surprise to hear from Poppy so soon, and he had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, he liked the idea of her reaching out to him, but he worried about her too. It was discouraging to hear that she was still relying on sleeping pills, but getting some sleep was better than none.

He set the phone down, and removed his work clothes with care, laying them across his dresser. He considered calling Poppy back, but flushed at the thought. For all she knew, he would still be at his office, but it didn't seem right to talk to her as he was getting into bed. Plus, with any luck she would get a decent night's rest for once. He made a mental note to call her the following day or schedule their next session, and took a few more ibuprofen for his headache before settling down in bed with the latest book he was reading.

Poppy slept through the rest of the day into the night and well into the next day. She woke up feeling a little sick from drinking all that vodka the previous night. She got up, showered got dressed and made her bed. She kept her apartment very clean, cleaning was something she could control. She saw the card with dr. Summer's number on it and picked it up, biting her lip as she tried to remember what she had said on the phone. She had been off work for the next few weeks, with everything that had recently happened. She sighed and went out on her balcony and sat on the little porch swing. She tried to push the lonely feeling away, but it always crept back in.

Poppy slept through the rest of the day into the night and well into the next day. She woke up feeling a little sick from drinking all that vodka the previous night. She got up, showered got dressed and made her bed. She kept her apartment very clean, cleaning was something she could control. She saw the card with dr. Summer's number on it and picked it up, biting her lip as she tried to remember what she had said on the phone. She had been off work for the next few weeks, with everything that had recently happened. She sighed and went out on her balcony and sat on the little porch swing. She tried to push the lonely feeling away, but it always crept back in.

@ Dandy lion

In the morning, Micah's migraine had returned. They'd been recurring more often, and this one was obviously the worst yet. There was no way he could get through a full day of appointments in that state. Rolling over gloomily, he scooped up his phone, using speed dial to call his office. "Cancel everything before noon. I may need you to cancel the others, too, but I'll try to get in later." He hated having to cancel on his patients, but he was in no shape to drive, let alone work.

Micah fell asleep again for a while, and when he woke, it was long after he promised to check in with his receptionist. He sighed, feeling slightly defeated, but his headache had subsided to a dull ache that he could deal with. He climbed out of bed, taking his phone toward the kitchen. He rarely had coffee at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, but it seemed warranted under the circumstances. Glancing at his call history idly, Micah decided to call Poppy back. The phone rang a few times, and he felt oddly nervous waiting for her to answer. He was hoping to see her tomorrow, or the following day, so they could pick up where they left off.

Poppy was a bit startled as her phone rang, she didn't really talk to many of her friends anymore. Before her phone had started ringing she found herself thinking constantly about the night her mother was murdered. She couldn't help but think about that night, she had been beaten pretty bad, but watching her father kill her mother was the worst possible thing she could ever see.

Poppy picked up her phone, seeing it was Dr. Summers and answered it, feeling her heart pound intensly in her chest. "Hello?"