Status: finished!
Sunflower
six
“Is it okay if I bring someone in our session, today?”
I shrug. “It’s not my choice.”
“Okay then. Colin, could you come in here please?”
I wait for my body to tense up awkwardly but it doesn’t. My twenty three year old brother enters the room, a solemn face on his usual happy features.
“Hi doc,” he greets my psych. “Hi Jess.” I smile. “What’s up?”
“Do you know why you’re here?” Psych questions him.
“Are you going to tell me my sister is crazy?”
There’s a pause. “I’m not crazy,” I tell him urgently. Out of all the people who know about this, from the media frenzy to the local news to my friends at school, Colin is the only person who I want to trust me again, to believe me.
“Yeah?” He takes my hands. They’re shaking.
“She’s not.” My psych agrees with me. “I’ve had her for five sessions yet I knew from the first she wasn’t crazy.”
“Then what is she?” Colin asks. I can feel the warmth of his hands radiating through mine.
“Misunderstood,” she replies.
“And human,” I chime in with a small smile on my face, remembering our previous sessions. “I’m human as well.”
This is the first time me and the psych lady have ever shared a smile. It’s nice.
“That she is.” Psych concurs for the second time that day. “That, she is.”
“So, what does this mean?” Colin asks. “Can she go home yet?”
“She’s on her way to recovery,” my psych tells the both of us. “She’ll need a weekly session with another one of our psychiatrists, but she can check out of rehab and go back home if she wishes to do so.”
Silence. I turn to my brother. “Can I move back home?”
He nods. “Of course, you’re my baby sister.”
I smile at him, feeling a surge of love and adoration for my only brother. He always takes care of me.
“Well, this is the end of our daily sessions. You’ll have to speak to the receptionist about scheduling a time for the weekly sessions with Dr Bambino…” She continues to talk with my brother out the door, and I follow the two, tuning them out as I collect my thoughts.
When they finish talking, I finally ask her a question I’ve been meaning to ask her since we started.
“Hey, Doc?”
“Yes, Jess?” She’s smiling, as though she knows what I’m about to ask her.
“What’s your name?”
Her smile changes, and this time, it’s sad. “Andrea.”
I shrug. “It’s not my choice.”
“Okay then. Colin, could you come in here please?”
I wait for my body to tense up awkwardly but it doesn’t. My twenty three year old brother enters the room, a solemn face on his usual happy features.
“Hi doc,” he greets my psych. “Hi Jess.” I smile. “What’s up?”
“Do you know why you’re here?” Psych questions him.
“Are you going to tell me my sister is crazy?”
There’s a pause. “I’m not crazy,” I tell him urgently. Out of all the people who know about this, from the media frenzy to the local news to my friends at school, Colin is the only person who I want to trust me again, to believe me.
“Yeah?” He takes my hands. They’re shaking.
“She’s not.” My psych agrees with me. “I’ve had her for five sessions yet I knew from the first she wasn’t crazy.”
“Then what is she?” Colin asks. I can feel the warmth of his hands radiating through mine.
“Misunderstood,” she replies.
“And human,” I chime in with a small smile on my face, remembering our previous sessions. “I’m human as well.”
This is the first time me and the psych lady have ever shared a smile. It’s nice.
“That she is.” Psych concurs for the second time that day. “That, she is.”
“So, what does this mean?” Colin asks. “Can she go home yet?”
“She’s on her way to recovery,” my psych tells the both of us. “She’ll need a weekly session with another one of our psychiatrists, but she can check out of rehab and go back home if she wishes to do so.”
Silence. I turn to my brother. “Can I move back home?”
He nods. “Of course, you’re my baby sister.”
I smile at him, feeling a surge of love and adoration for my only brother. He always takes care of me.
“Well, this is the end of our daily sessions. You’ll have to speak to the receptionist about scheduling a time for the weekly sessions with Dr Bambino…” She continues to talk with my brother out the door, and I follow the two, tuning them out as I collect my thoughts.
When they finish talking, I finally ask her a question I’ve been meaning to ask her since we started.
“Hey, Doc?”
“Yes, Jess?” She’s smiling, as though she knows what I’m about to ask her.
“What’s your name?”
Her smile changes, and this time, it’s sad. “Andrea.”
♠ ♠ ♠
Just to clear things up, the psych is not Andrea. They just have the same name.I was contemplating making her Andrea but I wanted this to be a short story and yeah.
Thank you so much for all the support, I can't even deal with the awesomeness you guys possess. One more chapter to go, woo!