Mending (20 page)

“My mother passed away when I was in high school. 
Cancer.”

Dr. Harrison frowned, “I’m very sorry for your loss, Gabby.”

Tilting her head, conceding, “
It’s
okay.  Thank you.”

“No, it’s never okay to lose one parent so young. 
Certainly not both.
  Do you have any other family?”

“I have a sister, Sam. 
An aunt, Emma.”

Dr. Harrison doesn’t look up, she continues to write.  “Is your sister older or
younger.
”

“Older.” Gabby whispers.

“Yes, that’s right.  I remember Mr. Banks telling me this would potentially be a joint session.  He arranged payments for both of you.”  She stopped writing and looked up, “Where is Sam?”

“Sam is in medical school at MUSC.  She is going to have her own session separately.”

“Okay, well.  Let’s go back to the issues with your father.  I assume that’s why you’re here, right?”

“Yes.”

“Does Sam remember?”

“She does, but she won’t tell me.”

She is back to writing in on her notepad. 
“
Ah, smart sister.  Tell me, are you having nightmares,
Gabby?”

Taking a sip of her diet coke to try to wet her now dry mouth, Gabby responds,
“No.”

“Are you having anxiety during the day or any other symptoms that might be associated with this trauma?”

“I don’t think so.  I jus
t know that I have lived with these walls up to protect me.  Anytime I’ve ever let them down, I am crushed.  I know it’s not healthy.”

“We’ll see.” She puts her pen and pad down on her desk behind her.  “Do you think knowing what he did would help you or hurt you?”

Gabby shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t know.  That’s what I was hoping you would tell me.”

“Well, typically, the people who we try to retrieve repressed memories with are having nightmares or some other symptom associated with the repressed memories.”

Gabby glances up to her. “Okay.”

“And you’re not having those things, right?”

Gabby nodded in affirmation, “Right.”

“So, my professional opinion is that we leave what’s in the past and focus on the future.” She stood and went to her file cabinet and pulled a brochure.  “Have you
heard of Solution Focused
Therapy
or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
?”

“No.”

“
Well, I looked over your paperwork and I think you would benefit from a combination of both of these therapies.  I’d like to conclude today’s session and have you read over these therapies before we move forward.”

Gabby thumbed through the literature, “So, you don’t think I need to remember.”

“No, in fact, I think it could potentially do far more damage than healing.”

Gabby breathed a sigh of relief, “You have no idea how happy I am to hear that.  I really wasn’t sure if I could handle going through that emotionally.”

“Well, we’re going to leave the past in the past.  We’re going to focus on the present and your bright future.”  Dr. Harrison stood up and motioned for Gabby to follow her, “Please make an appointment with Anne up front for next week.”  She extended her hand, “It was a pleasure to meet you, Gabby.  I look forward to helping you.”

Gabby shook her hand back and smiled, “Thank you, Dr. Harrison.”

Gabby scheduled an appointment for the next Wednesday.  She was hopeful and excited about therapy.  She couldn’t wait to talk to Sam and tell her than there was no need to rehash the past.  Although, Gabby thought for a moment and realized, Sam may very well have far more work to do on herself having remembered whatever her father had done to her sister.

When she got to her car, she texted Bradley.

*Had my first therapy session today.  I love the doctor you got for me.  She’s very compassionate and professional. 
Thank you.*

Before she could put her seat belt on and turn the car on, there was a reply.

*I am so glad to hear that.  In meetings this afternoon, but I’ll call you later and we can talk about it, that is if you want to.*

She grinned and replied.

*Of course.  I can’t wait to hear your voice.  I miss you.*

She put her phone in the cup holder and backed out of the parking place and took a right out of the hospital and then turned onto Interstate 277, headed back home.

A text came in but she decided to wait until she was at a stoplight before she read it. 

*I miss you Gabby girl.  More than you know.  Talk soon.*

There was no need to reply.  He was busy.  But, she had an idea of how much he missed her.  She was pretty sure she was free falling head over heels for him.  On the one hand she was terrified, but on the other hand she was so excited.  He treated her like a princess.  How could she not enjoy it while it
lasted.

Chapter 13

January, 2010:  Hours Earlier

Bradley picked himself up off the floor and sulked back into his apartment.  He knew at this point he had to cancel his plans for the evening, as much as that pained him.  He was not a man they typically cried, but tears streamed down his face at the loss of Gabby.  He knew he would fight for her, but he wasn’t sure that there was anything he could do to fix this screwed up situation.  The first thing he had to do before he even began to attempt to get her back was figure out what in the hell had happened with Veronica.  He had been so careful.  Even though she was on the pill, he also secretly kept track of her cycles and he knew the last time they had been together was too early in her cycle for her to have gotten pregnant.  Something just didn’t make sense and he couldn’t place his finger on what it was.

He grabbed his keys and cell phone and headed out the door.  As soon as he was in car he called Joe.

“Hello.”

“Joe, are you around today?”

“Yeah, what’s wrong?

“I’m on my way.  I need to talk to you.  I’
ll be there in fifteen minutes
.”

“Alright, you sound upset.  Be careful, dude.”

“I will.”

Fifteen
minutes later, Bradley threw his car into park and hustled into Joe’s empty club where he was greeted with a worried Joe.  “Dude, what is wrong with you?”

“Veronica.  She’s pregnant.  Did you know?”

“Shit man, you have got to be kidding me?”

“No, wish I was.”

“It’s yours?”

“So she says but something’s not adding up with this.”

“
How far along is she?”  Joe reached for the bottle of
Goldschlager
, poured a shot, and pushed it across the bar.  “
Here.
 
I mean you two haven’
t been together in forever
.”

“She’s due in March.”
Bradley threw the shot back squinting as the warm spicy liquid burned all the way down to his stomach.  “The timing is right, but it’s not.  I can just feel it.”

“Well, March means she got knocked up in June, and that would be right.”

Bradley thought about how he had been so careful anytime he was involved with women.  He knew there were a lot of women who would jump a
t the chance to entrap him by getting pregnant.  He had worked too hard to be careless. 

“I know, but Joe she only had like three days cycles and she had just gotten off the day before and she was on the pill.  It just doesn’t make sense.”

“Well, I hate to say it but you know Mike from college.  His wife got pregnant on the pill.  It’s just not 100%, man.”

“Ugh.  Gabby was there when she came to tell me.”  He cradled his head in his hands.  “Veronica leaned in to kiss me and Gabby saw it.  She bolted and I have no idea how to make things right with her at this point.”

“I’m sure she just needs some time to comprehend.”

Looking back up to Joe shaking his head, “I’m not sure comprehension is enough.  I’m going to be a father.”

Joe came from behind the bar and sat by his best friend.  He just placed his hand on his shoulder blade and said, “I hear
ya
, man.”

Bradley looked over at Joe.  “Does Veronica come in here much anymore?”

“No, I haven’t seen her in a long time.”
Shaking his head, “Certainly haven’t seen her since she was visibly pregnant.
  I would have told
ya
.”

“You know she wasn’t happy that I wouldn’t take her to the wedding.  I’m glad I didn’t or I wouldn’t have had a chance with Gabby.”  Thinking about the fact that he had already had a hard enough time with Gabby thinking Carmen was his girlfriend made a rare small smile form on his pouty lips.

“
Yeah, I do remember her coming in that weekend while you were gone.  She was in a
pissy
mood.”

“I mean you know me, I had no intentions of ever wanting anything more than what she gave me.
 
Until Gabby.”

“Yeah, and I know she came in after the wedding bugging the hell outta me trying to figure out where you were and if there was someone else.”

“Yeah, sorry about that.”
Bradley chuckled.

“Damn, you know Bradley.  She did leave with some guy the night of the wedding now that I think about it.  I never mentioned it because you came back completely over her, smitten with Gabby.”

“Hmm.
  Maybe the baby isn’t mine.  I had already planned on asking for a paternity test first thing Monday.”

“Yeah, I definitely think you need to do that.”

“Did she ever come in with the guy after that?”

Joe threw his head back as he recalled the week after the wedding.  “She was with this guy named Ian for a little bit.  He was really young.  Everyone was calling her cougar.
” 
Rolling his eyes, “Man that pissed her off!
”

Bradley’s eyes shot up at Joe and then he looked back down at the shot glass he had been spinning in place. 
“Nah that would be too much of a coincidence.”

“What?”

“I don’t know.  The asshole that broke
Gabby’s
heart in Charleston’s name was Ian.”

“Hmm.
  That would be
a little too convenient.”

“Did you happen to catch his last name?”

“No.  But, I know he was a big shot soccer player at Georgia Tech.  He’d been using a fake ID.  I recognized him and told him not to come back.”

Bradley gave Joe a wild look and hopped up from his seat.  “I
gotta
go.
”