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"Okay, well, if it's too much for him to be around you at any point, let me know, and I'll take care of it. Your recovery is the most important thing," she says, standing with a smile.
Or lack of recovery, I think, because I feel like I'm not making an ounce of progress.
The doctors keep telling me I won't see the progress because it's little changes day by day. But most days, I feel like I'm going backward, not forward. It's hard to see an end to it all, and it feels like my recovery will last forever.
Finally, to distract myself, I flip on the TV and binge watch the small town rom-com TV show I've been absorbed in. Getting lost in someone else's problems seems to be the best way of dealing with everything going on in my life right now.
Chapter 3
Jake
I'm making my morning rounds around Oakside when Dr. Tate steps out of his office.
"Jake, I'm glad to see you. Do you have a minute?" he asks.
"Sure, is everything okay?" I ask, following him back into his office.
The sun shines through the large windows, and Atticus lies down on the hardwood floor in the light cast by the sun onto the floor. For a moment, I'm jealous of him being able to soak up the warmth of the sun on this cool Georgia winter day.
"Lexi told me she talked to Kassi and that she is comfortable with you being around. So, I wanted to ask you a favor," he says, leaning against his desk.
"I'm happy to help if I can," I tell him, not sure where this is going.
"I've been meeting with Kassi for over a month now, and she barely talks in our sessions and usually nothing more than one-word answers and only when asked direct questions. That is until she saw you."
"Isn't that how most people act during therapy? I know I wasn't an easy patient. I didn't want to talk at first because I just wasn't ready to." Though even now, I try not to think of my time in therapy especially at the beginning. I wasn't a great patient.
Oakside may not have been around when I was in my healing process, but Dr. Tate was my therapist, and I was at the hospital. So, we have a history.
"Some people have trouble opening up. But I feel like there's another block in there with her. It's a feeling I have, and I've been doing this long enough to trust my gut," he says.
"Alright, but what does this have to do with me?"
"I'm hoping you're willing to spend a little time with her. Get her talking not necessarily about the accident but just in general. Have her talk about her time in the military leading up to this last deployment or anything, really. It might help her open up in therapy. Just by getting her talking to you, it can spill over to our sessions."
I hesitate. Part of me knows if she found out about this, she would be more than mad. The other part of me wants to help her out, no matter what. I know she has to talk to Dr. Tate. In order to truly heal and move on, she has to open up. What surprises me is that all of a sudden, I want that for her more than my next breath.
"Okay, after my shift today, I will give it a try," I tell him. The big, friendly smile he's known for crosses his face. "Thanks, Jake. What is said between you two is your business. There's no need to report back unless you feel like it's something that absolutely should be shared." Then goes into his office, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
As I make the rounds for my shift, I notice that even Atticus is checking in on me more. I guess Dr. Tate's request and the thought of spending time with Kassi has me a little on edge.
I meant what I said that, I would do anything to help her recovery. Something in my gut says that this is almost like spending time with her under false pretenses. I know she wouldn't open up to me if I told her, but I also feel like I'm in a tough spot because if she finds out that I'm there because I was asked to be, it might be just as bad or worse.
I'm on the back porch of the main building at Oakside, watching some guys doing yoga class on the back lawn, when Atticus nudges me to sit down in a nearby chair. That alone indicates he's worried about me. I give him a treat and then sit and pet him.
Just the simple act of petting him has always calmed me down. Today is no different. Sitting here with him helps me realize that no matter the outcome, the goal is to help Kassi get better. If she ends up mad at me but back up on her feet, so be it. That's a risk I'm willing to take.
The problem is, I don't know how to get her to open up. It's not like we have this big connection. It’s been years since we've talked, and at lunch the other day, I did most of the talking.
Glancing at my watch, I realize I've only got about thirty minutes left of my shift, which ends at three o’clock. I should go talk to Lexi, find out what the schedule is for the day, and make a game plan.
Walking downstairs to the offices, I find Lexi at her desk and her husband Noah sitting on the couch at the side of her desk, book in hand. Since the door is wide open, I give a soft tap on the doorway to let them know that I'm there.
They both look up and smile at me. "Jake, come on in," Noah says, setting the book down.
I take a seat on the chair across from Lexi's desk, and Atticus sits beside me. Without thinking, like a reflex, I reach out and pet him.
"Dr. Tate asked me to spend some time with Kassi to see if I couldn't get her talking outside of his office. Apparently, she's not talking to anyone, and the most she talked to anyone was when we had lunch together the other day. Is that correct?"
