I put on a brave face, had my lunches with Charlie, did my job both cleaning the rooms and the rest of the Inn, and I felt… adrift in a way I hadn’t since I got there.
The kids popped up here and there, too. Eventually Marlie got her dog. They were all ecstatic but nobody more than her.
To be fair, it was a fucking awesome dog, so I understood.
The thoughts of taking myself out of this family situation came back, but this time I was thinking about really doing that. Because nothing would hurt worse than this weird, slow, ache I was feeling now.
I don’t know how it took me so long to realize that I was missing Law. I missed his company. Sure, the physical perks had become really nice, but I missed just being around him, because he made me feel safe. Calm. At peace.
I really needed to find a therapist. I couldn’t rely on someone else for my peace; I knew that.
And that’s how I ended up sitting in a boring AF waiting room in Fairville a week after that night.
“Mr. Mulligan?”
For two seconds, I forgot that was me, then I looked up. “Yeah.”
“You can come in.” The therapist, Doctor Marks, smiled at me.
I got up and followed her into a spacious and kind of comfy looking room. There was a couch and a few armchairs, and a desk with a bunch of stuff on it.
“You can leave your jacket there.” She gestured at a coat rack. “Do take a seat wherever you feel comfortable.”
I hung my jacket and picked an armchair. After sitting down, I kicked off my shoes, then pulled my feet up.
She smiled at me.
“What?” I frowned.
“I’m glad you’re not hesitant about making yourself comfortable, that’s all,” she explained as she sat down in the armchair closest to mine.
“I figured if I’m going to talk about my shitty childhood and everything else that’s made me who I am now, I might as well take my shoes off.”
She laughed and flipped her notebook open. “Now, I read your email summary about what you want to address here, but how about we start from wherever you feel like for now?”
“Okay.” I took a deep breath and let it out. I felt like shaking my hands out but didn’t. Instead, I started to talk.
I drove back from the therapy session, went to my cabin, and fell asleep for fifteen hours.
When I woke up again, I felt dehydrated and hungry, and realized it was almost time for breakfast service at the Inn. I showered and got dressed for a workday, then remembered to check my phone.
There was a message from Charlie.
Hey, I hope therapy went well.
Then, a few hours later:
I bet you’re sleeping it off right now. I’ll see you tomorrow.
Sometimes I forgot that Charlie had been to a lot of therapy. For him, it hadn’t been super beneficial when it came to his bodydysmorphia, but his mental health had been more positively affected over the years.
It was early, so I took my time meandering down to the Inn. Cricket came to greet me when I got to the parking lot. After giving her some love, I went inside and made my way into the kitchen.
Dana was already there, working on the beginning stages of breakfast.
“Morning.” I went directly for the coffee pot.
She snorted. “Morning. Good rest?”
