“I see.”
Justus stood and dropped the pillow into the chair before walking to the window. It was a pretty morning, and several people were enjoying themselves in the park. She didn't see Liberty, so she turned back to look at her therapist. “I don't know how I’ll handle working with him. I know I'll eventually have to agree to have him protect me. Liberty will not hear otherwise. She's already trying to persuade me, which brings me to another thing I wanted to discuss with you today. I want to return to campus and take classes in the fall semester. I'll need Rafferty by my side, I'm sure.”
Dr. Saunders nodded. “If you are receiving threats leading up to the trial, then yes, I'm afraid you'll need him.”
“Great. So, to keep everyone happy, I'll have to play nice and agree to have Rafferty around.”
“It would seem that is the easiest solution,”Dr. Saunders said. But, Justus, are you sure you are not protesting too much? You are attracted to this young man, which bothers you.”
“I was gaga for him at first glance. Those deep brown eyes drew me in.”
“Then you need to be careful around him not to get lost. Set boundaries for yourself to follow when you are around him and stick to them. It may be hard, but you can do it. Remind yourself this is a working relationship. He's not there to date you. If you do that, you should be able to handle him being around.”Dr. Saunders instructed.“Now, as far as you're returning to campus, have you discussed this with Liberty? How does she feel about you returning to classes?”
“She thinks it's too soon. She'd rather I wait a semester until the trial is over to give myself time to get past everything,”Justus explained, returning to her chair.
“Logical. However, I sense a but coming from you?”
She nodded. “I don't want to lose a semester and be behind.”
“Do you think you can compromise and take half a load instead of a full? Or find a class that will meet in the second half of the semester after the trial if completed?”
“Maybe. I still need to look into it. Liberty wanted me to check with you before doing anything to ensure you felt it wasn't pushing things to return.”
“You are the only one who can answer that question. If you are ready, then take a class or two. But if you miss class sessions because of the trial schedule, it might be better to wait whether you want to or not. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Justus said.
Dr. Saunders looked at her watch. “Our time is up. Do you feel like we have covered everything you wanted? If not, I can try to schedule you again later this week. I want to ensure you are making adequate progress before the trial.”
“I think I'm okay for now.”Justus stood, putting her phone back in her purse. She took the appointment card from Dr. Saunders.
“If you need that extra appointment, don't hesitate to call.”
“Okay.”
Justus hurried out the door, which took her through a side corridor leading to the elevator, where she wouldn't run into the next appointment. She liked that about coming here. She never had to see other patients, and they didn't see her.
Taking the elevator down to the lobby, she exited the building and headed to the park to look for Liberty. Once there, she walked a short distance and finally spotted her and For All approaching her on the walking path. She waved.
Liberty waved back, and For All started to bark, picking up his pace. Justus ran toward him and scooped him up. He began to lick her in the face.
She laughed.“Hey, now. Hey, now, that's enough kisses.”
“How did your session go?”Liberty asked.
“Good. Dr. Saunders said it was up to me whether I returned to classes and took a full load or a few courses this semester.”
“She did?” Liberty frowned.
“Yeah. Dr. Saunders said I knew whether I could handle it or not. However, she recommended seeing if I could look at classes in the second session so the trial would end by the time the session started.”
“Or perhaps those online classes Chaney mentioned were asynchronous,”Liberty said.
“Yes. Those may be ideal because there isn't a class meeting day and time; we only have a syllabus with work that has to be turned in by due dates. I still have to look into it and think about it,”Justus said. “Also, I'll need to consider getting Rafferty involved in going to campus if I decide to take in-person classes,especially if attending class in person means I'd have to take Rafferty with me.”
“Yes, you would.”
Justus sighed. “So much to think about.”
