Defending Jacob: The Aftermath Book 1

Crossing Boundaries

Dr. Brown looked at me understandably, saying "would you like sit down Mr. Barber, take a deep breath."

I sat down on the grey couch, it looked it came from the ikea showroom. I took a deep breaths. Inhaling air and out a few times. I composed myself and thoughts. 'I'm sorry Dr. Brown that's really not me at all." I said to her.

"Andy, tell me why you're here today." She asked, in complete therapist language.

I let out a sigh, and said to her. "I just want to know how you will treat someone who has lost memories due to trauma, how do you plan to help my wife."

She looked at my puzzled. "Andy, I'm here to help you and your wife. You seem stressed, are you having trouble sleeping or losing control like that a lot. 

"No I'm sorry, I'm fine, just my mind playing tricks on me, but I know the truth." I replied back at her.

"What truth is that?" she asked.

"That my son didn't murder anyone, that my wife and son where in a car accident nothing more." I told her.

"Let me ask you this than why do you feel your mind is playing tricks on you?" Dr. Brown asked.

"I'm fine Dr. Brown, I just want to know how you plan on helping Laurie, is there a possibility she might never get her memories back." I asked her.

She looked at him, gaging my movements and words. "Are you asking, in hopes Laurie will remember or would you rather her memories are lost for good?"

I sat there realizing Dr. Brown was excellent at her career, in one question she knew I was hiding something. I didn't know how to respond to her question. She was choosing her words wisely and knew I was hiding something, but what. I took a long breath my mind on overdrive now. How do I throw Dr. Brown's suspicions off.

"Dr. Brown, my wife, has nightmares of the accident, but when she wakes she doesn't remember it that way. I wake her and she will ask me why? That she was having a nice dream of all of us happy in Mexico on our trip." I tell her, thinking there maybe that got her to stop asking me questions.

"Interesting, tell me why do you think, she has nightmares of the accident, yet wakes up remembering only happier times." asked Dr. Brown.

Again with the therapist lingo, and game. "If I knew the answer to that I wouldn't be here asking you myself would I now." Feeling rage boiling inside of me. I needed to suppress it.

"Look Andy, our minds have away of remember anything traumatic differently in our subconscious. It has away of manipulating our dreams sometimes as well." she said. "I will work with your wife as best as I can to help her, but you both need to trust the process. However it won't work if you both aren't honest with me." she told me.

"Ok, I'm being honest, Jacob is innocent, and Laurie was speeding in the rain and lost control of the car." I said as always.

"Ok, I believe you Andy, but this will take sometime with Laurie, you all have suffered from a lot of trauma in the past year." she said. "I will start seeing Laurie next week, but I'd like you to make regular appointments for yourself as well." she said.

"I really don't need to, but if will help my wife, I'll do that." I told her.

She looked at the time on the clock hanging above her office door. "It seems our hour is up, please see my assistant Charlotte at the desk, make an appointment for next week." she said.

I stood told her thank you and went out the door. I head to the front desk, there was her assistant Charlotte, she was around my age maybe a couple years younger. She was slender, long dark hair, and very bright blue eyes. I loved my wife but I did find the assistant very attractive. I also felt I knew her someone, she looked very familiar. I couldn't place where from. 

"Hello, I need to make and appointment with Dr. Brown next week Charlotte,." I told her.

She looked up at me, her eyes widen, and I figured she knew about the murder and the past year. "Alright Mr. Barber, I can book you in next Thursday at 2pm." she responded.

"Ok that works fine for me. I will see you and her than, have a nice week." I smiled at her saying as I left the main door and got into my car.

I left driving to the hospital, when I got there and went inside, Laurie was just coming out of her physical therapy appointment. She saw me and said "Andy the doctors came and got me saying Jacob's awake and talking now. He asking for us." She said with tears in her eyes.

I was happy we rushed up to Jacob's room, my mind was elsewhere  and I needed to make it stop. As we got the the hospital room door Jacob looked over at us, he was smiling but looked confused. 

"Mom, Dad, what happen why am I in the hospital?" he asked us.

The doctors informed Jacob of the accident what had happened to him. He looked in shock, asking when he could go home. That he remembered his mom driving really fast and hitting the bridge wall, but that was all. 

Laurie walked closer to Jacob, holding his hand, crying "I'm sorry Jacob, I shouldn't have been rushing to your appointment that fast."

Just than Jacob pulled his hand away from his mom, looking surprised he even did that. "Why is my mind telling me not to let you come close to me mom?'' he asked.

"Jake you have been through a lot, it will be ok, the doctors said you need about another week in here to heal ok." I said looking puzzled at him wondering to myself, does Jacob remember more than he saying.

We stayed with him for the next few hours, he didn't say too much, we left after he fell asleep for the night. Promising we be back in morning. We left drove home, my mind was racing, what did he remember, was he hiding something from me. I was trying to breath and calm my thoughts as I did this, a blue eyed dark hair gaze pop into my head I needed to stop it. Where did I know her from? I needed to know more about her, why does she look so familiar. Laurie and I got home, the usual dinner, she was now sleeping, I tried but couldn't, so I went downstairs grab 2 beers and went on facebook. I tried to find out who she was, I came across posts, of Ben Rifkin. There was photos of him everywhere. Dan Rifkin, I came across his facebook page. I looked on it, he had dozens of photos of Ben on there, my mind was thinking, who killed Ben. I kept scrolling and that's when I came across a page dedicated to finding Ben's killer. It stated it believed Jacob Barber in no way was responsible for killing Ben. They didn't believe Jacob was capable of it, saying they knew him when he was younger. This page didn't believer Leonard Patz killed Ben either. I scrolled the page looking for some clue to who this person was running the page, and that's when I saw it.  A photo staring back at me, stating this is me and my newborn nephew Ben, a chocolate brown haired woman, bright blue eyes and beautiful smile. It burn in my head, Charlotte, Dr. Brown's assistant. She was Ben's aunt.  She had left Newton 7 years ago. Now she was back with a purpose, finding Ben's killer. In that moment my heart raced I downed more beers that night. I went up stairs, passing out in Jacob's bed again, having dreams and nightmare that wouldn't go away. They haunted me, in them I wanted to cross boundaries for myself and my family,