Once in a Lifetime

Forty-Six.

By the time Louis went back to Caroline the next Monday, he was excited to tell her all about his weekend with Mark, or his dad, he still hadn't decided what to call him yet. Harry had expressed how proud he was of him for reaching out and accepting Mark into his life after hearing all he had to say, and Louis had even told his mum that they had been in contact. She was worried at first, maybe even a little angry, but she did eventually understand Louis' thought process and could see why Caroline had encouraged him to do it. Jay still didn't like Mark, but she was pleased her children had relationships with their father again. She had always hated how Louis had sided with her in the divorce, and how hurt he was that his relationship with Mark fell apart, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't save what neither of them seemed to want. Now, though, she was slightly happier knowing that Louis was trying to work through all the problems in his life.

Caroline started the session by asking Louis about Mark, and once he explained everything, she continued to ask the deeper questions. "How do you feel now that your relationship with Mark is beginning to mend?"

"Um, I guess I'm relieved that he didn't think I wasn't worth it. I spent so many years believing that I just wasn't enough for him but hearing his side of events made me realise that it was my fault too. He loved me; I just didn't let him. I thought I didn't need him, so I persuaded myself that he was the one that didn't need me. I'm glad I have the opportunity to fix things though, maybe having a dad wouldn't be the worst thing in the world." Therapy was a time for Louis to be honest with himself, and even though he'd only had a couple of sessions with Caroline, he could already tell he was learning so many new things about himself. The session continued for the rest of the hour, and by the end Louis felt ready to conquer the next week.

"Babe, dinner's ready!" Harry called from the kitchen, causing Louis to close his laptop and walk to the dining table where his boyfriend was placing the plates onto the new tablecloth Louis had bought on his way back from therapy. It was light green with white spots on, and for some reason Louis thought it would be perfect for the apartment. They'd been living in London for a long time and the place was beginning to feel a little too samey for Louis' liking, maybe it was because he'd been spending so much time at home recently, but he knew he wanted to spruce the place up a bit.

"Thank you, love, it smells great," Louis complimented as he sat down in his usual chair facing Harry. "How has your day been?" Harry answered with a quick summary of his day in the office, telling Louis all about some of the treatments he had performed and some of the funny stories his colleagues had told him. He laughed at all of Harry's stories and asked questions when he was particularly interested in something, and it didn't take long for their plates to be empty and their stomachs full. They did their usual routine of Harry washing up whilst Louis dried and packed away, then after they'd both showered and changed into their comfy clothes, they snuggled up on the sofa to watch a movie. They had already decided to watch The Lion King that night as it was Harry's choice and he had wanted to watch something he could sing-along to. The movie was exactly how Louis remembered it from his childhood, and he found himself cuddling further into Harry when Mufasa was killed or when the hyenas or Scar came on screen. Harry laughed every time Louis frowned at the villains, but he still tightened his arms around him to keep him safe from the "meanies", as Louis called them. His position took a sudden change when Simba, Pumbaa and Timon began to sing Hakuna Matata. This was Harry's favourite song out of the whole film, so when he started to sing the words and rhythmically move his shoulders, Louis couldn't help but join in. By the end of the song, they were dancing around the coffee table, laughing and singing and pretending they were in the film too. They collapsed back on the sofa, smiles on both their faces as they continued to watch, and talk through, the rest of the film. They cheered when Simba fell in love with Nala and returned to Pride Rock to defeat Scar. When Rafiki lifted their new-born cub into the air and The Circle of Life began to play, both men had tears in their eyes. They giggled a little at each other, but then Louis squealed when Harry picked him up and held him in the air for a few seconds, re-enacting the scene from the TV. "Put me down!" Louis laughed, grateful when his toes reached the floor so he could turn around to look at his boyfriend.

"I love you, Lou," Harry whispered, his head dipping to encapsulate Louis' lips into a sweet kiss.

"I love you too, Haz."

It was after his next counselling session that Louis decided to think about going back to work. He was fed up with his friends and family constantly checking on him, he was tired of having nothing to talk to Harry about over dinner, and he was bored of the same four walls in their apartment. He had talked to Caroline about it, and she had suggested that if he felt ready, there would be no harm in talking to his boss. So, that Wednesday morning, Louis found himself walking back into Performance in Mind once again. After a quick catch-up, he told the receptionist, Linda, that he was there to see Andy, so she phoned through and said that he could go on up to the office. On his way, he said a quick hello to Callie, Anthony and Finn, the new guy who had only started a few weeks before Louis' last day. They all wanted to know how he was, but he brushed it off by saying he was fine and that he needed to speak to Andy.

"Louis, Linda said you were here to see me, come on in," the older man greeted him, shaking his hand as they entered into his office, both sitting on either side of the desk. "How are you doing? You're looking well."

"Uh, thanks, yeah I'm alright, actually. The therapy sessions are going well and I'm learning to deal with my thoughts and emotions properly, thanks."

"That's great to hear, we were all very worried when your Harry phoned to tell us the news, I just wish we could have done something to help. No one deserves to go through something like that."

"Thank you, and thank you for the flowers and card you sent, it was very thoughtful of you." Andy told Louis it was the least they could do, before asking why he had decided to stop by today. "So, things have been going well and I'm ready for my next challenge, and I was wondering if it would be possible to come back to work?"

"I'm so pleased to hear you say that, yourclients have been asking about you nonstop! Obviously, we'd love to have youback, but before I agree I will need for it to be signed off by a healthcareprofessional, just to make sure you're fit for work. Are you sure you're readyfor this step?" They talked through all the details, Louis explaining that hecouldn't stay at home anymore and he needed something to fill the time withbetween sessions. Andy had even allowed him to take Monday afternoons off so hecould continue with the same routine with his therapy, and Louis realised howlucky he was to have such a considerate employer. "If your therapist declaresyou fit for work, I would be very happy to welcome you back into the office.Let me know as soon as you've done that, and we'll arrange a restart date. I'mpleased you're doing well, Louis, and please let me know if there's anything wecan do in the future." Louis left the office happy that day, and he was soexcited to tell Harry when he got home that he couldn't stop smiling. Harry wasoverjoyed that Louis felt ready to return to work, and that resulted in a verypleasurable night for them both.