You're Mine

chapter 123

"I'm glad you are asking for help, Amelia.", Dr. Brato smiled at her client. They were sitting in the neurosurgeon's study. "Everyone's so grown up since the last time we spoke.", she chuckled. "Tell me about your fears."

"Yeah. So much has happened since then.", the brunette agreed with a nod. "I've listened to a voicemail the other day. It was from Stella, James' mom, and she told me that they are watching me. Ever since then I'm paranoid and occasionally freaking out.", she sighed, a little ashamed of herself. "Although the police did call an hour ago and told us that they are pretty sure it's fake."

"First of all, there is nothing you have to be ashamed of!", the therapist reassured her counterpart softly. "You know this is a judge-free zone and that I am just trying to help.", she reminded her. "You've been through a lot, so you get to be scared. When Owen called me this morning, he said you had a nightmare last night. Can you tell me about it?"

"There was this guy, Greg, and we had ordered pizza. But he didn't bring our dinner, instead he wanted me to shoot my family. He gave me an ultimatum. I'd either shoot Owen and then I'd let him kill me, or I would draw a lot and read one of my children's names out loud. Once someone texted me, I would have had to shoot my kid.", Amelia shared, already tearing up again. "I couldn't choose, so he did and decided on the second option. He had a machine gun, so I had to do what he said, otherwise all of us would have been dead. And then my brother texted me."

"In your dream or in real life?", Dr. Brato questioned, taking notes in the meantime. "Take a deep breath. We are just talking. I understand that those memories are horrible, but you have to remember that they are not real, they never have been."

"Both actually. The sound was real, but it also appeared in my nightmare and well, it meant I would have to shoot either Lucas or Leo since he had made me draw another lot and pick between the two kids. Then I felt him shaking me, too impatient with how long it took me, but that was Owen, who was trying to wake me up.", the neurosurgeon explained.

"Okay. How did you feel when you woke up? Which emotions were running through your body?", the brunette wondered. "Was it fear? Grief? Or maybe even relief once you realized that you and your family were safe?"

"All of it at once. At first, I felt like I could finally breathe again, although when I saw Owen, I thought I had chosen the first option after all, and that he was just as dead I was. I was also so unbelievably tired...Then I felt dizzy, I threw up, I checked on my children...it was the worst dream I've ever had.", her counterpart answered quietly. "And now they tell us that it was fake...none of it was real, but I am never going to feel a hundred percent safe in this house again."

"Amelia, ever since you've moved to Seattle, there have been so many things that have happened. You've found the love of your life, started a family together, you've gotten Eleanor, found new friends. But there are also so many bad memories that bind you to this city, not only to the house.", the therapist pointed out.

"What are you saying?", the brunette asked, not quite understanding what the other woman was concluding. She had known that Dr. Brato wouldn't be able to do much about her anxiety, but she had still needed someone to talk to.

"I'm not saying anything. I am suggesting the thought of taking all the great memories you've made here, taking your family, and moving away from this place. Maybe back to L.A., where you've once told me about your other friends that you consider your family too.", Dr. Brato replied.

"I...I'm not sure...", Amelia responded. The idea had taken her off guard. Not because she didn't like it, but because she hadn't thought about that and now strongly considered it. "My son has a boyfriend here, who he loves so much.", she voiced one of her concerns. "My brother lives here, our friends do. My husband's mom does."

"Let's be realistic, Amelia.", the brunette softly contradicted. "Logan is thirteen, they are not going to be together forever...they are children. And everybody else you named can visit you. Not everything is always about what's best for others. Sometimes you have to put yourself first. And moving into another state isn't something we've just decided on, it was an idea that you will have to talk about to Owen. Maybe he doesn't agree with it, and you find another solution and stay here in Seattle."

"I would love to put all the bad memories behind me.", the neurosurgeon admitted. "To just start over with my family. Eleanor loves water, she would be so thrilled to live at the beach in L.A., Logan won't get bullied because of his sexuality, Layla hates Seattle anyway, she always complains about the bad weather, and she wants to live near the ocean and the beach, Leo can be Leo...the twins are going to see something new...it all sounds pretty great.", she figured.

"Then take some time and talk to your husband about it. I'm sure he'll understand why you would like to leave this place. Sometimes there's good things, but good doesn't always mean it's easy to overcome bad stuff.", the therapist said. "I'm glad that this situation was fake, though. I mean, it has left its marks but I'm just happy it didn't get any worse than it already is."

"Me too.", her counterpart agreed, noticing how her dog walked into the room since they had left the door open a little bit. "I think she wants you to pet her.", she chuckled when the husky rested her head in the other woman's lap.

"I remember when she fit in my lap during one of our sessions.", Dr. Brato grinned. "Now only your head does, Sweetie.", she addressed Eleanor, gently petting the sweet dog. "You're still really beautiful.", she told her.