Prevail

Chapter 14

Henrietta stepped into Dr. David's office. It felt weird. The smell, the decor, nothing had changed, yet so much had.

She was soon surrounded by all of her favorite coworkers who were asking a million questions all at once. She took a faltering step back towards Nico and Haze.

"Henrietta," Dr. David smiled, rounding the corner. He set down the files in his hands. "It's so good to see you. I'm ready for our meeting if you are."

She nodded, "This is Nico and Haze. I need them with me right now."

Dr. David said, "I understand. I spoke to Haze on the phone last week when you didn't show up for your shift."

Henrietta and her two guys followed him into his office. He shut the door, and they sat on the plush couch in front of his desk.

"Are you okay?" Dr. David asked, gesturing to her sling and visible bruises along her arm that she had tried to keep hidden with her jacket. That wasn't really possible with the cast.

Henrietta didn't know what to say. She didn't know how to explain what had happened, and she definitely didn't want to say anything that would place the blame on Nico and Haze. In some way, it was their fault, but she didn't blame them. Not one bit. They saved her. They were taking care of her. No one had ever taken care of her.

"Henrietta was taken," Haze spoke cautiously. He had helped Henny rehearse what she wanted to go into detail with and what she didn't, but he could see the way her hands were shaking.

"Taken," the doctor repeated. "Like kidnapped?"

Henrietta nodded.

"Oh my, Henrietta," the doctor shook his head in disbelief. "I won't ask for details. I appreciate you letting me know. Are you wanting to come back to work?"

"Yes," Henrietta whispered. "I just don't know how much I can handle at the moment, and school needs to be my priority."

"I complete understand," Dr. David gave a more sympathetic smile. "How about we just test the water a bit and drop you down to one shift a week?"

"Okay. Thank you for understanding," Henrietta answered.

"Of course. I have some contacts for you. As much as I would love to help you through your situation, I can't as your boss, but I have some fantastic collegues that I can get you in with straight away."

Dr. David scribbled some information on a sheet of paper.

"You know better than anyone that you can't get through something like this alone. You're going to face many triggers as you try to come back."

Henrietta stood, accepting his recommendations.

"Thank you, Dr. David."

"Why don't you and Nico go visit with some of your coworkers?" Haze asked, allowing them to exit the room.

He faced the therapist.

"Everything that she told you was told to you in confidence," Haze told Dr. David who nodded.

"I will treat this meeting just as I would any other patient. I can see how sensitive she is. She may say she is okay, but she isn't. She needs help."

"Can you get her an appointment scheduled with one of the friends you recommended?"

"Yes, absolutely. I will bypass all the wait times. I will call Henrietta when I get more details. "

"Good. I'll get her on board. Thanks, Dr."

Haze shook his hand, leaving the office.

He found Nico and Henrietta already in the car. Nico was in the backseat with Henrietta, and Haze got back there too when he heard her soft cries.

"What's the matter, honey?" Haze cooed. He glanced at Nico who gave him a unsure shrug.

"Do you want to talk, or just go home?" Nico asked, drying her face with the sleeve of his sweatshirt.

"Can we get ice cream?" she sniffled, and Nico smiled, kissing her nose.

"Yeah of course, baby." Nico nuzzled her cheek before getting into the driver's side. Haze moved too, giving Henrietta a little space to process whatever was on her mind.

Henrietta continued to take shaky, sniffly breaths. She had wrapped herself in Haze's jacket, soaking in the quiet drive.

"I don't know how I am going to pay my bills," she admitted after she had gathered herself. "I don't know how I am going to do anything."

"You know we'll help you," Haze said.

She sighed gently, "I know, and I appreciate it. I just used to be able to do it all on my own. He took such a big part of who I am away from me."

"It's going to come back," Nico reassured. "It's just been a few days, Henny. You need to give yourself a little time."

"We've got you covered until then," Haze finished.