NEGLECTED

Chapter Three

FFION BRISDEN

My sessions started the same every single day. 

I would be sitting in the waiting room when the door to Dr. Adler's office would open. His hand would be the first thing I saw, big and veiny, holding the door open as a weeping woman emerged from the bright room, head bent as she blew her nose. Next Dr. Adler would take a step into the door way, using his shoulder to keep the door open, ducking his head slightly so he wouldn't hit his head on the door frame. 

The weeping woman would turn to him, placing her hand on his forearm as his arms sat still, crossed over his chest. He wouldn't smile, his eyebrows set in a deep frown as he'd nod his head with whatever the woman said. Then he'd drop his arms back at his sides, not forgetting to tap the woman comfortingly on the arm before she turned around and left. Depending on her mood and how the session went, she'd walk past the waiting room, glance in, and offer me a warm smile. 

Today she did. 

"Ms Brisden" Tearing my eyes away from the woman I looked back over to where Dr. Alder stood in the door way, his hard stare now focused on me. I stood, muttering a curse under my breath when the metal chair squeaked under my weight, before heading over. 

"I still manage to find myself surprised when I open the door and find you in the waiting room" I laughed under my breath, stopping in front of Adler and tilting my head up to gaze at him. I shrugged my shoulders, waiting to be invited into the room, like a vampire. 

"What can I say? You've grown on me" Adler exhaled deeply, the corners of his lips twitching upwards as he stared at me, down the length of his pointy nose. Keeping his eyes latched to mine he stood back, pressing his palm to the door as he nodded his head back, inviting me in. Turning to my side, I held my breath as I squeezed between Adler's large frame and the door, my arm brushing his as I shuffled through, exhaling when I was past. 

Adler shut the door behind himself, moving around me and to his usual chair, taking a seat. He grabbed a hold of his notebook opening it as he read something off the page, his hand pausing when he went to turn it over. Slowly he looked up, for once his face completely contorting, showing the exact thing he was feeling, on his face; disorder, for the fact that I was stood in front of the seat I usually claim as mine. Alder's eyes fell to the seat behind me, tilting his head inspecting it as if he were looking for spikes. Then his eyes gazed at my legs, seeing if there was anything constricting me, before he looked back up to my face.

"This isn't school. You don't have to wait for me to tell you to be seated" I rolled my eyes at his comment, shaking my head as I dismissed him. 

"I'm standing cause I've got higher ground up here" Dr. Adler raised a single, wondering eyebrow. 

"Higher ground?"

"Yes."

"Higher....Ground?"

"Yes"

"Higher-" I groaned, falling aggressively back into my seat. 

"Ground. Yes. We've got the point" Adler shut his notebook, his hands moving to his cuffs as he straightened them out, even though they were already iron straight. 

"Unfortunately, we don't. Explain, please" A scoff passed by my lips as I leant back into the chair, shaking my head. 

"No. This is just another thing you're gonna write down. Perceive me as stubborn-"

"Pen on paper doesn't do that word justice" Usually that's something someone would mutter under their breath. But not Adler. 

"See. You're already judging-"