His Little Heart

The First Steps

^

Before I knew it, our session together was over.

The small smile Dr. Hiddleston gave me when I told him I'd accept his help, my little okay, reassured me that I'd made the right choice. That he was happy I had talked to him, although not very much, yet that the progress we've made was positively taking a step in the right direction.

Our session together wasn't what I'd expected. I was ready for him to start asking me questions that would give him the insight he needed to help figure out my anxiety. I was ready for that - no, not really - and was going to be as honest with him as I could. However, to my surprise, tagged along with confusion and a small sense of relief, he simply engaged me with playing a game with him instead.

It was a rather easy and straight-forward game, the classic 20 questions game. He put a twist on it though, and cut the question down to only ten. Easing into it, he asked me a question first, asking kindly, "Which do you prefer more? Cats or dogs?"

"Dogs," I quickly answered.

"Why?"

"They're easier to handle, and don't give you attitude," I said, and he nodded, agreeing with me and saying, he too, preferred dogs.

"Alright," he said, folding his hand into his lap. "Your turn."

I had way more than ten questions to ask him, yet keeping things flowing between us, went with saying, "Black or white?"

"Black or white?"

"Which color do you like more?"

He glanced down at his white coat, grinning. "White."

"Why?"

"I think it suits me better than black."

Yes, I silently agreed, looking at the doctor's coat he wore. It was crisp, clean, and made him look very very professional. It suited him nicely, hugging his figure comfortably. It spoke of his position and his purpose, to help those who needed it most, and right now, I was in need of his help. Yes, you look good in white.

The game continued. He'd ask a question, a simple and easy one that I answered quickly and without hesitation. He asked what my favorite pastime was, and I said reading. Then, what books I liked to read, and I said anything I could get my hands on. That intrigued him, his eyes brighting.

The last question he asked me was the most difficult, and my reply to it surprised him greatly. He wanted to know if I had any favorite Disney characters or movies I liked. I frowned at him, my eyes furrowing.

"Um, well...." I tried scratching my mind on what to say, fumbling. Dr. Hiddleston waited patiently with a kind look to encourage me. Eventually, I said, "I've heard of Disney, but I've never seen anything from it."

Dr. Hiddleston tried to hide his surprise. "You've never seen anything from Disney?"

I shrugged, shaking me head. "No."

Something flitted across his face, his blue eyes darkening. He didn't ask me to elaborate, and moving on quickly, it became my turn to ask him questions. He didn't say anything on my questions, the same as he asked me, answering me honestly.

He liked reading just as I did, and had a soft spot for anything Shakespeare. He liked the colors blue and red, something I already knew. He preferred mornings over night, and whenever he had some time, which he shared wasn't often, took long walks with his dog. His favorite Disney film was the Jungle Book.

"Luna," he said when the last question had been wrapped up, beaming. "Good job."

"T-Thanks," I said back, peeking up at him.