Serial Killer X Lachlan; a Minilan fanfiction (On hold)

11

Lachlan's POV:

After finishing up my paperwork for the day, I went back inside to set up the Art Therapy room for Simon and I's second session tomorrow morning. I had finally pushed the thought of hiding Simon's new journal to the back of my mind so it wasn't weighing so heavily on me. I knew I was doing the right thing and I also knew that Dr. Reid wouldn't let me get in any legal trouble, and I was glad my nerves had finally settled around the subject.

I grabbed the paints, brushes and a canvas and started setting up the table. I knew doing this today meant I wouldn't have to rush tomorrow. I spread the different color paints on the table after placing down some paper to protect the table and then placed the canvas on top with the brushes neatly next to it. I'm really hoping that Simon finds these sessions helpful and they allow him to open up more.

My goal with all of my patients is to see that they learn to cope with their mental health effectively, that's why I choose this career path. I wanted to help others learn how to co-exist with their internal struggles. I love seeing my patients get released from the facility because it means I did my job, and seeing how they learn to combat their own struggles inspires me to keep going. Seeing Preston engage in conversations with Rob and now allowing Jerome to join their little group shows me how drastically he's improved in navigating his social anxiety. Seeing Harry go from being socially awkward and angry at the world for it to someone who apologizes when he knows he's wrong. Seeing him thrive in conversations with the people he's become close with has also been inspiring.

Seeing even the smallest amounts of growth from my patients gives me the encouragement to keep doing this job, I know I'm doing my job well enough when I can see my patients progress. With Simon, even though it has only been two days, I can see a small difference. He seems to hesitate when giving me bits of information going through his mind, but even the pieces he does give me allows me to understand that he is trying to trust me, and after everything he's been blamed for, I can see why he's hesitating. I can't even begin to imagine what the police and media have put him through over the last few years. I know that if I just keep on the path I'm on, and let him become comfortable with me, then that might just be the way to gain his trust so that I can really help him deal with his mental health.

I had finished setting up the room and went back to my desk to check my emails and prep my plans for the following week. I had no new emails so I continued on to write out my treatment plans for the next week. Preston always has therapy with Dr. Reid on Monday mornings and then his parents come to visit him in the afternoon while Harry has his parents visit in the morning and has therapy with Dr. Reid in the afternoon. Simon gets an Art Therapy session on Monday morning with me and then nothing else for the rest of the day. Tuesdays are kind of a day where I just go around and see what the patients need, so I just do check ins with them throughout the day and make sure they're okay.

Starting next week I get to eat a meal with Simon on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I'm hoping that this means I can take him out of his room and up to the cafeteria while there's no one else up there, or even out to the picnic tables outside if it's nice. Wednesdays are busy with one-on-one sessions for each of my patients, which means on Tuesday check ins, I need to talk to Harry and Preston about what type of session they would like. I'm going to re-evaluate Simon on Monday and see if we should continue with Art every session or mix in Music Therapy as well. Thursdays are a lot of paperwork and restocking, occasionally having meetings with Dr. Reid and once a month having a meeting with all of the staff. Fridays are another day where I just do check-ins and make sure that my patients are good to get through the weekend with the weekend staff, and I now have a one on one with Simon.

My schedule doesn't allow for much personal time, but it doesn't bother me because I love my job and I have always loved helping others. When I do have free time, I spend it with my friends and family, like going out with Tobi and Vik this weekend will be fun, and it's something we try to do at least monthly. It's fun to make such close friends at work and have those connections even on days off. If I'm not with them or my family then I enjoy playing video games or going to the gym. I always hate missing out on family events like birthdays and barbeques, but to see the progress I make within my career and see my patients doing well, it makes those sacrifices I make worth it.