Life after Death: The Afterlife of Hezekiah Chamblee

Chapter Sixteen: Therapy With a Seraph

Hezekiah's POV

Meanwhile, back in the Nexus...

My father always believed that people who attend therapy are the ones who are doomed to be pariahs. "People should be able and willing to put aside any paranoia or negative feelings and keep their private lives as that," he'd say to everyone and anyone. "Never let anyone see your weaknesses. Keep your collapsing world propped up no matter what the cost."

I'd bet he'd have a field day if he got a glimpse of me as I was currently in the waiting room of Thorn & Associates to see the male seraph in question. Surprisingly enough, it was Lucifer himself who suggested that I start going to therapy to get a semblance of what's going on with my ongoing journey here in the Nexus so far. "A lot of newcomers often feel displaced and off-balanced when they arrive here," the keeper of the underworld explained to me when he and God came over for a visit. "And watching AUTV can make people feel more and more bad about themselves when their families and lovers are either better off or worse off without him or her in the alternate universe. There are many seraphs who help the newcomers come to grips on their new lives here as well as guide them for where they should go and even help them deal with their life stories on Earth."

"I'm a little unsure, to be honest," I had confessed. "Me talking things over with a shrink doesn't sound something that Jeffrey and his wife would approve, not that it would've mattered to them since I'm dead and all."

"It might do you some good to help you navigate your next move," God commented. "Sometimes, people need help from other people when it comes to the future. The stigma regarding mental and emotional health on Earth is why most of humanity end up killing themselves because they don't know how to cope with life. And it's why the ones who end their own lives are in hell. You, on the other hand, had mastered the art of keeping your emotions bottled up to a point where you managed to deal with it alone. But the world thinks that you ended your life when you were merely murdered by the bodyguards under your parents' commands. And like I said before, you were not meant for Earth to begin with."

Right.

"Give therapy one chance, Hezekiah," Lucifer suggested. "Go for one visit and I promise you that you can begin to mentally and emotionally let go of the baggage that haunts you daily. Like my Brother said, people need help from other people. You won't be sorry."

And now, here I was in the waiting room as Colbie Calliat played subtly through the stereo speakers.

"Mr. Chamblee, Thorn is ready to see you now," the receptionist- a red-headed female seraph- told me gently as she pointed toward the right wing of the building. "He's two door's down to the right."

"Thank you," I said gratefully as I sat down the magazine that I was reading on the table before standing up and brushing off any invisible lint off of my athletic-themed clothes. "Wish me luck."

I headed down the hallway and soon found the office that I was looking for before knocking on the door twice. "Come in," I heard a man's voice say.

Opening the door, I was soon faced with a fitness model of a male seraph who could easily be the next candidate for Calvin Klein Underwear. From his masculine and flawless face and an athletic frame that hugged his semiformal business suit to short, raven-black hair and green eyes that seemed to sparkle with mischief; this guy could give Michaelangelo's David statue a run for his money. His office wasn't the typical stark-white, but had a more California vibe with a beachside color scheme. "Mr. Chamblee, I figured that you'd come by sooner or later," the therapist greeted me as he motioned for me to sit in the leather chair that faced his desk. "And I'm glad that you chose me for your services."

I inhaled deeply as I took my seat. "Well, I am a bit nervous, to be honest," I admitted. "If you already know my backstory and all, then you should know that my family never liked therapists or psychologists to begin with, never mind those who go to therapy. Dad and Mom though that people who attend therapy are those who are doomed for the nuthouse- one of the man beliefs held in regards to the family's 'Diamond Standard.'"

Thorn nodded as he sat down. "I've heard a lot about the Chamblee-Warner dynasty and how things aren't looking too good for them at this moment," he replied, grabbing a notepad and writing some notes down. "And it's safe to say that you only had to rely on writing in your journal as a way to help you cope with everything, right?"

I nodded. "It's been my one coping mechanism when I was given one too many bad hands and faced bouts of loneliness, not to mention having to face being rejected for being a product of rape."

The male seraph's face softened, him nodding in sympathy. "You've been through the worst of things, emotionally and mentally," he told me. "And just so you know, you are worth it."

"What do you-"

"I mean, Hezekiah, you are worth your life. I can tell by the way you're nearly sitting on the edge of your chair and how you keep leaning forward that you don't have much self-esteem," Thorn commented. "I can see in your eyes that you've had to deal with a lot of disappointments and condescension all around from the people who should've treated you better. You swallowed all of your emotions and suffered alone in hopes of things getting better, only for you to die unexpectedly and then coming here to the Nexus and being surprised to learn that the gypsy's words were correct- that you had no lifeline to the land of the living and were not meant for Earth. You are NOT a product of rape, but a product of both God and Lucifer who made you to become a demigod or a seraph. And despite all of this, you managed to accept the changes yet had not expressed your true feelings about yourself. Frankly, I see that you're angry at yourself and depressed because you had no idea on how to deal with your feelings all because you were taught to keep silent and hide your emotions to please them."

I felt a few tears beginning to seep down my face as the truth hit me like a tidal wave. I was tired of hiding my feelings, angry at my parents for hating me because I was different as well as myself for not speaking out more, sad because Cameron wouldn't be able to spend time with me and away from his evil twin brother, and confused on what I needed to do next here in the Nexus. I did everything right and treated everyone fairly...yet got kicked in the teeth for it.

I felt strong arms wrap around me, sensing that it was Thorn who was currently hugging me. "Thank you," I managed to whimper through muffled sobs.

"I'm your designated therapist, Hezekiah," he told me gently. "I can't truly help you decide your next move in the Nexus or how you should've done things in the land of the living. But I can help you close some chapters when it comes to your life and help you sort things out here in the Nexus so you can make better decisions. All that I ask is that you let me in and help me help you."

"I can do that." I wiped my eyes.

And for the rest of the session, I soon began what would be the first of many sessions in therapy.

Now the healing part can begin.

It's not my best for this chapter, but Thorn is going to play a crucial part in this storyline as Hezekiah gets ready to deal with a LOT of new things, folks! And I can assure you that Thorne will also have a love interest in the works. But who?! Only one way to find out!

For now, we take another trip down memory lane with swimming lessons for Hezekiah and Chance is assigned to be his teacher before they're soon separated by haters. Stay tuned.

Shoutout to the one and only Nicoismysenpai  and to minimxmist  for being two of the best male gay fiction writers ever! The song in the overhead is simply known as "Bubbly" by Colbie Calliat.

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