As usual, Scot arrived at the office fifteen minutes before the session started. He walked up to the front desk to speak to the receptionist.
"Hi, I have some paperwork for Stacie and Lynn. Should I leave them here, or can I bring it to their office?"
"A few staff members are just finishing up a meeting, but when it's done, I'll gladly walk you back."
Scott nodded and sat back down. At first, the papers in his hand made him nervous. He was making this official very fast. Alex had talked to the right people, because not once did the paperwork state anything about romantic relationships. It discussed "personal relationships existing outside of the clinic". If someone read this besides Alex, Stacie, or Lynn, they would not know Scott and Alex were dating. Scott would not be forced to come out in anyway based on the paperwork.
"Scott, I'll take you back now." She led him to the correct office, and ushered him through the open door.
"Hello, Scott. This is Lynn. I just want you to know Alex explained your situation after you agreed to let us know it was you. We completely understand. I hope you two are happy. He's the most promising SLP I've seen in years, maybe ever, and he stands out because of his compassion and kindness. I'm sure you know that already. There won't be further discussions unless an issue arises. We trust the two of you to be professional, and random unannounced observations will probably be kept to a minimum."
"Thank you very much. I could not have asked for a better team to help with this situation. But if you will excuse me, my appointment with Alex starts in a minute."
He left the room and went to Alex's door. He knocked and entered after he heard Alex say to come in.
"Scott, this is Michael, he is a lawyer. I noticed you had some issues with the legal aspects of your situation. Michael knows nothing about you besides your name. You have all the time during our session today to talk to him."
Scott shook hands with Michael and they sat at the small sitting area across from Alex's desk. Alex sat at his desk, making it clear he was not apart of the conversation.
"Hello, Scott. What can I do for you?"
"I have a personal situation where I am worried about how the doctors treat me and even my family. That they will not care for me, or purposefully mistreat or misdiagnose me."
"I can go through the laws with you, and how you can take action. I will say, when it comes to discrimination on a medical professional part, the law is on your side."
Michael shuffled through a giant box sitting next to him, and pulled out many folders. Inside were the laws that Scott would need to know. They spent 45 minutes talking, after which, Alex helped Michael bring out the large box of papers. With ten minutes left, Alex reentered the office to finish up with Scott.
"So, Thursday we will deal with the rest of the things you wrote on the board. Anything else?"
"I just wanted to let you know I handed in the paper work. Thank you for the way all that was worded. I don't have to worry about outing myself in anyway because of it."
"I'm glad. Well, I'll walk you to the front desk so you can check out."
YOU ARE READING
The Need to Speak
أدب الهواةScolex A. U Scott had a traumatic experience. He goes to a Speech Therapist to help with his newly developed selective mutism. His SLP, Alex, is ready to help.
