Chapter Sixty-Four

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"In addition to reaching out for help, you will also need to reach within yourself. Your biggest ally will be your emotions. Through them, you will learn more about what really happened to you, how the abuse affected you, and what you need to do in order to heal. Your emotions will enable you to reclaim the self you long ago hid away."
―  Beverly Engel 

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Chapter Sixty-Four

Parker could not believe that Mr. Harper's assistant had put him on hold. The audacity, Parker thought as he paced the empty waiting room, waiting for Douglas to pick up the other end. He was seconds from hanging up and just going down to see Douglas at the station but suddenly Mr. Harper picked up.

"Hello?"

Relieved, Parker sighed, "Mr. Harper, this is Parker."

"Oh, hey. Glad you called. I have set up an evaluation for Nola this Tuesday at 10:30 in the morning. Do you think she can make it? It was hard to get her in that soon but if she is going to do it, this is her chance."

Parker looked down at his feet, "Yeah, she can make it."

Douglas smiled, "good, good. They've moved Mitch's court date two weeks from tomorrow."

"Two weeks," Parker rubbed the back of his neck. "That is so soon."

Mr. Harper inhaled, knowing that Parker was right. "I know . . . and before his court date, Mitch has been demanding to meet with Nola."

Parker shook his head, objecting to the idea, only to remember that Douglas was not in front of him. Pressing the phone closer to his ear, Parker wanted to make sure that Douglas heard what he was going to say next. "I don't know who died over there to make Mitch think he was a King that could give demands." Parker hated the idea of Nola seeing Mitch so much that he was shaking in anger. "She will not wanna see him."

"That may be the case but I'm obligated to tell her."

"You're not obligated to do shit," Parker knew he shouldn't be releasing curse words in the middle of a waiting room — empty or not. However, he could not hold it in, he was pissed.

"Parker, he says he wants to tell Nola why he did it. I think she should go and hear him out. It would provide her with closure."

"Closure? The sick bastard is not going to provide her with closure. He abused her, Douglas, he is not right in the head. If anyone wants reasoning as to why he did what he did, there — they can have it."

"Parker, there will come a time if it has not already, that Nola will question herself. She will question how she let Mitch in and allowed him to stay in her life. She will be angry at herself. I have seen it in cases like Nola's. She will more than likely go through depression. I think if she talks to Mitch, he can provide her with the closure as to why he picked her — why this happened."

Douglas wondered if his words were getting through to Parker because the other side of the line was silent, "You there?"

"Yeah," Parker gritted.

"I know you don't like the idea — but if anything, she can see with her own eyes that he is in jail. I'm sure she has so fears, voiced or not, that he is going to get out and could harm her. Seeing him in cuffs and a jumpsuit might put her mind at rest."

Parker knew that Nola should see Mitch behind bars, figuring it could stop the hallucinations she is having of him. "You're right."

"Visitations are on Thursday, eleven to two."

"Okay, I'll let her know . . . There is a reason I called you."

"What's going on?"

Parker stopped pacing and sat down in a chair. He was not sure how to tell Douglas, "I know what I'm about to say is going to make Nola sound crazy but hear me out."

"Okay."

"She has been seeing Mitch."

"You mean, she has already visited him in jail?" Mr. Harper asked in bewilderment to what Parker had meant.

"No, she has been hallucinating him."

Douglas remained silent, unsure he had heard Parker right. "You are saying that she has been hallucinating Mitch?"

"Yes."

Mr. Harper tried to think everything through, "she can't tell anyone that," he breathed on the other end. "Her testimonies will be thrown out. They will think she is not in the right state of mind."

"I know . . . But, Mr. Harper, she is one hundred percent certain that she has seen him. Once the day after he got arrested and three weeks ago."

"He was in jail then."

"Exactly but she is certain that he was there . . . You don't think he has been managing to escape?"

"Escape and then go back to jail? No, there has to be another explanation."

"Like what?"

Douglas sighed, "I have no idea . . . but, I have a feeling where I should start to find out."

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