Sinister

Chapter Seven

Sinister

Chapter Seven

"I guess I've been more tired than usual," Leighton admitted, not meeting Dr. Rook's gaze. "But I've been working a lot so that might be part of it." Leighton bit her nail, wondering if she should come clean about the dreams she couldn't avoid.

Dr. Rook tapped her pen on the edge of her clipboard. "You know, Leighton. When you don't take your medication regularly you can cause all sorts of imbalances in your bloodstream. Perhaps you would like to make the change to monthly shots?"

Leighton jerked her head to the side. "No, I'm getting back on track. Promise." In truth, Leighton couldn't remember being more erratic than in the past week. But then again, Tate had stolen a significant portion of her memory.

"Do you think your job is causing you stress? Perhaps you should rethink employment at this particular time," Dr. Rook suggested.

"Work is the only thing that keeps me sane," Leighton answered, stomach hardening to stone. Being alone was the problem. Leighton couldn't seem to stop thinking.

"Perhaps something else in your life is making you anxious?" Dr. Rook offered. The constant fear of running into Tate was what made Leighton anxious. But how could she explain that to her doctor?

Leighton realised she had to give Dr. Rook something to work with. "To be honest, I think I started to distance myself from... what happened. And then suddenly it all came back to me and it's been a lot to handle." Leighton's lie wasn't overly elaborate. Whilst she hadn't remembered anything from the event that derailed her life, she had been reading every article she could on it.

Apparently, her boyfriend of six months had assaulted her multiple times and in an attempt to please him, Leighton had kept quiet until she simply couldn't. Leighton had come forward with her version of the truth and her boyfriend, Braden, had come forward with a warped story that painted her as a liar.

McGuinty had been the officer assigned to Leighton's case and had worked with her for months to uncover any evidence that could be used to build her case against Braden. Eventually, Leighton's case pulled through and Braden was exposed.

Despite the town's sympathy for him, Braden was unable to move on and had killed himself. Once again, Leighton had been turned into the villain and that's when the PTSD and mild depression had started to settle in, bringing Dr. Rook into Leighton's life and taking her out of school for three months.

Leighton knew all of this second hand. Even though it was her past, she couldn't help but feel detached from it all, like she was reading another person's story. None of the emotions that should have been there were present, leaving Leighton confused.

Dr. Rook didn't seem surprised. "That often happens with survivors of serious traumas. Separation from the event can make you feel better for a short while but of course, it is always better to deal with problems head on."

Leighton nodded, sliding her hands up the opposite arms' sleeve. "It's hard too, with constant reminders. No one in this town seems to forget anything."

Dr. Rook smiled dryly. "Perhaps the recent increase in deaths will be enough to sway the spotlight from you. Until then, just remember your support system."

Leighton followed up her appointment with a four hour shift at Dante's Tavern bussing tables and cleaning up the bathrooms. The night flew by without any major hiccups, aside from a stubborn child who poured their drink on the floor four times to spite their mother.

Towards the end of her shift, Leighton put in two orders of roast beef melts and finished up her duties in the back of the pub. When the last chair had been flipped over and placed on the tabletop, Leighton grabbed her order and yelled a goodbye to her coworkers.