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Therapist Report #7

Therapist Report

This is my last week seeing patients in my sessions for Maritime Medical. My newest patient (only for Thursday) is Zayn Malik, coming in to talk about the loss of his ex-girlfriend. Usually this would be a conflict of interest, but it is the least I could do since I was seeing her previously.

I hope he makes a steady recovery with the next therapist I referred him to.

Allison McIntyre
Therapist for Maritime Medical

-

"So Zayn," she said, a smile on her lips even though she wanted nothing more but to leave her office and never look back. "How are you feeling today?"

He glanced around, ignoring her question and his eyebrows raised at the appearance of her space. "Going somewhere?"

Boxes were stacked up next to the couch and her desk was clear of all belongings except for her desktop computer. It was as if someone was moving in—or moving out in her case.

After days of deliberation, she decided to take a job at a research facility in Williamsburg. Allison thought it was best that she no longer saw anymore patients, given the... relationship she procured with Harry.

And that was another topic on its own.

"Allison?" She blinked, and reality clarified her vision as she focused her attention back on Zayn, who furrowed his eyebrows at her. "You okay?"

"Fine," she said, clearing her throat and sitting upright. "But are you?"

He sighed, leaned back into the chair. "I don't know anymore. I thought I was over Perrie, but I didn't know the fame affected her to the point where she would take her own life. I feel like it's my fault because I just assumed she was being jealous and acting like a crazy ex."

"It's not your fault," she immediately said, shaking her head. "You are not responsible for her disorder, and you can't change the past."

Sighing, he rubbed the back of his neck and propped his legs up on the glass coffee table. Inwardly, she cringed as he placed his dirty soles on the surface. Harry would never do something like that.

There I go again, Allison thought as she flared her nostrils in anger. I need to stop comparing my patients to him.

But she couldn't. Harry consumed her mind most of the time, even thought he probably couldn't care less about her.

"She was like my piece of home," he admitted, and Allison could hear the gnashing of his teeth as he clenched his jaw. "I love my girlfriend, but Perrie knew me before everything. And fame made me abandon her, and if I could take it back..."

It was quiet for a few moments before Allison saw him roll his lips into his mouth and close his eyes.

"It's okay," she coaxed softly, as she placed the tissue box in front of him. "Just let it out."

The first sob was quiet and almost sounded like a small gasp if Allison wasn't watching him, but the second one ripped right through her and it led to tears streaming down his face as he tried to hide them from behind his hands.

"It's okay to cry," she assured him, reaching over and rubbing his hand. "Crying means you still feel, and that's a good thing."

He was lucky. She hadn't cried in weeks, no matter how badly she wanted to.

—

Later that night, Allison was laying across her couch when a knock sounded from her door. She groaned, knowing who it was already. She had purposefully been ignoring his texts for a reason.