D.I.D. You Know We Love You?

X Y Z

"Denis is sleeping." Derek sat up suddenly and crossed his legs. He stared at the two people who had been helping Denis a moment ago calmly. They looked at him in surprise.

"I see. Are you...?" Doctor B seemed taken aback at first.

"Derek? You are Derek, right?" Richie interrupted. "I met him at the office." He explained to the Doctor.

"That's right. I dealt with Vivian." He told them both. Richie nodded and the doctor looked at him thoughtfully.

"Do you deal with all of Denis' difficult situations?" She asked him. He shook his head.

"No. I just come out to take care of the kid mostly. If he is really over stressed, I might step in if it's an emergency." Derek was very calm and collected. He looked so confident and cool. Richie almost felt relieved.

"So you considered this an emergency? Why is that?" The doctor was trying to get a sense of what the problem was.

"Denis isn't strong enough. He can't remember because he doesn't want to remember. That's why only the kid and I know what happened." Derek looked saddened.

"Remembering could help him though. I can help him work through the memories. I can help him accept all the parts of himself. To love himself and heal." She tried coaxing him. Derek grinned at her but shook his head.

"If he remembers, it could break him even more. You have no idea what we have been through. There are some things that people should just forget. Let him." Derek tried responding. Richie sighed.

"Derek, I know you mean well... but have you watched him lately?" Richie asked him. Derek looked at him a little confused.

"No. Why? What's wrong?" He asked with a worried tone.

"He is frightened. He thinks he is going crazy. Between the loss of memory and having others taking over his time, he really feels like he is falling apart." Doctor B interjected sadly. "Why do you think he is seeing me?"

"I thought it was just so he could feel better about having us." Derek admitted. Richie smiled and nodded.

"That was only part of it. He decided to get help after he found this room." Richie waved his hand to indicate the place they were currently in. Derek sighed.

"We thought it would be better if he just didn't see any of it." Derek lamented.

"It isn't usually better to ignore our problems, Derek. In fact, most often than not it causes bigger problems in the long run. It is better to deal with things as they come. Only with time and finding solutions or 'healthy' coping mechanisms can we truly overcome our problems." Doctor B explained gently.

"Denis isn't doing too badly though. I mean, look at him. He can hold down a job. He pays his bills on time. He even made a friend, Richie here." Derek argued. Doctor B smiled and nodded.

"You are right. Denis has done remarkably well for as long as he has. The real questions are... is he happy? Is he healthy? Can he continue the way he has?" She was laying it all out for Derek and they both saw his face darken a bit with thought.

"I don't know if this is a good idea or not, Doctor B., but maybe Derek needs to talk to Denis. Get those answers for himself." Richie piped up with the suggestion. Doctor B looked at him critically.

"Maybe. Do you think that is something you would be willing to do, Derek?" She watched his face carefully. Derek took a deep breath and nodded very slightly.