Just The Way You Like It - Under Construction

Chapter Twenty-Five

 Chapter Twenty-Five

It felt like only a few minutes after Tess had left the room when Alice heard, yet again, another knock on the door. She sighed, knowing it was probably Dr. Hansen, back to bother her again with his soft deep voice. Alice decided if it was Dr. Hansen, then she would send him away. She wasn't going to let his kind words and gentle touches fool her again. Whoever was on the other side of the door knocked on it again. That was strange; Tess and Dr. Hansen never knocked more than once before just opening it and coming in. Their knocks were more of a warning that they were about to enter than a request for permission to enter. Okay, so if it wasn't Tess or Dr. Hansen, then who the hell was it? A third knock came, and Alice got the idea that whoever it was on the other side was waiting for her to say something. “Come in.” Alice heard the door open and footsteps approach. Being blind was becoming a hassle.

“Hey Alice, I'm Dr. Montgomery. You can call me Wallace.” Alice kept quiet, having no idea who this new person was. Once this Dr. Montgomery realized that she wasn't going to say anything, he continued on. “I'm the head of the Psychology Department here at St. Micheal's. It's a pleasure to finally meet you.” Ah, so this was the Wallace that Tess and Dr. Hansen had plotted to help her when she was moved. He sounded nice enough, though Alice really wished she could see what he looked like.

“It's nice to meet you too.” Alice finally said. “Did Dr. Hansen send you?”

“No, I came on my own, well, Dr. Willub asked me to come down and talk to you. I'll be meeting with you regularly from now on. Basically, my job will be to see if we can get you to remember anything about your past.”

Hearing this, Alice perked up. If she could remember who she was before her abduction, maybe she could go back to being normal. Maybe her parents were still looking for her, maybe Jinny was still alive. Maybe Alice could start over where she left off, and just be the regular her that she was always supposed to be. “Okay, yeah.” Alice said, not hiding her excitement in the least. “That sounds great.”

“Good, good. Okay, well I just have a few questions before we really get started. That is . . . if you're up for it.”

“The sooner the better.”

“Great. Okay, so this first one is easy. Do you remember anything?”

“Not really. Just that I had a horse, and once I fell off of her and went to the hospital. I don't think it was here though. And I remember having parents. A mom and a dad, but I don't remember anything about them. Also, I think I maybe lived by the ocean. Dr. Hansen took me out for a walk, and the salty smell seemed familiar.”

“Okay, well. It's a place to start anyway. Good.” Wallace seemed actually quite pleased at Alice's statements. Maybe she wasn't a hopeless case. “Second question. How badly do you want to remember?” Alice thought it was a strange question, but she answered it quickly.

“Right now, more than anything.”

“Why?”

“I guess I just want to go back to being me. I don't want to be known as 'that girl', just me. Or I guess, who I was supposed to be.”

“Okay, next question. If you work with me, I may suggest that we use hypnosis to help you remember your past. Do you think you would be okay with that?” Alice answered his question with another question.

“Is hypnosis like going to sleep and recalling things like in a dream?”

“Sort of, yes.”

“Then yes, that would be fine. So far, thats how I've come up with what I do remember already.”

“Good, okay then. Do you want to get started now?”

“Sure.”

They spent a long time talking about pretty vague things. It was hard to answer most of his questions. Wallace wanted to know things like if Alice thought she was happy growing up, and if she loved her parents or not. Deep down, Alice thought she knew the answers, but she still felt like she was guessing. Wallace was patient though, and didn't seem to mind if Alice took her time before responding. It was nice too, Wallace never mentioned her time being abused, nor did he mention her time in St. Micheal's. Alice felt pretty useless though, and after what felt like hours of questions and answers, she still didn't have any more memories of the past than when they had started. Wallace must have picked up on her frustration, because he quickly assured her that it usually took several sessions before most patients remembered anything.

A knock at the door brought them to a halt as Tess came in and checked in on Alice. She only stayed for a few minutes before excusing herself and leaving. The break gave Wallace the perfect stopping point for the session. “Well Alice, I think that is enough for today. I'll be back tomorrow and we can continue our therapy.” Alice could hear Wallace already walking towards the door. “Oh, and tell Blake, uh I mean Dr. Hansen, he owes me that six pack.”

“Tell him yourself, we're not on the best of terms right now.” Alice hadn't been planning on telling anyone about her anger towards Dr. Hansen, but for some reason she thought she could trust Wallace.

“Interesting. Lets disuss it tomorrow.” And with that, Wallace left ushering Nurse Tess in after him.

Tess stayed with Alice for most of the night. They filled the time with light conversations, mostly about Tess' family and friends. Tess had dinner brought in for so she could stay with Alice. Not being able to see made it almost impossible to eat, but Tess of course helped by cutting the food for her and sticking pieces onto her fork before placing it in Alice's hand. Eventually the conversation turned back towards Dr. Hansen and Alice's upcomming move to his house.

“Are you excited Dear?”

“I guess. I'm happy knowing I'll be someplace safe. But honestly, the thought of living with Dr. Hansen is a little creepy.”

“I'm sure you'll settle in just fine.”

“I'm excited to finally start my therapy though. Both Dr. Tunstall and Wallace seem really nice. I hope I can start a normal life soon.”

“Alice, don't rush things. You're special, and you'll always be special. Blending in with the rest of the world is not as great as I think you imagine. Just take you're time and live the life you want to live. Not one that someone else wants you to.”

“Okay Tess. I'll be patient.”

“There's a girl. Now, why don't you get some rest. It's going to be another busy day tomorrow.”

“Just the way I like it, Tess.”

“I'll be right here if you need me.” Nurse Tess helped Alice snuggle in as best as she could and Alice listened as she settled into her chair by the bed. Sure enough, the sound of her newspaper came to Alice's ears, and she began to drift off as she listened to Tess' pen scratch across the page.