When Thalia drove to Alex and Andy's house in the morning, she had a smile on her face and two lattes on hand.
"Hey, Andy. Hey, Thor." She said, petting the big dog. "It's so nice out today."
Andy nodded, smiling at her as he accepted the drink she offered him before they got into his car. Andy drove to the dog park, appreciating the companionable silence.
"How do you feel about decaf?" Thalia asked, looking up at him as they entered the park. "I've been doing some research on anxiety and apparently caffeine can exacerbate it."
Andy frowned and took a sip of the latte. "This tastes good." He admitted, but he already missed the pick-me-up of caffeine.
"I don't mind decaf." Thalia told him, taking a sip of her drink. "I used to avoid caffeine completely in the hopes that I'd grow just a little more." She smiled regretfully and Andy smiled with her, amused at their very different experiences. "Eventually I figured it wasn't going to work, but I don't mind switching back to decaf in solidarity with you."
Andy smiled. "Thanks." He said, his thanks for more than just the switch to decaf.
Their decaffeinated walk through the park was like any other, and before long they were headed back to Andy's house.
"If you want me to stop, just let me know." Thalia told Andy as she pulled out her equipment. She put a file and two identical blue pens on the table. "I'm just going to fill out some information before we start and as we go." She explained, her hand moving across the page quickly.
"How do you know all that?" Andy asked, looking at the form in surprise. She knows a lot of information about me. He realized, feeling a little uncomfortable.
"I looked at your file, remember? For your knee." She told him, smiling. "I have a good memory." She slid the form over to him. "Has anything changed?"
Andy looked at the form and made a couple of changes, his cheeks burning as he wrote.
Thalia asked a few questions, her voice low key and professional, her face turned to her form as much as possible. Although some of the questions were a little embarrassing, Andy appreciated that she kept them to mostly yes or no questions.
When she started the physical exam Andy felt his pulse accelerate, but he wasn't as panicked as he would have expected. Maybe it's the lack of caffeine already kicking in. He thought, smiling.
"As I'm sure you know, there are a lot of physical illnesses that can lead to depression and anxiety." Thalia explained as she gently inserted a needle in his arm. "We'll test your blood to rule those things out, but based on what you've told me, and your medical history, I don't think we're going to find a physical reason."
Andy nodded, turning his head away as she removed the needle. Over the years he'd done a lot of research too. He knew more about depression and anxiety than he'd ever wanted to know. But most of the physical causes didn't seem to apply to him. His physical health had always been optimal. He rarely even got a cold. His mental health, however, had been questionable for the better part of two decades.
Thalia checked out Andy's eyes, ears, nose, and throat, and he suspected she was being more thorough than necessary since he hadn't been to the doctor in so long. It wasn't as bad as it would have been with a different doctor, however, so Andy tried to keep his hands from shaking.
"Your heart rate is slightly elevated." Thalia observed after she checked his pulse and blood pressure. "It's within the normal range, but I suspect it's a bit higher than normal because of the exam." She looked at him for confirmation and Andy nodded, trying to slow his heart rate a bit.
Thalia wrote something on her form. "Lily and I are thinking about taking a yoga class. Apparently it's good for anxiety, and I thought maybe you could join us, or Lily could show you some of the moves?" She smiled widely. "If you came to a class we could definitely guilt Alex into coming with us. It would be fun."
Andy smiled. "Maybe." He said doubtfully, not able to picture himself taking a yoga class.
"No pressure. It's your choice." Thalia put her pen down. "I'd like to start you on a very mild anti-anxiety medication. Based on what I already knew about you, I was pretty sure it would be this one." She said, sorting through an assortment of tiny packages of pills. She pulled out a small package. "I got some samples, and I can write you a scrip." She went over some of the possible side effects as she opened one of the packages. She set the pills on the table and grabbed a glass of water for him.
Andy took the pills and the water, completely trusting her. He downed them as she watched him, a frown on her pretty face.
"This won't work overnight, Andy." She said softly.
Andy nodded. He knew that. He also knew it might not help at all, but he was taking a big step in at least trying something.
Thalia smiled and pulled out a bound printout and set it on the table beside her. "In the meantime, I have some information on non-medicinal ways to alleviate stress."
Andy nodded, looking at the thoroughly organized paper. "Thanks, Thalia."
"No problem." She said, smiling at him. "Hopefully this helps." She paused. "Can you help me with something?"
Andy nodded, curious about what she needed.
"I have something in my car and it's too heavy for me to carry." She admitted. "Can you help me bring it in?"
Andy smiled and followed her, glad it was something he could help her with.
Outside she opened the trunk to her tiny red car, where an espresso machine was sitting.
Andy looked at her, not making a move to pick it up.
"I'm going to use it too." Thalia informed him. "Straight up decaf coffee is awful, but decaf lattes aren't too bad." When Andy still didn't make a move to pick it up she shook her head. "It's coming into the house one way or the other, Andy. Please don't make me carry it."
Andy reluctantly picked up the box and carried it into the house while Thalia carried a bag of decaf espresso beans.
Against Andy's better judgement, he let Thalia hook it up, and he read the instruction manual while she tried to get it to work.
"No, you have to turn it--" Andy shook his head as a drop of warm milk hit his cheek.
"I'm trying." Thalia protested, laughing as the milk overflowed. "Maybe it's defective." She wiped her hand on a paper towel and quickly put a cup under the espresso maker as the steaming liquid flowed.
"I don't think it's the machine that's defective." Andy said, smiling at his friend.
Thalia looked at him with wide eyed innocence. "It's the machine!" She insisted. "I did everything you told me to do."
Andy reluctantly took the mug from her and put it under the milk frother. "See, you just have to--" He broke off as a blast of milk splattered against his shirt. He looked at the serious look on Thalia's face and then they both burst out laughing.
"See?" Thalia insisted, handing him a towel. "It's not just me."
They hadn't quite figured out how to use it when Lily came in.
Thalia was laughing. "No, there has to be an online manual for trouble shooting." She protested as Andy searched on his phone.
"What are you guys doing?" Lily asked, smiling as she came into the kitchen.
Thalia turned around, her eyes wide. "You have to stop scaring us." She laughed. "Don't you remember what happened last time?"
"No more trips to the emergency room." Lily laughed and came over to the counter. "An espresso machine." She observed. "That's not how you do it."
She picked up the coffee grinder and quickly showed them how to make espresso. "Where's the milk?" She asked as the espresso flowed.
Andy handed her the milk carton and Lily frothed the milk while they looked on in awe. "I worked in a coffee shop in high school." She explained, smiling. "Is this decaf?"
Thalia nodded. "Yes. I've been hanging out with tall people so much I've decided I'm going to be six feet tall. No more caffeine for me." She joked.
Lily laughed and handed her and Andy mugs. "I think it might be a little too late for that."
"This is good." Thalia sounded impressed. "You have to show us how to do that."
"It's easy." Lily said, frothing more milk. "Finally, something I can do that the amazing Thalia can't do." She teased.
Thalia shook her head. "There are lots of things I can't do well or can't do at all." She admitted. "I just usually avoid doing them in front of other people." She made a face. "I usually end up injuring myself otherwise." She said self deprecatingly.
Her comment made Andy think of the zombie movie. "We're going to watch a movie."
Lily's eyes lit up. "Yes! Watch with us." She said, filling her mug. "We'll eat popcorn, tell stories, watch the movie. It'll be so much fun."
Thalia smiled at her enthusiasm. "It's okay. I don't want to intrude."
"No, stay." Lily insisted. "We'll stay up late and get to know each other better." She insisted. "It'll be like a slumber party. My sister and I used to have a slumber party every once in a while when we were children." She told the redhead. "We'd sleep in the living room in our sleeping bags and eat junk food and gossip."
Thalia laughed. "Aw. I bet you guys had fun. I never went to a slumber party."
"You didn't?" Lily asked, sounding surprised. "Never?"
Thalia shrugged. "No. Not really. I stayed in a group home once, and there were a bunch of kids in one room, but I don't know if that counts."
"It doesn't." Lily reassured her, thinking. "We need to do this right. We need junk food, makeup, pillows...." She shook her head as she smiled at Andy. "You're invited, so no panty raids." She teased.
Andy smiled. "I'll try to resist."
"Can you make some popcorn?" Lily asked him. "Thal, can you grab blankets from the linen closet, and I'll grab the pillows and my makeup, and we'll set up in the living room."
"Really?" Thalia asked, laughing. "You really want to have a slumber party?"
"Absolutely." Lily insisted, pushing Thalia towards the hall closet. "It'll be so much fun. Much better than just watching a movie."
Thalia glanced at Andy, not looking convinced. Andy took a deep breath. A slumber party wasn't normally something Andy would do, but after the success of Peter sleeping over he was feeling pretty good about the idea. Thalia had slept over a million times already, and he figured he could always sleep in his own room if it felt to strange to be in the same room as her."Do you want butter on your popcorn?" He asked, forcing himself to smile at the tiny redhead.
Thalia smiled. "Of course." She said, laughing as Lily poked her in side playfully. "Is there any other way to have it?"
YOU ARE READING
Declassified
ChickLitBook 2 After Thalia hunts Alex down in the States, everything seems perfect. She has Alex, she has her funding, and no one is trying to kill her. Although Alex's family seems bit reluctant to accept her at first, she slowly wins them over with her k...