"Lost & Found" (Revised for Wattpad), by Gratiana Lovelace, (2014) (Completed)

Ch. 6: Getting to Know Each Other Better

“Lost & Found” (Revised), Ch. 6:  Getting to Know Each Other Better, October 27, 2014  Gratiana Lovelace

(An original fiction copyrighted by Gratiana Lovelace;  all rights reserved)

[(1) top right, story logo]

[I will illustrate my story using my dream cast of --Richard Armitage for Matthew Drake, Kate Beckinsale for Jocelyn Burrows, Brenda Blethyn for Aunt Madge Drake, Michael Crawford for Michael Ferguson, Gina McKee for Marcia Glass, and others.]

Author’s Mature Content Note:  “Lost & Found” is story with mature themes (D for drama and S for sensuality) of love and relationships.  Most chapters will be PG or PG-13. However, if you are unable or unwilling to attend a movie with the ratings I provide, then please do not read that chapter.  This is my disclaimer.

Recap from the previous installment:  After Matthew spends a fruitful half hour in speech therapy with Jocelyn by his side, his therapist Marcia Glass is impressed with both his improvement and his new friend Jocelyn.  Part of Matthew’s greater energy and interaction also stems from him being out of his calming medicine and missing his morning and midday doses.  Yet he does not seem anxious or frustrated with his deficits, so Marcia elects to have him continue taking less medication for the following week--only the before bed time dose--to see how he manages.  And Jocie and Matthew’s Friday August, 13th is still not done.

 

“Lost and Found”(Revised), Ch. 6:  Getting to Know Each Other Better 

It is a quiet ride back to the Flower Shop for Matthew and Jocie.  He has done more talking today than he has in the last week combined—as alluded to by his speech therapist, Marcia Glass.  So, Matthew is feeling somewhat tired—emotionally and mentally—from the challenge of maintaining a conversation.  As they walk into the flower shop, they are greeted warmly by Aunt Madge.  And Michael the bartender is also there. Hmmm.

Aunt Madge:  “Hello Matthew and Jocelyn.  Did you have a nice time with Marcia today?”

Matthew:  “Yes, Marcia was very interested in Jocelyn and she let us bring the Reader’s Digest home.”  Matthew holds up the magazine for his Aunt Madge to see.

Jocie:  “Ms. Glass seems very nice, Matthew.”  Jocie smiles warmly at him [(2) right]. 

Michael Brtndr:  “See Madge.  I told you that the boy would be alrrright with Jocelyn—and vice verrrsa.”  He says under his breath.

Jocie’s ears perk up at that last remark.  She knows that people who have had strokes or other head trauma—like her father had—can have affective and cognitive challenges and be frustrated by that and sometimes act out aggressively.  And she gathered that Matthew is on medication to calm him for that very reason--though, he had run out of medication last night.  Yet, Matthew—despite his bland way of communicating and not liking busy people filled places—seems to not be frustrated by his situation when he is around her.  Though Jocie is not overly fond of medicating people’s symptoms rather than addressing the underlying causes, Jocie accepts that Matthew’s medication is designed to help him manage anxiety.  And Matthew seems to be doing that.  So with him now taking fewer doses per day--as any residual effects of the more frequent doses of the medication leave his body--Jocie realizes that possibly his moods and emotions could change quickly should he become anxious or frustrated.  So, Jocie resolves to be a bit more mindful of that with Matthew, just in case—since he is such a tall and muscular man who could easily over power her, though he would not mean to.