Chapter 2… Family Business
Dr. Ann Marie Avery's POV
Seeing Jeff make social advancements with some of the other patients here was a big step. I was hoping he would be able to help himself better once he was able to talk about his problems.
Jeff sat across from me as I pulled his record from my desk.
"So Jeff how are you doing today?" I asked a simple question that began all of our sessions.
"I'm fine." Jeff replied with his usual response. Perhaps he wasn't ready to open up as I had hoped.
"Jeff might I ask why you're here? I mean I know the drugs are why you're her but what made you come here?" We had already went over this, but I needed to get him talking about something I knew he would talk about.
"My job." He responded to me again with a simple answer. Obviously he wasn't going to talk, not matter how much I hope he would.
"Will your any of your family be attending family day?" I asked hoping I would be able to meet some of his family and get further insight into his life.
"Who knows." He said, holding the walls he built around himself up tightly.
"Jeff we can't help you here if you won't let us and we won't sign off on your papers for work until we believe you to be ready." I used my words almost as a threat or blackmail. I knew that he wanted out of here and back to work as soon as possible, this way he would have more initiative.
"What do you want from me?" He said starting to get annoyed.
"Jeff all I want from you is to help you." I responded trying to push the compassion in my voice.
"I don't need your help. I'm not an addict. I'm no junkie. I have control of my life. So what, I got caught. No big deal." There was anger, pain, and confusion all wrapped up in his voice.
"Maybe you don't want my help Jeff, and that's fine, but you definitely need it." I replied with pure honesty. There was more to his drug use then he would admit to and I was determined to get to the bottom of it.
Matt's POV
The morning of 'Family Day'
I didn't understand how this happened. We were at the top of our game right now. We both had just renewed our contracts and released our biography 'Exist to Inspire.' I couldn't wrap my head around what pushed him into drugs and how I never noticed it.
My father and I made our way to Raleigh's Holly Hill Hospital where Jeff was currently staying. I hoped that this inpatient care could help him. I knew Jeff wanted nothing more than to return back to work, but that was impossible without finishing his required stay at the rehab.
Walking into the 'Adult Recovery Services' unit I see there are a lot more patients here than I had expected. Looking around the room there are a few familiar faces; actors, actresses, musicians, other athletes. Apparently these kind of problems we a lot more common than I had thought. Finally finding my brother we began to walk towards him.
"Hey dad," Jeff stood up from his seat and greeted out father with a large hug, "Hi Matt." He said as he greeted me as well.
"How ya doing son?" Our father immediately asked. He was worried about Jeff. Jeff was always the one he worried about more. In comparison to me Jeff was always in trouble more often, so when this occurred my father was concerned but not quite shocked.
"I'm ok dad. How are you?" He asks and we continue with small talk for a little while.
A few minutes go by when Jeff's head snaps towards the door. He focuses his full attention on whoever just walked in. Turning to see who he's looking at I see her. Beth has been his girlfriend for about four years now and I've yet to see her do anything good for him.
As she makes her way towards us, Jeff becomes tense. Something is obviously going on between them that I'm not aware of. The last I knew she was still a psycho bitch that he couldn't help being in love with.
"Hey honey." Jeff greets her, but doesn't stand to hug her.
"Hi Jeff." She replies without acknowledging me or my father. Several minutes of awkward silence pass until a beautiful woman in a suit walks in.
"Good afternoon everyone!" The woman greets the crowd. Her smile beams around the room. I can see hear mouth open, but not I can't hear a word of what she's saying. I am deafened by her beauty.
Beth's POV
"My name is Dr. Ann Marie Avery and I am the primary psychiatrist at this hospital. It is nice to see all of you come to support your family." The slender, blonde woman standing in the front of the room says. She looks too young to be a doctor.
I watch her as she walks towards us. She walks by a few other groups of families saying hello as she passes, but it is obvious it is our group she is targeting.
"Good afternoon Jeff!" She says looking from face to face, I feel her size me up. "Would it be ok if you and your family came with me to my office?" she asks Jeff as she looks around again. I don't like this idea; I didn't come her to be psychoanalyzed by some woman.
"Whatever." Jeff replies, being his normal passive self. It's the one thing I adore about him. I always get my way.
I stay being the three men as we all follow the doctor to her office. I came to visit Jeff, not play into whatever his family and this doctor thinks is wrong with him.
"So Jeff would you like to introduce your family?" The doctor asks.
"Uh sure," Jeff responds, starting with his father, followed by his brother Matt and leaving me for last. That's the way things always went in his life. I was always left for last.
The doctor shook our hands as Jeff introduced us. Then began to speak to us as if we were her patients as well, but we weren't. None of us belong her, not even Jeff. His stupid work thinks he needs to be here, they tell him he has a problem. The only problem Jeff has in his life is that job and his stupid friends.
"So Beth how long have you and Jeff been together?" the doctor asks, but I don't answer. I have nothing to tell her, none of her questions matter to me.
"We've been together for about 4 years now." Jeff says trying to make up for my silence.
Obviously she gets the hint and turns her stupid questions to someone else.
Author's Note: Hope you all like this one. If you do I will continue, if not I'll start my brain a working on a new one. Please leave a review and let me know. Thanks! xoxo Melissa
