Thank you again for all your reviews! Thanks The Cliffhanger Girl, Moxxy, degrassiluver15, RRsabi, CrissyChan350, danagirl3496, and Eclarexoxo for your reviews! I'm glad you guys are still enjoying this! Sorry for the less than frequent updates; school is driving me cuckoo bananas and I have not had time to think of this fic. But it's almost summer and I'm determined to finish this fic before I enter my senior year (at least have it all written out or planned). Read, review, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi.
Chapter Seven
After Eli and Scout ate their dinner that night, they had a long, serious talk about going to see the therapist; she was very upset at first, screaming and begging not to go. It took a while to get her to listen, but once he did, she sat quietly and heard what he had to say. He explained to her that seeing Katie was the best option; she whined and complained at first, but she soon came around. She was not happy about it; she was a bit scared and upset that she had to go, but Eli knew he was doing the right thing.
At least, that's what he told himself. It was hard disciplining Scout on his own, for he never knew when he was crossing the line or being too soft. The uncertainty kept him up at night along with the guilt of forcing Scout to go see Katie. He wanted her to be ready, but he knew that there was a chance that she would never be, so that gave him no choice but to take matters into his own hands.
The following Thursday, the two of them sat in the lobby quietly, waiting patiently for their doctor to come. Eli glanced around the room as Scout gazed at her shoes; his eyes soon rested on her and he noticed how pale her face was. He put a gentle hand on her back in comfort and she turned her head in his direction.
"Are you okay?" he asked her.
"I'm scared," she told him again, shaking her head.
"It's going to be alright," he promised her. "We're just going to meet Katie today; we're not going to talk about Mommy if you want to."
"But she might say something."
"She's not going to say anything about Mommy until you want to," he said to her. "And it's just for forty-five minutes; then we can go home and watch a movie."
"Toy Story?" she asked hopefully.
"Yes, Toy Story," he said.
A smile instantly broke out onto her face; she could not resist watching her favorite movie with her dad.
"Okay," she agreed.
He grinned at her happiness, but felt slight envy of her innocence; if only watching a movie could bring him peace of mind as quickly as it did to his daughter.
"Scout?" a voice then said; Eli looked up and saw the therapist standing in the doorway of her office. He stood on his feet, but Scout remained seated, looking terrified. Wishing that there was something more he could do for her, he held out his hand.
"It'll be okay," he told her softly and lovingly.
She clung to the edge of his hand and he held hers as they walked towards the young lady.
"Hi, Scout," the doctor said kindly once they were standing in front of her. "I'm Dr. Matlin, but you can call me Katie."
"Hi," she responded quietly.
"Do you and your dad want to come inside this room?" she asked.
"Okay," Scout said, wanting to get this over with.
Katie led them inside; it was a bit small, but it was not cramped. There weren't any windows, but the walls were a calming sky blue. There was a small table with a small chair that was big enough for children around Scout's age; behind the table was a sofa. Next to the door was a small desk and a chair was in front of it. In the corner was a small chest with puppets, toys, and various stuffed animals.
The three of them stepped inside the room; not wanting to leave her father's side, she sat next to him on the couch while Katie sat at her desk. She faced the father and daughter; Scout was looking down, clearly nervous as Eli looked at her and then at the woman who had a clipboard in her lap and a pen at the ready.
"Scout, the first thing I want you to know about me is that I'm here to be your friend, okay? Can I be your friend?"
Scout, who had learned that she should not become friends with people adults she did not know, looked up at Eli. He nodded at her, giving her consent.
"If you want," she agreed.
"Thank you," Katie grinned. "So, Scout, would you mind telling me a bit about yourself?"
"I'm six," she said.
"Really?" the doctor said with a small smile. "So that must mean you're in the first grade."
Scout nodded.
"Do you like school?"
"Yes, I have a very nice teacher."
"Yes, I know. Miss Edwards is a good friend of mine. Now, would you mind telling me a bit more about you?"
"Like what?" she asked.
"Well, just things about you. What do you like to do with your friends?"
Scout was quiet, not really wanting to tell Eli or this stranger that she did not have friends at school.
"Honey?" her father asked gently, wondering why she was not speaking. "Are you okay?"
She did not move or speak. Katie was too familiar with this situation; the poor child, who was deprived of a parent, was also deprived of friendship.
"You know, I've always thought that it can be hard trying to be friends with people sometimes. What do you think?" she asked the child.
Scout looked at her feet for a bit longer before nodding.
"I've tried making friends, but I get left out and they don't talk to me."
It was true; ever since she promised Eli that she would try to make new friends or become reacquainted with some old ones, they either ignored her or did not play with her for long. She remembered how she was on the playground last week and she saw a group of girls playing Duck-Duck-Goose at recess; she approached them, but they all ran from her when they saw her prepare to speak to them. She did not tell Eli, for she did not want him to start thinking that she did not want friends.
"That must be tough," Katie sympathized.
"A bit," Scout answered.
Eli sat there, shocked. Scout was the sweetest child he knew – and he was not being biased when it came to that – so how she was unable to make friends was a great mystery to him. It broke his heart knowing that people did not include her anymore; it was not right that she had to be without a mother and without friends too.
"Well, I'll be your friend," Katie said.
"Thank you," Scout said, smiling a bit more. Although she had met Katie two minutes ago, she was already taking a liking to her; she seemed really nice and she was not going to pass up on any chance of friendship.
"Alright, can you tell me other things you like?" Katie asked, trying to break the ice with her some more. "What's your favorite animal?"
"Hippos," she said quietly.
"Cool," Katie grinned.
"Are you afraid of anything?"
"Cars," she said so softly that it was amazing that Katie could make it out.
"Why are you afraid of cars?"
Scout quickly looked down, not wanting to reveal the truth; Julia was the reason and she did not want to admit to Katie. So far, Eli did not have any problem with what the therapist was doing; in fact, he was pleased that she was asking general questions to get to know Scout, but this was a dangerous territory. He knew how much of a delicate position she was in right now and he did not want to give her a reason to not come back here.
"Um . . . I think that's a question for another day," he said, hoping she would catch on. Katie nodded in understanding
"Never mind, Scout," she said. "We can talk about something else if you like."
"Okay," the child went along.
"What do you do for fun?"
"I like to draw. And color."
Nodding in interest, Katie turned to her desk and pulled out a box of crayons and a blank sheet of paper.
"How about you draw something for me while I talk to your daddy for a minute?"
"Okay," Scout agreed, never wanting to pass up and opportunity to draw if she could. "What do you want me to draw?"
"Anything you like," Katie permitted, putting the box of crayons and paper on the small table.
"I can do that," she grinned, sitting herself down at the table and taking a blue crayon from its friends.
"Alright, Mr. Goldsworthy, can I talk to you outside?"
"Sure," he said before turning to Scout. "I'll be right outside, sweetie."
Scout nodded, but was too busy focusing on her creation to notice Eli and Katie stepping out into the hallway.
"She must love her art," Katie said, smiling at the enthusiasm the girl had when she suggested drawing.
"It's her favorite thing," he said, his face melting into a solemn expression. "It's just that some of things she draws sometimes worry me."
"Yeah, Clare told me about some of the pictures."
"But I think that's how she's been able to cope, you know? Some people write, some play instruments, and Scout draws."
"Well, I highly encourage her to keep drawing if it helps her, but be cautious as to what she draws. Talk to her about it or come see me if it something out of the ordinary for her or if it worries you."
Eli nodded, determined to learn from these therapy visits as much as Scout.
"So . . . what are you thinking so far?"
"Well, she doesn't really seem to want to open up to me yet, so that's going to take a bit more time."
"Okay," he said in comprehension.
"I noticed that look you got in your eye when Scout said she didn't have any friends to play with; does that bother a lot or not so much?"
"A lot," he answered. "She's never had trouble making friends before, but since Julia died, she and her old friends grew apart and the other kids just tease her because she's always so sad. We talked a few weeks ago and she said that she didn't have friends, but she said that she would try," he explained. "But . . . I guess she's tried and people just . . ."
He took a breath, trying to keep himself calm. Katie caught on and nodded, showing him that he did not need to continue if you wish.
"Clearly, her mother's death has affected her, so maybe if she learns to cope with it, she can try making friends again."
"But what do we do until then?"
"Just be the best dad you can be and keep bringing her back. As for her fear of cars, it's going to take some time for us to help her get over that," she informed him. "And it's going require a lot of help and patience on your part."
"I'll do anything," he stated. Eli was, literally, willing to do anything in the universe if it meant his daughter could live a relatively normal and happy life again.
"That's good to hear you care about your daughter so much. Now if she keeps coming here for these sessions once a week, I think she'll soon lose her fear of cars and she'll learn to cope with her mother's passing."
After hearing these words, Eli was more determined than ever to bring Scout back here next week. It was evident to him that this woman could help and, if what she was saying was true, then Scout would gradually become who she used to be. But he knew, no matter how long they came to therapy, she was changed forever; she had lost her mother and that would leave a permanent scar.
"Have you seen many cases like Scout's?" he asked Katie.
"Unfortunately, I have," she nodded.
"And . . . have they all gotten better?"
Katie shrugged slightly.
"In most cases, but I rarely hear from many after they stop coming. But Scout's strong; I know she'll be okay."
Eli hoped that what she was saying was right and that his daughter would be happy again someday.
"Now, if you ever need anything like an extra appointment or if you ever need to talk one-on-one, don't hesitate to call," she informed him, handing him a small business card.
"Thank you," Eli said, accepting the card before the two of them returned to the office.
"Hi," Katie greeted, seeing Scout continuing to color a picture.
"Hi," Scout replied.
"What are you drawing?" the therapist asked.
"My mommy."
"Really?" Katie said, looking at the picture of the smiling woman with black hair. "She looks a lot like you."
"Except she has different colored eyes than me," Scout explained.
"Well, it's still a nice picture."
"Thank you."
Katie talked to Scout some more, but they only talked about what Scout liked and such; never did they address the issues in her life, which was a relief to her. She was beginning to like Katie very much and she did not want her opinion to change. After talking for at least another twenty minutes, their time was up and it was time for them to part.
"Scout, would you like to come back here to see me next week?"
Scout looked at Katie, then Eli, then back to Katie, and nodded.
"That's good," Katie smiled. "So I'll see you both here next Thursday?"
Scout nodded again while Eli said, "yes."
"Great," she said.
"Thank you," Eli said.
"Yes, thank you," Scout said.
"No problem," Katie said as they stood up and walked towards the door.
"Bye, Katie" the child said as she and Eli began to exit the building.
"Bye, Scout," Katie replied, waving goodbye until the door was closed.
The Goldsworthys were now outside in the cold air that the last week of November thrust upon them.
"Now, was that so bad?" he asked her.
"No," she shook her head tiredly.
They began walking away from the office and followed the sidewalk that would lead them to their home. After five minutes of walking, Eli noticed that Scout was moving slower and slower until he was practically dragging her by the hand.
"Tired?" he guessed, seeing her eyes.
Scout yawned and nodded.
"Alright then, how about we do this?"
He paused and took her in his arms before hoisting her up; she clung her legs to his torso, laid her head on his shoulder, and locked her hands behind his neck.
"I think it's an early night for you tonight," he said as they walked down the street.
"But can you still read me a bedtime story?" she asked.
Eli could not hold back a grin; if there was one thing that had not changed these last few months, it was Scout's love for the time the two of them had for bedtime stories. Since he barely saw her all day when Julia was alive because he was at work, he and his wife agreed that they would leave the traditional reading of stories to him and, despite all that has happened, that tradition has not fell through. It was one of the signs they both saw that told them life could be somewhat normal someday.
"You know what?" Eli said as they walked down the street. "You were so brave today, I'll read you two."
I've never seen a child therapist, so I just improvised and I hope that it's similar to what they really do. I hope to see you guys soon! Review!
