"Etta…" Kendall said as he stared at her. "I don't remember…finishing…last night. Did I turn into Keith?" he asked and Etta just let out a long sigh.
"Yeah, you did…" Etta said as she looked away from him for a moment before turning back towards him. "Kendall, is there something else you want? You know the truth about your father, but Keith said you wanted something more."
"I'm not sure…" Kendall said as he sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Etta, if I hurt you last night, I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"
"No. I hurt you…" she said and Kendall looked confused. "Have you looked at your wrists?" she asked and he did. Kendall stared at the small finger-shaped bruises on his wrists.
"You did this to me?" he asked in an amused tone and Etta looked down in shame. "Keith must have had a weak spot for you."
"Something like that…" Etta said as she dreaded thinking about the sex with Keith. She felt as if she was losing her mind. Suddenly, she saw Kelly walking with the guys.
"Oh, I have to go. We have rehearsal today. Will you be by here later?" Kendall asked and Etta nodded. "Okay…I'll see you later." he said before kissing her on her cheek and leaving. Etta, left the hotel to consult with Dr. Mulligan.
"Dr. Mulligan? Do you have a moment?" Etta asked and he nodded. She walked into his office and closed the door behind her.
"Any new development on Kendall's case?" Dr. Mulligan asked and Etta let out a long sigh and Dr. Mulligan waited patiently for her response.
"Last night…Kendall and I…had sex." she said as she watched her professor shift uncomfortably in his chair. She knew he was still a little uncomfortable around her ever since she found out about his crush on her.
"Etta, I know it's not my place to speak on such things, but…you have to be careful. You're letting this case consume you and I can tell you're on the verge of losing your own mind."
"I know, but…I really care about Kendall. I hate to see him like this. I don't know what I was thinking last night. I know he's not completely better, but…it's one of the things that just happened. I lost control, but I'll try to have better control in the future."
"Well, I'm glad to hear that. I know Kendall is a young man you have grown to care about rather quickly, and I'm not saying you shouldn't. There have many cases I've studied that have tugged at the heartstrings, but you have to have a somewhat professional distance."
"I know…" Etta said with a nod. She didn't know how she was going to view Kendall in a distant light when she had sex with the guy more than once…even when he was Keith.
"Now, tell me how the emergence went last night." Dr. Mulligan said as he leaned closer to her as he rested his chin on his fist.
"In the middle of the sex, Keith emerged. I don't know how, but when he did, I was so angry. I couldn't stop myself and I grew to frustrated that I tried to force Keith to leave. He didn't. He just said that Kendall wants something more than just knowing the truth. I spent practically all night trying to figure out what that 'something more; meant."
"Something more?" Dr. Mulligan said out loud, but he was staring out into space with a quizzical expression on his face. "His father!" he said in a moment of epiphany. "Kendall still wants to see his father in person. As a kind of closure of some sort. Etta, if he meets his father, that could very well be the start of the merging of alters."
"I have to talk to his mother. I have to find out where his father is and how we could reunite them." Etta said as she fished for her phone, but Dr. Mulligan stopped her.
"I think it would be best if you talk to Kendall first. We don't want it to be a surprise. We can't take any chances with the unpredictable. If he knows about it prior to this occurrence, then maybe he can be in control of his alters and neither Keith nor Kendra will emerge."
"Okay…I'll talk to him tonight." Etta said and Dr. Mulligan let out a worried sigh. "I'll be careful. I promise. I'll tell him about your theory as gentle as I can. Honestly, I'm tired of seeing Keith. I wanna talk to Kendall."
"I want you to talk to Kendall, too. I apologize, but I have a student coming in for a meeting to discuss a paper in ten minutes."
"Oh, it's fine. I'll let you know what happens." Etta said as she left his office. She sent a text to Kendall asking him what time she should be at the hotel. In the meantime, she was going to do a little research on her own of Kendall's father.
Later that night, Etta and Kendall were sitting in his hotel room eating pizza and watching a movie. Etta could barely concentrate on the movie because she was so nervous about telling Kendall that perhaps he wants to meet his real father.
"Etta, what's wrong?" Kendall asked before pausing the movie. "Be honest with me, Etta. If I hurt you, you have to tell me."
"Kendall, you didn't hurt me. And I'm not upset about that. I spoke with Dr. Mulligan today and I told him that Keith emerged last night. We believe that if you actually met your real father, you would be closer to healing. Dr. Mulligan feels as if this would be some kind of closure you need to begin the healing process and Keith and Kendra won't appear."
"If I see him…will you know for sure that I'll be okay?" Kendall asked and Etta sighed. "I won't ever be okay, will I?"
"You will, Kendall. It's just…you're going to need more therapy beyond what Dr. Mulligan has provided. I think you should find a psychologist and a psychiatrist in California when you leave. You need to start medication. At least, I think that's recommended."
"What if I turn into Keith or Kendra and I can't fight my way out? What if I'm this way for the rest of my life? I can't be this way, Etta. I can't be a monster like Jack."
"You're not a monster, Kendall. You're just sick. I know what a kind person you are and I know you're still that guy. Your alters, especially Keith, is an interpretation of how your mind views your father. You saw him being a monster towards your mom, so that's is what Keith is based off of. Kendra could possibly be a manifestation of your mother. I can't say for certain."
"What if I meet this guy and he doesn't even remember me? I'm so…scared of what I might do. Of who I might turn into."
"I know, but if this can help you, you should do it. Facing this is one the most difficult things you can ever do. If you can get past this…I'm sure you can get past anything."
"Thank you, Etta…" Kendall said as he grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. "For everything. I don't know what I'd be without you. I don't know how long this would've lasted without you. Keith could still be in control…"
"That would be scary…" Etta said with a shiver as she thought about how evil Keith was and how she had dealt with him. "I keep wondering if he would even exist if your mom had told you the truth earlier in life."
"I wonder the same thing…" Kendall said as she held her and continued the movie. He wondered what his life would be like if he grew up knowing Jack Fosters was his dad.