2.26: Board Mail
Friday, March 30th, 2012

Walking out of Janet's Boutique, Abigail headed for Mandalay Café to grab a few drinks. Before entering, she ran into Chelsea. "Chels… are you on break? I'm actually here with Melanie, Maggie, and Carly. Melanie has another fitting for her gown."

"The wedding is in a few months, right?"

Abigail nodded her head. "Yeah. There's still a lot we need to do before June."

Chelsea had heard some things about the wedding. "Nathan mentioned something to me about Melanie needing a new bridesmaid since Gabi is gone. It was kind of awkward, and he seemed really uncomfortable talking to me about it. It was as if he was trying to ask me for Melanie."

"Yeah, Melanie still needs a replacement," Abigail confirmed. "And they have thought about asking you. I'm guessing Nathan was testing to see if you had thoughts or feelings about doing it when he talked to you."

Chelsea gave her friend a skeptical look. "That would be too awkward, right? I mean, I was interested in Nathan before he met Melanie, and the fact that I was in a relationship with Max and Daniel doesn't help things either. It's probably best I stay away."

Abigail nodded her head knowing it would be too awkward if Chelsea was a bridesmaid, but a question popped in her head. "What happened with Max? I know he came back to Salem, but did you two work things out?"

Chelsea thought about what her mother told her concerning the secret she and Max were keeping from her and shook her head in disgrace. "I talked things out with Max and apologized for jumping the gun on believing he would sleep with my mom, but at that point it was too late. We were completely honest with each other about everything and realized we were both looking for a way out of the relationship because it was going nowhere. He still tried to convince me we could give it another try, but the damage had been done."

"I'm sorry, but maybe this was supposed to happen," Abigail suggested before another question popped in her mind. "Have you talked to Ignazio?"

Chelsea gave Abigail a look of bewilderment. "Was he looking for me?"

Abigail gave Chelsea a skeptical look. "Stop playing coy, Chels. You know why I brought up Ignazio. There's clearly something going on there, and you even told me he punched Max when Max first showed up."

Chelsea smiled as she replayed that moment in her head. Catching herself, she got serious again. "Ignazio and I are just friends, and I think that's where it should stay because I have so much other stuff going on… you know?"

Abigail agreed with Chelsea and then suddenly remembered something else. Pulling an envelope out of her purse, she showed it to her bff. "I got this in the mail from the ethics board. Apparently, they want me to come in so they can grill me about you and your ethics."

Chelsea didn't want to look the letter over because she had seen it before. "My grandma Kate got one as well. I don't understand why they want to talk to you though. I feel like my private life has been invaded and they want to question everyone I am close to."

"So you still have no idea why you are being investigated?" Abigail asked.

Chelsea shook her head as she thought about her bad choices over the last four months. "Not exactly. They haven't let me know what I have supposedly done wrong. I guess I will find out soon enough."

Abigail could see the guilt and worry seep into Chelsea's eyes. She encouraged, "Don't let the worry get the best of you. You have done nothing wrong, so this will all be over soon. I'll clear that up for you when I talk to them."

Chelsea exhaled deeply and saw Dr. Brown sitting at a table waiting for her. "Thanks. Sorry to cut this short, but I'm meeting someone for lunch, and I just spotted her."

Abigail looked around to see who Chelsea was meeting with but didn't recognize anyone. "It's fine. I need to grab a few drinks to take back to the boutique. If you need anything, let me know."

Chelsea pulled Abigail into a hug. "Thanks, Abby." After letting go, they said their goodbyes. Chelsea headed to the table and announced herself. "Good afternoon, Dr. Brown."

Dr. Brown looked up and smiled at Chelsea. "Chelsea Brady…" Standing up, she shook Chelsea's hand, and motioned for her to take a seat. "You can call me Joselyn. I told the waitress to give us a few before coming over to take our order."

Chelsea tried to calm her nerves by tossing her hair back. "Sounds good. So you've been in Salem for how long?"

"Off and on for the last seven years," Joselyn shared. "I had a private practice going just outside of Salem, but I moved back to Salem after I was offered a position at Salem University Hospital as well as the ethics board – I have said a mouthful. I apologize. It's been a while since I have had conversation with a professional close to my age."

Taken back somewhat by Dr. Brown's openness, Chelsea had to take a moment before responding. "It's okay. I am in the same boat as you. I took a break from practicing to help the family, but I moved my licensure here for when I decided to go back to work. You may already know about that though since you're on the licensing board."

Joselyn simply nodded. "I take it you're concerned about having to go before the board."

"Sorry to be frank here, but shouldn't I feel that way? I don't even know what was reported," Chelsea said hoping to get some answers.

Noting how the uncertainty affected Chelsea, Joselyn attempted to ease Chelsea's fears. "I'm sure you haven't done anything wrong if you don't know what it could be, so relax, take a deep breath, and don't let this get to you." Once she had calmed Chelsea, she continued, "Unfortunately, there are a lot of therapists who do things unethically who should have lost their licenses, but the board is not on a witch hunt. We will hear everything and figure things out. You will be fine if you haven't done anything unethical."

Chelsea tried to stay calm and felt slightly embarrassed with the way she lost herself in front of Joselyn. Even though she had secretly wondered if somehow the board got word of what she did to Dario, it still didn't make sense to her. "Have you ever met a therapist who should never practice?"

Joselyn took a moment before answering. "There was a woman – she was sort of a mentor to me in some ways. Anyway, she was really respected by most of Salem, but at some point she lost her way. She did things she shouldn't have done, but she no longer lives in Salem. If she came back and started practicing again, I'd worry for her clients."

Before Chelsea could ask any questions, a waitress came out to take their order. As Joselyn told the waitress what she wanted, Chelsea wondered who the woman Joselyn was referring to and questioned the possibility that she may know the person. When it was her turn to order, Chelsea smiled at the waitress and told her what she wanted. Turning to Joselyn, she wondered why Joselyn wanted to have lunch with her.