Thanks for the support!
Chapter Twenty-Six:
Reid watched as Iris stole the ball from Morgan and landed a perfect free throw.
"When are you going to stop going easy on me Derek?" she said.
"I'm not," Morgan said as he huffed. "You've got skills kid."
"I didn't play much while in the cult," she said. "I had to play soccer a couples time though. Yuck."
Morgan looked shocked.
"Talking about what happened doesn't trigger me," she said. "The difference between fifteen and three and not being held in a basement and allowed to interact with other people."
"It's her coping mechanism," Reid said quietly.
"What's on your mind, Spencer?" Iris asked. "Your head isn't in the game as much and don't blame Derek's presence."
"Gwen sent me a letter," he said. "She can't see me for a few weeks as Anna Duvall is plotting against her for refusing to take a job offer."
"God, women can be such bitches," Iris said.
"I'm sorry to hear that Reid," he said. "You're still recovering though and I don't doubt you'll find a way to make it work."
"Why does it feel like every good thing that happens to me leads to something bad also happening?" Reid asked.
"It's called life," Morgan said. "You've got to fight to make the positives count for more. Reid, you have also improved so much over the past couple months. I'm proud of you, man."
"Break up the love fest," Iris said. "We're only aloud outside for two hours. Let's make it last."
"I don't know if I can keep up," Morgan said as he chased after the ball.
"Too bad!" Iris said as she grabbed it and threw the ball from half-court.
…
Reid stood nervously in the gym in his t-shirt and shorts. It would be the first time he'd be working with a male counselor. This was a big step for him.
"Hello, Dr Reid," Dr. Adam Sanchez said. "Ready to get to work?"
"Sure," he said.
"We'll work on that enthusiasm," Sanchez said with a smile.
Sanchez was slightly younger than Reid with thick muscles and a head of blond hair.
"Let's stretch you out first," he said. "I won't touch you I promise. I'll just show you how to get limber to work out."
Reid followed along as he demonstrated various ways of moving muscles around.
"Let's get your hands wrapped and hit some bags."
He watched the way Sanchez wrapped his hands and did the same.
"Tighten those gloves," Sanchez said. "I can help you or you can use teeth to tighten the other one."
Reid opted to use his teeth.
They walked over to a free-standing bag.
"This is a jab and this is a cross," Sanchez said and demonstrated.
Reid hit the bag the way Sanchez did.
"Dr. Reid, the bag will only wobble, it won't hit you back. Hit it harder."
He hit with a little more force.
"Better," he said. "Again."
He hit it again.
Sanchez stepped in front of the bag.
"Dr. Reid what is holding you back?"
"I'm scared," he said. "I'm scared I won't get out of here. I'm scared I won't be able to make it work with my possible girlfriend. Every situation has the potential to trigger a flashback no matter how strong the medication or how much I meditate."
"Fight it," Sanchez said. "You don't have to live in fear. You can fight. I know you can, which is why you're working once a week with me now. Don't dismiss all your progress. Believe in yourself Dr. Reid, because so many people here do."
Sanchez stepped to the side. "Now hit the person who is hurting you the most. The person who is holding you back from being the best version of you."
Reid looked into the shiny black surface of the bag.
"Me."
He hit it twice with all his might. The bag actually moved a little and it made him jump.
"That's what progress looks like. Now do it again with equal force ten times."
Reid sighed.
"Progress takes effort in many different shapes, Dr. Reid," Sanchez said with a confident smile.
…
Ormes and Juno looked preoccupied when Reid came in for his therapy appointment.
"What happened?" he asked.
"This was a risk we knew we'd be taking on when you began a relationship with Gwen," Juno said.
"Unfortunately, it came to fruition," Ormes said.
"What happened?" Reid asked again.
"The press knows you're here Dr. Reid," Juno said. "Gwen warned us there'd be some blowback from her recent confrontation with Anna Duvall. Unfortunately, it fell on you."
"Will there still be outdoor activities?" Reid asked.
"We've beefed up our security around the perimeter," Ormes said. "I am working with the administration to make sure the lives of everyone here are not interrupted. So no, nothing is going to change."
"I'm sorry I brought this on you," he said.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Dr. Reid," Juno said. "This isn't the first time this has happened while I've worked at a facility. Unlike hospitals and other facilities, the staff is paid well to maintain the privacy of the patients here. Eventually, they do go away when they find there is no story."
"What if there is?" Reid asked. "What if visitors of other patients, I have interacted with talk-"
"Dr. Reid, the what ifs are for us worry about," Ormes said. "Every doctor here works with the other doctors to ensure the well-being of their patients. Trust, I know doesn't come easily, but you need to trust us to look out for you."
"I hate being the cause of trouble."
"No one said you were," Juno said. "Life is about facing obstacles head-on and handling them. We're handling the press while you focus on you. You're making great progress Dr. Reid, don't let the presence of the media ruin it."
"I won't," Reid said. "I want to make this work. I want a future beyond these walls."
"That's the spirit," Ormes said.
"Would you like to discuss your first session with Dr. Sanchez?" Juno asked.
"I guess I don't know my own strength," he said with a slight laugh. "Sanchez wants to keep pushing my momentum forward."
"Tell us more," Ormes said.
…
Reid's room faced a gated parking lot, so he couldn't see any of the media activity. He was still worried about the hassle this was going to cause for the staff and visitors alike. Despite Juno's assurances, Reid was still worried about leaks.
There was a knock on his door. He opened it to see Hal, one of his frequent trivia contest partners.
"They're playing Rise of Skywalker in the rec room tonight. You in?" he asked.
It was last movie he saw before he was abducted three weeks later in January. Reid played that movie back in his head more than a hundred times while in captivity. He was positively sick of it.
"This edition includes deleted scenes," Hal said.
Reid realized he needed to keep punching the version of himself easily triggered. He needed to keep fighting to be a better person, capable of one day living beyond the walls of Mercer. It was all about fighting to win.
"Sure," he said. "It sounds like fun."