Janet had now been seeing Dr. Maxwell for therapy for almost a month, and Brad had noticed slight changes in her as time progressed. She had almost no nightmares now and her flashbacks occurred much less frequently than they used to be. However, Janet still freaked out whenever she saw something that reminded her of that terrible night. Dr. Maxwell had suggested to both her and Brad that she confront her fears directly, starting with little baby steps. And that's what Brad and Janet were attempting to do that Saturday afternoon in the living room of their apartment.
"Okay Janet, are you sure you want to do this?" Brad asked.
"I think I can, Brad." Janet said.
Brad made his way into the kitchen and came back into the living room carrying a pink bag from Victoria's Secret. Janet started shaking as he began to reach into the bag to pull out the purchases he had made: a pair of fishnet stockings and a pair of black stiletto heels.
"Brad, no! I don't wanna see those!" Janet screamed as she buried her face into a pillow.
"You know you have to, Janet." Brad said.
"No, I'm too embarrassed to look at them!" Janet exclaimed.
"And you think I wasn't embarrassed to go into Victoria's Secret to get them?" Brad asked.
Janet forced a smile as she slowly peeled the soft pillow away from her face. Somehow, Brad always found a way to make a tense situation a little more relaxed. Still, she knew perfectly well that it would not be easy to get her used to being around things like fishnet stockings and stiletto heels without freaking out.
"Um, Brad. Just what do you plan to do with those once they're no longer needed?" Janet asked, pointing a shaking finger at the stockings and shoes.
"That's not important, Janet. Just take these and try to relax." Brad said as he handed Janet the fishnet stockings.
Still shaking her hand, Janet took the fishnets from Brad. She buried her face in the pillow again as she held the fishnets out away from her. How these things reminded her of Frankenfurter and his cross dressing look or even worse, those horrible floor show outfits she and Brad were forced to wear.
"Find a happy place, find a happy placeā¦" she kept repeating to herself as she pulled the pillow away from her face again and lowered the fishnets onto her lap.
"That's it, Janet. Just relax and keep repeating that." Brad said to encourage her.
Janet's hand slowly but surely stopped shaking as she kept a firm grip on the fishnets. As she looked at them, she was reminded of all the memories of that horrible night in the castle. She could still picture Frankenfurter walking around in his stilettos, fishnets, garter belt, and bustier, but she was surprisingly calm as she kept repeating to herself "Find a happy place, find a happy place."
"Well Janet, how do you feel?" Brad finally asked.
"I'm feeling a bit better, actually." Janet said, forcing a smile.
"Well that's good. Remember it's gonna take a while to get you used to doing this, but just keep trying and don't give up." Brad said.
"Thanks, darling. I appreciate your encouragement." Janet said, planting a kiss on Brad's lips.
"No problem, my dear Janet. No problem." Brad said, embracing Janet as she kissed him.
