Oops, I Did It Again Chapter 3

The door opened and Jane's mouth dropped slightly. The most beautiful woman she had ever seen was standing there in a very form fitting dress and what looked like four-inch heels. Jane almost didn't hear when she called her name, "Jane Rizzoli," the beautiful woman stated as she held the door open. Jane was the only one in the waiting room so it was easy to deduce that she was in fact Jane Rizzoli.

"Yes, I'm Jane Rizzoli." Jane stated as she rose to walk over to the opened door.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Dr. Maura Isles." She extended her hand to shake Jane's hand. Jane shook her hand and Dr. Isles continued, "Please come in and have a seat in whichever chair you would like."

Jane being the smartass that she is known to be to all that know her, sat down in the chair behind the desk. She waited to see if the expression on the doctor's face would change. When it didn't, she got up and moved to a comfortable looking chair in the room. She didn't want to sit on the couch. Dr. Isles moved to sit down behind her desk and then changed her mind and went to the other comfy chair close to where Jane was sitting.

She smiled at Jane and started their conversation. "I have been assigned to work through the anger management course with you. I have read the report that was given to me yesterday and I was saddened to read that you punched a coworker and broke his nose." Jane made a scowling face and Dr. Isles continued, "However, reading the comments he said to you, I guess he is lucky that is all you broke. Is it okay if I call you Jane?"

"Please, that is my name after all."

"Yes, it is and mine is Maura if you would like to call me that instead of Dr. Isles or doctor. Although I am trained in anger management you are the first person that I will be working with. Actually, you are the only person I will be working with."

"So, you are a newbie to this and I am your guinea pig?" Jane asked concerned why they would give her a brand-new therapist.

"I might be new to anger management therapy but trust me I am quite capable of treating you for your anger management issues. I have taken extensive training and have far exceeded all of the requirements to be an anger management therapist. I just didn't want to take on any anger management patient until I read your file. I probably shouldn't be saying this but I was angry when I read your file. The continued insults that he said to you would make anybody angry. My job is to teach you how to recognize and deal with your anger issues. I am required to see you a minimum of 11 times for one hour each. If you choose longer than we can do that."

"Not to shorten your speech doc, but the less I have to be here the better. I feel Crowe deserved what he got. He had been going on for months and I reached my boiling point. I couldn't take it anymore."

"Yes, I gathered that from the report. He seems like a vile man, but we are here to discuss you and how I can help you get through your anger. Would you like a coffee. Someone from BPD made sure to put a note in your file that you live on coffee and without it you don't function as well. I believe their direct quote was, 'you have coffee running through your veins instead of blood.'"

"Oh, they know me so well. Yes, I would love a coffee but can we step out of the office for coffee. I think I would do better if we could maybe talk on a park bench instead of an office."

"Well, that is definitely not the normal approach for a therapy session but I am game. I will bend the rules. There is a coffee shop right around the corner and there is a park across the street from it. So, let's go get a coffee and walk across the street and find a quiet bench so we can talk. I still need to ensure our conversation is private. Let me tell my staff. You are my last patient today so it shouldn't be an issue. If something comes up, they have my cell number."

"Thanks doc." Jane rose when the doctor rose to tell her staff about the change in plans. Maura was only gone for about a minute and then she came right back in.

"Okay Jane, let's go get you that coffee." Maura escorted her to the back door which they used as an exit so patients didn't see one another. They walked side by side and Jane opened doors as they approached them. She had seen the coffee shop so she knew where they were going.

At the coffee shop Jane ordered a plain black coffee and Maura ordered a peach flavored tea. "I don't drink more than one or two cups of coffee a day and none after noon."

"Oh, I can drink coffee morning, noon and night. As you said it runs through my veins."

They doctored up their drinks and then walked outside so they could find a bench to sit and chat. "Don't you need to be writing things down doc?"

"Yes, and I will when I get back to the office after you leave."

"Won't you forget things?" Jane said as they approached a bench that would be perfect for their conversation. Jane made sure the bench was clean for the doctor before she allowed her to sit down.

"No, I remember my conversations for a while so I will be fine. I will write all pertinent information down when I get back to my office."

"That is impressive." Jane stated.

"I am rather proud of that capability. Now, to get back on track, I understand this class is mandatory for you, how can I make this experience more pleasant for you?"

"Doc, you are already doing that by allowing me to have coffee and meet with you outside. If we continue this way, I will not have problems meeting with you."

"Well, that is good to know. I want you to feel comfortable and feel like you can talk to me about your feelings."

"I normally do not talk to people about my feelings. I guess to make this successful I need to open up a bit, just give me some time. As I get more comfortable meeting with you, I should be able to open up. Right now, you are practically a stranger and I don't divulge my feelings to strangers."

"That is understandable, is there something I can do to aid in the process of not being a stranger to you?"

"Actually, you have been doing it already, you are sharing with me. I mean I know we are not supposed to become friends or anything but being friendly helps. Maybe if you tell me about why you became a therapist and share a little bit of your background it will even out the playing field."

"The playing field?"

"Ya, you know, you have my file so you know my background and stuff and I know very little about you."

"Oh, I understand now. Sorry I am not that great at social clues, I am still learning. I was born in Boston and left when I was ten years old to attend boarding school in France. After completing my studies in France, I returned to Boston to attend BCU and then Harvard University Medical School. After completing my residency in New York, I joined Médecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and spent one year in Ethiopia and another year in Kenya. I then accepted a position at San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (SFGH) in California. At that time, I wanted to pursue being a medical examiner but I ended up spending more time in the ER. After three years I had enough and decided I needed a change. My mother flew out to California and we reviewed all of my options. She knew I had minored in psychology as I have always been fascinated by how the brain works and why people are the way they are. She encouraged me to look at other options for my medical training and so I returned to Boston and took a few additional psychology courses and became a therapist and with that here I am."

"Wow, that is impressive. That is a lot of schooling. How old are you if you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't mind, I am just under four months older than you. I may have neglected to say that I excelled in my school work and graduated years ahead of schedule in all of my schooling."

They continued talking and drinking their beverages as Jane shared about her family and the struggles she had growing up. Before they knew it their hour was up. Jane liked her and figured it wouldn't be that bad coming back each week and talking with her especially if they could grab coffee and talk in the park. Maura went over deep breathing techniques with her and told her to try it if she found herself getting upset over something and to let her know the next time they saw each other if the technique helped her at all. Jane felt calm and relaxed with her. She was happy when Maura agreed to meet her at the coffee shop the following Wednesday at 3:30 and said from there they would walk to the park together.