Disclaimer: Everything familiar belongs to Ms. Evanovich and the creators of Criminal Minds.
Warning: Adult situations, adult language
Chapter 43: Saturday, August 27th, 1500-1700
Ranger's Estate
Dr. Karen Purpura's POV
The other night I received a call from my good friend and colleague, Dr. Tara Lewis. Tara is now working for the FBI and rarely calls to consult with me anymore. When she told me she needed my help, I was immediately intrigued. Tara began to tell me about Stephanie and Julie. Julie's case is straight-forward; help an adolescent teenage girl deal with the trauma of rape and losing her family before her eyes. Stephanie's case, though, is more complex. It seems that she never dealt with any of the trauma in her life in a positive fashion, slipping into denial and pretending it didn't happen. While that coping method is fine for minor incidents, with all her experiences since being a bounty hunter along with her multiple rapes and emotional abuse by her family and friends, she has a potentially long road to recovery. I'm excited to meet these two women. I semi-retired three years ago, only seeing a few long-term patients. I haven't taken a new patient in over ten years.
At the request of Carlos Manoso, Julie's father, and Stephanie's "friend," I am meeting with them at his home. I pull up to the house, and I am floored at the beauty of the home and the grounds. Mr. Manoso has money and a good sense of style. Nothing is overly showy or screaming, "look at me," but has an understated elegance and class.
I park my car and ring the doorbell. The door is answered by an older Hispanic woman. She greets me warmly, bringing me outside next to the pool. She asks me if I want a drink before leaving to get Mr. Manoso. When I see Mr. Manoso approach, I had to pause for a moment. This man is young enough to be my son, but he is handsome. I understand why Julie's apprehensive about having a woman as her therapist.
"Hello, you must be Dr. Purpura. Thank you for coming. My name is Carlos Manoso, I'm Julie's biological father, now, her only father. I've heard many wonderful things about you from Agent Lewis." He greets me.
"Mr. Manoso, the pleasure is all mine. After speaking with Tara, I knew I needed to help your daughter, and your friend Stephanie. However, can you tell me a little about Julie and your relationship with her?" I ask, especially considering the way he introduced himself.
"I met Julie's mother when I was young, nineteen. We fell in love, had sex and Rachel got pregnant. I was in the Army at the time, not yet ready to be a father, though I was looking forward to it. Rachel and I married, and when I returned home, I found Rachel with another man. I filed for divorce and Rachel blackmailed me into giving up my custodial rights to Julie. I have always financially supported Julie, even though I had no legal obligation to her and I helped Rachel out whenever she needed help. Three years ago, a man impersonating me kidnapped Julie. She killed him. Since then, I have tried to get to know my daughter better. I was planning to ask Rachel if Julie could stay with me over Christmas break. Since her mother and adoptive father are dead, I now have custody of Julie. She is, once again, my daughter."
"Do you know what happened to her that night?"
"Yes, we have a video of her assault. Do you want to watch it? It's graphic and difficult to watch."
"Yes. It will help. Then I won't have to make Julie rehash the experience if she doesn't want to talk about it." I reply.
Mr. Manoso pulls up the video on a tablet, and I watch it. I'm appalled at the level of brutality, at the expression on her father's face. By the time the video is over, I'm sick to my stomach and angry. I take a deep breath to calm myself.
"Mr. Manoso, I'm so sorry your daughter had to experience that pain and fear. I will do everything in my power to help her heal. Now, tell me about Stephanie Plum."
Mr. Manoso recaps Stephanie's life, telling me how an eight-year-old molested her when she was six, how that same boy raped her at sixteen on the floor of a bakery. When she was in college, she was gang-raped by her boyfriend and his friends before he showed her a video of the rape. He summarizes the Burg and her family, before highlighting her toxic relationship with a cop, who is the same eight-year boy from her childhood. He also tells me the horrible things he said to her over the years. Without meeting Stephanie, I know she's going to need my help.
"Mr. Manoso, I'd like to meet with Stephanie today, but I won't work with her until tomorrow if you don't mind. I'm going to need a few hours to start to get through her walls. Today, I want to focus on your daughter. Is that going to work for you and Stephanie?"
"Yes, Dr. Purpura, that would be fine." He replies. "I'll go get Julie."
Julie walks out to me, and she is beautiful, with her father's skin tone and eyes. As I continue to look at her, I see almost all her features from her father. I wonder what she has from her mother. I also watch her walk towards me, observing her body language. Her back is straight, her eyes are looking around the perimeter, she approaches with a maturity and confidence not often found in fourteen-year-old girls.
She approaches me, saying. "Good afternoon, Dr. Purpura. I'm Julie." While extending her hand.
I shake her hand, "Hello. You can call me Karen. It's a pleasure to meet you, though, of course, not under these circumstances. Are you looking forward to starting school next week?"
Julie looks momentarily surprised by my questions but then responds, "yes and no. I'm excited to get back into the routine, to see my friends, to start high school. But I'm not sure how my friends are going to react to me. After Scrog, I lost a few friends. Now that I'm damaged, I'm not sure. Part of me wants to leave Miami, but I feel if I leave that I'm taking the coward's way out."
"I understand. You've been through a lot. Many adults have not had your experiences. People will be unsure of how to approach you. Some will be afraid to mention it, others will be embarrassed, and some will blame you. I will tell you how to deal with those individuals in later sessions. For now, know that those people who truly care about you and love you as a friend will stand by your side. They will be curious, apprehensive, and cautious at first. They will take their lead from you. If you are acting withdrawn and introverted, they will respond in kind. If you are overly bubbly and friendly, they will be the same way. To those who you consider your closest friends, be yourself. Show them your feelings, share your thoughts. They will then know when you need a distraction, when you want to be alone, or when you are truly happy and content."
"Do you think boys will now think I'm easy? Do you think they will try to have sex with me?"
"They might, Julie. Do you know self-defense?"
"Yes. My bodyguards trained me, as per my father's request. I know several forms of martial arts. I can hold my own."
"Good. If anyone tries any funny business with you, use your training to get the upper hand. You have a right to say no. You have a right to reject someone. No one has the right to force their will on another person. Feel free to stand up for yourself. Loud and proud, Julie, loud and proud." I tell her.
"Dr. Karen, why did my parents hate me? I mean, my dad, Ron, just sat there, allowing those men to touch me and hurt me, my mom didn't try to fight for me. I don't understand. It's not my fault that I was born."
"That, Julie, we may never know. When did you stop feeling loved?"
"Well, when I was really little, I was the center of my parents' lives. I felt a lot of love. I guess it started when RJ was born, though if I think back, things changed a little after Joselyn's birth. I know it got worse once Ranger was out of active service. He would come around more often, and my mom would be annoyed. Then, after my kidnapping, things went downhill fast. My mom tried to get Papi to stop seeing me, but he wanted to develop a relationship with me. I was upset and scared, and I would call Stephanie to talk to her. Mom seemed to get upset with me talking to Stephanie, saying that I shouldn't be friends with a "gold-digging hussy." That's when she started shopping in the thrift stores for my clothes, school supplies, everything. My shampoo and soap came from the dollar store. My sister got Bath and Body Works, the Gap, Aeropostale, and Sketchers. I got Payless shoes. My parents went on several vacations, leaving us kids with Aunt Rita. I had to sleep on the couch, while RJ and Joselyn each had their own room. Joselyn offered to share a room with me, but Aunt Rita never allowed it."
"Do you know why your biological father, Ranger, allowed Ron to adopt you?"
"He told me once that he didn't want to let Ron adopt me, that he didn't want to give up his blood. He wanted me to have his name. But he said Mom forced him, that he had no choice. Papi told me someday when I was old enough, he'd tell me why. Then he said that he was glad that Ron adopted me. My last name being Martine instead of Manoso was safer for me, because no one would ever link me to him. I want to change my name to Manoso now that I'm living with Papi permanently."
"I think that's wonderful. I will talk to your father about why he relinquished his rights to you. I'll ask him to share his reasons with you. I think, with everything you've been through, you are mature enough to hear the reasons, and I think it may help you to heal.
"Now, for the nightmares, I'm going to prescribe a mild sleeping pill. When you are exhausted, your subconscious mind can play more havoc in your dreams. Not being able to sleep is fueling your nightmares. I want you to have a week of dreamless sleep, a week of sleeping at least seven hours each night. Eight hours a night is ideal. If you can get seven nights of good sleep under your belt, I think your nightmares will start to subside, and you'll be able to fight them on your own.
"Are you journaling your thoughts? That's another excellent way to curtail nightmares. Also, I want you to speak about how you feel. Don't try to keep yourself together for the sake of others. You are allowed to break down, you can cry. Everyone expects you to be emotional. Be emotional. The more you express yourself during the daylight hours, the better sleep will be for you at night. It is also a good idea to get back to some light exercise. I know you have a broken arm and some bruised ribs but find out if there are any physical activities you can do. Exercise promotes the production of endorphins, the feel-good hormones, that will help put you in a better mood."
"I am journaling. Dr. Serena told me to write in a journal. She also told me to try to think positive thoughts before bed, even as much as watching comedies or happy shows and movies."
I respond, "that tends to help younger patients more, but if it's helping you, then continue it. Anything that can put you in a good mood is beneficial. Tara told me that Serena flirted with your father and put down Stephanie. Is that true?"
Julie rolls her eyes before responding, "Yes, it is. Serena has a crush on Papi. She thought that Stephanie was too plain looking for Papi. Stephanie is the only person, besides me, who can make Papi smile and relax. She understands him better than I think he understands himself, but they are both stupid and blind. I mean, you would think that they would be married already. I know my Papi has been in love with Stephanie since at least the time of the kidnapping, and I know she loves him. You adults can be so confusing and complicated."
"You're right Julie. Adults do tend to complicate things, but often because of the things they experienced in their life. Your experiences, from the kidnapping to the rape, will influence decisions and actions you take in the future. You may not be consciously aware of how those events are affecting your life, but they will. You are getting therapy now, so soon after the event, will help to minimize the negative effects on the rest of your life. Had your father not gotten you help right away; these events would weigh more heavily on you."
"So, because Stephanie never told anyone about what happened to her, she is having issues now?" Julie asks for clarification.
"Yes. That is a strong possibility. Until I speak with Stephanie, though, I won't know for sure. Julie, I know that you want Stephanie to be a part of your life for the long-term, but you need to understand that she may not want that. Stephanie is a woman in her mid-thirties who isn't married. She has no children. It is difficult and tough for a woman to decide to become a mother. Usually, women start with a decision to conceive a child, then they are pregnant for nine months and can prepare to raise a child from birth. Taking on the role of mother to a fourteen-year-old is a completely different route. While some women prefer that, because they didn't have to deal with the baby and toddler stages, other women are scared. Becoming a mother overnight is scary. If Stephanie chooses not to stay with you and your father, it won't be because she doesn't love you. It will be because she isn't mentally ready to be the mother you want and need her to be. Julie, continue to develop a relationship with Stephanie, but don't try to pressure her. She needs to be able to decide on her own. You've expressed that you hope for her to stay with you long term and she knows that you accept her. Now, let her decide what will be best for her."
I watch disappointment spread across Julie's face. I know that isn't what she wanted to hear, but I don't know where Stephanie is mentally. From what Tara told me, she was sexually assaulted numerous times and was always told she was at fault. That is difficult. I have a feeling that Ranger might not have been forthcoming with her regarding his feelings. Most men in his position believe that they cannot have normal relationships. I've spent many years counseling military families, so I know what men like Ranger think. I only hope that I can help Stephanie to reach her full potential, and for the sake of Julie, realize that she can be a wonderful mother.
My time with Julie is over, and I say goodbye to her for now. As I am getting ready to leave, Ms. Plum comes to greet me as well as gather Julie for dinner.
"Dr. Purpura, it's nice to meet you. I'm Stephanie Plum. Please call me Steph or Stephanie."
"Hello, Stephanie, it's nice to meet you too. I hope you don't mind waiting until tomorrow to have our first session."
"No, I don't mind. You are allowing me to spend one last night in Denial Land. I'm afraid I'm going to have to return my keys." She says with a sad smile.
"Steph, I know it's going to be a difficult journey for you, but it's a necessary one for you to ever have a chance at owning your life," I tell her.
"I understand, Doctor, but I've been told otherwise so often in my life that I can't help but doubt that you are correct."
"Please call me Karen. Steph, I will help you on your journey. I promise you won't be alone." I reassure her. "I'll see you tomorrow at one o'clock. Does that work for you?"
"Yes, that's perfect. Let me show you out." Stephanie escorted me to the front entrance and shook my hand. I can see the determination in her eyes. I am confident that with my help Stephanie Plum will fly.