Note: This story is one I should focus on more, because The Raccoons is a really underrated show. I don't think that I can watch the reboot, even if I didn't have the fortune of growing up in the 80s where the original one aired. Before we move on, I want to say something to two new reviewers in this story.
Joel Robert Dayton: Believe me, this will get worse before it gets better. However, the family won't let Lisa feel bad forever, so she's lucky to have them.
Yamagata: This has nothing to do with Raccoon City, believe me. If you aren't familiar with the show, there are plenty of clips online. I think that the creator even released the entire series on DVD in English. Nonetheless, I hope that you enjoy the story.
I also want to thank Ron Broadfoot for putting two ideas in my head: Bentley thinking about Annie Ringtail (the little girl who looks like Lisa) and taking a therapy session. Okay, now that I've cleared that up, let's go to chapter eight.
Chapter 8: Processing
Bentley was in his room, typing away at his computer. He had heard that Lisa had collapsed at the Blue Spruce Café, so he was concerned. His older sister had already been raped a month ago, so it was possible that she might have hemorrhaged, or worse, had a heart attack. Whatever the case was, Lisa was at the hospital, but was coming home with Bert. The older raccoon volunteering to help the young woman home caused Bentley to get suspicious. He wanted to assume that Bert was the rapist, but that thought quickly left his head. After all, the boy's friend didn't seem like the kind of guy who would commit a heinous crime like sexual assault.
However, Bentley wasn't just thinking about what happened to Lisa. Through the month, Bentley was thinking about someone else in particular: Annie Ringtail. Annie was a friend of his from school, so they knew each other. Bentley thought about going out with her when they got older, even hoping that she wasn't taken. The little boy couldn't help but smile when he saw her. Annie would often smile back as a clear show of love to her friend.
Stopping his typing, Bentley's thoughts became dark. He imagined that him and Annie were older (roughly College age) and that Annie went through what Lisa had went through. He had no idea what to say to her. Like what happened with his sister, Bentley felt troubled by this. The young raccoon's thoughts weren't helping him in the slightest. He sighed, being reminded of the nightmare that he had.
I'm at a loss of what to say. Bentley thought to himself, If I can't comfort Lisa as well as Bert, and save a girl I like from going through what Lisa had, I might as well be chopped liver. This entire month has been a nightmare, none of it feels real. When Lisa comes home, I'm going to tell her about how I feel.
Lisa stepped into Bentley's room, holding her stomach.
"You're home." Bentley said.
"Why didn't you come down to greet me?" Lisa asked.
"I was busy." He softly stated.
"What's wrong?" The older female asked.
"I should have stayed behind and helped you." The little boy said.
"There was nothing much you could do, Bentley." Lisa stated.
"I know," Bentley sighed, "but I feel like everything's my fault. I feel so guilty, and I didn't do anything wrong. This guilt might even consume me."
"You have a lot of friends," Lisa said, "you could talk to them about it."
"But what do I say?" Bentley asked, not wanting anyone to insult Lisa when he talked about her.
"Tell them it's a personal thing." The older female stated.
"Good idea." He said.
Bentley then found himself being given a hug by Lisa. She then let go, walking to the doorway.
"Mom and Dad asked me if I could tell you that you had an appointment tomorrow." Lisa stated.
"An appointment?" Bentley asked, "With who?"
"Someone that you can talk to when you feel like it." She answered.
"By the way, how's your therapy going?" Bentley asked.
"Great," Lisa said, "but I think that the doctor I see is boring."
"That's unfortunate." The younger male said.
"You bet it is." The older female responded.
"Goodnight, Lisa." Bentley said.
"Goodnight, Bentley." Lisa said as she left the room.
Bentley fell asleep after he put his computer away. He found himself undisturbed as he slept, given how he was going to see a shrink tomorrow.
When morning came, Bentley found himself walking down to his therapy appointment. Before he left, he had to call Bert and tell him that they couldn't hang out today. He half-expected Bert to sound upset, but the normally goofy older raccoon didn't mind. The two were concerned about Lisa the most, after all. While walking down to the therapist's office, Bentley saw Annie sitting next to a soda machine.
"Hi." Bentley greeted.
"I heard about what happened to your sister," Annie said, "is she okay?"
"I honestly don't know anymore." Bentley sighed, "That's the problem: I barely know what to do. My sister's a rape victim and I couldn't do anything to help her."
"Where are you off to?" Annie asked.
"Therapy." The boy answered.
"Do you want to hang out when you get done?" The girl asked.
"Sure." Bentley smiled.
"See you later!" Annie said as Bentley continued on his way to the therapist's office.
Bentley walked into the office and sat down on a chair. He patiently waited for two minutes until a brown wolf wearing a pink jacket walked into the room.
"Bentley Raccoon?" The wolf asked.
"That's me." He answered.
"I'm Dr. Linda O'Donnell," the wolf said, "the therapist that your parents told you to visit. Come with me, sweetie."
Dr. O'Donnell lead Bentley to a room with two chairs and a couch. Once they were in there, the two sat down.
"So Bentley," Dr O'Donnell spoke, "how are you today?"
"I'm fine." Bentley said.
"I've been hearing rumors that your sister, Lisa, was sexually assaulted and raped, is that right?" The wolf asked.
"Oh, who hasn't heard about Lisa's attack?" Bentley asked rhetorically.
"How do you feel after hearing about it?" Dr. O'Donnell asked.
"I don't know what to feel." The young raccoon sighed, "I feel both angry and sad. I haven't really felt like this since that lake got polluted. I also feel like I'm drowning in guilt, and I'm not even the guy who did this to Lisa."
"Did your sister get an STD like AIDS or syphilis?" Dr. O'Donnell asked.
"The hospital didn't say if she tested positive for anything." The young raccoon honestly answered.
"What about everyone else in the family?" The wolf therapist asked.
"Everyone's in a state of shock," Bentley answered, "but they're fine. It's just Bert I'm worried about."
"Who is Bert?" The older woman asked, "Is he a relative?"
"He's a family friend." The little boy stated, "The main reason I'm worried about him is because he got angry when he heard about Lisa's rape. He was screaming and talking about how he would find the rapist and attack him. I find it shocking because Bert rarely gets angry. He didn't even get angry when I broke his arm on accident."
"You broke his arm?" Dr. O'Donnell was surprised.
"I hit him with a stick." Bentley looked down, "I was taking martial arts lessons at the time. I still am, but I decided to use my skills for self-defense like my teacher, Schaefer, told me to."
"That's interesting." The lupine therapist stated.
"Yeah," the young raccoon said, "I kinda wish I used my martial arts against the guy who attacked Lisa."
"Is there anything else on your mind?" Dr. O'Donnell asked.
"I'm also thinking about going out with a girl named Annie." Bentley lie down.
"Is she your childhood sweetheart?" The wolf asked.
"She's a friend for now, Doctor." The raccoon answered.
"Bentley, we're going to do something in the time we have left." The lupine therapist stated.
"What is it?" He asked.
"I want you to draw something that expresses how you feel." Dr. O'Donnell said as she handed her patient a notepad.
"Okay." Bentley said as he got out a pencil and started to sketch. After ten minutes, he stopped drawing and put the pencil back. A timer began to ring.
"And our time is up." Dr. O'Donnell said, "Thanks for coming, Bentley."
"You're welcome." Bentley said as he handed her the notepad.
"I'll see you next week." The lupine said.
"So will I." The younger male said prior to leaving the room.
When Bentley was gone, Dr. O'Donnell looked at the boy's drawing. She couldn't help but smile at the illustration. Carefully removing it from the notepad, the lupine therapist put Bentley's art on the wall. The drawing itself portrayed Bentley and his family and friends huddled around Lisa. Lisa was laying in a bed while everyone looked at her. Near the bottom of the page was text saying "For my family (especially my sister), Bentley".
Note: It's cute for Bentley to draw such a thing. It shows us that he feels somewhat better after talking with Dr. O'Donnell. I decided to include a reference to an episode called "The One That Got Away!" in order to show some connection to the show itself. If you're reading this, mjames577, I know that rape is a subject no one wants to talk about, but it happens. The best you can do for a victim is to comfort them and simply talk to them. What did you guys think about this chapter? Let me know when you leave a review or give a constructive criticism. Until next time guys, peace!