(Well, this is the first time I'm 'back in the saddle' writing in 4 months. Let's see how my style has changed. I have lots of good ideas, and can't wait to share them with you guys. Enjoy!)

I do not own Doki Doki Literature Club, nor do I own any of the characters portrayed within this story.

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Natalie went up to get in the shower 'as quick as possible', so while I waited for my turn to get in, I got the pamphlet from the dining room table and flipped through it. There were a lot more therapist offices around here than I thought. There were four of them, all varying in rating and distance, according to the pamphlet at least. One of the offices caught my eye though – an office where the therapist's name is Dr. Frazier. Dr. Frazier was the doctor who helped Nat when she was in the hospital. Could it be the same guy? It's likely, and we did like that doctor, so that's the one we'll probably go with. Unfortunately it was one of the furthest away ones, but it had a good rating.

I'll mention it to her when she gets out of the shower, I thought.

I went up to my room and gathered my things together. I'm the type of person that has to get their outfit together before I get in the shower. It would probably be better for me to take my clothes in with me anyways that way Natalie could have my room to get dressed and do her hair and whatnot, and I wouldn't be in the way. I grabbed a pair of dark blue jeans, and a black long sleeve shirt on top, along with the other usual things like socks and boxer briefs as well.

It only then dawned on me that I probably shouldn't be upstairs while Natalie is in the shower, I wouldn't want her to walk out in just a towel and get spotted by me. It would give her the wrong idea. I grabbed my stuff I got together, and walked by the door to go down the stairs. I knocked on the door as I walked by.

"Hey Nat," I said through the door. "whenever you're done, use my room to get ready. I'll be downstairs, and I already have my stuff together, so just give me a holler when you're out of there."

"Okie dokie!" She yelled back.

I went back downstairs and sat on the couch, when I caught glimpse of my bookbag. I realized I both hadn't read anymore of The Haunting of Hill House that Ada gave me, or even started the Dragon Ball Z manga that Naomi gave me. I figured since I was already ahead with Ada, I could start on the manga. Manga is a little easier to read anyways, considering its mostly pictures complemented with the writing and dialogue on top of it.

I got through about half of the book before Natalie's voice rang out from upstairs, "Alright, I'm out!"

I marked where I left off (with a piece of paper, not by creasing the page, remembering Naomi's threats) and careful slipped it back into my bag.

As I walked into the still steamy, feminine smelling bathroom, I shut the door behind me, set my stuff down, and got undressed. It seems Natalie brought her own shampoo and everything. I'm not necessarily surprised, but I also didn't expect it. It's normal that a woman wouldn't want to smell like man, it makes sense. Although she lived a messy lifestyle, she was very hygienic. I can't remember a time when she smelled bad, she always smells good, has clear skin, and so on. Although she has suicidal tendencies, she at least takes care of herself pretty well. Hygiene wise.

I finished up in the shower, got dressed, and dried and brushed my hair. I stepped out of the bathroom, walked down the hall, and knocked on my bedroom door.

"You can come in!" Natalie's voice said through the door.

I opened up the door, put my dirty laundry in the hamper, walked over to where I keep my deodorant and cologne, and put those on. Natalie was doing her hair in my mirror, and had on some leggings and a lightly shaded pink t-shirt. I could see she had taken off her bandages. She still had a decent amount of bruising, but it wasn't bleeding, which was both a relief and surprising considering how recently she acquired that injury.

We made eye contact through the reflection.

"Whatchya looking at?" She asked, continuing to fix her hair.

"O-Oh, nothing. I was just seeing what you were doing." I didn't want to tell her I was looking at her neck, I didn't want to make her self-conscious about it.

"I'm going to try and cover what I can of my neck with foundation or something. I don't want anyone to stare…" She said. It seemed she was already self-conscious about it.

"Nobody is going to stare, you don't have to be embarrassed about it. Plus, we aren't really going to be in public that much, just in my car, then the therapist's office. Unless you wanted to go do something afterwards." I imply to her.

"Maybe we could do something, but I'm okay with hanging out at home too!" She left off, then continued. "Speaking of which, did… did you pick out a therapist?" I could tell she still didn't want to do this, but she knew I wasn't really going to let her not go, at least not without a fight. She did make a promise.

"Well, there were four in total, but one that caught my eye was one that had a doctor with the name 'Dr. Frazier'-."

"That's the same name as the guy from the hospital." Natalie interrupted.

"-Right, which is what I was getting to." I said with a chuckle.

"O-Oh, sorry…" She said quietly.

"It's alright. It may not be him, it could possibly be someone he's related to, or even just a coincidental same last name. Anyways, it has the highest rating, which is another good thing. But the only downside is it's the farthest away. Are you alright with a little bit of a drive?" I asked.

She thinks for a minute, then asks,

"How far away is it?"

"According to my phone, about a fifty-minute drive."

"Eh, that's alright. As long as you're okay with it, you're driving, not me, hehe. Plus, if it's a drive with you, I can manage it." She smiles at me.

"Alright, it's settled then, we'll go to that one. I'll call and make an appointment for as soon as possible today." I smile back to her, poking her in the side, which makes her giggle. "I'll be downstairs making the call if you need me, alright?"

"Okay!" She says.

I went downstairs, and found my phone on the couch, where I had accidentally left it earlier. I copied the number into my phone, and made the call. Luckily, they had an opening for about an hour and a half from now, which was perfect. We could leave in about forty minutes or less. I went back upstairs to tell Natalie the good, or not-so-good news.

"We have an appointment in an hour and a half." I tell her.

She meets my gaze in the reflection, looks away, and mutters "Okay…"

"It'll be fine, I'll be there with you, and it won't be that long. Right?"

"That's not… entirely it…" she says quietly.

"What is it?" I ask.

She's quiet for a little bit, but meets my questioning gaze and gets red in the face before finally giving me an answer.

"I'm already worried about it, but I don't want to waste somebodies time with my own petty issues. It's selfish. I'm not worth his time…"

"Okay, first of all, they get paid to listen to people's problems, Nat," I gave a light laugh. "And also, it's not selfish, nor are they 'petty'. Your problems are just as important as anyone else's. You're worth all the time in the world."

She keeps her eyes off me, quietly brushing out her hair still.

I walked up behind her, gently pushed her hand down from her head, and gave her a hug from behind, looking at her reflection.

"I promise you, you're worth it. Don't let anything make you think otherwise."

She stares at me through the mirror, then turns her head to look at me, then turns the rest of her body around to give the hug back.

"…Y-you're worth it too… thank you…" she buries face into my chest. I lightly run my hand over her back and drop my arms down around her waist.

"You smell nice…" she says quietly, loosening her grip around me.

"Uhm, thanks?..." I say.

Her knees buckle, and I catch her, holding her up.

"Woah, hey, are you alright?" I ask.

"You're really warm and comfy, its making me sleepy…" She says, in a quiet voice.

"Oh my goodness, you are too precious for this world." I tease her. She really is effortlessly adorable. I sat her down on my bedside. "Am I gonna be able to hug you in public and stuff without you falling asleep on me like this?"

"Hehe, I'm sorry." She slowly stands back up, and goes back to brushing her hair, and getting ready. I said that as a way to get an answer about the 'what are we' question, but didn't quite get an answer. Oh well. I stayed in the room to keep talking to her while she got ready.

The rest of the time before we got in the car we spent talking about things like the literature club, and how we at some point have to tell her mom about everything that's going on. After she finishes with her hair, puts on some socks and shoes, and covers what she can of the bruises on her neck, we head downstairs. We both grab a hoodie of mine since it was little colder out today, and Natalie didn't bring her own. I slip mine on, help her with hers, and we go out to the car in the garage. After sitting down, Natalie brings her legs up to the seat, and puts her legs and arms inside the sweatshirt before putting the hood up. I turn the heat on. She looks over at me and smiles guiltily.

"You get cold way too easily." I say with a light chuckle.

"I can't help it! Luckily your hoodies are so warm." She says.

I back out of the driveway, and get on the road. I asked Natalie if she was feeling okay, but she assured me she was fine. Once the heater starts to warm up, Natalie is asleep almost instantly. That whole sleep thing worries me sometimes. Is she not telling me about something? Is she getting enough to eat? Has she been sleeping since before that morning I found her? These are all things that are too hard to just bring up out of the blue. It's like treading on thin ice. I'm not going to bother her about it during the car ride, she already has a lot to deal with once we get there. That's even if she wakes up before then.

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We arrive at the office a little earlier than expected. I look over at Natalie to my right, who's still sound asleep. We're early, so I'll just let her rest.

After about five minutes of letting the car run, nudge her.

"Nat, wake up. We're here."

"…mm five more minutes…"

"I gave you five minutes when we got here, you gotta get up, sleepy."

"fineee…" She sits up, removing her legs from the sweatshirt, and putting her arms in the sleeves. It's been pretty noticeably stretched out, but I don't think she notices.

"You ready to head inside?"

"As ready as I'll ever be I suppose." She responds.

"It'll be fine, I promise." I reassure her.

We get out of the car, and make our way to the front door. Natalie is really quiet. I slowly reach out and take her hand. She grips it a little tighter than I expected. I knew she was nervous, but to what extent?

We go inside, and the woman at the desk greets us. I signed her in, and we go take a pair of seats closer to the corner, which Natalie picks. She pulls her legs up to the chair, similar to how she did in the car, but leaves them outside of the sweatshirt this time. She interlaces her fingers with mine on the armrest, leans her head on my shoulder, and exhales.

"I'm really proud of you. I'm glad you went through with this." I said.

"I wouldn't have done it if you wouldn't have convinced me." She says blankly.

"It'll be good for you, I promise. You just have to trust me."

"I do, I trust you. I'm not worried." She says.

Despite her statement, she was clearly worried. I think it's all just the whole opening up to somebody that isn't myself that she doesn't like.

We were quiet for a little bit, until she breaks the silence.

"I'm… I'm sorry I'm so weak." She says quietly.

"You aren't weak. Everybody has their issues. Some are just more fortunate than others I suppose."

That was a really terrible response, but what she said was just so unexpected I tried to give a good enough answer to make it seem like I wasn't taken aback by what she said. I want to be here for her, and look strong to help her, but I need to get better at talking to her to help her.

"I just feel like I'm putting you through too much. I made you join the literature club, then made you worry about me, miss class, stay overnight in a hospital, take care of me, and now drive me to this…" She says slowly.

"You aren't putting me through too much. Everything I've been through with you recently I've done based on my own decisions. I don't stick by your side because I feel obligated to, I do it because I want to."

She takes her head off my shoulder and looks up at me. I continued on.

"I feel like your full of self-doubt. You're so worried about causing me trouble or wasting my time when in all reality I love spending time with you. Now, granted, I would much rather it be at my house, or a movie theatre, or a restaurant, rather than the back of an ambulance or a hospital. But I really like you Nat, like, seriously like you. Stop stressing yourself out, alright? Everything's is a lot better than you perceive it to be, despite what we've been through. I… I'm in love with you. I know I am in love with you because my reality is finally better than my dreams. Your presence is all I need to feel complete."

I take a deep breath, and lock eyes with her. Her mouth is slightly ajar, and she has tears in her eyes.

"I-I-" She's cut off.

"Natalie Patterson?"

We both look over and see the therapist call Natalie back. It wasn't the same doctor from the hospital, but he did look a little like him.

"It looks like he's ready for you. Go ahead, I'll be right here, waiting for you when you're done." I say.

"O-Oh… Yeah, O-Okay…"

She stands up to head in, but before doing so she turns around and looks at me. She looks like she wants to say something, but turns back around and heads in anyways, not to leave the therapist waiting.

One thing I worry about is hearing something I don't want to hear from the therapist. I mean, I'm almost certain she has some form of depression. But I notice she does have mood swings. Sometimes she can be cheery, and then the next moment it shifts to self-hate. Maybe it's just another form or side effect of depression? I remember something from my psychology class I took my junior year that said some mental illnesses are linked to other ones. Like, you could have depression, but that could also branch off into different anxiety disorders, and so on. I guess that's why we're here, to get it figured out.

One thing is for certain, I'm going to be there for her every step of the way, just like she was for me when my parents passed. In times like this, you need support from wherever you can get it, and I know that firsthand.

I'm probably just thinking about it too much. Natalie is right about one thing, I can worry myself too much. She's going to go in there, get the help she needs, we'll get this thing figured out, and go back to our normal lives.

But… can it ever go back to normal after this?

Well, this should be awhile, I thought. I made sure to grab the manga Naomi gave me and put it in my car, so I went out to grab it. After I got it, I sat back down in the same chair, flipped to where I left off, and continued on.

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After what felt like an eternity, but was probably just about an hour, the door opens, and Natalie comes out. She had streaks down the sides of her face. I start to stand up to greet her.

"Hey! How'd it-"

I'm interrupted by Natalie immediately pushing me back into my seat, putting her legs across my lap, and burying her face in my neck with her arms around me.

I was completely caught off guard, with my arms out to the side, afraid to touch her thinking I may make the wrong move. I eventually placed my arms in the most comfortable, comforting, and appropriate spot. She seemed really exhausted, or emotionally spent, breathing a little heavy. I couldn't tell whether it went well or not.

I looked past her to see the therapist standing in the doorway.

"I'll give you guys some time, but once you get a chance I'd like to speak with you for a moment. It won't take long." He says.

"Alright, I'll be back in a moment."

"It's okay, take your time. I'll be in the office down the hall, second door on the right." He gestured with his thumb, pointing behind him. He closes the door, and leaves us to ourselves.

"Did everything go alright?..." I asked hesitantly.

"mhm…" She responds quietly.

"Are… you alright?"

"mhm… just… recovering." She says softly.

I slowly and lightly ran my hand up and down her arm, letting her rest for a few minutes, while all kinds of questions flowed through my mind. What was the conclusion? Is she going to be okay? Why does he need to talk to me?

After a few more minutes, I nudged her, still a little hesitant.

"Um… are you gonna be alright if I go talk to him for a few minutes? I don't want to keep him waiting much longer."

"I think so. Just hurry back, okay?"

"I will." I smiled at her, looking into her weary, blue eyes.

I didn't want to leave her, but I really didn't want to leave him waiting any longer than he already had been.

I went through the door, walked down the hallway, and went in the second door on the right, like he said.

I walked in and shook his hand.

"Have a seat son, we have a little bit to talk about your girlfriend." He said, interlacing his fingers.