10:03 AM
They sat side by side, knees and hips touching, both sets of eyes focused on the digital clock on the desk.
10:04 AM
He leaned closer to her to whisper in her ear, "Is she normally late?"
Lost in her own thoughts, she simply shook her head, which brought her earlobe in contact with his lips. Unable to resist, he placed a small kiss there, and was debating whether licking the side of her neck would be considered a good distraction when a voice broke his reverie.
"Detectives. Sorry to keep you waiting, my last session ran a little late. Come in, won't you?" Having ushered them into her office, Beth shook Bobby's hand. "Detective Goren, it's nice to meet you. I'm Beth."
"Nice to m-meet you too, Beth. You can, uh, call me Bobby."
She smiled. "Okay, Bobby. Say, you don't happen to be from Philadelphia, do you?"
While Alex snorted at this little "joke", Bobby was simply confused. "Uh, no, I'm from New York."
He was about to ask why she thought he was from Pennsylvania, when Alex gave him her Not now, I'll explain later look, then proceeded to shoot Beth an annoyed glare. He decided the better part of valor (and safety) was to leave it alone.
"Ah," Beth said, earning another dirty look from Eames. "Well, why don't you both sit down?"
Having discussed seating options earlier in the day (Alex being grateful that Bobby hadn't made her provide blueprints), they took their predetermined positions; Alex on the couch, settled back with her legs crossed, Bobby in a side chair, leaning forward to look as unprepossessing as possible.
Beth was beginning to get a tingle at the back of her neck. Something's up. Preparing to begin the session, she looked up to witness a significant look pass between the partners. And then it began.
Looking her straight in the eye, Bobby asked, "Why did you want to see us both, Dr. Stevenson? What's your agenda?"
Startled, she answered, "I don't have an agenda. I just wanted to get to know you, Bobby, so I can understand Alex a little better."
It was Alex' turn, and she relished the chance to take Beth off balance. Payback's a bitch, ain't it? "No, see, if that were true, Beth, the little Philadelphia crack would have been unnecessary, now wouldn't it?" She crossed her arms and smiled, sending out her best Whatever you say, it better be good glare.
Bobby, having finally gotten the joke, and having realized that whoever assigned Eames this particular therapist knew what they were doing, hopped up from his chair and began circling the room, stopping occasionally to read a book title or inspect one of Beth's diplomas. "The city of brotherly love, Doctor? That seems like a cheap shot for someone whose job is to help Eames get better, don't you think?"
Beth was dumbfounded. She wasn't sure where to look, at the large man circling her office like a shark, or the small woman sitting and waiting for her like a patient lioness. Note to self – never commit a crime, especially one that would draw the attention of Major Case. Yikes. She knew she needed to take back some modicum of control here, so she spoke sharply, "Perhaps it was a cheap shot, Detective Goren, but I take it personally when a patient neglects to divulge important information about her life." She shot Alex a pointed look. "It makes my job of helping that patient get better a lot harder."
Bobby intervened. "Well, since you're experienced in working with police officers, you must be aware that there are things we can't tell you, so why take it personally? Unless, of course, your purpose is not so much to help Alex as to look good by discovering information that could damage her career. Is that your ultimate goal, Doctor? To impress the higher ups at NYPD, get more referrals? And by the way, who precisely referred Alex to you in the first place?"
Alex almost felt sorry for Beth. She looked entirely befuddled, unsure of which question to answer first.
Beth was busily processing the situation. Good job on regaining control. Time to try a different tactic. "Detective Goren, I will be happy to answer your questions. Now SIT DOWN."
Taken aback, Bobby headed for his original chair. "No, not there, Detective. Sit on the couch, next to Alex, please." Unsure of where this was going, Bobby decided to play along, for now, and took his place near to, but not touching, Eames.
"First of all, my one and only agenda is to help Alex, so any nefarious motives you're assigning to me are bullshit." Alex raised an eyebrow at Bobby, then both looked back to Beth, game faces firmly intact. "Secondly, I have no intention of keeping a record of today's session. Do you see me taking notes?"
"No," Bobby answered, "which doesn't mean you won't the minute we leave."
"I suppose that's possible, but it's not the way I operate. I do have years of experience in dealing with the NYPD, and so, I tell them what they need to know, and nothing more. An officer's personal life is not something I feel they need to know. And just so you're aware, Alex wasn't referred to me by any current NYPD employee, but by your former captain, James Deakins."
Now this was information to take both Alex and Bobby off balance, though it made sense to Bobby once he thought about it. Ross didn't know Alex well enough to make this appropriate a match, and Deakins had been quite adamant with Bobby when they met at the hospital. He had made Bobby promise that he would support Alex while she was attending the required therapy, and his respect for the captain made him look at Beth with a new perspective. He turned to Alex, explaining "That actually makes sense, Eames. Captain…Jimmy told me that your therapy would be important. I guess he called Ross to recommend her."
Alex narrowed her eyes. "So, you, Deakins and Ross decided to make decisions for me without discussing it with me? That's great, Bobby. Let's all take care of the damsel in distress. Are you reporting to them?"
"No, Eames, don't be so damned suspicious. I just put this together now too." Her accusation hit a little too close to the big blowout from just a few weeks earlier, and he had no intention of getting back into this topic with her. Beth, on the other hand, had a very different opinion.
"Alex," she started gently, "don't let Bobby tell you how you're allowed to feel. If you want to be angry about this, go right on ahead." She shivered a bit when she felt the heat of Bobby's anger at her from his glare, but while she wanted to hear from him, Alex was her patient, and encouraging her to bury or mask her feelings was a dangerous proposition.
Alex, having calmed herself a bit by taking deep breaths and remembering the deal she'd made with Bobby about his protectiveness, said, "No, Beth, Bobby's right about this. I'm not really angry at him, or Ross or Deakins either. I'm angry at the necessary changes in my life since I was kidnapped, which includes having to go to therapy at all."
"I know," Beth stated simply. "And that's a very natural and healthy response. What happened to you should make you angry, and you have every right to express it however you choose to. Those of us around you will just have to deal with it." This last statement was punctuated by a very pointed look in Bobby's direction. He turned to look at Eames, stunned into laughter when he realized she was sticking her tongue out at him.
"So there," she said, clearly delighted in having someone help her give Bobby a hard time. What fun was loving him, after all, if she wasn't allowed to give him just a little bit of grief? I'll make it up to him later. The way he had stared at her tongue, and the way he was smiling knowingly at her now made her think he had similar…ideas. In that moment, promises were made and strategies born.
Beth watched this little non-verbal exchange, pleased to see that the anger of the last several minutes, both that directed at her by them, and that directed at each other, had seemed to dissipate. She would have been lying if she said this wasn't one of the more interesting sessions she'd ever conducted, or, more truthfully, had conducted upon her, but it was time to get to the point, and get all three of them on the same track.
"So," she said, loudly enough to interrupt the clearly intimate moment, "can we agree that I am not out to get you?"
Two heads nodded in unison.
"Then let's get down to business."
A/N - This will be continued in the next chapter, and quickly, I promise. This much dialogue is a bit of overkill for one chapter, so I decided to break it up. My eternal gratitude for everyone who continued to read, and review. Thank you.