Chapter 8

Appointment with Dr Hopper

The phone was ringing in Mia's room. Mia dragged herself out of bed and towards the wall where the phone was nailed. She knew how to use phones because Henry had taught her. She looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Emma.

Mia answered the phone with a sigh. "Okay, yes, I did only just get up when you called but I promise that I will not be late for school." She said in the hope of avoiding any of Emma's questions or orders.

"Actually there is no school today." Emma responded sounding quite amused.

"What? Why?"

"Because it is a weekend." The fact did not mean much to Mia and Emma took the silence from the girl's end of the line as confusion. "There is no school on weekends." Mia then squealed in delight.

"Thanks for telling me Emma. I would have looked rather silly going to school on a weekend then. Bye!"

Mia was just about to hang up when Emma hastily said, "Wait that isn't the only reason that I called!"

"Oh?"

"Yes. There is someone that I would like you to meat." Then Emma gave her this person's address. "Will you meet him?"

"Sure." Mia agreed warily. She did not even know the name of this person.

"His name is Dr Hopper or Jiminy Cricket. Jiminy was his name in the Enchanted Forest." Well that solved that problem then. Emma seemed to have read her mind.

About an hour later.

After Mia was cleaned and dressed she made her way to the place she was to meet Dr Hopper at. It appeared to be a sort of office. She knocked on the door and it was opened by a man who smiled at her.

"You must be Mia." He did not phrase the sentence as a question but rather as a fact. He immediately knew who she was.

"And you must be Dr Hopper." The man nodded and moved to the side so that Mia could enter the room. In the room there were some coaches, a coffee table and a dog resting in a dog basket.

"Have a seat." They both sat in opposite coaches with the table in between them.

"How are you getting on with everyone?" He asked her.

"Okay, I guess."

Dr Hopper sighed and took of his classes, rubbed them with a cloth and put them back on. "I want you to know that you can trust me." He said to her.

"Henry trusted you. He told me that you are not supposed to give out information about what goes on in this room and yet you did. You told Regina and then you gave his file to Emma." Mia accused the man.

"Things were...complicated then. I felt threatened-"

"By Regina?"

"Well yes and no."

"I knew I couldn't trust her."

"Mia, she is different now."

"Okay. And the file?"

"I felt that it was in Henry's best interest that Emma knew what was going on. But I promise that I will not tell anyone about what goes on in this room. I need you to be open and honest with me."

"Okay."

"And on the subject of Henry. How do you feel about him." Dr hopper was studying Mia closely.

"And now I'm closed." Mia was referring to Dr Hopper's comment about Mia being open with him. Mia was blushing a bright red. She did not like the question.

Dr Hopper just gave her a knowing smile and said. "We might need to take things slow. That can be all for today's session if you want." Mia did not respond but instead just walked out of the room without a backwards glance. She did not like that smile.

Emma's POV

"Dr Hopper!" Emma said later over the phone that day. "How was Mia's first session?"

"It was okay. I think that I will have to get her to open up to me slowly. You can't rush these things." The man/cricket replied.

"Is there anything that I can do to help her along?" Emma asked.

"Yes actually. All I can say though is that you might have to play matchmaker." Dr Hopper said vaguely. That was the end of the phone call.

Emma thought about what Dr Hopper had said and suddenly a realization hit her with a pang. Mia did not hang out with anyone else her age except from Henry. Mia had a crush on Henry!

Normal POV

Mia had noticed that Emma had started watching her interactions with Henry quite closely. She was beginning to wonder why. Henry had not seemed to notice it.

The next morning was Sunday and she was at the Charming household before going to her second session with Dr Hopper. As she was getting ready to leave she found out why Emma had been watching her.

"Why do you stare at her like that?" She heard Snow ask Emma with her advanced hearing.

"Because of what Dr Hopper told me." Emma said.

"And what is that?"

"That Mia has a crush and I know that it is on Henry." Mia felt her blood boiling with rage. How dare he? Mia thought to herself as she ran to Dr Hopper's office.

"You did tell. You did!" She yelled as she barged through the door.

"Told what?" Dr Hopper asked calmly despite Mia's obvious outrage.

"You told Emma that I- I..."

"I have a few things that might help you with your anger." Dr Hopper stated.

At the abrupt change of subject, Emma lifted her head to meat Dr Hopper's eyes. "What?"

"Sit down." Mia did what the man told her. "Close your eyes, and think of a relaxing situation. Now breath in and out. In and out." He instructed. Soon Mia felt her anger going away.