The next week: 10:30 A.M

"Nice to see you again Chris." Dr. Aiken told me as he closed his door.

I smiled at him as he crossed the room to his desk. Our appointment was supposed to be at ten. He was thirty minutes late, as he usually was. He always left his door unlocked, which of course wasn't the smartest thing around here. Dr. Aiken sat in his chair across from me and leaned back as he propped his feet up on his desk.

"Sorry I was late. The head honcho kept talking to me about promotions and all that. I hope I didn't keep you long." He said, making up another excuse.

"Just thirty minutes, which is a long ass time." I said, narrowing my eyes.

"Like I said, I'm sorry." He told me once more.

"No need to be. This is gonna be our last session anyway…" I said shrugging my shoulders.

As I said this Dr. Aiken sat up straight and his feet fell to the floor. I smiled as I put a packet of papers on his desk. He opened the beige folder and pulled the papers out slowly.

"Their transfer papers, by the way. I'm 'transferring' back to Dr. Sharia. I hope you don't mind." I said with a smile.

Dr. Aiken's eyes narrowed as his eyes scanned the pages. Every once in a while he would flip one over on his desk and look at the next. Finally he set the stack down and cleared his throat.

"May I ask why you're transferring?" He asked quietly as anger sneaked into his voice.

"I just like her better. She's not in it for the publicity either." I snapped.

"I never said I was in it for the money Chris. I really do want to help you." Dr. Aiken said sincerely.

I have to say, this guy is a pretty good actor. Either that or he was telling the truth. I stared at him as I tried to read his face. He kept a straight face as I could see compassion in his eyes. I shook my head as I pushed my chair back to stand up.

"I'm sure you do Dr. Aiken, but this is my personal decision. If you don't mind, I'm going to me late for my session with Dr. Sharia. I appreciate you taking your time with me." I said as I walked toward the door.

"What if I told you some valuable information regarding your beloved Denise?" Dr. Aiken said from behind me.

My hand froze on the doorknob. What was he talking about? The right thing would have been to open the door, flick him off and walk to Dr. Sharia's room. But curiosity always got the best of me. I turned slowly as I eyed Dr. Aiken.

"What are you talking about?" I questioned.

"Denise had a pretty dark past. A lot of that has carried over. I wonder how she's so sneaky these days…" Dr. Aiken fake wondered.

My mind was racing a mile a second. What was he talking about? I already knew about Denise's drug problem so that wasn't anything new. What else could she have possibly been hiding? I found myself walking back to my chair and sitting down in it. Dr. Aiken smiled as he leaned over his desk.

"How did I know curiosity would get the best of you?" He asked me.

"Always has." I replied.

"Figured. But first, are you thirsty?" Dr. Aiken asked pulling out an all too familiar bottle.

My eyes grew as I looked at the bottle in front of me. There, seated in the middle of his desk, was a precious bottle of Captain Morgan. Dr. Aiken smiled as he took out two shot glasses from his drawer. He poured the bronze liquor slowly into the two shot glasses. My mouth watered as I watched this "heaven" pour into the glasses. Dr. Aiken pushed as glass toward me. A little of it tipped over the glass and trickled down it onto the oak wood. I stared at the rum in front of me. All of me was screaming not to take a shot because knowing me, I wouldn't be able to stop.

"Go ahead. Take a little bump." Dr. Aiken encouraged.

My hand shakily reached for the clear shot glass. Denise's voice was screaming loudly in my mind, telling me to put it down. But the smell was so inviting. Without anymore hesitation I downed the shot in one gulp and slammed the shot glass down on the table. The warmth of the rum coated my throat and I felt suddenly at ease. Dr. Aiken smiled as he pushed his toward me.

"So when are you going to tell me all this stuff about Denise?" I asked as I took another shot.

"You have to tell me a few things first…" Dr. Aiken said trailing off.

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I know this is relatively short but I had to get the main idea in. And who is at the wrong here: Dr. Aiken for offering Chris a drink or Chris giving in and taking the shots? Hmm…

Next chapter: Denise waits in her room for Chris to come back. The moment Chris walks in she notices the difference. What state is Chris in? Keep reading!