Chapter 23—A Weekend for Liz/Counseling Session
A/N: Thanks for reading. Special thanks to Ghost303 for reviewing the last chapter. I really appreciate it.
[continued]
Liz smiled when she figured out where Randy was taking her. He pulled into a busy intersection as she looked out the window to her right and saw her favorite restaurant. She checked the time and frowned; she realized that Randy wasn't taking her there because the restaurant had not yet opened.
"What's wrong?" Randy asked.
Liz sighed. "I thought you were taking me to Fish Bone, but it doesn't open until 4," she said sadly.
Randy chuckled but pulled into the restaurant's parking lot. "I was able to make a few calls and get the chef to open up a little early for us," he said.
Liz gasped. "You did this for me?" she asked.
He nodded. "Anything for you, babe. You've been really stressed out lately and I thought I could take your mind off of your responsibilities for a day or two," he said.
Liz smiled and leaned over the console to passionately kiss her boyfriend. "Thank you so much, Randy," she said.
"You're welcome, Liz. Let's go at get something to eat," he said. Liz grinned and stepped out of the car; she followed Randy to the restaurant's doors which Randy opened for her. Like Randy said, only the chef was there to seat them. Their table was already set with cloth napkins and a bottle of wine.
"Just give me a holler if you need me. I'll be in kitchen but I can hear you from here if you're loud enough," the chef said before disappearing to the kitchen.
Liz couldn't stop herself from smiling; she was so happy to have some one-on-one time with Randy. She had been so wrapped up in work and kids that she hadn't yet had time to appreciate the rekindled relationship with Randy. She stared across the table at him while he opened the wine. The love of her life was right there in front of her; on one hand, she was so happy. On the other hand, she felt useless; she had begun to cry a bit.
Randy frowned. "Baby? You okay?" he asked.
She sniffled and nodded. "I'm fine," she said as her voice cracked.
He sighed. "What's going on?"
She took a shaky breath to compose herself. "I love you so much, Randy. I just feel like I'm not good enough for you right now. I mean, I couldn't even please you—I'm sorry about this morning," she said.
Randy stood and walked over to her; he turned her around in her chair and knelt in front of her. "I don't care about this morning, Liz. I've gone five years without sex. I pretty sure I can handle one day. This is about you, babe. I want you to be happy and pleased with yourself. That's what today is about. I just want you to take some time out for yourself to relax. So, please don't be upset with yourself about this morning," he said softly. Liz nodded as Randy wiped away her tears. He pecked her lips before returning to his seat.
He changed the subject. "So, where did you find your receptionist?" he asked.
Liz chuckled. "It's a funny story, actually," she said. "I was doing a casting call a couple of months ago for a photo shoot and he was auditioning. He was so nervous that he tripped and fell; he bombed the whole audition. I felt bad for him so I told him that if he couldn't find another gig that he could call me for a job. I hadn't even bought the office space, but I told him that he could work for me and build a good resume," she explained.
"So, he's a model. He got a girlfriend?" he asked quizzically.
Liz shook her head. "Nope," she said.
Randy shifted in his seat; he tried to keep his cool about his girlfriend having single male model as an employee. Liz laughed at his reaction.
"What's so funny?" Randy asked.
"He doesn't have a girlfriend because he has a boyfriend," she said. Randy let out a sigh of relief. "Were you getting jealous, Randal?" she asked with a smirk.
Randy chuckled. "Yeah. I was," he said. Liz was pleasantly surprised by Randy's admission.
She smiled. "Well, he's gay so you have nothing to worry about," she said.
The couple continued casual conversation until the chef presented them with their meals. "Enjoy, you two," he said. Randy and Liz smiled and thanked the chef.
"Mmmm. This is really good," Liz said as she ate the meal.
Randy nodded to agree. "I thought maybe we could see a movie tonight," he said.
Liz felt uneasy about the idea. "Would you mind if we stayed in tonight? Just you and me?" she asked. Her boyfriend nodded. "Of course. That's actually a really good idea," Randy said. Liz smiled and continued her meal.
She was really enjoying her time with Randy; it was exactly what she needed. The weekend ahead was one she knew she would enjoy.
[days later]
When Randy and Liz took Reby and Michael to school on Monday, they were en route to the counselor Randy found for them.
"How did you find this place?" Liz asked as Randy drove.
He shrugged. "I had been looking into other counselors and therapists while I was in St. Louis and thinking about the move. I heard a lot of good things about her. She's pretty young to have a Ph. D. so I figured maybe she would have more modern ideas,"
Liz was impressed. "Wow. You really did your homework, huh?" she asked with a light chuckle.
"Well, yeah. The lady up in St. Louis was able to help me and I wanted someone who was just as good," he said.
"Have you ever seen this new lady?" Liz asked referring to the local counselor they were going to see.
Randy shook his head. "No. Why?" he asked
She sighed. "Honestly, I'm just concerned that she may actually be too attractive for you to focus on how far you've come," she said.
Randy smiled and took Liz's hand in his own. "I see you every day, babe, and I've never seen anyone more beautiful than you, so I doubt anything like that is possible," he said.
Liz blushed and smiled. "How do you always know exactly what to say?" she asked.
He laughed. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just that good," he said. Liz smiled and enjoyed the rest of the drive.
When they arrived, Liz waited impatiently in the waiting room; she was nervous about what the therapist would say. Liz didn't know what to expect; she wasn't ready to expel her past to a complete stranger.
Amidst her thoughts, Randy gently squeezed her upper thigh for comfort. He offered a warm smile once their eyes met. "It'll be fine, Liz," he said. Liz nodded and sighed as she waited for their names to be called.
Only minutes later, they found themselves sitting in the home-like setting that was the therapist's office. Liz found herself looking around the office for decoration ideas when the door opened.
"Good morning!" A bubbly, brown skinned woman bounced into the room with a bright smile. "I'm Dr. Meredith Richardson, but you can call me Meredith," she said as she sat behind the desk.
Liz and Randy stood to introduce themselves. "I'm Randy, and this is my girlfriend Elizabeth." Randy said. Liz smiled. "But you can call me Liz," she said. Meredith shook both their hands.
"It's great to meet you both, but I was under the impression that it would only be Randy today. Are you sure you're okay with the information we talk about being shared with Liz, Randy?" she asked.
Randy nodded. "Yes. I actually brought her today because we wanted to do this together," he said.
Meredith nodded. "Okay. I've already read your files, but stuff in writing doesn't really get me about a person. So, tell me something about you that wouldn't be in the paperwork from St. Louis," she said.
Randy sighed. "Well, there's not really much to say about me. I've worked for twenty years straight as a professional wrestler, but I just recently retired. Other than that, everything else really is in my file," he said.
Meredith nodded and took notes. "Now, Liz, what can you tell me about yourself?" she asked.
Liz looked to Randy who gave a comforting nod. "Okay. Um, I was born here. My parents died almost seven years ago," she paused. "I have been sexually abused by two different people," her voice started to crack as she began to cry.
She took a moment to compose herself before speaking again. "Randy and I dated for about three months before I left him. We didn't see each other for five years up until a few weeks ago," she said to conclude her introduction.
Meredith jotted down notes and thought of a question for the couple. "Since I already have so much information on you, Randy, I think we should focus a bit on Liz today," she said.
Liz shook her head. "I don't think I'm ready for that, Meredith. I only wanted to come today to observe," she said.
"I understand, that, Liz, but do you think we could only talk about your relationship with Randy since it appears that he saw a sex therapist because of you in the first place?" she asked.
Randy sighed. He didn't think that tiny part of his file would be there for Meredith to see. Liz looked to Randy for an explanation. "You weren't the reason for my problem, Liz. I wanted to fix the problem because of you," he said.
Liz looked down and smiled a bit. She was almost flattered that Randy thought that seeing a therapist would make him a better man for her.
"So," Meredith started. "Can we talk about that, Liz?" she asked.
Liz nodded. Meredith smiled. "Okay. So, how long have you two known each other?" she asked.
Liz and Randy both chuckled. "26 years," Liz said. "His younger sister and I were best friends; I knew him through her," she said.
Meredith nodded. "So how long have you been dating?" she asked.
Liz and Randy looked to each other for the best answer for the question. Randy took the initiative to answer. "Well, we just recently got back together after 5 years apart. So far, it's been about three weeks. But 5 years ago, we were officially a couple for a few months," he said.
The counselor was quiet for a moment as she thought. "You said you were 'officially a couple'. What exactly does that mean? Was there something going on with you two before you made it official?" she asked.
Again, Liz and Randy looked to each other; this time, Liz answered. "Not really, but looking back, we were practically dating for a year; there was just never a label on it. We were never physical until we made it official, if that's what you're asking," she said.
"Explain to me what your friendship was like leading up to you two actually dating," Meredith said.
Again, Liz offered a response. "It was odd for me because Randy was always around telling me who I could and couldn't talk to, spend time with, or even associate with. He was violent towards almost any guy he didn't want me talking to. I felt like he was being way more overprotective than usual. I eventually realized it was because he was somewhat jealous," she said.
Randy nodded to agree. "True. It was more like I was trying to protect you from the guys I knew were bad news. Now, I know I didn't know that guy Nick, but that was different because I really thought he took you against your will," he said. He sighed. "And Wade… that was an accident," he said.
Meredith stopped them. "Okay. That's what I needed to know. I was looking through your file and I saw that you told the counselor in St. Louis about Nick and Wade. Liz, do you think you felt unsafe around Randy after what happened to Nick and Wade?" she asked.
Liz frowned. "No. Of course not; Randy would never hurt me. Everything he has done has been to protect me and keep me safe. I have never felt unsafe around him," she said.
"So, you saw him kill two men and you don't even feel a little bit hesitant or fearful around him?" Meredith asked.
Randy frowned; he didn't like the way Meredith was making him out to be a barbaric murderer. "What's the point of that? I mean, it's not like I went around with the intentions to kill either of them. I only roughed Nick up and Wade was a complete accident; it was a work hazard," he said.
"But your girlfriend had no problem being intimate with Wade after he raped and abused her. Liz just said that you've never done anything to harm her, but you're the person she's having intimacy issues with. Don't you find that strange?" Meredith asked.
Randy looked to Liz for an answer. "Liz?" he questioned.
"Like I said, I'm not afraid of Randy," she said.
"Then why do you think you're having these intimacy issues?" Meredith asked.
She shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't been intimate with anyone in five years and the last sexual encounter before Randy was with a man who raped me and got me pregnant. I'm not afraid of Randy. I'm afraid of having to face the consequences," she said.
Both Meredith and Randy were silent; Randy because he was finally hearing why Liz was feeling the way she was. Meredith because she was thinking of a way to word a more sensitive question.
"So you have a child?" Meredith asked.
Liz nodded. "Two, actually," she said.
Meredith made a note on her pad. "Tell me about them," she said.
"Well, Michael is Wade's son from um… yeah. And Rebecca is Randy's daughter," she said. Randy smiled as he thought about the children.
"And how old are they?" Meredith asked.
"Michael just turned 5 and Reby is 4," she said.
Meredith thought for a moment. "So Michael is the product of rape?" she asked. Liz sighed and nodded. "How do you feel about that?" Meredith asked.
Liz shrugged. "It's hard to look at Michael and not think of his father. There are times when I just hate to look at my own son because of the things Wade did to me. I've had days when I absolutely just hate Michael, but I have to remind myself that it's not his fault," she said.
"That's interesting," Meredith said. "Do you ever find yourself showing favoritism to your daughter?" she asked.
"No. It's the opposite actually. I try to show Michael how much I love him. I think I just do that for myself to remind myself that I do love him," she said.
Meredith nodded and focused on Randy. "Have you met her children?" she asked.
He nodded. "I've been sleeping at her place for the last few weeks," he said.
"So how do you feel about them; how do they feel about you?" Meredith asked.
Randy smiled. "I love them and they love me. Just yesterday, Michael called me his daddy. I wasn't bothered by it; it actually felt good," he said.
Meredith paused. "Will you allow your son to call Randy his daddy, Liz?" she asked.
Liz nodded. "Of course. Randy is a great man and he is proving that he's a great dad, too," she said.
Meredith nodded and made notes. "Let's try to get back to the topic at hand; we've been all over the place today. So, you're here because Liz isn't comfortable having sex with you right now?" she asked. Liz and Randy nodded. "Well, judging by everything you just told me, it seems like Liz is having a little bit of anxiety because of what happened with Wade.
"I recommend you two start off slow. Randy, maybe you could give her a massage every night and with each night, Liz could remove one article of clothing until she's completely naked," she said. "Are you okay with that so far?" she asked Liz.
Liz nodded. Meredith continued. "Then, when you're completely naked, Liz, you could work your way into the kissing and heavy petting until you're ready for that next step," she said.
Randy and Liz nodded. "Okay. We can try that," Liz said. Meredith smiled and stood to say goodbye. "Come back to see me in a week and we'll see how you've progressed," she said.
They nodded and left. The ride back home was made in comfortable silence. Liz was actually excited to try Meredith's tips because she really did want to be close to Randy again; she just hoped the tips would work. Only time would tell.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review; I'd really appreciate it.