casualtyfics111: I always make Louise out to be a bully in my stories, but I think it's because she and Lily don't really get on in the show. I felt as if that's the sort of thing Robyn would do, and the sort of thing Iain would do. Luckily no one walked in and saw him in the girls toilets, haha. Thanks for reviewing.

Scarlett: Thanks so much! I'd been planning that scene for a while in all honesty. More to come.

Chapter Eighteen

Iain pulled up outside the centre, and turned off the engine. He looked at the clock on his dashboard and smiled proudly at his timing, five minutes until Lily's appointment. Sitting back in his seat with a sigh, he glanced across at Lily and noticed that she was anxiously chewing her fingernails.

"Okay, let's go," Iain said, opening the car door. "Are you nervous?"

Lily faintly nodded and tucked her hair behind her ears, before opening the door and climbing out of the car. She felt sick, as she looked up at the building that stood in front of her. Iain locked the car and gently wrapped an arm around her waist, whilst leading her up to the front entrance.

"Good evening. How can I help you?" The receptionist asked them with a smile.

"Lily Chao," Iain said, gesturing towards his girlfriend. "She has an appointment at six o'clock."

"Okay..." She began to tap the keys with her long fingernails, and Lily glanced across at Iain nervously. "Yep, that's fine. It's Helen who you'll be seeing. Just take a seat in the waiting room and she'll be right with you. She's just finishing up with a patient."

Iain thanked her and the two of them went to sit down on a couple of chairs. There was only one other person in the waiting room, and they looked surprisingly calm compared to Lily. Lily guessed that they'd been before though.

"Do you want me to come in with you?" Iain offered kindly.

Lily shook her head bravely. She wanted to do it by herself, if possible.

"Alright." Iain nodded at her. "Well, just remember that she won't force you to talk. It's only your first session, and it's okay to feel nervous. I'll just wait out here until you're done, alright?"

Lily nodded, smiling at Iain's gentle words.

Soon, one of the doors opened and a teenage girl exited the room.

"I'll see you next week, Anna!" A voice shouted and a tall woman with brown hair followed after her. Iain and Lily watched and both assumed that it was Helen. "Right," she sighed, and turned to look at Iain and Lily. "Lily Chao?"

Lily looked to Iain for support. She gulped, turned back to address Helen and nodded.

"Don't look so nervous," Helen said. "That girl you just saw is eighteen, and I've been seeing her since she was eleven. I doubt she'd still be coming here, if I was that scary. Come on in, is your friend joining us?"

Lily slowly stood up, her knees shaking, and looked back at Iain.

"It's up to you." Iain shrugged his shoulders.

Lily just shook her head again, and gave Iain a reassuring smile, before following Helen into her office. The office was nothing special really, just a desk, a chair, a sofa, and a little round table for biscuits and drinks. Helen offered the plate of biscuits to Lily straight away, before taking a seat in the chair.

"If you'd like to sit down on the sofa," she said.

Lily cautiously picked up a chocolate biscuit and sat down, shyly taking a small bite. She waited as Helen grabbed her notepad and turned to a blank page. She finished off her biscuit and glanced around the room, trying her best to take deep, slow breaths.

"Now, I am quite good friends with Connie," Helen told Lily. "And she did explain the situation to me. I'm sorry to hear that you've gone through that."

Lily said nothing.

"Usually with children who don't speak, I give them picture cards to use instead," Helen said. "But you're a grown woman, and I'm not one of those irritating people who will treat you like a child just because you can't talk."

Lily understood what she was saying, and she felt as if she was able to trust Helen, but she still stayed completely silent.

"How are you feeling right now, Lily?" Helen asked, placing her notepad and pen down onto the table. "Write down a list of emotions that you're currently feeling."

Lily shakily picked up the pen and paper, chewing on the end of the pen whilst thinking about what to write. She was full of various emotions, and had no idea where to start. Was she allowed to write down more than one? What if she did it wrong? What if Helen shouted?

"There's no right or wrong here, Lily," Helen whispered, obviously trying to climb into her head. "Just write down how you feel."

Tears pricked Lily's eyes, and she weakly shrugged her shoulders. She wished that she had allowed Iain to come in with her, maybe then it would have been easier. She sat there for a good ten minutes, debating on what to write.

"Lily, you're not going to get into any trouble at all," Helen told her. "And it's completely confidential as well. It's mainly to help me, alright?"

Lily nodded and pressed the tip of the pen to the paper. She wrote about three words down before showing them to Helen.

Scared

Upset

Anxious

"Okay." Helen nodded, as she read them over. "Do you think you could write down a reason for each of these emotions?" Lily still had tears in her eyes though. "You're doing well," Helen praised. "Don't worry."

"How did she get on then?" Iain sighed, as he stood with an arm around Lily's shoulder.

Helen was stood opposite them, Lily's notes in her arms. It had just gone seven o'clock and she was currently tidying the office, so that she was ready to go home. Lily had hated the session in all honesty, she'd cried throughout most of it and she hadn't been able to say a single word.

"She did well," Helen informed Iain. "I wasn't expecting her to speak, not during the first session anyway. However, she even struggled with writing things down, something that she'd apparently done quite well for Connie and yourself."

"She has done before, yes," Iain replied.

She turned to Lily at that point and asked, "Are you taking any medication at all, Lily?"

Lily shook her head at her. She liked how Helen was actually addressing her and speaking to her, even though she knew that she wasn't going to get an answer. The majority of people usually gave up and spoke to the person who she was with at the time.

"No, she isn't," Iain spoke for her.

"I think that medication could be a huge help," Helen said. "I know that some of my patients don't like the idea of being put on pills, but for someone with a severe anxiety disorder..."

"Don't worry," Iain cut her off. "I'll have a chat with Connie."

"Alright," Helen said. She didn't want to tell Connie or Iain how to do their jobs. "It's only natural to feel this way though Lily, after a traumatic experience. I don't want you to blame yourself for these feelings. Well done today, alright?"

Lily nodded and Iain thanked her, before the two of them left the centre. Once they were in the car with their seatbelts on, Iain turned to her to speak.

"Well done," he said. "And medication might really help you. How about we go out for a meal to celebrate surviving your first session, eh? We could go to that really nice Italian place that you like, and you won't even have to talk. It's on me, and I'll order for you."

Lily blushed a bright shade of red and smiled lovingly at Iain. Her stomach growled and she realised how late it was actually getting.

Feeling hungry, she nodded.

I had great difficulty ending this chapter. I hope you liked it though. I've had therapy in the past, and I did attend speech therapy when I was about four, but writing this chapter was a struggle. I wasn't quite sure on how to word it, with Lily not talking and all, so I hope it came across okay.

I'll try and update soon. Thanks for reading x