"I don't even know why I'm here," Willow claimed as she sat across from Kevin Collins in his office, the very same Kevin Collins who was married to Mayor Laura Spencer, the lead psychiatrist at General Hospital, and the identical twin brother of Ryan Chamberlain, a psychopath who had recently murdered Kiki Jerome.

"You don't?" Kevin asked, raising an eyebrow.

Willow picked at a loose thread at the hem of her shirt, delaying her response. "I mean…" she shook her head. "I came here because Chase recommended you, but I don't see why. I have a therapist."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Willow, but didn't you only have one session with this therapist before you stopped going to them?" Kevin gently inquired.

Although it wasn't his intention, Willow felt like a misbehaving teenager being chastised by her parent. It's true. She didn't return for another session after her initial one. She hadn't even wanted to go to the first, but considering the emotional trauma she had suffered alongside the physical trauma, the doctor treating her couldn't let her leave the hospital without a mental health evaluation. Said mental health evaluation led to her therapy session, but she didn't like it at all. In fact, had it not been for Chase's insistence, she wouldn't have even gone to this session with Dr. Collins.

"No," Willow finally replied. "No, you're right. I never went back after that first session."

"Was there a particular reason for that?"

Willow shifted in her seat. "I wasn't comfortable," she answered.

Kevin noted how she couldn't sit still. Her hands were constantly interlocking, too, and she couldn't hold his gaze for longer than a few seconds. "Willow, did your therapist happen to be male?"

Her head shot up, surprise instantly filling her eyes. "How did you know?"

Kevin smiled gently. "Because you're reacting to me the same way that I'm inferring you reacted to him," he told her.

"I don't understand."

"Your body language is very uneasy. You keep fidgeting in your seat, your hands are either interlocking or playing with something to keep them busy, such as the loose thread on your shirt. The only talking you've done is when you're answering with the bare minimum after I've asked you a question and you can't seem to look me in the eye for longer than a few seconds. I've also noticed that before you speak, you have to stop yourself, as if you're thinking about your answer; it doesn't seem to come naturally. Does all of that sound familiar to you?"

Willow contemplated Kevin's words. It did sound familiar, actually. The therapist she had been required to see was nice, but she couldn't relax around him like she could with Chase or even Michael. She didn't know why, but with certain exceptions, interacting with the opposite sex was a daunting, even terrifying, thought.

And as she remembered that first session, every quirk that Kevin noticed was true. She did fidget with that therapist. Her hands always moved because she didn't know what to do with them. She couldn't muster the strength to look him in the eye, nor was she willing to speak any more than she had to. It was awful, but she couldn't stop her reactions.

Finally, she sighed. "So what do I do now?" She asked, feeling more than a little hopeless.

That gentle smile never left his face as he reached out for the notepad and pen he kept on his desk. As he opened it and began writing something, he told her, "I'm not the only psychiatrist at General Hospital, Willow. There are colleagues of mine here who are all very talented and professional. I believe this one will be able to give you the best help." He tore off the slip of paper and handed it to her.

Looking at it, Willow saw a name, phone number, office hours, and an email address.

"Dr. Lainey Winters?" Willow read aloud.

"She's very good at what she does and because she is a female, I believe you will have a better chance of opening up to her than you did with me and your first therapist."

Willow looked curiously at him. "What makes you think that?"

Kevin leaned back in his seat. His smile never once faltered. "Women tend to relate better to each other, whether they have the same experiences or not. I have the utmost confidence that you will be able to enjoy your conversations with Dr. Winters," he explained.

Willow nodded. "Thank you, Dr. Collins," she said as she rose from her chair.

"You're welcome, Willow."

As Willow exited Kevin's office, she looked down at the slip of paper. For once the voices in her head were silent, taking in the information with her. She knew that they wouldn't go away whether or not she spoke to Dr. Winters. They weren't just little voices, they were parts of herself and that couldn't be erased. Talking to someone, however, helps. Although that someone has usually just been Chase or Nina.

Sighing, Willow pocketed the paper in her jeans pocket and walked towards the elevator so she could go to Chase's apartment.

She was greeted by Chase as soon as she stepped through the door, using the spare key he had given her.

"Hey!" Chase smiled that big, beautiful smile she loved seeing on him. "How was your session with Dr. Collins?"

"It was okay," she answered slowly. "He gave me contact information for another psychiatrist, though."

Chase frowned, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why would he do that?" He asked.

Willow had been unbuttoning her coat during their exchange and once all of the buttons were undone, she hung it onto the hook of the coat rack that stood next to the door. Walking over to the couch, she sat beside her boyfriend. "He noticed that I was uncomfortable during our session. Apparently, I had these little quirks that made him realize that I needed to talk to a female therapist so I can open up more during sessions," she explained.

"What quirks?"

"Inability to sit still, constantly using my hands to keep busy, avoiding eye contact, unwilling to speak first, only giving the basics when asked questions, and thinking first about what to say instead of letting it come out," Willow listed.

Chase gave a thoughtful hum as he spotted the slip of paper that she removed from her pocket after she took her seat on the couch. "And he gave you that?" He asked, motioning towards the paper with his hand.

Willow nodded.

It was silent for several moments, both of them lost in thought, before Chase spoke, "Are you going to schedule an appointment with her?"

Willow didn't answer him, but he knew she heard. He waited patiently until she answered softly, "I don't know."

Chase gently turned Willow to face him. "I know that you're scared to really open up to someone," he began, his voice gentle. "But you have gone through so many terrible things and it's eating away at you. On good days, you put on a smile and act like you're fine while you stay up all night, afraid to fall asleep. On bad days, I see how red your eyes are when you've cried, how terrified you are when you have a nightmare about your time in Dawn of Day, the devastation when you realize that the past few weeks haven't been a horrible dream…you need to talk to someone, Willow."

"I do," she protested.

Chase was shaking his head before she finished. "Someone other than Nina, Michael, Sasha, and I. We're more than happy to be your shoulders to cry on, but we don't have the experience that a therapist does. I love you so much, Willow. I don't want you to be tortured for the rest of your life," as the words fell from his lips, his hand came up to rest on her cheek, caressing her soft skin as he stared into her eyes.

"I love you, Chase," Willow whispered, nuzzling into his hand before pressing a grateful, loving kiss to his fingertips. She didn't know where she'd be if Harrison Chase had never entered her life.

Chase smiled, leaning forward and kissing her forehead before pulling away. "I'm going to go make us some dinner. Please…call this Dr. Winters that Dr. Collins referred to you," his words were encouraging but not demanding. Although he knew that this would help with her mental state, it was ultimately her choice.

Willow watched as he rose from the couch and walked to the kitchen so he could prepare their food.

A heavy sigh escaped Willow's lips as she once again looked at the slip of paper with Lainey Winters' contact information printed out. Part of her wanted to rip up the paper and forget about it. She knew that not everyone who tried to get into her head was going to abuse and manipulate her, but her time in Dawn of Day under Shiloh's mercy made her wary of everyone. Shiloh always wanted something from her: her pledge, her loyalty, her body…

Eyes clenched shut, Willow bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. Shiloh took so much from her, his sick cult took so much from her, her own mother took so much from her. She didn't want them to take any more.

Her mind made up, she retrieved her phone from her other pocket and typed the number on the paper before lifting it to her ear, listening to the dial tone as she waited for an answer.

"Hello?"

"Dr. Lainey Winters? My name is Willow Tait. Dr. Kevin Collins referred you to me. He thinks you can help me, so I'd like to set up an appointment with you."