Page 90 of Born to Scar

“Oh, yeah, Jenny. I’d love to know more about her sometime.” She leaves the conversation open for me, to talk about now, later, or never if I choose. There are many things in my past I want to keep there, but Jenny isn’t one of them.

“She was the best, the sweetest, nicest, most considerate person to walk this earth. She worked so hard at everything she did. She was the perfect student, daughter, and sister. We were opposites but best friends, even being four years younger than her.” I stop and purse my lips. “Well, she was mine. She was older, so she probably had people her age as best friends.”

Lain stops brushing. “How much time did she spend away from home as she got older?”

“Hmm. Not much, but she wasn’t really allowed to, either.”

She nods. “I’m sure she saw you as a best friend, too. She had to. You’re a great person, too, Indy. I think you both have that in common.”

I scoff. “I’d never measure up to her.”

“How so, Indy? Look at all the good you do for the people around you. I think you just don’t see it in yourself. You only see it in others.”

“Thanks, Lain. That’s sweet to say.”

“And the truth,” she says pointedly.

We let the silence linger for a bit again, as my hair becomes manageable. “How did you know I needed a comb?”

“Oh. Uhmm. A little birdie told me.”

“That little birdy wouldn’t happen to be a 6’3”, muscular, blond-haired man that was roaming around the halls earlier, would it?”

She laughs. “You saw him? He didn’t think you did.” I can hear the smile in her tone.

“I definitely saw him, but the nurse was doing a test, and I couldn’t acknowledge him,” I explain, and she laughs. “How are they?” I whisper. Her sigh says more than her words ever could.

“Mik hasn’t spoken since yesterday. The last thing he said was ‘I’m not fucking leaving.’ Cam sobbed, and Jay…” She trails off. “He sort of lost his mind out there earlier.”

I turn my head over my shoulder. “What?”

She nervously bites her lip and nods. “He was lucky they didn’t throw him out for his outburst. He screamed at the nurse. Cam had to pull him back.”

“So, they’re great, I take it,” I say sarcastically. She chuckles, brushing through my hair again.

There’s a knock, and another doctor comes in. I haven’t seen this one before. “Hello, Ms. Rhodes. I’m Dr. Heather Reese.”

“Hi.”

“I’m working with Dr. Hart,” she says. “Mr. Sikes hired me as an outside consultant to work with you.”

My breath hitches. “Jared hired you?”

She nods. Of course he did. That’s who he is. Even when I push him away, he’s going to make sure I’m taken care of.

“Do you mind giving us a moment? It will only take a few minutes if you want to wait outside the door.”

Lain nods. “Of course,” she says, exiting the room and shutting the door behind her.

“Indy, I’ve read through your files, and I believe I can help you. I want to help you, but first I need to know: have you ever sought therapy before? They said they didn’t think so.”

I shake my head. “No, I’ve pretty much run from or buried…everything.”

She nods. “Do you think it’s time to heal? Instead of running from this, maybe we can give you healthier outlets to cope.”

As tears rim my eyes, I nod again. I’m tired, so emotionally depleted, and I don’t want to hold on to this anymore. I want to be free. I don’t want to be shackled inside my head anymore.

“Good. I’m going to set up a time to talk a bit later today. How are you feeling right now?”