#ac108

“Genevieve Lynn Pleskov?” Therapy. Why the fuck did she need therapy? Internally rolling her eyes, she stood up from her place in the empty waiting lounge, smoothing out the material of her top before forcing a small, tight smile upon her lips and following the doctor into the office. Glancing around, she took in her surroundings before dropping her weight cautiously into a plush grey chair, opposite the one the therapist was going to be sitting in. [Therapist] “Alright, Genevieve, I’m just going to go over a few things, ask you a few questions that will help me get to know you as a person.” Great, another person who was going to take whatever she said and assume that she knew everything about her. Already she hated everything about this place and about the middle-aged woman sitting across from her from the bright smile plastered upon her lips, to the way her eyes crinkled at the corners, to her red hair that reminded Ginny of her own mother. She was in actual hell. [Therapist] “I’m going to start with the basics – what’s your date of birth, age, and can you tell me any medications you’re on?” [Ginny] “I was born June 01, 1994 which means I’m twenty-four years old. I’m currently not on any medications.” Wow, less than two minutes in and she was already lying. [Therapist] With the bright smile gracing her features, she jotted down notes, listening intently to Ginny as she spoke, despite the fact that they had barely gotten started. “And are you religious at all?” [Ginny] “I grew up with religion, but I don’t practice it now.” [Therapist] “And what religion was that?” [Ginny] She stared at the therapist for a lingering moment, narrowing her eyes slightly as she wondered where the woman was going with her questions and why this was at all important. “Carlisle. That’s who we looked up too, believed in, and followed.” [Therapist] Pausing, she parted her lips to speak, shutting them quickly as she took more notes, deciding that “Carlisle” was a topic they would definitely return too in the future – and sooner rather than later. “And brings you in here today?” [Ginny] “Well, I recently suffered a head injury due to a fight with a friend.” A truth to make up for the earlier lie. “I’m a surgical resident at MassGen Hospital, and with some other things I’d gone through over the past year, they thought it would be best if I got saw a therapist before returning to work, so here I am.” She paused, clearing her throat slightly as she shifted her weight against the seat, unable to find comfort within the situation despite the comfortable surroundings of the cozy office. [Therapist] “And what do you hope to get out of our sessions?” [Ginny] “I honestly just want to return to work.” [Therapist] She nodded, jotting down more notes before shifting her gaze back to Ginny, allowing her bright smile to falter into a calmer, more relaxed one. “I completely understand. Let’s start there, can you tell me about the head injury? What happened, how did it make you feel?” Ginny froze within her seat, no longer wanting to be there. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk about the head injury; no, that was pretty much common knowledge. It was moreso that she didn’t want to talk about herself. She had to though, if she wanted to return to work – she knew how these things went. Besides, maybe, just maybe, it wouldn’t be so bad to talk to someone. Maybe it was time she finally faced her demons, or at least made the attempt too. [Ginny] She took in a deep breath, pressing her palms together in her lap as she stared down at them, finally parting her lips to speak. “Well, I guess it all started when…”