behind closed doors

nine

Hello again! This chapter will fully cover Emily's therapy session. I decided to put it all into one chapter because I'd only like to focus on Aaron and Emily's relationship in further chapters. But maybe the therapist will make a come back in later chapters. Who knows? There will be a lot covered in this part, ranging from Emily's childhood to the present. Buckle up, this is quite a long one.

!Trigger Warning! mentions of Child Abandonment, Abortion, Miscarriage, Ian Doyle.

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"Hi, how may I help you?" the woman at the reception asks, offering both of them a smile.

Emily looks up at Aaron, unsure of her decision. He places a hand on her back, to let her know everything was okay. She returns her attention to the woman "I have an appointment with Dr. Mann at 1:20. My name's Emily Prentiss" she lowers her voice. The woman searches her computer "Okay, Emily. My name is Amanda. Dr. Mann is just finishing up with a patient, the wait won't be too long. But feel free to relax in our waiting room" she points at the comfortable, cozy-looking waiting room.

They sit beside each other, hands intertwined. She repeatedly takes a deep breath, which makes Amanda look above her computer to see if everything was okay in the waiting room. Emily notices this, so she leans into Aaron "So everybody just knows I'm on edge, huh?" she whispers into him. Aaron places a kiss on her forehead "There's nothing wrong with being nervous. Just remember why you're doing this. And know that I'm here with you every step of the way." he looks into her eyes, but she looks down at their intertwined hands "You'll wait here until I finish?" she asks him "I'll be here." he tells her.

Dr. Mann opens his door, and a young girl exits his office. "We had a really good session today Dr. Mann. I'll see you on Monday!" she tells him as her mom walks up to them and takes her hand, leading the girl out the door. Dr. Mann spots Emily and Aaron, "You must be Emily" he walks up to them as they both get up from their seats "Dr. Mann" she furrows her brows and offers her hand out to him to shake which he gladly takes, "Aaron," Aaron introduces himself and shakes his hand as well. "Come on in," he steps away from them and closer into his office.

Emily turns to face Aaron before entering Dr. Mann's office "You'll be here, right?" she needed to hear him say it again. He caresses her face and then nods "I'll be here."

And with that, she steps foot into Dr. Mann's office. Looking around the room and appreciating the wood aesthetic he had going on. "Nice office" she comments "Well thank you!" the older man quipped, taking his seat. He motions her to sit on the sofa adjacent to him, she hesitates but ends up sitting anyways.

"You're a friend of Dave's?" Emily asks, shifting uncomfortably in her seat not knowing where to begin.

Dr. Dave smiles "Oh good ol' Dave. A friend of mine since my college days. I assume you work together?"

Emily nods "Yes. We work together. He's actually the one who gave me your contact card." she laughs nervously. She begins picking at her skin.

The man sitting in front of her sighs, "Tough job you got there," he reaches for his notepad and begins writing "And by the way, the name's Alex. Don't call me Dr. Mann, or Mr. Mann- none of that. Just Alex.

Emily is slightly confused by this but accepts it anyways "Uh- okay. Alex, where do we begin?"

He looks up from his notepad to analyze her, "You can begin anywhere at any time. Wanna start with your childhood? go ahead. Wanna talk about something shitty your mother said to you? You can start there too. This is your therapy session, you are the one in control here." he tells her.

She thinks he's an odd therapist, but she takes every word with a grain of salt. "That's the problem, Alex. I don't know where to begin." Emily says with a neutral tone of voice. " I don't know what I'm doing, I don't know why I'm even here, I don't know who I am- much less where or how to begin." her voice begins to lose its neutral-ness. Alex crosses his legs and narrows his eyes "Why don't we begin with why you're here today. Why did you come in and see me?" he asks as she leans back into the sofa and crosses her arms. Emily bites her lip, trying to form a good answer "Don't try and think about it too much. There are no right or wrong answers, no good or bad ones either. Just be honest, and say what's on your mind." he tells her.