Two days have now passed, it is Wednesday the day of their counseling session. Fatima tried to reschedule because she didn't want to be out late at night, and she wanted to rest as the doctor advised. The therapist stated that he'd come to their house after their boys had gone to bed. In the past two days, Fatima has done her best to follow instructions, but life has a way of getting in the way. Zac has missed three practices so far, despite Fatima's repeated suggestions to go to work. Zac doesn't care about his job right now because Fatima is more important to him.
Zac: You ready?
Fatima: No, not at all. I tried to reschedule, but he said, "Oh, it's okay, I'll come to you." I couldn't think of another way out of it - laughing-
Zac: Pumpkin, don't worry, everything will be fine. This can only make us stronger.
Fatima: I hear you... How much are you being fined per day, honey? This is your third day in a row.
Zac: $3,500 a day.
Fatima: Zac!!! That's a total of $10,500 in three days. You have to go tomorrow!
Zac: T, I'm sick of having this discussion. I'm staying with you until I know you're okay.
Fatima: I'm perfectly fine!! I've been drinking water and resting as much as I can.
Zac: You are capping, T. Four bottles of water per day will not be enough. You still go to work, drop Jr off and pick him up from school, prepare his breakfast, and bathe the boys.
Fatima: True, but... I used to only drink one or two bottles of water per day. I gave up on getting the boys ready, and cooking dinner. That's a start, honey. I will not be an absent mother to my kids.
Zac: Nobody is suggesting that you become an absent mother. -begins to rub her stomach- All I'm saying is, put this one ahead of the boys. I have the boys who are already here, that's why I'm here to help you.
Fatima: I'm making an effort, honey.
When the doorbell rang, Zac headed downstairs to let Dr. Jackson in. Before going downstairs, Fatima checked both boys' rooms to make sure they were still sleeping. Dr. Jackson sat at one end of the couch, and Zac sat across from him. Fatima went to get her a bottle of water and then sat next to Zac.
Fatima: Is it okay if I get comfortable before we begin, Dr. Jackson?
Dr. Jackson: Of course.
Fatima moved closer to Zac, pressing her body against his side. She lifted her legs and placed them on the couch before wrapping her arms around Zac's lower body and resting her head on his chest.
Fatima: -looking up- Honey, can you pass me the blanket?
Zac reached behind him and got the blanket, and covered Fatima's lower body. Zac put his arm behind her and rested his hand on her ass under the blanket.
Fatima: Okay, I'm ready, Dr. Jackson. Thank you.
Dr. Jackson: -smiles- No problem. I'm glad you're able to relax; this could be a long session. I'm not working for an hour. We'll keep going until we get to the bottom of why we're here today. That can take more than an hour at times, and I don't like to stop my patients when we've made a breakthrough. What do you think?
Zac: Sounds good to me, doc.
Fatima: Me too.
Dr. Jackson: Okay, great. The purpose of today's session is to learn more about your relationship. Then, determine the root cause of the problem. We'll talk about it once we find it and see where it takes us. Our later sessions will be focused on relearning each other and developing better tool tactics for you to use in your relationship. Before we begin, I'd like to ask a few simple questions. I believe I know the answer to this question based on how you are currently interacting with each other. -smiles- Do you love each other?
