Living With Seven Brothers

Chapter 25: The Quack

The next morning I woke up to the sun peaking into Ben's room through the curtains. He had his arm draped over my back and he was snoring away. I wiggle out of his grasp and went into his bathroom. Once I was finished I planned on leaving his room but he was awake and sitting up in bed looking at his phone.

"Morning sweetie, sleep okay?" He asked looking up from the screen.

"Morning, I slept okay. What time is it?"

"Ten o'clock."

"Oh no I am so late!" I panic and was about to run to my room. How could he not have set an alarm or woken me up.

"You're not going to school today. Logan is already taking care of it and will get all your work. You can work on it this weekend him and Reuben can help you if you need it."

"Why?"

He sighed and looked at me as if trying to come up with the words to say. "Because we are taking you to a therapist today. She's really good and has seen all of us at one point or is still seeing us. If you don't like her though we can find someone else."

"Ugh do I have to?" I groaned looking up at the ceiling.

Ben gave me a look as if to say don't start. "Yes Katherine this is what is best. We need to get you help. I care about you, your well-being and your mental health. We need to find ways to help you cope." He stood up and walked over to me grabbing my face in his hands so I would look at him. "I know this sucks right now but later on down the road you will feel so much better. Now go get dressed we need to leave soon. My alarm to get up was just about to go off."

"Fine." I huffed and went to my room to get ready.

Since I wasn't going to school I throw on some sweets and a hoodie. Since it was almost October it was starting to get chilli out. I made my way to the kitchen to find food.

"Good morning sweetie." Reuben was at the stove cooking bacon.

"Morning Ru why are you not at school?" I walked over to the counter and sat on a bar stool wincing a little still from my butt being tender.

"Because I am going with you and Ben silly." He said as if we were going to the mall to go shopping.

"Oh." I said quietly as he put the bacon in front of me.

He kissed the top of my head. "Listen sweetie I know this can be scary but it will help you I promise."

"Mmhhmmmm" I keep eating my food hoping he will drop it. It wasn't long before Ben was coming into the kitchen in jeans and a t-shirt instead of his normal suit. He sat down next to me and stole a piece of my bacon. "HEY!!! That's mine." I narrowed my eyes.

"Not anymore." He smiled licking the bacon. "Want it back now?"

"Ewww gross no!" I groan and they both laugh.

"Didn't think so." He shoved the bacon in his mouth and stole another piece.

"REUBEN!!!!" I whine looking to my second oldest brother.

"Here Ben now stop taking hers." Reuben sat a plate down in front of Ben. "Now both of you eat so we can be heading out." We didn't say anything more and just ate our food. When we finished the boys said it was time to go much to my dismay.

As we walk into the office of the therapist I feel as if I am at the edge of a panic attack. People never tended to listen to me when I was young so I never saw the point in telling. Now I have to spill all of that to a stranger.

"Katherine Kensington." A lady who was standing by the door called my name. I sighed and stood up.

"We will be right out here if you need us baby girl." Reuben said grabbing my hand and squeezing it.

I nodded and then quietly walked over to the women. "Good morning Katherine." She flashed me a big smile. "Fallow me." We then walked through a hall to a door that was labeled 'Dr Shelby Laker.' She opened the door and motions for me to walk in. "Make yourself comfy. My name is Dr. Laker, how are you today?"

"I don't want to be here." I groaned as I plopped down on her couch crossing my arms.

"I get that, sometimes I don't want to be here either but shhh don't tell anyone." She winks at me causing me to roll my eyes at her lame joke. "I get it you don't want to talk about your problems so how about we don't?"

"Huh?" I asked looking puzzled.

"I am not going to make you talk Katherine." She shrugged. "I get paid no matter what we do. So since you don't want to talk we can either sit here for an hour and stare at one another or play a board game. What do you want to do?"

"A game I guess."

"Okay how about monopoly? You can be the banker." She smiled a full teeth grin and I just nod.

We got all the game set up and she broke the silence. "So you live with seven brothers? That's a lot huh?"

"It can be, especially since I am not used to it. It has taken some time to adjust."

"I bet. Here's money I want to buy this property." She hands me money and puts a house on the spot. "I have one older brother and he can be annoying."

"They can all be annoying but it is nice to know they love me. They are all pretty overprotective which is annoying and the older four can be strict. The youngest three are nice to have around. I am really close to Sam he is like my best friend in the family."

"Does it bug you that the older four are strict?"

I shake my head. "I mean it can suck sometimes because I get in trouble but it can be nice. When I lived with my Mom she didn't care if I went to bed at a good time or if I ate three healthy meals. So having other people to take care of me is nice. Having people who care about me."

"That must have been hard growing up like that."

"It was, I have been taking care of myself as long as I can remember. I would even take care of my Mom sometimes." I sighed shaking my head remembering. "She was always a mess on drugs and drinking twenty four seven. I still remember the first night I thought she had died because she was laying in a pool of her own vomit. I was six, it was so scary."

"I can only imagine. Your brother told me you had friends that took you in?"

"The Smiths." I smile thinking about them. "Yes, they welcomed me in with open arms. Helping me where they could. However I never told them everything."

"How come?"

"Before I meet them I always tried to get help and some how my Mom cheated the system. I don't understand why though. It's not like she wanted me. She told me enough that she didn't. But by time they came into my life I had given up on getting help. I know they called CPS a couple times on little things I had told them but my Mom knew someone on the inside. She gave them drugs in exchange for clearing her. But the Smiths tried so hard. I figured they wouldn't understand it fully."

"Well Katherine our hour is up. Great game and it was lovely to talk to you."

Wahooo that was crazy how fast that went. I won't lie once she got me talking I got more comfortable. Maybe this whole talking to a quack won't be so bad after all.

Maybe she could help me cope.......