𝐗

06

ꨄ︎
𝐈𝐒𝐋𝐀

"He just wants a lot, you know." Said the boy shifting in his seat uncomfortably as he picked at his pants.

Across from him Isla nodded attentively, occasionally jotting down little side notes onto her notepad.

"Why do you say that?" Lionel shrugged.

"She just died two weeks ago, my mom." Isla frowned in sympathy but nodded encouraging the boy to go on.

"I don't know, I haven't seen him cry once since the funeral but he expects me to be all sad and depressed over it."

"Are you?" Again he gave a shrug.

Isla took notice how whenever they dived deeper into the conversation the younger boy would shut down.

She was hoping that wouldn't be the case today.

"Lionel, what is it you feel?" The boy sighed loudly, his fist balling at his sides as he slowly started to lose his temper.

"I'm pissed, that she'd just up and leave like that! You know I asked her? I asked both of them if she was going to be ok, if things would get better and they lied straight to my fucking face." Isla tilted her head gathering his emotions as they came flooding one by one.

The boy would scoff in disbelief and then get angered just thinking about it, then he'd frown in lost of his mother.

"What you're dealing with is completely normal Lionel, you feel betrayed by your parents and hurt...it was a heavy situation and in that time they couldn't give you as little as honesty." Lionel nodded in agreement, his eyes starting to water.

"But that doesn't mean they did it because they didn't think you could handle it...you're a kid at the end of the day and no parent wants to burden them with the thought of one of them dying."

"I guess." He frowned.

"Maybe she did it because she wanted her last moments with you to be authentic, not timid and filled with pity."

The timer on the desk sang, pulling both doctor and patient out of their session.

Immediately the boy broke his gaze, his eyes shifting onto his lap again as Isla added a few more things into her notebook starting to bring her notes to an end.

Though she wasn't one to just leave her patient in distress just because the clock ran out.

"Stand with me." She says softly placing her notebook onto her chair following her usual closing routine with her patients.

The boy did as told standing to his feet quickly drying his eyes. Isla held out her hands to him to which he accepted and once her eyes closed his did as well.

"Follow my breathing, when I exhale you do so as well and let everything go as you do. When you walk out that door your mind should be on something else."

Nodding he mimicked her breathing, inhaling for about twenty seconds and then releasing a heavy sigh.

Doing this made the boy even more emotional, his tears falling with ease not even bothering to spare him any embarrassment.