The Monster Within

Chapter 5

"Hello, you must be Emma Swan and Killian Jones?" a man with red curly hair says. He stands up to greet both of them and shake their hands. He seems like a very friendly man, with welcoming blue eyes under a pair of thick glasses that seem to slide along his nose when he stands up. He gives them a warm friendly smile.

"Yes," Emma says, swallowing hard.

"Aye," Killian answers.

"Come in, make yourselves comfortable and then we can begin."

Emma sits down on a leather couch and Killian joins besides her. He offers her his hands, which she takes, both of them interlocking their fingers. The office has a very welcoming feeling, there are several windows letting in the February sunshine and there are various pictures of flowers and nature hanging from the walls. On one side of the room is the psychologist's desk with his computer and stacks upon stacks of papers. Beside his desk is a towering bookshelf filled with psychology volumes on various subjects including martial struggles, coping with death, structural child psychology and mental illness. Emma stares at the books for a long few moments before the doctor shuts the door and sits in a leather chair across from the couple.

"Welcome, allow me to introduce myself, I'm Dr. Archibald Hopper. Before we even begin, I want you to know that anything and everything you say is completely confidential with the only exceptions being you're going to hurt yourself, someone else or any indications of child abuse. Is that understood?"

Both of them nod.

"Good, well I suppose we can begin, can you tell me why you're here?"

Emma swallows and looks over at Killian. They lock eyes for a few moments before Emma nods, allowing him to speak first.

"Well... uh... Emma has been going through an extremely difficult time since she was rescued from captivity by a monstrous man. The trauma of it all seems to be too much for her and I worry about her health, well-being, and the safety of our child."

"I see, now can you describe to me why you think Emma is having trouble?"

"Her nightmares are the most concerning. She can't sleep through the night anymore. She wakes up screaming at the top of her lungs and has the urge to check on myself and Henry."

"Who is Henry?"

"My son from a previous relationship," Emma pipes up.

"And how old is Henry?"

"He's 15."

"I see and you, Emma, feel the need to make sure Killian is safe as well?"

She nods.

"And why is that?"

A chill goes up Emma's spine and she takes in a sharp breath. "I think it's because they are the two that mean the most to me and I'd feel lost without them. T-They were the only people that I thought about during that time in the cabin."

"And what cabin was this and where?"

"I don't really know. The m-man who abducted me took me there in the trunk of his car He basically made the place a prison to keep me there."

"And why was he keeping you there."

It's Killian's turn to swallow hard, knowing the answer and dreading it. He squeezes Emma's hand tightly to let her know he's there for her.

"H-He wanted to... g-get me p-pregnant,"

Emma waits for Dr. Hopper to react with disgust or shock as everyone else had, but instead, he keeps a professional face and gives an empathetic look. He makes a small note on a pad of paper and continues eye contact with his patients.