Chapter 11 The Vigilante
Chapter eleven
The Vigilante
Today, I didn’t have to worry about any patients from the clinic.
Normally, on my days off from my extra work there, I filled the day with appointments for my regular clients, not worrying too much about my patients at the hospital since the staff were equipped to watch them twenty-four hours a day.
Raelynn however, was becoming a drastically different story.
She hasn’t stopped occupying my thoughts since the moment I left last night after my last appointment.
I found her haunting my waking moments both during the evening and all night, even tormenting my dreams. There was something different about her that drew my interest in a way that was far from ethical.
I had meant what I promised her; I wanted to reach out to her sister and ask for her journals in an attempt to understand her.
It was an unorthodox method, and to be blunt, it was a direct invasion of privacy, not to mention it crossed a hell of a lot of boundaries that I’d have a hard time explaining if my supervisor at the clinic ever found out.
But I needed to know. Nothing would change even if I were able to prove that she didn’t try to kill herself.
The only thing that might change was the possibility of charges being brought against her ex-boyfriend, but as more time passed, the hope that anything could be proven dwindled.
My curiosity was becoming increasingly selfish and less professional by the minute.
Her attitude was what first interested me, hearing her give the doctors hell and not once backing down.
Her sharp tongue, wanting to be the one who helped her more than I’ve ever wanted to help any of my other patients.
Seeing her broken, damaged, vulnerable, yet with so much fight still left in her.
She needed someone to put her back together.
Raelynn was strong on her own. I could sense it inside her, but she didn’t need to be.
She needed someone to help her navigate this part of her life.
I found myself wanting to be the one who helped her.
I wanted those dark blue eyes looking at me like I was the only one in the room, no one else needed to matter.
I wanted to keep her to myself, to nurture her and watch her grow, and to keep her away from the asshole who was trying to hurt her.
In order to do that, to satisfy this jealous beast taking shape in my chest, I needed to reach out to her sister first. I could do it—make this request sound like a normal, completely professional venture.
Sitting at my desk in my apartment above my private practice, I had her release form laid out in front of me.
On it, she had written her sister's cell phone number.
Truthfully, I could have made the phone call while at my office earlier, but I wanted complete privacy.
Our offices were soundproof for privacy, but this was a task I had never undertaken for any other patient, and I wanted to keep my private investigation as far away from the clinic as possible.
These secrets were best kept in the dark.
Picking up my cell phone, I quickly dialed Michelle’s number from a copy of Rae’s emergency contact form. It was past 8 am, so I felt as though it was socially acceptable to make a phone call this early in the morning.
“Hello,” she answered on the third ring.
“Hello, Miss Devlin, I’m Daxton Bradshaw, Raelynn's therapist at the behavioral clinic. I was wondering if I could talk to you for just a moment?”
“Is she okay?” Her voice was instantly full of panic. After everything the sisters had been through the past few days, it was more than understandable.
“Yes, your sister is fine. I’ve been assigned to work with her during her stay and had a few things I was hoping you could help me out with?”
“Uh, sure, I guess so. I’m not sure how much help I can be, though. Are you allowed to be talking to me about her stay? When I was at the hospital last time, they said I was only privileged to her medical information if she was declared mentally unfit and unable to make decisions for herself.”
“That’s right, but your sister signed a release form for me to be able to speak with you. I can email you over a copy if you would like.”
“No, I mean yes, you can email it to me. I’ll do the best I can to help out if it’s in her best interest.”
I settled back in my chair, promising to send her the email as soon as we were off the phone. Sure, I could have been lying, but then she would be able to report me to the board, and my license would be revoked. Lying wouldn’t have gotten me far in my quest to help Raelynn.
“I specifically asked her if it was okay that I talk to you about her journals.”
“Her what? Her journals? What good would those do you?”
“Miss Devlin, I don’t believe your sister tried to kill herself,” I could hear her audible sigh over the phone, her defenses lowering.
After everyone had tried to convince her otherwise, I didn’t blame her for being on the defensive.
“You know your sister the best out of anyone alive, but she confided in me that she has journaled about everything, including her ex-boyfriend. I’m hoping those journals might shed some light on what led to the incident that landed her in the hospital. ”
It took her a second to respond; barking could be heard in the background as she called for the dog to come inside. “Uh, yeah. Rae journaled about everything. I always told her she should have become a writer, but she loved working with animals too much.”
“I was hoping that was the case. I already spoke to her in her session, and asked her permission to see if you could possibly provide me with her journals?”
“And Rae was okay with that?”
“I can pass along a message to have her call you if you would feel more comfortable hearing from her yourself. I was only worried that she would be overheard since the phones the patients are allowed to use aren’t in a private area.”
“Hmmm, okay. I’ll gather them together, but I’d like to make sure she’s fine with it. She’s always been very private about what she writes, so I need to hear from her that it’s okay to basically hand over her entire life.”
“I understand completely. Would you like me to pass along the message?”
“No, thanks. I plan on seeing her tomorrow evening for a visitation. I’ll bring them with me, and if she says it’s okay, then I’ll give them to you after I visit with her.”
“That sounds good, Miss Devlin, thank you so much. Would you have time to possibly indulge in one more question?”
“It depends on what the question would be. Release or not, I’m not comfortable discussing Rae’s private life with someone I don’t know.
“I understand. We briefly touched on the topic of your parents during her last session. I was wondering if you were able to elaborate on your childhood?”
“There’s really not much to elaborate on. They loved drugs and alcohol more than their own children; they were never there. I raised Raelynn myself when we were home, with the help of my grandmother. Our parents simply weren’t meant to be parents, but they wouldn’t give us up either.”
“What led up to their deaths? You were older than Raelynn. Did you ever suspect anything?”
She didn’t answer right away. I could feel her hesitation over the phone, so I gently prodded her a little more.
“Miss Devlin, any information you give me could only serve to help your sister.”
“Well, the thing is, Rae doesn’t know about dad.”
“What do you mean?” My curiosity piqued since there had been no recorded family medical history in Raelynn's chart.
“I mean, my grandmother told me some information about him that I never told Rae. With everything she’s gone through, the cutting and self-esteem issues, I didn’t want to burden her with something she couldn’t control.”
“What would that be, Miss Devlin?”
“My grandmother told me, years ago, I think I was maybe only eighteen at the time. A few years before they died, my dad was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic.”
“So your family has a history of mental illness?”
“No, I don’t think so. She only ever talked about my dad.
Said that he was on medication for the longest time, but when my mother came into the picture, he stopped.
She used to call our mother a succubus, tempting our dad into drinking and partying rather than keeping up with his medication and therapy. ”
“Did that have a part in what killed your parents?”
“My grandmother believed it did. We always let Rae believe it was the drinking and the jealousy that drove my father to kill her and then kill himself. I didn’t want her to think there could be something wrong with her as well.
My sister isn’t crazy; she has no signs of the disease.
” Michelle was becoming defensive, possibly worrying that if she told me too much, I would have her sister kept longer.
But I also got the feeling she was still hiding important information.
“Don’t worry, Miss Devlin, I agree your sister shows no sign of any mental disease other than her anxiety and how she chooses to cope with it.”
“Thank you, Mr. Bradshaw. I have to get ready for work. I’ll see you tomorrow evening.”
“Sounds like a plan, thank you for your time.”
We hung up just in time; I had ten minutes before my first client of the day would be coming in.
I was glad Michelle was more forthcoming than I expected her to be, and sent the email as I promised I would, attaching a secure attachment for her to see the release form.
I’d get to the bottom of whatever else she was hiding after I went through my patients' journals.
The desire to know more about not just Raelynn, but her ex-boyfriend was strong.
If he were the type of man that I suspected he was, he might just make it onto my list.