43. Liam
Parking the SUV in front of Dr. Morrison’s office, I remove the keys from the ignition and turn to face Emily. She chews on his lower lip as she stares out the windshield.
“Ready?” I ask, pulling her attention to me.
Her eyes flick to the building again before returning to mine. She gives me a small nod.
“Wait right there,” I say, climbing out the vehicle. I round the hood and open the passenger door. Offering my hand, Emily places hers in mine and climbs out.
I intertwine our fingers and we stride inside.
Dr. Morrison sits across from us with her chocolate eyes narrowed at me. Her lips are pursed as she studies me closely. She has a file resting on her laps and she taps the end of her pen in a repetitive pattern.
She’s spent the last fifteen minutes lecturing me about messing with Emily’s medications – though not all of them were truly hers.
Emily hasn’t said much since we arrived. She keeps peering over her shoulder to the back corner of the room. I placed my hand on her thigh after she looked the third time. That seemed to relax her just a little bit.
“I hope we understand each other, Liam.” Dr. Morrison says, peering over the rim of her glasses with a brow raised.
“Yes ma’am.”
She gives me a curt nod before looking at Emily.
“I’m very proud of your progress thus far, Emily. You should also be proud of yourself.”
Emily dips her chin and gives her a shy smile.
I squeeze her thigh lightly and wink at her when she looks over.
Dr. Morrison looks down at the file on her lap and then nods.
“Let’s get a weight for you before we discuss your medications further.” She moves to stand and strides over to the scale.
Licking her lips, Emily nervously stands and walks over. I stay on the couch and watch as she slips off her shoes. She takes a deep breath then takes a cautious step onto the small black platform.
A few seconds later, wide smile spreads across Dr. Morrison’s face. “That’s amazing, Emily!” she says, clapping her hands together.
Emily stands straighter and looks over her shoulder at me with a smile.
“Thank you, Dr. Morrison. I couldn’t have done it without Liam’s help.” She gestures toward me, but I shake my head.
“It was all you, Féileacán. ”
Dr. Morrison smiles at me and then wraps an arm around Emily’s shoulders. “Whatever the reason, you’re doing phenomenal.”
Emily peers at the corner but relaxes when whatever she saw earlier is no longer there. I pull her close to my side when she returns to the couch. She melts into my body, setting her head on my shoulder.
I stroke her arm with my hand as we listen to Dr. Morrison go over the steps to gradually – and safely – stop her medications without severe side effects.
There are some that she will continue to take until she’s in a more comfortable mental state, but the goal is to no longer need any medications.
Once the appointment is over, we stand from the couch. Dr. Morrison hugs Emily tightly.
“You’ve got this, Emily.” She whispers in her ear before pulling back.
She meets my gaze and then peers over the rim of her glasses. “And I trust we don’t need to have another discussion about stopping medications abruptly?”
I chuckle, holding my hands up. “No, ma’am.”
“Good. I’ll see you in about a month, Emily. Email or call me if you need anything.”
“Thank you so much, Dr. Morrison.”
Emily wraps an arm around my bicep and intertwines our fingers. I give them a light squeeze before bringing them to my lips and kissing the back of her hand.
“Anything you’d like to do today?” I ask when we reach the car.
“I’d actually like to go home to sit in the garden.” She takes my offered hand and climbs in.
“Yeah?”
This is great. Absolutely great. The fact that she wants to spend time not only outside her room, but in the garden sends my heart soaring.
She smiles at me, her dimple on full display, and nods. “Yeah. I think I need the fresh air.”
A grin widely before shutting the door. I climb into the driver’s seat, turn the ignition, and then drive out of the parking lot.
The energy as we drive toward the mansion is light. Emily has a soft smile the entire time. She faces the passenger window and watches as the city passes by.
Her phone rings in her purse. Pulling it out, she sits and stares at the screen with her brows furrowed.
“Not gonna answer that?” I ask, shifting my gaze between her and the road.
Wordlessly, she shakes her head. Once the phone stops ringing, she puts it back in her purse.
I sigh and shift in my seat. “Emily… Why aren’t you speaking with your ma?”
She tenses and swallows audibly. “I can’t…” she whispers.
“Why?”
Linking her lips, she dips her chin and plays with the hem of her shirt.
“Emily, talk to me. Why can’t you talk to your ma?” I push.
She clears her throat, keeping her head down. “It hurts.”
I sigh, unable to find the words to say. What can I say? If it hurts, I’m not going to force her to speak with her ma. I’m already pushing her to be sober, to eat. Feck, just to even go outside.
The rest of the drive to the estate is silent. Emily keeps her eyes trained out the window.