Therapy
Three
Two weeks had passed since Paige's miscarriage and she had somewhat settled back in at home. She moped around the house in a pair of Zack's jogging bottoms and a hoodie of his. Slumping down on the sofa, she brought her knees up to her chin and rested on them, scraggly bits of hair falling from her messy ponytail. Alex and Bella walked to the top of the stairs and both sighed at the sight of her. Bella couldn't stand to see her best friend this way. She turned to face Alex, who brought her into his arms.
"I don't know what to do, Alex. This is driving me insane. I miss Paige." She whispered gently into his chest.
"I know baby, but there's only one thing I can suggest, and it's the same thing the Doctor suggested." Alex frowned as Bella looked up at him. She chewed on her bottom lip, trying to think of a way to approach Paige with the idea. "Why don't you have a word with Zack? He might be able to help you to convince her. I think it's something that needs to be done." Bella nodded in agreement and held Alex's hand for as long as she could before she was out of reach. Coming up to Zack and Paige's bedroom door, she knocked on it softly.
"Pssst, Zack. You awake in there bro?" Bella heard a disgruntled groan.
"I am now." He gave a muffled mumble. Bella could only imagine that his face was slumped into the pillow. "What do you want, Bel?"
"Can I come in?" Bella whispered.
She heard the shuffling of bed covers and footsteps, as the footsteps got closer. The door in front of her opened and Zack stood there and beckoned her in. "What's up?" Zack asked, closing the bedroom door behind them.
"I think Paige needs to give it a go. The therapy. I think it would benefit her a lot."
"So do I, but I don't know how we're gonna convince her to go, Bella. She seems pretty adamant that she won't."
"Maybe we can approach her together? I'm willing to go with her if she wanted me to, and I'm sure you are too."
"Of course."
Bella sat on the edge of the bed, and Zack sat down next to her after opening the curtains. He held out his arm and she leaned into him.
- - - - - - - - - -
Alex traipsed downstairs and started boiling the kettle. He kept glancing over at Paige to see if she made any sign of moving, all to no avail. He brought down two mugs from the cupboard above and set them out. As the kettle boiled, he filled one with a very strong coffee, and the other with a very sweet hot chocolate. Taking the mugs in his hands, he slowly walked over to the sofa where Paige was sitting and stood in front of her. Paige looked up at Alex with red, bloodshot, puffy eyes. She'd been crying all night, he knew. He'd woken up in the night to find Bella sitting bolt upright, listening.
Paige held out her hands to take the hot chocolate from Alex, giving him a half smile and mouthing the words 'thank you' as he sat down next to her. They both took sips from their drinks and Alex pulled Paige in close to him, rubbing her shoulder as he felt her body shake and his shirt suddenly become wet.
Footsteps began at the top of the stairs and he turned his head slightly to see Bella and Zack beginning to walk down, Bella with her hands in her pyjama shorts and Zack ruffling his hair to try and wake himself up. Alex kissed Paige on the top of the head and stood up slowly, finishing his cup of coffee and meeting the two of them halfway to the sofa. Bella gave Alex a soft kiss on the lips and walked up to Paige with Zack. They sat either side of her and both hugged her at the same time.
"Paige, we need to talk." Zack started.
"What?" Paige murmured as she settled back in to Bella's arms, looking at Zack with those sore eyes.
"Honey, both myself and Zack, and Alex, and Jack, and Rian, all think that maybe you should think about having that therapy that the Doctor suggested." She felt Paige go to pull away but held her back tight. "Listen. It's not doing you any good sitting here moping around, sweetie. You need to move on with your life." Bella soothed as she stroked her hair.
"Bella's right, princess. You need to just.. take it as a learning curve, an accident, whatever you want to call it, and just move on from it and grow." Zack cupped her cheek and she turned her head into his hand, rubbing against it.
"I know, I'm just scared." Paige whimpered.
"We know you are, but we really think you should try, darling. It might do you the world of good, and if it doesn't then you can say 'I told you so' and find a different way to deal with it. But for now, I can't stand seeing you like this. Nobody can." Bella turned her head to find Alex staring at her, with love and affection in those puppy eyes of his. She gave him a hint of a smile and he walked over to them all, leaning over the back of the sofa and placing his head next to Paige's.
"I'll buy you ice cream?" Alex sung.
Paige's mouth curved slightly. "Thank you, you guys. Really, I don't know where I would be without you."
"Still back in that shithole." Bella stated, as they all giggled slightly. "Seriously though. Are you going to try and go? Just to see what it's like? Just to see if it can help you in any way at all?" Bella felt Paige nod against her arm and looked up when she saw Rian and Jack knocking on the main door. "What are they holding?" Bella questioned as she watched them walk in with a big box.
"We brought presents!" Jack exclaimed, excitedly. "Presents for you, young lady." He pointed at Paige as he handed over the box to Paige, who sat up and took it on her lap, opening it carefully and laughing when she saw eight cupcakes lined up in a box, all iced with a different letter. The cupcakes read 'CHEER UP' with a smiley face on the last cupcake.
"Success! It worked!" Rian fist-pumped the air.
- - - - - - - - - -
Bella pulled up to the Doctor's surgery and watched Paige take a deep breath. She'd started to get back to normal just a little. Paige had started wearing makeup again, and actually made somewhat of an effort to dress up and look nice. Bella admired her. This was Paige's third therapy session. She had one every week as they liked to monitor her to make sure she was doing fine. Three weeks ago, Paige had curled up on the sofa in her slouch clothes and listened to Zack and Bella try to talk her into going to therapy. And now she was here, about to go in for her third session.
Paige turned to look at Bella and smiled lightly.
"Want me to come in with you, pumpkin?"
"No, I'll be okay. Will you wait in the car for me though?"
"Of course. Good luck." She waved at Paige as she walked towards the main entrance, taking deep breaths as she entered and disappearing from view.
Bella sighed as she felt her stomach rumble.
This was going to be a long hour's wait.
"I don't know what to do, Alex. This is driving me insane. I miss Paige." She whispered gently into his chest.
"I know baby, but there's only one thing I can suggest, and it's the same thing the Doctor suggested." Alex frowned as Bella looked up at him. She chewed on her bottom lip, trying to think of a way to approach Paige with the idea. "Why don't you have a word with Zack? He might be able to help you to convince her. I think it's something that needs to be done." Bella nodded in agreement and held Alex's hand for as long as she could before she was out of reach. Coming up to Zack and Paige's bedroom door, she knocked on it softly.
"Pssst, Zack. You awake in there bro?" Bella heard a disgruntled groan.
"I am now." He gave a muffled mumble. Bella could only imagine that his face was slumped into the pillow. "What do you want, Bel?"
"Can I come in?" Bella whispered.
She heard the shuffling of bed covers and footsteps, as the footsteps got closer. The door in front of her opened and Zack stood there and beckoned her in. "What's up?" Zack asked, closing the bedroom door behind them.
"I think Paige needs to give it a go. The therapy. I think it would benefit her a lot."
"So do I, but I don't know how we're gonna convince her to go, Bella. She seems pretty adamant that she won't."
"Maybe we can approach her together? I'm willing to go with her if she wanted me to, and I'm sure you are too."
"Of course."
Bella sat on the edge of the bed, and Zack sat down next to her after opening the curtains. He held out his arm and she leaned into him.
- - - - - - - - - -
Alex traipsed downstairs and started boiling the kettle. He kept glancing over at Paige to see if she made any sign of moving, all to no avail. He brought down two mugs from the cupboard above and set them out. As the kettle boiled, he filled one with a very strong coffee, and the other with a very sweet hot chocolate. Taking the mugs in his hands, he slowly walked over to the sofa where Paige was sitting and stood in front of her. Paige looked up at Alex with red, bloodshot, puffy eyes. She'd been crying all night, he knew. He'd woken up in the night to find Bella sitting bolt upright, listening.
Paige held out her hands to take the hot chocolate from Alex, giving him a half smile and mouthing the words 'thank you' as he sat down next to her. They both took sips from their drinks and Alex pulled Paige in close to him, rubbing her shoulder as he felt her body shake and his shirt suddenly become wet.
Footsteps began at the top of the stairs and he turned his head slightly to see Bella and Zack beginning to walk down, Bella with her hands in her pyjama shorts and Zack ruffling his hair to try and wake himself up. Alex kissed Paige on the top of the head and stood up slowly, finishing his cup of coffee and meeting the two of them halfway to the sofa. Bella gave Alex a soft kiss on the lips and walked up to Paige with Zack. They sat either side of her and both hugged her at the same time.
"Paige, we need to talk." Zack started.
"What?" Paige murmured as she settled back in to Bella's arms, looking at Zack with those sore eyes.
"Honey, both myself and Zack, and Alex, and Jack, and Rian, all think that maybe you should think about having that therapy that the Doctor suggested." She felt Paige go to pull away but held her back tight. "Listen. It's not doing you any good sitting here moping around, sweetie. You need to move on with your life." Bella soothed as she stroked her hair.
"Bella's right, princess. You need to just.. take it as a learning curve, an accident, whatever you want to call it, and just move on from it and grow." Zack cupped her cheek and she turned her head into his hand, rubbing against it.
"I know, I'm just scared." Paige whimpered.
"We know you are, but we really think you should try, darling. It might do you the world of good, and if it doesn't then you can say 'I told you so' and find a different way to deal with it. But for now, I can't stand seeing you like this. Nobody can." Bella turned her head to find Alex staring at her, with love and affection in those puppy eyes of his. She gave him a hint of a smile and he walked over to them all, leaning over the back of the sofa and placing his head next to Paige's.
"I'll buy you ice cream?" Alex sung.
Paige's mouth curved slightly. "Thank you, you guys. Really, I don't know where I would be without you."
"Still back in that shithole." Bella stated, as they all giggled slightly. "Seriously though. Are you going to try and go? Just to see what it's like? Just to see if it can help you in any way at all?" Bella felt Paige nod against her arm and looked up when she saw Rian and Jack knocking on the main door. "What are they holding?" Bella questioned as she watched them walk in with a big box.
"We brought presents!" Jack exclaimed, excitedly. "Presents for you, young lady." He pointed at Paige as he handed over the box to Paige, who sat up and took it on her lap, opening it carefully and laughing when she saw eight cupcakes lined up in a box, all iced with a different letter. The cupcakes read 'CHEER UP' with a smiley face on the last cupcake.
"Success! It worked!" Rian fist-pumped the air.
- - - - - - - - - -
Bella pulled up to the Doctor's surgery and watched Paige take a deep breath. She'd started to get back to normal just a little. Paige had started wearing makeup again, and actually made somewhat of an effort to dress up and look nice. Bella admired her. This was Paige's third therapy session. She had one every week as they liked to monitor her to make sure she was doing fine. Three weeks ago, Paige had curled up on the sofa in her slouch clothes and listened to Zack and Bella try to talk her into going to therapy. And now she was here, about to go in for her third session.
Paige turned to look at Bella and smiled lightly.
"Want me to come in with you, pumpkin?"
"No, I'll be okay. Will you wait in the car for me though?"
"Of course. Good luck." She waved at Paige as she walked towards the main entrance, taking deep breaths as she entered and disappearing from view.
Bella sighed as she felt her stomach rumble.
This was going to be a long hour's wait.
I just read this story and its prequel and sincerely loved them both. You're an amazing writer, and these stories dealt with a lot of emotions, ranging from sad to loving and I just really enjoyed them both. You captured both of these themes really well. It took me a few chapters to get into the first story, but once I did, I was hooked and just kept reading until I finished this one. All within... two days I believe, I just couldn't stop reading it.
Even though it's been a few years since you've posted them, I just thought I would leave a comment and let you know I really enjoyed them. Great job with them. Just wanted to show people like me are still stumbling across them and enjoying them. <3
I'm bummed to see you haven't written anything else; if you ever choose to one day, let me know and I will for sure read what you have. You're a very talented writer and I would love to read more of your writing. No pressure though, lol.
1/12/17