colleagues had been with the clinic for more than twenty years. According to them, some of the patients were regulars who came back every year.
It was as if they scheduled a rehab treatment into their calendars, between movies or concert tours, just to go back and fall into the same old behaviors within a few weeks of leaving the center.
This was not what he wanted. That kind of yo-yo approach to therapy wasn’t true recovery. It was simply a short-term fix and not something he was proud to be a part of. Sure he worked with some world-renowned people, but he didn’t care one bit if his patient was a celebrity or not.
He was trapped. The money was excellent, and the facility amazing. State-of-the-art everything. Money didn’t matter. He was allowed to attend any advanced training or conferences he wished. If he needed new equipment, they board of directors usually approved it within a few weeks. He knew there wasn’t another clinic like it in the U.S., maybe not in the world. But he didn’t really make a difference in people’s lives. And that was the reason why he had gone into this field.
Not for the first time, he wondered if what he was doing was even worth it. Perhaps he should seriously think about changing careers?
Chapter 11
Three days later…
Lara approached the therapy room without any enthusiasm for the upcoming session. Oscar had been so-so, and had she started therapy with him first, probably would have been okay with things. But her heart wanted David back.
She had spent much of her free-time trying to process the fact that he had essentially run away. She didn’t believe one bit in the personal emergency. Ha! Maybe he should take some of his own medicine and be responsible for his actions.
She gave her perfunctory knock on the door and then entered the room. She shut the door and headed towards the seat she normally occupied, oblivious to the fact that David was standing at the door, which led to his private office, watching her.
“Lara?”
Lara heard the familiar voice and whirled around. Her heart sped up and she smiled at him, “David! You’re back!”
“Yes, sorry about having to leave so suddenly. Family emergency!”
Lara noticed that David couldn’t meet her eyes when he told the lie, but she was so glad to have him back, she decided to ignore it. “I hope everything ’s okay.”
“It will be.”
Lara took her seat as David did the same. “So, I’ve been meeting with Oscar…”
“And how did that go?” David asked, having already read his colleague’s progress notes. No major breakthroughs had happened during his absence.
“It was okay, I guess. It wasn’t like talking to you,” Lara admitted, giving him a shy smile.
David watched her for a moment and cleared his throat. “Lara, I think we need to discuss what happened that night by the pool.”
Lara nodded, but said nothing.
David took a breath and said, “As your doctor, it’s my job to ensure our relationship doesn’t cross certain boundaries. That can be very hard during therapy sessions because of the emotions that are brought to the forefront.”
Lara nodded in understanding, still saying nothing.
“I believe we have crossed that line, and if we can’t agree to keep things purely professional from now on, I will have no choice but to turn your therapy sessions over to Oscar permanently.”
Lara looked at him and shook her head, “Please don’t do that. I have come to trust you and can tell you things that I wouldn’t be able to tell him.”
“Be that as it may…”
“Please let me finish?” When he nodded, she continued, “I’ve done some thinking since that night, and I’m not ready for a relationship. I know I still have a lot of work to do on myself, and it wouldn’t be fair to me, or anyone else, if I got involved with someone right now.”
David was stunned at her mature insight, “I’m gl ad you can recognize that. This shows true progress.”
Lara smiled at him,
It was as if they scheduled a rehab treatment into their calendars, between movies or concert tours, just to go back and fall into the same old behaviors within a few weeks of leaving the center.
This was not what he wanted. That kind of yo-yo approach to therapy wasn’t true recovery. It was simply a short-term fix and not something he was proud to be a part of. Sure he worked with some world-renowned people, but he didn’t care one bit if his patient was a celebrity or not.
He was trapped. The money was excellent, and the facility amazing. State-of-the-art everything. Money didn’t matter. He was allowed to attend any advanced training or conferences he wished. If he needed new equipment, they board of directors usually approved it within a few weeks. He knew there wasn’t another clinic like it in the U.S., maybe not in the world. But he didn’t really make a difference in people’s lives. And that was the reason why he had gone into this field.
Not for the first time, he wondered if what he was doing was even worth it. Perhaps he should seriously think about changing careers?
Chapter 11
Three days later…
Lara approached the therapy room without any enthusiasm for the upcoming session. Oscar had been so-so, and had she started therapy with him first, probably would have been okay with things. But her heart wanted David back.
She had spent much of her free-time trying to process the fact that he had essentially run away. She didn’t believe one bit in the personal emergency. Ha! Maybe he should take some of his own medicine and be responsible for his actions.
She gave her perfunctory knock on the door and then entered the room. She shut the door and headed towards the seat she normally occupied, oblivious to the fact that David was standing at the door, which led to his private office, watching her.
“Lara?”
Lara heard the familiar voice and whirled around. Her heart sped up and she smiled at him, “David! You’re back!”
“Yes, sorry about having to leave so suddenly. Family emergency!”
Lara noticed that David couldn’t meet her eyes when he told the lie, but she was so glad to have him back, she decided to ignore it. “I hope everything ’s okay.”
“It will be.”
Lara took her seat as David did the same. “So, I’ve been meeting with Oscar…”
“And how did that go?” David asked, having already read his colleague’s progress notes. No major breakthroughs had happened during his absence.
“It was okay, I guess. It wasn’t like talking to you,” Lara admitted, giving him a shy smile.
David watched her for a moment and cleared his throat. “Lara, I think we need to discuss what happened that night by the pool.”
Lara nodded, but said nothing.
David took a breath and said, “As your doctor, it’s my job to ensure our relationship doesn’t cross certain boundaries. That can be very hard during therapy sessions because of the emotions that are brought to the forefront.”
Lara nodded in understanding, still saying nothing.
“I believe we have crossed that line, and if we can’t agree to keep things purely professional from now on, I will have no choice but to turn your therapy sessions over to Oscar permanently.”
Lara looked at him and shook her head, “Please don’t do that. I have come to trust you and can tell you things that I wouldn’t be able to tell him.”
“Be that as it may…”
“Please let me finish?” When he nodded, she continued, “I’ve done some thinking since that night, and I’m not ready for a relationship. I know I still have a lot of work to do on myself, and it wouldn’t be fair to me, or anyone else, if I got involved with someone right now.”
David was stunned at her mature insight, “I’m gl ad you can recognize that. This shows true progress.”
Lara smiled at him,
Similar Books
