“Do you want me to call him in?”
“No, I’ve got to pull up my big girl panties. Maybe after my meeting tonight, I’ll feel better tomorrow.” Sophia stood, faced Curt, removed her hoodie. She left the tank top and bra on, Sophia drew in a deep breath, studied her boss’s face. “I’m going to show you most of why Chris sent me to you.” She turned her back to him, gathered her hair, and exposed the back of her arms. She stood there, not moving. At first, Curt stared in confusion. He had no idea what he was looking for or at. She moved her arm, he jumped to his feet. Without touching her, he inspected the jagged, ugly, angry scars on the back of her arms.
“What the hell happened?” He sat back down, she picked up the hoodie, he nodded. “I’ve seen enough.”
Putting the sweatshirt back on, Sophia sat down. She spent the next five minutes telling her boss most of what she’d gone through at the hands of her ex.
“Damn. Chris called me. Said he had a detailer he needed to be safe. He never told me all of what you went through. He said it wasn’t his story to tell. I have to know, was this the first time?” Curt pointed to the scars Sophia had shown him.
“No, the first time was when Dawg first came to live with us. Tomas wanted to see if he would listen to his commands as well as his brother’s. That little experiment caused me two hundred stitches on the back of my legs.”
“Could you have a plastic surgeon fix some of those scars?”
“They don’t think so, I’d have to check it out. One of the plastic surgeons I talked to was concerned because he implied I’d have to have skin grafts. I don’t have the money for that. I’d vowed never to hook up with a man ever again. Saving me the anguish of having someone besides me see them.”
“You’re too young for such a decision.”
“Susan said the same thing. After meeting Sean, I’d like to get to know him.”
“He’s a great guy.” They sat there, not saying anything for several minutes. Curt shook his head. He noticed the paper he’d crumbled in his hand when Sophia had shown him her scars. He held it up. “I’ll get back to you about the insurance. I’ll have to call the agent to talk to them. I’ll let you know before you leave.”
“Thanks, Curt.” Sophia nodded, feeling better after telling her boss a little about what she’d gone through. Now, she had to get through the night, talking to two doctors. She realized after what happened a couple of days ago with Sean’s dog. She does have some PTSD. If these two doctors could help, she’d do anything she could to get better. Sophia needed to be calm before her meeting. The only way to do so was to draw.
“Kilduff.” Sean answered his phone.
“Hello, I don’t know who I called. I was given this number to call to talk to whomever answered.”
Sean pulled the phone from his ear, giving it the stink-eye. Using his best cop voice, he brought the phone back to his ear. “You’re talking to Sheriff Deputy Sean Kilduff, who are you?”
“I’m Dr. Ben Malcolm, Nurse Susan Phillips, gave me your number to call. Are you the one who may have issues with PTSD?”
“No.” Sean sighed in relief. “It’s not me who has it. It’s a buddy of mine. Is there any way we can get together to talk?”
“You could come to my office, it’s next to the hospital. I’m without patients, I can see you anytime you get here.”
“Thanks, Dr. Malcolm. I can be there in an hour. Would it be all right if my partner comes in with me? I don’t want to leave him in the vehicle.”
“I guess it would be fine.” Dr. Malcolm seemed unsure. Sean laughed.
“You’ll understand when you see him.” Sean hung up. After he finished getting ready for work, Sean was out the door minutes later. Sean and Kilo walked into the clinic. After he gave his name to the receptionist, she directed him down the hall. But not before telling him which door he needed.
Sean knocked on the doorjamb, and the two people inside looked up. They saw a police officer standing there with a leash. On the other end, was a beautiful black German Shepherd.
“Can we help you?” The man said, walking forward.
“Sheriff Deputy Sean Kilduff, we talked earlier on the phone.”
“Yes, come in, I’m Dr. Ben Malcolm. My wife, Dr. Alice Malcolm.”
“Hello.” Sean shook their hands. “As I said, I’m Sean Kilduff, this is Kilo, my partner. Before you ask, he’s not a German Shepherd. He’s a Belgian Malinois. If you have a couple of minutes, could I talk to you?”
“Come in.” Ben invited, shutting the door behind him. They settled around the seating area.
“I don’t even know if I can talk to you about this. My boss, Sheriff Phil Olsen, asked me if I knew anyone who could help a friend and co-worker.”
“Why did he ask you for help? If he’s the Sheriff, wouldn’t he know someone?”
“Yes, he knows of the VA over in Des Moines. But that’s three hours away. I’m former military, he thought I might know someone who could talk to our friend.”
“Is the Sheriff or your friend former military?”
“The Sheriff isn’t. The friend is.” Sean sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. For the next hour, he voiced his concerns regarding Neil. What he had observed or overheard. At the end of his tale, he sighed. “My concern is that I don’t know if this violates any confidentiality or what. I feel Neil needs to talk to you. The sheriff and I have no idea how to do it. I do know he might not realize he even has PTSD.”
“Leave it to us.” Ben nodded as he went to his desk and brought back several business cards. “First, you didn’t violate any doctor/patient confidentiality because there isn’t one. You came in with concerns about a friend and co-worker. You’re here seeking advice. This was an advisory meeting. Go to your boss. Tell him to call us. If need be we can advise him to instruct this employee if he wants to continue being a deputy, he will need to get counseling. Tell him it hinges on keeping his job.”
“We do have a requirement. We have to talk to a therapist at least once a year.”
“There you go, have you talked to one?”
“I did, the man I’m concerned about was in Afghanistan when I talked to someone. He’s been home for six months.”
“Ah, okay, we have his name. We’ll see him soon. I can’t contact him, I don’t want to be the bad-ass here, it’ll have to be you or your boss.”
“I understand.” Sean knew there wasn’t anything he could do about Neil. He did feel better after talking to both of the Malcolm’s. Standing, he indicated Kilo with the leash. The dog jumped up. He was beside Sean in seconds. They headed into work. Sean saw the Sheriff in his office. He knocked on his door.
“Got a minute?”
“I do.” Phil leaned back in his chair. He kept the frown off his face. Sean shut the door behind him. The younger man pulled a business card from his shirt pocket, passed it to the Sheriff.
“I talked to someone about Neil. He said he’d make some calls. Between you and me, I don’t think it’ll work out.”
“Not good.” Phil sat forward, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I was hoping I could get him to talk to someone before something happened. He seems to be having a good week, he hasn’t called in once. I fear it won’t last long. Who are these people?” Phil indicated the business card he held.
“It’s a husband and wife team, they specialize in treating PTSD. They practiced in Chicago for the last fifteen years. They moved back here to take care of Ben’s elderly mother.”
“Malcolm’s living on the outside of town? Opposite of here.”
“Correct.”
“Damn, I went to school with a Ben Malcolm.”
“I’m not saying you’re old.” Sean grinned when Phil glared at him, “The man was in his mid-fifties. Both he and his wife Alice used to live here in Stormville. He said to call him if you had any concerns. Said you could always say it was a requirement Neil see someone to keep his job. I remember you sent me to see someone last year, it was what you told me. If you recall, Ne
il was still in Afghanistan.”
“That’s right.” Phil nodded as he remembered. Both men remained silent for a long time. Sean said he had to punch in for his shift. Before he left the office, Phil asked if he was going to the Bannerman’s Halloween party on Saturday. Sean didn’t get the chance to answer, the siren went off. Requesting the police, firefighters, and ambulance to a three-car accident several miles away. Sean and Kilo took off at a dead run out to his SUV.
Sophia drove her motorcycle into the parking lot of the clinic and dismounted. She was surprised Susan stood there. She made a face as she approached. “What’s up?”
“Nothing much. I wanted to be here when you arrived.”
“For?”
“I want to be here for you if you need me.”
“Don’t you have to get home?”
“Connor went to Justin’s after school. I’m off work in an hour, I want you to know I’m here for you. I can sit in the waiting room. Support you from afar, or I can go in with you.”
Sophia stared at her, “What aren’t you telling me?”
“You know I told the Malcolm’s about you.”
“Yes, Dr. Malcolm called me earlier. That’s the reason I’m here.”
“I mentioned your scars.”
“Yes, Dr. Malcolm said you did.”
“Yeah, sorry, Alice came to me about an hour ago. She wants to see them, take pictures. She thinks it’ll help with their therapy with you. I told her I’d talk to you about it. I’m willing to be in the room while she takes the photos.”
“Not him.” Sophia blurted out. “I don’t want a man to see them.”
“Even the pictures?”
“He can see the pictures, not the real thing. If he agrees to be out of the room, I’ll do it. Yes, I want you to be in the room with us.”
“Let’s go,” Susan said. Sophia didn’t know if she was going in the back entrance or the front since she’d never been there before. To ease her mounting tension, Sophia asked.
“What time do you get out of work tomorrow?”
“It’s my early day, around one, why?”
“Can I get you to do me a favor?”
“Sure, what’s up?”
“Could you take me to work, drop me off, come back there after you get off work?”
“I can. What’s going on?”
“I need to pick up the car I bought. It’s ready. I can’t ride the bike and drive the car at the same time. If I had bought a truck, it wouldn’t have mattered.”
“Oh, sure.” Susan reassured Sophia. Taking her to a room, she went to get Alice Malcolm. Sophia sat on the exam table. Clenching her hands into fists when they began trembling. She took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself. The longer she sat, the more anxious she became. At the knock, she stiffened. Susan entered with an older woman.
“Hello, I’m Dr. Alice Malcolm. Welcome, I hope we’ll be able to help you. Susan told us what happened to you. If I understood correctly, you were attacked by a vicious dog twice? Sustaining several scars?”
“Yes, the dog was vicious upon command. He was usually a very calm, mild dog. Never knew he was in the room.”
Alice wrote on a pad of paper. “I’m going to step out while you undress. I don’t think you’ll need to take your bra or panties off. Knock on the door when you’re ready.” Alice exited the room. Sophia drew a deep breath before she hopped off the table. The first thing she removed was her leather jacket and chaps. A hoodie, a long-sleeved t-shirt, the tank top next. Followed by her boots, socks, and jeans. Driving her bike in fifty-degree weather had resulted in putting on multiple layers. Once she had her car, she wouldn’t have to wear all these clothes. Sophia knocked on the door, indicating she was ready. At least she had been given a gown to wear to preserve some of her dignity. Sophia stayed silent as both women instructed her to turn in different directions. Each time Sophia heard the shutter of the camera, she jerked, like it was a physical blow. Sophia never thought she would allow someone other than the police to take pictures of her scars.
Once she was redressed, Sophia carried her leather jacket and chaps as she followed Dr. Alice down the hall. Susan had returned to the hospital to finish her shift. Alice took her into an office to introduce Sophia to her husband. Sophia took the water offered her. Sitting, Sophia looked around the office, waiting for the doctors to begin. She answered questions from both doctors.
At one point, Dr. Ben Malcolm stopped with the questions. “I’m sorry, I know we were supposed to be here for an hour, but it’s been three. Normally, I would have stopped you, but since I didn’t have any patients after you, I let the session run on. We’ll conclude our session for today.” She walked out of the clinic. For the first time in a year, she felt the heavy weight pressing on her chest, shift. She began to breathe easier. Talking to a professional about the trauma she’d been through was releasing. Oh, she knew she was far from cured. However, she felt better. The first therapy session gave her hope.
8
Sophia looked up at the knock on her office door. Susan stood there with a big smile on her face. Sophia gathered her things, turned off her lights, ready to leave. She stopped down the hall and rapped her knuckles on Curt’s doorway.
“What’s up?”
“Susan’s here, and I’m leaving to go pick up my car.”
“Oh.” Curt stood, stretched. In the hall he hugged Susan before turning to Sophia. “Go ahead and take the rest of the day off. I’m leaving early myself. You’ll be there tomorrow, won’t you?”
“What’s tomorrow?” Sophia glanced between Susan and Curt. From their expressions, Sophia felt she was missing a vital piece of information.
“Oh my god, I forgot to tell you.” Susan slapped her hand on her forehead. She stared at Sophia in dismay. “You know Connor’s best friend is Justin, right?”
“Yes, I’ve heard of him.”
“Justin is my son. Dana, my wife, and Susan are best friends. My family lives on a farm. This year, we made one of the barns into a haunted house. The neighbors have a haunted hayride every year. This year, we’re combining them. Our nearest neighbor turned a cornfield into a maze. Most of the townspeople will be there.”
“That’s why I worked a half day today. I had told Dana I’d make some snacks. When we get home, I’ll recruit you.” The other woman chuckled. Sophia snorted a laugh.
“You know I don’t cook, right? I think I’ve told you about that little flaw of mine.”
“I’ll start teaching you. Some of the things won’t be hard, stirring, and decorating. It’ll be fun.”
“If it’ll help me learn how to cook. I’d love to help.”
“Great.” Susan laughed. She linked her arm with Sophia’s, the two women turned to leave.
After returning from picking up her car, Sophia went upstairs to change. She walked into the kitchen, frowning when she saw the kitchen counters.
“Where do you want me?”
“First, I know you can’t cook. Can you read a recipe? Or would you prefer me to tell you what to do?”
“Since I won’t know what they’re talking about, why don’t you tell me?”
“Perfect.” Susan gathered three items from the counter, and took them over to the stove. There was a pan waiting, along with a stack of metal pans. She wasn’t going to guess what they were called. “I’ll talk you through the first batch, we’ll need at least six batches. Before you ask, you can’t do it all at once. You’ll have to do each batch separately.” Susan paused, laughing at Sophia’s expression. “Trust me.”
Sophia shrugged, not knowing what ‘batches,’ were. She paid close attention.
“Open this stick of butter, put it in the pan, let it melt, not burn, use the spoon to help it along.” Susan demonstrated. “As it melts, rub the paper over the inside of the dish.” She followed her own instructions.
“How can you tell if it’s burning?”
“The edges start to turn brown.”
“Oh.”
&n
bsp; “Once it’s melted, open this bag of marshmallows, pour it all in. As they melt, stirring constantly, you can pause enough to measure out the cereal. You’ll need six cups.” Susan said. Sophia watched what she had to do. It seemed simple enough. “After the marshmallows are melted, pour in the cereal. You can turn the heat off, stir until all the cereal is coated, using the spoon, put everything in this pre-greased pan. If you remember, I used the wrap from the butter to run around the inside of this sheet pan.”
“I was wondering why you did that. I didn’t want to sound stupid by asking.”
“I greased the pan. I’m sure you’ve had these before. We made Rice Krispies treats. The only way you would seem stupid is if you don’t ask.”
Sophia asked. “That’s it? It seems easy.”
“I know. Do you think you can continue on your own?”
“I do, you’ll be here if I have questions?”
“Yes, I’ll be making the cupcakes. Put these in the pan, gently pat them down. We’ll use cookie cutters to cut shapes.” Susan showed Sophia what she was talking about. Sophia laughed as she spotted a ghost, a pumpkin, a bat, a cat, and a witch’s hat. “If you pack them too tightly, they’ll become rock hard. No one will be able to eat them.”
Sophia nodded. She measured the cereal first. Putting the butter in the freshly washed pot, she greased the next pan in the stack. At one point, Susan glanced over, burst out laughing. “You’re supposed to be making them, not eating them.”
“Oops.” Sophia laughed. The two women spent the rest of the afternoon into the early evening cooking several different treats for the Halloween party the next afternoon. Connor had called his mother to remind her he was going home with Justin. After the baking was done, Susan and Sophia fell onto the living room furniture with heavy sighs. Susan had brought a glass of wine in with her, while Sophia had a glass with amber liquid in it.
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