Never Far Away (The Never #2)(54)
“Did something traumatic happen at the apartment as well?” Dr. Evans asked.
“I was attacked there by my ex-boyfriend and nearly raped,” Ella whispered. She felt Porter’s hand tighten around hers and she noticed him clenching his other fist in his lap.
“Are you having any trouble sleeping?”
Ella thought about the question and then began to blush.
“Um, no. Not since…” Ella brought her hand to her brow and tried to hide her eyes from the doctor.
“Ella, if there is any place you need to feel comfortable, this is the place. I will not judge anything you say here. Would you like Porter to leave? Are you afraid to be honest around him?”
“No!” Ella almost yelled. “It’s not him, actually, it’s me. I just feel silly.”
“Ok, well, just be honest. I need to know everything if I’m going to be able to help you.”
“It’s just that, since the memories have come back, I haven’t spent a night away from Porter,” Ella said, and she could feel the blood rushing to the surface of her face and knew she was blushing horribly. She also saw Porter smirking. “I sleep very well when I’m with him.”
“That’s good; anything comforting can be very therapeutic for patients with anxiety. How long have you two been together?” Ella and Porter both laughed lightly at the doctor’s question. Ella knew eventually they’d have to explain their unique situation.
“Porter and I met a week before I lost my memory. He stayed with me the entire time I was in a coma at the hospital, but things got a little tricky when I woke up and didn’t remember him.”
“I was kept from her by her family, seeing as how they didn’t really know me and she didn’t remember me. But I constantly sought out updates on her. Eventually, after two months of not seeing her and her not remembering, I just went after her. That was about two weeks ago and she just regained her memory a few days ago.” Ella watched as the doctor tried to compute everything they had just told her.
“So, for Ella, this is a very new relationship, but for you, Porter, it has been going on quite a bit longer.” Porter shrugged.
“You could say that.”
“Well, what would you say about it?” The doctor asked.
“I’d say that I’m just as invested today as I was the first week. Time isn’t really a factor in our relationship because I was in deep from the beginning.”
“So, you would describe your relationship as ‘committed’ then?”
“Irrevocably,” Porter answered without hesitation in his deep raspy voice, making the breath in Ella’s lungs steal away. Ella was even sure she saw the doctor react in a very female way to that word, spoken in the sexy way that only Porter could ever pull off.
“And you feel the same way, Ella?” Dr. Evans asked her.
“There’s no one else in the world for me. Porter is it.” The doctor took a pause and scribbled some things on her iPad, then looked up at Ella.
“What you are describing definitely sounds like anxiety attacks,” the doctor said as she laid down her IPad on the desk. “Anxiety attacks are often a symptom of a bigger issue. In your case, the anxiety seems to be a symptom of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. You will need more sessions to get a formal diagnosis, but in your situation the disorder is very clear. The anxiety is only exacerbated by the sudden return of your memory. Although, it wouldn’t be unheard of if someone went through your same situation, never lost their memory, and then developed PTSD. The fact that your body and mind went through the traumatic event once and then, for all intents and purposes, a second time when the memory of the events returned, only heightens the level of anxiety and the physical symptoms that accompany it.”
Porter rubbed his free hand over stubble-ridden face and had a look of confusion written all over it. “Any chance you could give that to us again in layman’s terms?” He asked sheepishly. The doctor laughed gently at his request.
“Basically, Ella’s body is responding to the stress more than usual simply because of the memories returning. It would be totally normal for someone to have anxiety after what you went through, but the amnesia adds a new dimension to not only the symptoms, but also the treatment.”
“What is the treatment?’ Porter asked, pulling the question right out of Ella’s mouth.
“Medication and counseling.”
“What kind of medication?”
“A selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor like Zoloft or Paxil is usually prescribed.”
“Are there any side effects?” Ella asked.
“As with any medication, there are side effects. Dry mouth and nausea being the most common. There isn’t any chance you could be pregnant?”
“No,” Ella answered quickly.
“Good. Now, Porter,” the doctor said, turning her attention towards him. “Although I can appreciate the supportive boyfriend role you likely excel at, let’s talk about why you are here and how I can help you. I imagine watching Ella go through all this, and then being separated from her was very difficult.”
“It wasn’t the best experience I’ve had,” he said as he swiped his hand through his hair, a move that told Ella he was more upset than he was letting on. The doctor just continued to stare at Porter, waiting for him to elaborate.