Nets and Lies(46)

Dr. Leighton took her hand back and sat down in the chair beside the bed. “Melanie, I’m a therapist, and I’m here to talk to you about why you were hospitalized.”

“Do you honestly think I need you to talk to me about why I was hospitalized? I’m fully aware of what happened and how my life is over. But I remained silent. Dr. Leighton continued on, “I understand that something truly horrific has happened to you. I want you know you shouldn’t feel threatened or embarrassed to open up to me. I’m only here to help you.”

I still refused to look at her. Instead, I stared down at the hospital bracelet circling my wrist. The last thing on earth I wanted to do was talk to a therapist. Acknowledging what had happened to me was bad enough, but the thoughts of spilling my guts of every sordid detail made my skin crawl.

Dr. Leighton cleared her throat. “I know that right now, it seems too hard to talk about. But in time, you’ll see that bottling it inside isn’t going to help you.”

Ugh, I just wanted her to leave me alone. So I jerked my head up and glared at her. “So you want to help me, huh? You understand what happened to me?” I shook my head. “You don’t know anything about what happened to me, and you certainly don’t understand!”

Tears welled in my eyes, and I bit my lip to keep them inside. I refused to let her have my tears.

Dr. Leighton leaned forward. “Melanie, I do understand what you’re feeling. When I was twelve years old, my step-father raped me. I loved him, and I trusted him. But he shattered all of that one day when I was home sick from school. I didn’t tell anyone. For years, I allowed it to eat away at me, until he tried to rape my little sister. That’s when I told everyone what happened. My stepfather is the reason I became a therapist, and he’s the reason I understand how you feel.”

Her story, coupled with the sincerity in her eyes, was too much. Sobs overtook me. I cried and screamed and thrashed in the bed. All the things I wanted to do that night when Coach T was raping me, but I didn’t. All the things I’d done that night on my bathroom floor—the night of my breakdown.

I don’t know how long it lasted. I came back to myself in Dr. Leighton’s arms. She was tenderly stroking my hair just like my mother did. “That’s good, Melanie. That’s a good start,” she whispered into my ear.

Pulling away, I wiped my nose on the back of my hand. “You mean spazzing like that is actually good?”

She laughed. “You weren’t spazzing. You were dealing with your emotions, and that is healthy. You’re starting the road to recovery.”

“Sounds hard,” I replied.

“I won’t sugar coat it for you. It is going to be difficult. It’s going to take time to build back your trust in people—men especially.”

Will’s face flashed before my eyes. I wondered if I had the strength to fight for him—for us. Suddenly, I was exhausted. “I’m really tired right now. Can we do this some other time?”

Dr. Leighton nodded. “I’ll be back to see you in the morning. Get some rest.”

“Okay,” I replied.

Once she left the room, I buzzed for another shot.

***

I was watching I Love Lucy reruns when my door opened. I gasped in shock. My sister Natalie breezed through with a grin plastered on her face. “Hey, Melly!” Luke stood behind her, ducking his head.

“What are you doing home from college?” I asked.

“I drove in last night.”

“Why?”

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Do I have to have a reason?”

I snorted. “Well, considering you’re at a school two hours away, I would think you’d have a reason to come home on a Monday. I mean, don’t you have class tomorrow?”

“Maybe,” she said softly.

Luke still stood in the corner. “Where’s Mom and Dad?” I asked.

Natalie didn’t answer. Instead, she glanced back at Luke. “Um, they had to take care of something.”

I leaned forward in the bed. “Why are you guys acting so weird?”

“We’re not,” Natalie argued. She bent over to dig something out of her purse. “I brought you some magazines. I thought you might be bored.” She held one of them up for me. “Look, it’s Channing Tatum.” She waggled her eyebrows at me. “Yum.”

I sighed. “Stop pretending there’s nothing wrong. I want the truth dammit!”

Before I could say anything else, Luke stepped over to my bed. I gasped. “What happened to you?”

The right side of his face was completely mangled. Angry red scratches ran down his cheek that was turning yellow and purple, and one of his eyes was blood shot.

Suddenly, I remembered what he’d said to me that day in the car—how he’d vowed if anyone said any shit about me, he’d punch his lights out. “No, Luke, please tell me you didn’t fight somebody.”

“I’m sorry, Mel. I had too.”

“But you promised me you wouldn’t!”

His brown eyes darkened with anger. “You don’t know what they said.”

“Let me guess. Mom and Dad are at the school trying to sort this mess out, aren’t they?”

He nodded.

“What’s going to happen to you?”