Freak of Nature

Chapter Twenty- Eight

Six months later

Dr. Olivia Chambers looked up from behind her desk as Lucas walked into her office. She was an attractive woman in her late thirties with long, dark hair. Today, it was piled into a messy bun. “Good morning, Lucas.”

“Thanks for seeing me.”

“You know you’re always welcome. I still think we should talk about setting up regular sessions.” She leaned back in her plush leather chair and nodded to the seat across from her. 

Lucas reluctantly sat down. He always felt uncomfortable around the doctor. She had an uncanny ability to see right through people. 

He didn’t bother to reply to her statement because they had gone over this subjects many times before. Lucas had no interest in therapy—he’d had enough of it when he was younger after his father left—but he knew Dr. Chambers was vital to Kate’s progress. 

Her expertise was in treating patients with Aspergers. She was at the top of her field, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. It was a field based on the idea that how we think, how we feel, and how we act are intertwined and all interact together. Specifically that our thoughts determined our feelings and our behavior. At the suggestion of a colleague, Harrington brought the doctor in to work with Kaitlyn, and already they had seen amazing changes. Kate was less anxious out in public, was learning to react reasonably to certain social cues, and overall seemed more at ease with herself. 

Dr. Chambers had been instrumental in Kaitlyn’s reintegration. 

“Kate’s made tremendous progress. It’s quite remarkable really,” Dr. Chambers stated.

“Do you think she’s ready? Harrington is itching to get her in the field.” Lucas wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold Harrington off. So much money had been dumped into the program getting it ready for Kaitlyn; all they needed now was for Kate to be ready to move the project forward. 

“I think she’s as ready as she can be, given the circumstances. Pairing her with Erik was a brilliant idea. He will be sure to keep her in check.” Dr. Chambers said, leaning back in her chair and folding her hands on her abdomen. “They make a great team.”

Lucas felt a twinge of jealousy at the mention of Erik, even though he knew the pairing was the right thing to do. They needed someone with her at all times, and sadly Lucas did not have the skill-set to be her partner. Erik was a super-solider in his own right without any enhancements, a highly decorated former Marine Recon. Lucas knew the soldier would be able to handle any situation thrown their way; making sure Kate was able to do her job was Erik’s main priority. 

“Do I sense jealousy, Lucas?”

“I’ll get over it.” He wished it didn’t bother him that the two spent so much time together, but that was required to form a partnership. They had to have each other’s back. It’s me that Kaitlyn goes home with every night, he reminded himself. 

Dr. Chambers smiled and didn’t reply, which pissed Lucas off. 

“So you are giving the go-ahead?”

“I am. I’ve already let Harrington know. As you can imagine, he’s very pleased.” 

“I’m sure he is.” Lucas tried to keep his apprehension off his face. 

“She’ll still need to see me on a regular basis. This is a long term situation.” 

“I know. Thank you for everything you’ve done. She really has made drastic improvements. Every day she seems a little more comfortable.”