Getting Out While You Can

It's Not Like I Haven't Seen It Before

She was surprised I wasn't in therapy for it but understood why I could get through to the kids.

"And he was there, for almost all of it?"

"Yeah," I said softly, "I don't give him enough credit. He'll tell you in a heartbeat that I got through it because I was strong. But I leaned on him a lot more than I realized. He was a good friend to me, and knew when to approach, and when to let me come to him."

"What exactly did he do?" Emily asked, but I could tell she wasn't genuinely interested.

"He worked security for the school, but he volunteered to help me catch up with some of my classes after the car crash I was in," I said, tilting my head to side to get a better view of the room.

"How did you get anything done around him? He's hot," Emily commented, making Deanne and I chuckle.

"Yes, he is," Deanne sighed, perching herself on the couch.

I rolled my eyes but didn't respond. I wasn't going to admit out loud how hot he was, or that during my drunken sleep I had pretty steamy dreams about him, which made this morning uncomfortable for me.

Holly stood up from her seat and both Deanne and Emily scattered, making it appear as if they weren't watching them. I smile to myself when Holly wrapped her arms around Dimitri's waist, burrowing her head against his chest. Dimitri showed his surprise but reciprocated, hugging her back and talking to her.

Holly nodded against his chest and pulled away from him, heading for the door. I stood up and waited for her to come out. Her eyes were red, but she looked like a weight had been lifted off her chest.

"Hey," I said softly.

Holly gave me a sad smile and sniffed. "Hi."

"You okay?"

Holly nodded and came up to me, hugging me tightly. I hugged her back just as tight and rested my chin on her head. She was short for her age, and it made me warm to be able to envelop someone when they needed it.

"Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me," I said, rubbing her back. Holly and I stood there for a few moments, Dimitri lingering at the door with a soft look on his face. I smiled at him and mouthed my thanks to him. I waited for Holly to pull away first and wiped my fingers over her cheeks.

"Do you want to go to school this morning, or do you need a mental health day?" I asked. We didn't offer mental health days often, but we used our judgement.

"I think I'll be okay to go," she said thickly, managing a genuine smile. I smiled at her and nodded, sending her off to finish getting ready for school. I waited until she had gone up the stairs before turning to Dimitri.

"How did that go?"

"It went okay. She got a lot out. But I think she'll be okay. She reminds me of Karolina, bouncing back like a super ball," Dimitri said with a smile. I sighed and sagged in relief.

"Good, I'm glad to hear that. But nothing she said sent up red flags?"

Dimitri pursed his lips and thought for a moment before shaking his head. "No, nothing that would be a red flag with her situation. She did give some detail about things that had happened while she was still in her mother's care, so if I need to write up a report or anything, I can."

"I think that would be best so that when the therapist comes in for his session, he can be aware," I said with a firm nod of my head.

I could see Deanne loitering near the 'greeting station' so I waved her over so that we could get the things needed for Dimitri to write up a report.