Point Of View 2 [*Do not read until you've read the same chapter of ATW]

Chapter 89 Trustfall

*James*

I had forgotten some of the struggles Julia has. One being going to group therapy sessions. She gave me a hard time attending way back when she used to live at the Marriot and today? Today she gave that therapist a run for her money.

Julia had this complete breakdown at the end of the session, and I truly do feel sorry for her. She never got the chance to heal. After all these years she's still on step one. But this Avalon place doesn't put up with anyone's shit and Jeremy was called and notified.

"That lady said after a while that painful part of grief turns into something less excruciating as time goes on. The grief becomes a part of you and just blends in with all your other parts. That it will always be a part of you but in a more tolerable way? That's bullshit." Julia cries. "I still wake up with that awful pain every single fucking morning. She doesn't know what the hell she is talking about!"

"Right, Julia. You're not wrong. For you, that is what you feel. For others it may be different. I'm not saying you are wrong, or the therapist is wrong. Maybe it IS bullshit to you. But you can't actually SAY that in the middle of the session!" Jeremy reprimands her in his office after the class. I sit right next to her on the couch, feeling a little on edge to even be in the same room as this bastard. But right now? The guy is making sense. He's a doctor. A smart one.

"She's making people believe that shit. She's giving them false hope. How can anyone trust someone when they lie to you like that." Julia continues and I can't help but look at Jeremy for his reaction to what she just said. "What?" 

"Babe," I say softly. "What she said was correct. It is one of the basic things they say in grief sessions to the new people.... You just never let yourself grieve pr-properly and until you do, that pain you feel every morning when you wake up will continue to feel unbearable."

"I hate to say it, but Julia, James is right." Jeremy agrees with me.

"Well, I'm sorry you got to go to grief therapy for years and years while no one helped me, ok?! Is that what you want to hear? No one pointed me in the right direction. My doctor gave me pills instead. My husband gave me trust issues and spent his time fucking someone else. God! Sorry I'm not healed like everyone else in that room!" She bursts into tears.

My God...

I rub her back to try and console her. "No one in that room is healed, sweetie. Everyone is at different stages. You just never moved on from stage one. That's all this is. And you can't jump from stage one to five in a day. It takes time."

"Are you trying to take my job from me, Mr. Gallo?" Jeremy laughs. "You are spot on. Have you gone to grief therapy before?"

"Right after Carter died, I started. Never missed a session until... you know...the car accident. So yeah. I went faithfully once a week for years."

"Had I known any better, I'd think you went to school for it."

"Oh yeah? Here that? I could pass for a college graduate, babe." I smirk.

Julia lifts her head. "Oh, don't go buttering him up. He's gonna get a big head. Trust me."

"Maybe I should run the class from now on. Since, you know, I could pass for someone who went to school for it. I could take over this guy's job and have this nice office and make tons of money and-" I begin, just to get a little rise outta her.

"You think you're funny." She huffs and I laugh and nudge her with my shoulder.

 "There she is. Welcome back." I kiss the side of her head as she pouts like a child.