You Found Me |Sam Winchester| [2015 Wattys Winner]

39.5 - Healing

"This is a safe room, Dakota. It's okay. Take your time."

"I got into a bad situation," I forced out. "I—I had been...v-violated."

"By a stranger?"

I shook my head. "I knew him. He'd..."

"Have the police been called about him?"

"N-no." I wiped my face. "He's probably long gone by now." Not that the police will want to have Lucifer in their hands if they arrest him. He'd kill them easily.

"My condolences," she said sincerely. "How long ago was this?"

"Fairly recently, Doc."

"Have you been checked out?"

"Yes. I'm healthy." I sniffled. Unless you count the mental scarring I'll have for the rest of my life. "I just...I let it happen, Doc. I let him get away with it."

"Dakota, let me explain something to you," Dr. Bagley told me calmly. "The only person to blame in a case of rape is the rapist themselves, not the victim. The victim is merely that, a victim. What he did to you...it wasn't your fault. You may see it that way, but no matter how you swing it, the only person to blame is the one who committed the crime. Here." She handed me a box of tissues as I felt the hot, frustrated tears on my face. "This is a brave thing to do, Dakota. This was brave of you to come here. Getting yourself checked out was also a step in the right direction. You've done nothing wrong, you're doing nothing wrong. You're doing what you're supposed to."

I blew my nose obnoxiously. "H-how do I go about this, Doc? How do I move on from this?"

"Truthfully, this is always going to stick with you," she said sorrowfully. "However, if you don't allow it to break you, you can overcome it. I sense you're a strong-willed person, Dakota, the kind that doesn't go down easy. I think you're more than capable of beating this. Find yourself a good support system."

I laughed dryly. "I already have that, Doc."

"Good. Don't lose it."

"I never want to."

My conversation with Dr. Bagley went further along than I had anticipated. But I took in every minute of it. It felt liberating, to tell someone outside of the issues in my life what had happened. An outside perspective, a fresh perspective, was what I had needed. Just keep yourself strong, like she's saying, and you'll win. You'll beat this. You'll beat the experience. You and the brothers will beat Lucifer.

"I believe our time is up," Dr. Bagley told me. I frowned slightly, a bit disappointed about that. "I hope this helped you, Dakota."

"You know what, Doc? I think it did," I realized.

"That's good to hear." She smiled. As she got out of her chair, I rose to shake her hand. "If you should need another session, call and make an appointment." She handed me a card. "I would be more than happy to help you heal, Dakota."

"Thank you." I said this genuinely.

After a parting nod with Dr. Bagley, I walked out of the room, back into the cruel world that was my life. But I was prepared this time. Dr. Bagley, somehow, had given me a sense of relief. She hadn't judged me one bit, she had given me a sympathetic ear.

She gave me some much-needed strength in this battle that I desperately needed to overcome.

**In light of what recently happened to Kota, I figured (after someone thought about the idea) to give her some time away from the supernatural and be normal. Thanks to magicolebooks for inspiring this outtake! You gave me an idea I should have thought up when I first wrote this book!

By the way, readers, I believe that "Fighter" should forever be Kota's anthem. Who agrees?**