POV: Selene
"Please help me," I plead with Dr May and what must have been the fourth time today.
"I don't really have any knowledge in this area but I can recommend a few therapists you can try to help her through this," he sighs. He hasn't been much use at all recently. It's been over a week since the ordeal with Athena happened and Elise hasn't spoken to anyone, no matter what anyone says in an attempt to get her to say something.
Not only that but she's barely eaten anything I've given her. Whatever she does manage to swallow she just throws up a few minutes later so it seems pointless. She's lost so much weight that I'm certain she's now classified as dangerously underweight. She's constantly shivering even though she's tucked under thick duvets in my bed and I don't think I've seen her leave it when I'm around.
The thin state of her shatters my heart in a way I never though it would. I'd thought that when we rescued her that it would be a few days maybe before she picked up and got back to her usual self - but it hasn't.
I still sleep next to her on occasion but she doesn't snuggle up to me like she used to. She just turns her back to me and keeps on sleeping as she does for most of her time. The only way she can get bathed is when I tentatively wipe her down with wet wipes or a damp sponge. She doesn't react at all whether the water's too hot or freezing cold. The only reaction she's had is a small whimper of discomfort when I washed between her thighs once, but she never made that sound again.
The instant she got back to the house I called Dr May over so that he could give her a check over and he found nothing other than a few beatings and a bit of rough handling of her. There's nothing physically wrong with her but I'm really reluctant to take her to a therapist.
She isn't even speaking so I doubt it'll be much help. At this rate though, I have no other option than to try it.
I thank Dr May, too tired with all this to yell at him for being useless, and hang up, running a hand over my dark hair, massaging my scalp as I debate seriously taking Elise to one of his recommendations. I don't know if she'll even want to see a therapist, let alone like one of them enough to explain what's going on.
But there isn't any other choice. She's too far gone for me to help her alone now. She's needs someone more professional who knows how to deal with this properly.
"Good fucking luck..."
Athena's words keep ringing in my head whenever I think about how difficult it's been with Elise. She knew that this was going to be difficult to deal with. She knew that she had broken my Elise far beyond what I could repair. She knew...that I'd consider giving up on Elise.
I'm not giving up yet, though. If there's even a slim chance that one of these therapists can help, I've got to take it.
Getting up from my desk, I leave my office and stride through the quiet corridors of my mansion. Since everything happened, everything here has become so much quieter for Elise's sake. No one talks about it but we all know how horrible the situation was and no one wants to do more damage so silence is the safer option.
I take a deep breath before knocking three times quietly on the door to our room before opening it slowly, letting the light from the corridor enter the shaded room. She got up and closed the curtains again. I never see her do it but she the only person in here and those were definitely open when I left the room this morning.
And there she is, as always - laying with her back to me, her legs scrunched up towards her chest as she lays still, the only movement being her slow and shallow breaths. She doesn't even react to my presence. She just lays there unresponsive to anything.
I close the door behind me before stepping into our room, perching on the edge of the bed, stroking her hair as she slowly blinks, showing me that she is at least awake. She may not respond but she can hear me and I know she sometimes listens, though all the life in her eyes is gone. There's no light, no spark of intruige like there used to be. Her eyes have become dull as if there's nothing left in her to live for.
"How are you feeling?" I lowly mutter to her, not daring to speak at a normal volume in case she shuts down even further. I get no response though.
"How would you feel about maybe going to a proper therapist to talk about what you can't say to me? Would that help?" I ask, moving my hand down to rub her back that must be slightly sore from always being curled up and laying down.
Out of the corner of my eyes I see her fingers clench around the sheets. She definitely heard me but I don't know how to interpret that. It doesn't seem like like wants to though.
"Please, just give it a shot. I don't know what else I can do," I plead with her, still getting nothing. All I want is some kind of reaction. She doesn't even have to speak, just look around a bit, squeeze my hand, hum - just something to know I still have a chance of saving you.
All I need is some small movement to give me hope.
"Elise, I..." I trail off realising I just fucked this up, again. She shuts down completely whenever I use her name. I have no clue why and even brought it up to May but he didn't understand either.
As expected, she closes her eyes and curls up tighter into the fetal position after her name leaves my lips. There's no obvious reason I know of for her reaction but I really need to stop using her name for now. If she's completely shut down then even a therapist won't help.
"Look, I'm going to call some that Dr May recommended to help you," I inform her, knowing that she isn't asleep and can still hear me, even if she isn't listening. "Hopefully one of them can help you feel a bit better, okay? But please, try to eat something."
I still get no response as I smooth out the duvet over her, ensuring that she's warm and comfortable. I refill the glass of water that is always on the nightstand for her. There's even a small plate of apple slices that have turned brown next to the glass. Cut up fruits seem to be the only thing she can stomach when she does eat, though that isn't always the case. It does seem that she ate a few bits though so that's good.
I want to leave a kiss on her forehead, mostly to make myself feel better, but I don't think that'll be a good move for me to make. Elise needs some space to herself and I don't know what touches she can tolerate and which will push her further away.
I whisper a 'sleep well' to her before leaving, leaning against the wall beside the door as I pull out my phone from my pocket and checking the numbers Dr May gave me. They are all highly rated therapists, and expensive, but for Elise to get better I don't mind spending all of my wealth. She's worth it all.
Taking a deep breath, I reluctantly leave to return to my office and talk to these therapists. Hopefully there will be at least one that I approve of since I am even more protective of Elise now than I ever was before. I don't want to take her to one of them and them make her condition worse.
I message all of them and one almost instantly gets back to me.
Caroline (therapist #2)
Dr May already informed me that you might get in contact and gave me a brief of what's been going on
Me
So you already know most of it?
Caroline (therapist #2)
I'd prefer to get your and her accounts, if possible.
I like to hear it from the patients themselves rather than some report or piece of paper
Me
She isn't speaking at all, even to me.
But I can give you my account if you don't mind meeting for a coffee to talk face to face?
Caroline (therapist #2)
Of course!
Send a place and time and I'll meet you there. Hope to talk with you soon!
She seems nice enough and already knows something about the situation so there shouldn't be too much to explain, though I still want to see how she is in person. Understanding someone through just the words they type is impossible. I want to hear her voice and see her for myself before letting her anywhere near my fragile Elise.
I assign Cooper to check occasionally on Elise while I'm gone, texting Caroline to meet at a nearby coffee shop that I know well. I used to go there with Elise a lot but we haven't gone in quite some time now.
All I can hope is that this woman is as nice and caring and tentative as she seems in her texts. If she is, she might actually be careful enough to help Elise through this before she starves to death.
°
"You must be Selene, right?" A merry voice that somehow puts even me at ease asks.
"Yes. And you're Caroline?" I ask back, observing the young woman who looks to be in her late twenties as we sit opposite each other in a booth at the coffee shop.
It didn't take long for me to drive here yet somehow she got here even quicker. I guess she must live close by, which will be useful if I need her on short notice.
"That's right," she cheerfully says, giving me a soft smile, revealing her perfect pearly white teeth. "Now do you want to order some drinks first, or would you prefer to talk about the situation with- Elise is it?- first?"
"We can order something to drink. I haven't had much time out of the house since I've been tending to Elise," I admit. Saying it out loud makes me realise how tired I am from taking care of Elise. I really have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to dealing with this, but if all goes well this woman can help much more than I can.
We each order drinks, me a strong coffee while she orders a small strawberry milkshake, and sip at them as she asks questions and I answer them as best I can. It makes me understand how little I know and how little I can do by myself.
We must have talked for an hour or two before I checked the time, realising I've probably been gone too long. I get up to leave but Caroline stops me,suddenly becoming serious after being so cheery and patient for so long.
"She can last some time without you, I promise," she whispers to me, settling me enough to sit down again. "From what you've told me she's probably suffering from depression and an eating disorder. Leaving it for so long probably wasn't the best thing to do but I am glad to know you at least tried to sort this out naturally rather than relying on medical help first."
"Is there anything I can do now?" I ask, getting impatient and wanting to get back to Elise.
"A few things actually," she says, raising my hopes a bit. "First, avoid using her name. I don't fully understand why it has such a negative effect on her but I'd avoid using it. Second, just spend some time with her. Watch a movie with her or something. Even if she doesn't react or interact, just do it. She just need that support from you. Finally, I want you to observe her reactions to food. There's three reactions I want you to watch out for and report to me. Is she scared, digusted or upset by food being offered to her? That's all I can suggest for now."
Her reaction to food?
I've never really taken the time to notice it before but if it can help explain what's going on with Elise then I can keep an eye out for it.
Caroline tells me there's nothing else she can do for now until I can inform her about Elise's reaction to foods. She specifies to try more foods than just fruits and veggies so we can understand it better but also warned me not to force her to do anything.
I told her about what Athena had done and what I knew of when Athena attempted to kill Elise, and it seemed to horrify Caroline when I told her since her cheerful expression dropped for a moment and she took a minute to compose herself before we continued our conversation. She didn't know how to follow that conversation so she immediately switched the topic but she clearly is still taking it in mind as she informs me not to force anything onto Elise, knowing it could traumatise her further.
We walk out of the coffee shop together after paying, Caroline telling me to give her frequent updates about Elise and not to worry about any payments yet. At least she isn't a greedy therapist.
Actually, I'd almost forgotten that she was a therapist while we were talking. Her voice is just so calming that I hadn't realised how much I admitted to her. She still doesn't know about all the details about me, she only knows about Elise and I's relationship and what happened to Elise, but it wouldn't take much longer for me to let something slip by accident.
"Just keep in touch with me, okay? If anything about her declines, tell me and Dr May immediately," she demands, snapping back to her serious side for one moment, simply going back to a pitying smile as she bids me goodbye, telling me to go and care for Elise.
I bid her goodbye as well and return to my car, letting out a long sigh before revving up my car. I watch Caroline's car drive off before shifting out of the parking spot and driving away as well. At least this is a start and I think Elise will like Caroline if they get a chance to meet.
Now I have a plan for tonight to watch a movie with Elise and give her one of her old favourite foods. Simple Belgian waffles with syrup and some fruits. I'll give her a smaller portion than usual but she used to love her and light up when I gave it to her, so it'll be a good food to test her reactions with.
I love my beautiful and sweet girl and I'm going to do my best to make her feel better. Even if that means letting someone else help her instead.
° ° °
Another long part!!
I'm trying to make my chapters longer and feel less rushed, so I hope you guys don't mind.
I'm also trying to get a decent update schedule since I was getting very worn out from trying to do frequent/daily updates.