Dear John Letter

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(Sounds good, after this we can skip to the next session.)

Damien took the card and looked at it, seeing her first name. He didn't feel comfortable calling her that though. "I guess I'll see you next week then. Maybe I'll bring my dog if I get one, I'm sure you normally don't allow them in here, but I would have no where to keep him during the session."

He moved towards the door, slowly taking out his wallet and setting her card in it.
 
He accepted the card and she dropped her hand, penciling him in for the time slot he wanted. "If you get a dog, you're more than welcome to bring him in. Just don't be surprised if you get a few odd looks from the receptionist." She said with a nod, watching him walk towards the door.

"I'll see you next week, then." Jessica turned away from him, putting away a few things and pulling the file for her next appointment.
 
He left the office feeling slightly better about his decision on getting a dog, but not about being back in the states in general.

When he walked back in the next week he had a husky puppy with him. Damien checked in and set the puppy in his lap as he waited, petting it's soft fur.

It seemed to be helping him so far, it gave him something to do during the day and not seem out of place just walking around.
 
Jessica went through four more appointments before she left for the day, parting ways with the receptionist after she locked the front door.

The following Wednesday, she wasn't having the best day. Two of her appointments ran over due to client meltdowns, and had put her schedule back significantly. It was almost a relief when Damien's name was on the list.

She hit the buzzer, indicating that she was ready for him to come back, having to wonder if he'd actually gone out and got a dog.
 
When he walked in Damien let the dog walk on the leash. "You're late, did something happen?" He asked, noting that the time was later than his original appointment.

The pup immediately went to Dr.Owens, wanting to smell her since she was new. His tail wagged and he yipped softly, trying to jump up. "Down Jax, stay down." He said in a strong voice, that Jax axtually listened to.
 
She smiled upon his entrance. "Nope, just had a few appointments run over." She said, looking down when she heard the clicking of nails on the hardwood.

She crouched down, letting the puppy have his sniffs without being scolded further. "So I take it you decided that a dog was the right choice?" She asked, knowing it was kind of rhetorical.
 
Damien nodded. "Yes, I only made the decision a few days ago, but I'm somewhat happy about it. He isn't house trained completely which is a problem, but we are working through it."

He moved closer to the couch and sat down, letting Jax have the length of the lease to explore. "He gives me a non creepy reason to be walking in the park."
 
She nodded, giving the dog a final scratch behind the ears before she stood, figuring it was time to start the session. The last thing she needed was to go over because her client happened to have an adorable animal.

"I'm sure that you'll get the potty training under control shortly." She said, and when he commented about having a non creepy reason to walk in the park, she grinned. "So tell me about your week."
 
Damien sighed and kept his eyes on the dog, pretending he was talking to the animal. "I didn't do much the first days after we met, just tried to get used to having a bed and place to live. I cooked a little, burnt things, but I'm trying. My hand isn't getting better which worries me sometimes because it should be healing."

He reached out to pet Jax before continuing. "I went and looked at dogs for a couple days. The second day I saw Jax and I couldn't say no. The lady helped me pick out his collar and stuff, made them match or something."
 
Jess made a note of the lack of eye contact, but didn't comment. "Something says it isn't supposed to be better in a week. Could be wrong, though." She told him, knowing she was here for input. She listened to the rest of his week, looking down at the leash and collar curiously. They did indeed match.

"She has great taste." She told him with a small smile. "So have you been venturing out more?" She asked him. "Beyond the walks in the park?" Jess clarified, not really wanting to count the dog walk. She was here to help with human interaction, and while an adorable dog was sure to bring in some friends, it wasn't exactly what she was there for.
 
"It should be getting better though." He muttered, before looking up. "There isn't anything for me to do. I don't want to leave the dog alone too long. I go to the store for food but nothing else. People look intimidated when they see me." This of course was an exaggeration , but it was how Damien felt when he walked around in public.

"I don't think being around lots of people will help me, it just puts me on edge, makes me look for potential targets."

Damien ran a hand through his hair and stopped himself from getting up and going to the window.
 
"It will be fine." She told him, shifting in her seat. He looked up and she nodded. "Cage him while you're gone, if you're worried about messes. Well, I'd be intimidated by you too, if you're going out there and looking unwelcoming, people aren't going to seek you out for conversation, y'know?" She pointed out. Yes, assumptions weren't the best way to go about things, but if he didn't want to make friends, body language portrayed that.

"Like I said last session, we are going to start small. Do you drink coffee?" She asked him, raising a brow.
 
Damien let out a slow breath. "No, I drink tea now." He told her. Coffee just reminded him of his ex-fiancé. "Don't put that down or anything, I don't want anyone thinking I'm a wuss." He said quickly before sitting the dog down back on the ground.

"Why do I have to go out? What if it's just better for me if I stay at my apartment. At least there I know I'm not a threat to anyone. I can't hurt anyone." Damien said, rubbing his bad hand. He had had a snap the other day and had started yelling at a man for simply brushing past him. It hadnt been pretty.
 
She almost struggled with maintaining her professionalism when he told her not to put that down. "Something says that what you drink doesn't reflect on your wussiness. That's not a word, and is completely off the record." She told him with a sigh, looking at the puppy.

"Because becoming a recluse is not the way to make sure you don't have a snap. I'm here to teach you how to work through it without hurting anyone." Jess informed him, studying his body language. "Have you had a break?" She asked, becoming more serious now. She was there to make it so he didn't have to hide, but she couldn't help him if he didn't tell her the important things.
 
"It's better than being around people." Damien muttered as he stood and moved towards the window. He was nervous about talking about it, that she would think that he needed more help.

"I yelled at a guy yesterday, he got too close to me. I didn't want to hit him or anything. I did wish I had a gun though. He reminded me of the man who is the reason I got hurt." He explained, rubbing his bad hand.

"I don't want that to happen again. It's better if I just stay inside most of the time, it's not like I have a purpose anyway."
 
He went to the window, and she had an idea. Probably a dumb one, but something needed to be done. She listened to what he had to say, and determined that there was no way she was going to allow that to continue.

"Alright, let's go on a field trip." She said,standing up and grabbing her jacket from the back of her chair. Wednesdays were her days for earlier closings, and he was her last patient for the day. She looked at him, waiting for a reaction.

Jess was serious, there was no need for hypothetical scenario when he could have real ones without difficulty, and she was going to be there to make sure that he knew how to handle it.
 
Damien looked at her, trying to figure out what she was thinking. "I don't think we should. That isn't what these sessions are supposed to be used for." He told her, just trying to find a reason to tell her no.

Jax wanted to go though, as soon as he saw the lady get up he went over to smell her shoes again.

"I'm not going to go anywhere I don't want to." Damien told her with a raised eyebrow.
 
"Actually, as the doctor in this situation I think I get to say what happens in these meetings." She informed him with a cheeky smile. She wasn't used to having to explain herself, so generally she completely avoided explanations.

She crouched again to give attention to the dog sniffing her shoes, and then looked up at the man on the other end of the leash.

She pulled a face when he told her he wasn't going anywhere he didn't want to. "It won't scar you for life. Come on, let's go." She told him, slipping on her jacket and going to the door.
 
"No, nothing else could scar me anymore." He muttered under his breath before following her.

"I don't trust you Dr.Owens. You're new, you don't know what you're doing yet, so for all I know this could harm me. Perhaps you should stop pushing me and let me adjust. Life is different out there." Damien continued to follow her though, he just didn't want her to think he thought it was a good idea.

"I know you have to keep my information confidential, but I can tell people what happened in our sessions if I want to." He added.
 
"I can't make you trust me, I get that. But this is my job. I'm supposed to help you adjust. You can't adjust from a room three stories above the city. That's not how it works." She told him, knowing very well that he was following her despite his obvious complaints. So maybe he was a tough nut to crack, but something made him come with her, and that's what was important.

"Loretta, we are moving this session outdoors. I have my keys, you can lock up if you want." She told he receptionist before heading out the front door, assuming he'd be following her still.

"You're free to tell anyone what we did here. This is a normal exercise, we learned it at university." She told him with a shrug.
 
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