nervesofsteel: (na_shao) (14)
[personal profile] nervesofsteel
Once, John would have never believed that someday, he might find himself in a therapist’s office completely of his own volition, without the slightest bit of prodding, or poking, or not-so-subtle encouragement. When he had first gotten back from Afghanistan, forced out of his army, out of his war, back into a life he no longer recognized, his sessions with the army psychiatrist had been mandatory and blessedly briefly. He had found Ella at the insistence of friends and, more importantly, a former commanding officer that he was loathe to disappoint, but he had looked on her with near-insulting skepticism and offered only reticence and quips. People like John Watson don’t talk about their feelings.

Then, when he had lost everything once again - when he had lost Sherlock - he had gone back to Ella, and somewhere along the way, he had begun to truly listen to her. Her questions were prying, but made him think, her assumptions annoying, but often correct. Mary, too, as they had gotten to know one another and he had revealed little crumbs of his inner demons, seemed to instinctively know how to ask about his appointments, how to subtly ensure that he went without ever putting him on his guard. Somewhere along the way, therapy had become normal - as long as he doesn't think about it very much.

Now he’s in Darrow, and he has a wife, and a daughter, and a regular job, and he’s okay with that. More or less. But he has to stay okay with it, that’s his responsibility now, and that’s why he’s here in this nondescript waiting room, flipping through a magazine filled with the face of Todd Chadd, and articles about the latest Tiffany Charlotte Memorial Something-or-other. He still doesn’t truck in feelings, and the idea of laying out the last five years for yet another human being makes him want to be sick, frankly, but he is going to make this work.

He has no other choice.

Date: 2014-05-17 11:25 pm (UTC)
professionalcuriosity: (073)
From: [personal profile] professionalcuriosity
As the clock ticks over to the hour, Alana sets aside her notes from her last patient, grabbing a fresh clipboard before she heads to the door. "John?" she asks, offering the man a gentle smile. "I'm Dr. Bloom. Please, come on in and we'll get started."

Date: 2014-05-20 08:07 pm (UTC)
professionalcuriosity: (Default)
From: [personal profile] professionalcuriosity
Alana stands in the doorway, leaving him room to enter first and pick somewhere to sit. She prefers to allow her clients a choice so they can be at their most comfortable — as comfortable, at least, as anyone can be, sitting in front of a stranger while explaining all the reasons they need help. It's a vulnerable position to be in. The least she can do is let them make the seating arrangements.

"This week," she says, "we'll just be going over why you're here, what's bothering you, the goals you'd like to make. That kind of thing."

Date: 2014-05-22 11:24 am (UTC)
professionalcuriosity: (love arrives safely)
From: [personal profile] professionalcuriosity
Alana eases down onto the couch opposite him, one leg crossing over the other. "Alright," she says. "That's good to hear. We'll try to keep it that way." She smiles. It's not all that uncommon either. The question is often whether it's necessary, a matter of comfort, or a cover up for the fact that something is still wrong. Whatever the reason, though, it can't hurt.

"Why were you going before?"

Date: 2014-05-26 12:00 am (UTC)
professionalcuriosity: (I won't let you choke)
From: [personal profile] professionalcuriosity
It's a simple explanation of an awful, sad history, one that's not exactly uncommon and all the more unfortunate for it. John doesn't pity himself, though, just stays the course of explaining, right to the point. Alana suspects he's still more than capable of being a difficult patient, that he'll need coaxing now and then, and that, more often, he'll need to be left alone until he's ready.

"I'm sorry for your loss," she says. He doesn't need her to sit and be overly sympathetic. She doesn't know him yet, doesn't know what he's lost or what he considers a loss. But the death of any friend is an awful, difficult thing, never mind having to see it occur. "What happened to your friend? If you don't mind my asking."

Date: 2014-05-26 09:37 pm (UTC)
professionalcuriosity: (Default)
From: [personal profile] professionalcuriosity
"Thought," Alana echoes. That's obviously a key term. It does nothing to diminish the grief John must have felt, seeing his friend jump, if that friend is somehow still alive. The question is whether he is, or if that hesitation comes from denial. Either way, he's right about one thing: this just got interesting. A serial killer — or perhaps mass murderer — brings the world inside her office closer to the one she was living in as a consultant.

"So jumping was some kind of a trick or illusion?" Not impossible to do, she thinks, but it seems incredibly difficult to pull off and survive.

Date: 2014-06-01 11:12 pm (UTC)
professionalcuriosity: (Default)
From: [personal profile] professionalcuriosity
"That's... quite a shock," Alana says, in a tone which suggests she's fully aware that's a rather intense understatement. She can only imagine the sense of betrayal she would feel in a similar situation, of hurt and confusion and lingering grief despite the facts before her. The timing, she suspects, compounds matters.

"Did he explain why?"

Date: 2014-06-04 11:46 am (UTC)
professionalcuriosity: (and I will change my ways)
From: [personal profile] professionalcuriosity
"You sound close," Alana says, no trace of irony in her voice. The way John speaks of Sherlock, she's heard more than a few speak of their loved ones with that kind of bluntness. In most cases, she's found it indicates intimacy more than anything else.

She's more caught on the names mentioned. Watson. Moriarty. Sherlock. She was more interested in Southern Gothic than old English literature, growing up, but that hasn't kept her from being familiar with the famous detective and the Napoleon of crime. In a city where the strangest things happen, the simplest explanation may in fact be that all of this is true. After all, she has a client who survived a zombie apocalypse. On the other hand, at home, she would suspect delusions clung to by a man who needs meaning in his life and finds it in the coincidence of having the same name as a noted literary figure. Without Sherlock himself or someone else to corroborate what's being said, it's going to take tactful probing to be sure of the truth.

"So in order to make his death look convincing, even you had to be kept in the dark."

Date: 2014-06-08 10:19 pm (UTC)
professionalcuriosity: (Default)
From: [personal profile] professionalcuriosity
"It sounds extreme," Alana corrects. If there's any madness here, it's on the part of his friend, presuming all of this is real. Which, until she has reason to do otherwise, is exactly what she'll do. "It also sounds like he wasn't really taking you into account when this happened."

Date: 2014-06-12 07:50 pm (UTC)
professionalcuriosity: (Default)
From: [personal profile] professionalcuriosity
Alana smiles, amused. It's good to see John has a sense of humor about that, at least, even if she suspects it's somewhat morbid as well, all things considered. Better that than to expect this friend, Sherlock, to become something John can see he isn't.

"So he had a couple of years to take care of business," she says, "while you... what? What were you doing after that?"

Date: 2014-06-15 12:06 pm (UTC)
professionalcuriosity: (the good things we know)
From: [personal profile] professionalcuriosity
Alana nods. "You keep moving forward," she agrees, "or you sink." Already she can see that John is not a man who sinks. Even when no one would blame him for falling back a little, she suspects he doesn't allow it. It's something to watch out for in future sessions.

"How old is your daughter?"

Date: 2014-06-17 08:21 pm (UTC)
professionalcuriosity: (Default)
From: [personal profile] professionalcuriosity
It's a strange thought, someone growing up here knowing it as her entire world when her parents know something else to be true. Alana wonders how that will turn out, what effect it will have on the girl. "Congratulations," she says. "That must be quite a change."

Date: 2014-06-22 01:45 am (UTC)
professionalcuriosity: (Default)
From: [personal profile] professionalcuriosity
"Especially on top of settling in here and the aftermath of Sherlock's return," Alana says. She has the sense there's something more to be said that he's not quite getting to — the birth of a child is a lot to sum up in so few words — but she can't quite tell if he's weighing telling her or planning not to. "Is she your first?"

Date: 2014-06-25 07:22 pm (UTC)
professionalcuriosity: (Default)
From: [personal profile] professionalcuriosity
Alana laughs softly. "You weren't planning on having kids?" she asks. Truthfully, she's not sure she'd want to have children here. The place has a tendency to be troubled, and she'd find it odd, raising someone here when she knows she's from another world, though if anyone would accept that explanation without hesitation, it's a child. But then, she's unlikely to be in a position to have children until it's past being a sensible option.

Date: 2014-06-29 12:06 am (UTC)
professionalcuriosity: (Default)
From: [personal profile] professionalcuriosity
"At least it was a welcome surprise," Alana says. John seems so far like he'd be a good father. Some people who get surprised just aren't meant for it. "So you and your wife didn't meet here, I take it."

Date: 2014-07-01 07:32 pm (UTC)
professionalcuriosity: (I roll over and shake him tightly)
From: [personal profile] professionalcuriosity
Alana smiles, quietly amused by the way he looks away. It's really very sweet. "Having a support system can make all the difference," she says. "They can help you stay grounded in the present and looking forward. It sounds like she's good support for you."

Date: 2014-07-07 10:28 pm (UTC)
professionalcuriosity: (to trust‚ to hold‚ to care)
From: [personal profile] professionalcuriosity
"Love, I'd assume," Alana says, her smile briefly playful. "Or child support, who knows. I'm glad to hear you've got someone like her." It's clearly not a matter of convenience. However he plays it, he dotes on his wife, which is heartening. A supportive spouse is always a relief to her. Too many people have difficulty understanding, and it can inhibit progress, but it sounds like that won't be the case here.

Date: 2014-07-08 01:25 pm (UTC)
professionalcuriosity: (which will refresh my broken mind)
From: [personal profile] professionalcuriosity
"And you knew that very quickly," Alana says. "You met her not long after Sherlock's stunt, you said?" Not that she thinks one has anything to do with the other. If anything, that he could see her through his grief seems like proof something there is right.

Date: 2014-07-13 06:20 pm (UTC)
professionalcuriosity: (she says‚ I need not to need)
From: [personal profile] professionalcuriosity
Alana smiles, though it doesn't quite sit right on her face. She wants to say that doesn't matter, that love isn't contingent on perfect mental health. She believes it and she believes that a support system is not a solution at the same time, but she can't help thinking of Will.

"You mentioned you were in the Medical Corps. Do you work as a doctor here in Darrow?"

Date: 2014-07-15 08:14 pm (UTC)
professionalcuriosity: (and landed in my eyes)
From: [personal profile] professionalcuriosity
"Oh, yeah," Alana says, nodding, "I know the place. That's good. And Mary's home with Evelyn?" She doesn't want to assume, of course, but it seems like the simplest way to handle things for them. Around here, though, she thinks it helps to have a job, something to do and a way to acclimate to life in Darrow.

Date: 2014-07-21 02:57 am (UTC)
professionalcuriosity: (and your face is the moon)
From: [personal profile] professionalcuriosity
Alana nods. "When Evelyn's older," she says. "It's a lot harder when they're so young to juggle it all." At least, that's what she understands from the experiences of people around her. Children just haven't been in the cards for her. She's still young enough for a family, but she doubts it'll happen. What she hasn't worked out yet is how she feels about that. "Is that how you met? Through work?"

Date: 2014-07-23 04:24 am (UTC)
professionalcuriosity: (she renders to those who come knocking)
From: [personal profile] professionalcuriosity
"No, that's sweet," Alana says, meaning it entirely. Well, sweet may not be the exact word to use, but she likes it. It's something that makes for a different and interesting story, a quick way to get to know each other. "Not ridiculous at all. And no. No, I don't."

She very rarely offers up details of her personal life, but, for the most part, there's no harm in answering when asked. Her life isn't the point, but it's not entirely off-limits. "Maybe one day."

Date: 2014-07-30 06:37 pm (UTC)
professionalcuriosity: (right before my eyes)
From: [personal profile] professionalcuriosity
Alana smiles. It's the good ridiculous, he's right, absolutely charming in its absurdity. It makes her wistful, but she's practiced at hiding that. She's come to terms with the fact that dating just isn't right for her yet and that, even if it were, she hasn't found the right person for it. Her time will come or it won't; her life won't be any less rich for that.

"It sounds like now you're both even."

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Dr. John Watson

July 2015

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