tell him anything, why haven’t you told him how you feel?”
Laura thought for a moment. “First, because I would have to leave myself open for rejection, and I’m not sure that he feels the same way about me. Second, I think it might start up a relationship that I’m not ready to handle. What if we started dating and this psycho saw Dan as a threat of some kind. He’s watching me, and I wouldn’t want to see him hurt someone I care about.”
“I think from your answer that you care more for this man on a subconscious level, than you are willing to admit on the conscious. That’s something you should explore, but I also agree about not fueling the hatred of this psychopath.”
Laura sighed deeply. “You’re right about the caring, and that scares me more than psycho man. I keep convincing myself that I’m better off alone, because then no one would miss me if I got killed on the job. But I think the real issue is that I don’t want to go through the pain of losing someone I love. Losing Alan was my choice, I threw him out. But it still hurt and sent me to a year of therapy with you. Having someone taken away from me, because of some psycho, is a whole different thing to deal with.”
“I think that’s a fair assessment. However, it wasn’t your choice to have Alan cheat on you, so it’s still a loss, and loss is part of life. This Dan is special to you?”
“Yes, he is so cute, kind and considerate. I feel safe and protected when he’s near me. Then the part of me that doesn’t want to be dependent on someone else kicks in, and I turn away. He has this innocence about him that is so endearing. I’m afraid if I let myself go I will fall in love with him, and then what would I do?”
“Maybe just be in love? There are worse things in the world.”
“It’s too frightening a proposition right now, but I will give it some serious consideration.”
“Good. I’m squeezing you in as a favor this morning, so we will have to cut this short. Do you want to start scheduling some sessions until this crisis is over?”
“Yes, I’ll see the receptionist on the way out. Thanks for seeing me on such short notice.”
“It’s good to see you again, Laura, and think about giving that young man a chance.”
When she finally got to the office, Dan and Roy were working away on the phones. She went down to see Captain Rutledge to let him know that she was back.
“How did your session go with Dr. Walsh?”
“It was short, but she was fitting me in as a courtesy.”
He was trying not to pry, but he had to ask. “Did you make another appointment?”
“Yes, I think I need to see her for a little bit. Even though I hate to admit it, Captain, I’m afraid of this guy.”
“As well you should be. I’ve seen his handiwork. Take all the time you need with Dr. Walsh. She’s a great lady and has helped many officers on this force.”
Laura gave him a serious look. “Sir, if she was seeing this psycho, she would have a moral imperative that was above her doctor-patient, confidentiality agreement, wouldn’t she?”
“Yes, she would, because he means harm to others. Unfortunately, Detective, I don’t think that men as sick as this one go to psychologists, until they are caught and locked up in a mental institution. Speaking of which, what are you guys working on today?”
“We are trying to connect something to the buildings themselves. I haven’t checked with Burns and Murphy yet, because I wanted to let you know that I was back.”
“I appreciate you doing that. Even though I know you feel like it’s an invasion of your privacy, it’s for your own good and safety.”
“I know that, Sir. It’s nice to be cared about. I better get back to work now.”
She left the Captain’s office and headed up to talk to her partners. When she got to her desk, she found them hard at work. “Anything new guys?”
Burns looked up from his pile of papers with a grin. “Well, look who decided to grace us with
Laura thought for a moment. “First, because I would have to leave myself open for rejection, and I’m not sure that he feels the same way about me. Second, I think it might start up a relationship that I’m not ready to handle. What if we started dating and this psycho saw Dan as a threat of some kind. He’s watching me, and I wouldn’t want to see him hurt someone I care about.”
“I think from your answer that you care more for this man on a subconscious level, than you are willing to admit on the conscious. That’s something you should explore, but I also agree about not fueling the hatred of this psychopath.”
Laura sighed deeply. “You’re right about the caring, and that scares me more than psycho man. I keep convincing myself that I’m better off alone, because then no one would miss me if I got killed on the job. But I think the real issue is that I don’t want to go through the pain of losing someone I love. Losing Alan was my choice, I threw him out. But it still hurt and sent me to a year of therapy with you. Having someone taken away from me, because of some psycho, is a whole different thing to deal with.”
“I think that’s a fair assessment. However, it wasn’t your choice to have Alan cheat on you, so it’s still a loss, and loss is part of life. This Dan is special to you?”
“Yes, he is so cute, kind and considerate. I feel safe and protected when he’s near me. Then the part of me that doesn’t want to be dependent on someone else kicks in, and I turn away. He has this innocence about him that is so endearing. I’m afraid if I let myself go I will fall in love with him, and then what would I do?”
“Maybe just be in love? There are worse things in the world.”
“It’s too frightening a proposition right now, but I will give it some serious consideration.”
“Good. I’m squeezing you in as a favor this morning, so we will have to cut this short. Do you want to start scheduling some sessions until this crisis is over?”
“Yes, I’ll see the receptionist on the way out. Thanks for seeing me on such short notice.”
“It’s good to see you again, Laura, and think about giving that young man a chance.”
When she finally got to the office, Dan and Roy were working away on the phones. She went down to see Captain Rutledge to let him know that she was back.
“How did your session go with Dr. Walsh?”
“It was short, but she was fitting me in as a courtesy.”
He was trying not to pry, but he had to ask. “Did you make another appointment?”
“Yes, I think I need to see her for a little bit. Even though I hate to admit it, Captain, I’m afraid of this guy.”
“As well you should be. I’ve seen his handiwork. Take all the time you need with Dr. Walsh. She’s a great lady and has helped many officers on this force.”
Laura gave him a serious look. “Sir, if she was seeing this psycho, she would have a moral imperative that was above her doctor-patient, confidentiality agreement, wouldn’t she?”
“Yes, she would, because he means harm to others. Unfortunately, Detective, I don’t think that men as sick as this one go to psychologists, until they are caught and locked up in a mental institution. Speaking of which, what are you guys working on today?”
“We are trying to connect something to the buildings themselves. I haven’t checked with Burns and Murphy yet, because I wanted to let you know that I was back.”
“I appreciate you doing that. Even though I know you feel like it’s an invasion of your privacy, it’s for your own good and safety.”
“I know that, Sir. It’s nice to be cared about. I better get back to work now.”
She left the Captain’s office and headed up to talk to her partners. When she got to her desk, she found them hard at work. “Anything new guys?”
Burns looked up from his pile of papers with a grin. “Well, look who decided to grace us with
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