THIRD PERSON

"You found a therapist?" Vito asked, a little skeptical—and rightly so. He looked at his brother across the table. They were having dinner that evening, and Josephine had just mentioned that she had an appointment with her new psychologist tomorrow. "Have you checked his references?"

Domenico gave him a disparaging look and continued eating. "He has no criminal record, if that's enough of a reference for you. I thought that was a good start."

Valentino quickly lowered his head to hide his grin. It was hard to break Vito's patience, but Domenico always made it look so easy. He had mastered what his younger brothers had been struggling with for a long time, and he made it seem uncomplicated. Matteo and Riccardo also followed the conversation with interest. Matteo was curious that, for the first time in this family, therapy was being discussed openly, while Riccardo simply enjoyed watching his older brothers in discord. Vito's brows furrowed. "I strongly suspect you're joking."

"And you suspect wrong," Domenico replied. "Tiny agreed, so why should we stand in her way?"

He knew he had checkmated Vito, and Vito knew it too. Still, he was sure Josephine would have agreed to anyone they suggested. How could Domenico act so carelessly? Perhaps the psychologist was completely unsuitable. Maybe Josephine wanted a woman instead! A female influence certainly wouldn't be wrong; after all, she was surrounded by men here. Had Domenico discussed this with her beforehand? "What time is the appointment?"

"At 10 a.m.," Josephine answered quietly, sipping the shake that Maria had made for her. Vito pulled out his cell phone and checked his calendar before typing in the appointment.

"I thought we weren't allowed to use cell phones during dinner, or has that changed?" Valentino asked innocently. Josephine hid her irritation; she had often seen Domenico in particular using his cell phone at the table, but for him, the rules seemed more like guidelines.

"Perché i miei genitori non potevano fermarsi dopo di me?" [Why couldn't my parents stop after me?] Vito murmured quietly.

"Because perfection takes practice. That's why I'm the youngest," Matteo answered confidently, receiving little encouragement from his brothers. Riccardo snorted contemptuously, Valentino punched him in the side, and Domenico kicked his leg under the table.

"No, that's why we have Josephine now. No pressure, but the family's hope is on you." Valentino winked at her. To no one's surprise, Josephine blushed and looked bashfully at her plate, while Matteo said something derogatory to Valentino, which Vito immediately stopped. Eating together, Josephine had learned in the last few weeks, meant just as much to the Marini family as discussing things. It was never quiet.

_____________

Micheal Bradford was, to put it mildly, nervous about his next appointment. Although there was always a certain amount of tension before seeing a new patient, this time felt different. The man on the phone had insisted it was urgent to start the sessions as soon as possible, but aside from that, only sparse information had been given. He vaguely knew the reputation of the Marinis and wasn't sure how to handle it. Could he treat the girl the same way he treated his other patients? And what did "urgent" mean? An incident had been mentioned, but the background had not been explained further.

These were the same questions that had been bothering him ever since the call. His husband had suggested he cancel the appointment, but Micheal doubted this family could be easily dismissed—especially when it came to a family member. His eyes fell on the clock again. They would be there soon if they were on time. As a precaution, he had scheduled the following appointment during his lunch break, just in case it took longer, but they arrived precisely on time.

The office of Dr. Bradford was in one of the high-rise buildings that had been constructed around the turn of the millennium. Vito noticed it wasn't particularly large either; it consisted only of an anteroom, a bathroom, probably a storage room, and the actual office. There were lots of plants and pleasant lighting, which, combined with the colors of the walls, made it unexpectedly cozy and inviting. Nevertheless, Vito was still unsure if he had made the right choice. Dr. Bradford was undoubtedly competent and had years of experience in trauma therapy, but he was less qualified than other psychologists. Additionally, he primarily treated adults, not young people. But he kept his doubts to himself for Josephine's protection; she was already very tense, and Vito was glad she had agreed at all.

Josephine was indeed nervous. She had spent most of the night debating whether it was a good idea or not, and even now, she didn't have a final opinion. It seemed unrealistic to her that a stranger could understand her and help her, especially since she brought so many problems. And what if he said she was beyond help? What should she do then? Lost in her thoughts, she didn't even notice when they were no longer alone.

Micheal knew the moment he saw her that "urgent" truly meant urgent. The girl, who looked younger than her actual age, hadn't noticed him yet, allowing him to examine her briefly. She was shockingly thin, her eyes staring blankly at a picture on the wall. His first thought was possible anorexia, but he quickly dismissed it. Smiling, he held out his hand to her. "Hello, Josephine. It's nice to meet you."

Startled, Josephine jumped when she heard her name and saw first the hand and then the man it belonged to. He was probably in his mid-forties, slim but untrained, with blonde hair that was slowly turning gray. The ring on his finger suggested he was married. Was that good or bad?

"Hello," she said quietly, hesitantly shaking his hand.

"Thank you for finding an appointment so quickly. Unfortunately, the circumstances required an unconventional approach, but I hope this will not affect Josephine's treatment." Vito also shook the man's hand, who didn't miss the subtle threat.

Micheal decided to just smile and nod. "Of course. Josephine, would you prefer if the two of us spoke alone first, or would you like all three of us to talk?"

To the two men's surprise, Josephine wished to speak with Dr. Bradford alone. However, it wasn't due to her sudden confidence or comfort, but rather because she feared topics might arise that she didn't want Vito to know about. She had informed herself: as long as Vito wasn't her guardian, he was legally not allowed to look into her health files. She just had to ensure that Dr. Bradford wouldn't document everything. Just. Josephine had no idea how she was going to do it.

Nervously, she followed the psychologist and glanced back at Vito, who smiled encouragingly at her. "I'll be right out here. If you need me, all you have to do is call, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you." Josephine closed the door and looked around the room. It was furnished similarly to the anteroom, but to her relief, there was a wall of windows from which she could see the city. Even though the room was smaller, it didn't feel cramped. There was space for a desk, a bookshelf, two armchairs that stood at a 135° angle to each other, and countless plants.

Micheal leaned against his desk and watched her reaction. Was it a conscious behavior to look for escape routes from the room, or was it unconscious? She had just spotted a photo of him and his husband. He noticed with interest how she seemed to relax a little. "This is my husband. He's a botanist, which is why all these plants are here. Would you like to sit down?"

Josephine shyly took a seat on the armchair closer to the door. Dr. Bradford sat down next to her, folded his hands, and looked at her kindly. Josephine looked at his hands in surprise. She had expected him to have something to write with, but that wasn't the case. "May I ask you something?"

"Of course. It would be a very one-sided conversation if only one person were allowed to ask questions, and after all, this is a meeting to get to know each other," replied Dr. Braford with a smile.

"Aren't you going to write down what I say?"

He laughed. "I know I have gray hair, but my memory still works quite well. I find it distracting to take notes during conversations, which doesn't mean that I don't write anything down. For myself, I just find it easier to write down what came up in the conversation later, in peace."

Josephine's cheeks turned red as she looked at her hands in shame. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. And I'm sorry you were forced to meet me."

"The way we came together has no impact on your right to help. It takes a lot of strength and insight to realize that you need help, and for that alone, you have my greatest respect," he reassured her, waiting a moment before continuing. "What can I help you with?"

Josephine nervously pulled her sleeves over her hands. How was she supposed to start? "What we're discussing is confidential, right? I know that Vito can be informed if he's my guardian, but he doesn't have to know everything, right?"

Dr. Bradford frowned thoughtfully. He began to grasp what had brought them here. "Do you know that I usually only treat adults? The legal situation is clear: no one is allowed to know anything unless the patient explicitly agrees or there is a risk of some kind. It's a little different for minors, but I can explain to Mr. Marini why I would like to do the same for you in order to build a trustful relationship. The exception, however, is if I believe you are in danger. In that case, I am obliged to inform your guardian or CPS. Do you agree to that?"

She thought it over and finally nodded. What he said made sense, and perhaps the worst could be avoided. "I am, thank you very much." Josephine hesitated. "I don't know where to start."

"Well, you can start at the beginning or with what concerns you most. That's entirely your decision."

So she started talking. She talked about her parents, her foster family, her time on the streets, her sleep problems, and her panic attacks. She didn't reveal everything, like the flashbacks and their content; she just hoped Dr. Bradford wouldn't notice.

He did notice. He had worked with too many victims of abuse not to see the signs, but he said nothing about it. It was her life, and she had the right to decide what to reveal and when. Micheal now understood what was meant by "urgent." In front of him sat a teenager who had to grow up too early, yet who didn't want to give up on herself. In fact, that was exactly why he was optimistic. If she didn't want to give up on herself, then no one else should either.

Josephine fell silent. Except for a few questions, Dr. Bradford didn't interrupt her, and she was surprised at how much she had said. What did he think of her now? Did he think she was a hopeless case and would reject her? Maybe she should have said less? She looked at him worriedly, but nothing on his face suggested what he was thinking.

A few seconds passed in silence. Then Dr. Bradford took a breath. "Before we discuss anything else, I would like to ask you one thing, Josephine, and this time it is important to me that you be honest." He looked at her expectantly, and she nodded quickly. "Do you have thoughts of hurting yourself or ending your life?"

"I didn't survive just to end it now," she said harsher than intended.

"One could argue that putting a gun to one's head and pulling the trigger could count as a suicide attempt."

'Oh, so he does know that,' she thought, but resolutely looked him in the eyes for the first time. "One could argue that up until then I had just escaped."



Hello there, how are you all doing? I don't know what happened since the last chapters but hello to so many new readers! I'm glad you found my little story :-)

To all my 'old' readers: I am really sorry for taking so long! It wasn't intended. The end scene is one of my key scenes I really want to include. Feels refreshing to delete it from my list.

See you soon 🌹