Ficlet--After Annie's Long Term Mission
“To be honest,” Clay said as he crossed his legs, trying his best to get comfortable in the arm chair, “I’m more angry than anything else.”
The woman across from him smiled gently, “That’s a first step to handling all of this.”
“I’m not angry at her, I’m angry at the situation she was put in.”
All of Annie’s talk about resigning from the Agency made so much more sense now. Throughout their whole relationship, Clay was plagued with feelings of Jealousy, first because of Annie’s feelings concerning Ben Mercer, then again with her feelings toward Jai Wilcox. He finally felt as though he worked through all of that and then this. To stay alive, she had to do something that she promised him she’d never do. She had to sleep with someone else.
“That’s understandable, Mr. Webb.”
“Clayton.”
She nodded, “Clayton.”
“I want to help her through all of this. I want Annie to know that I’m not going to leave and I don’t know what I can do to help with that.”
“Have you told her?”
“As often as I can. We’re in this together, and she isn’t alone.”
Hearing himself say that made him realize that he sounded like some sort of self-help book or marriage counselor. That wasn’t what he was going for.
“That’s a good attitude to have,” the woman across from Clay assured him. “Annie’s lucky to have someone like you.”
“I’ve been through my own hell, almost too many times to count. I know what it’s like not to have any support, and I don’t want Annie to go through that.”
The rest of the hour was spent discussing Clay’s feelings on Annie’s six month mission and making sure that what he thought were appropriate steps to recover from all of this were the right ones for now. The doctor assured him he was taking the right course of action.
They set up one meeting a month, during his lunch hour for the next three months. He figured he’d need the sounding board and the doctor told him it was just as important for him to work through his feelings on the matter just as it was for Annie. That made Clay feel better.
At the end of the hour, he shook the Doctor’s hand and headed back toward his office, like nothing was out of the ordinary.
The woman across from him smiled gently, “That’s a first step to handling all of this.”
“I’m not angry at her, I’m angry at the situation she was put in.”
All of Annie’s talk about resigning from the Agency made so much more sense now. Throughout their whole relationship, Clay was plagued with feelings of Jealousy, first because of Annie’s feelings concerning Ben Mercer, then again with her feelings toward Jai Wilcox. He finally felt as though he worked through all of that and then this. To stay alive, she had to do something that she promised him she’d never do. She had to sleep with someone else.
“That’s understandable, Mr. Webb.”
“Clayton.”
She nodded, “Clayton.”
“I want to help her through all of this. I want Annie to know that I’m not going to leave and I don’t know what I can do to help with that.”
“Have you told her?”
“As often as I can. We’re in this together, and she isn’t alone.”
Hearing himself say that made him realize that he sounded like some sort of self-help book or marriage counselor. That wasn’t what he was going for.
“That’s a good attitude to have,” the woman across from Clay assured him. “Annie’s lucky to have someone like you.”
“I’ve been through my own hell, almost too many times to count. I know what it’s like not to have any support, and I don’t want Annie to go through that.”
The rest of the hour was spent discussing Clay’s feelings on Annie’s six month mission and making sure that what he thought were appropriate steps to recover from all of this were the right ones for now. The doctor assured him he was taking the right course of action.
They set up one meeting a month, during his lunch hour for the next three months. He figured he’d need the sounding board and the doctor told him it was just as important for him to work through his feelings on the matter just as it was for Annie. That made Clay feel better.
At the end of the hour, he shook the Doctor’s hand and headed back toward his office, like nothing was out of the ordinary.