Blue Patches Counseling Center: Chapter 1-Rebecca
Title: Blue Patches Counseling Center
Author: Ocelot_l
Characters: Rebecca, Donnie, Tacoma, Todd, Lupa, Harvey, Tara, Film Brain, Marzgurl, Cinema Snob, Maven, Quinn
Pairings: Todd/Lupa, Harvey/Tara, past Marzgurl/Hagan, implied Cinema Snob/Phelous
Summary: Rebecca, Donnie, and Tacoma are all therapists at the Blue Patches Counseling Center. They specialize in different areas but all share the same goal of helping their clients lead happier, healthier lives.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Bad Language, Dark Themes, Depression, Self-Harm, Blood, Suicide Attempt
Word Count: 15,771
Notes: The names of all the producers have been changed in this story, since Demo Reel was set in an alternate universe, but hopefully I've done enough to make the characters recognizable despite the name changes. I hope you enjoy!
PATIENT COUPLE # 7326692-FOXX & LULA SOMBRA
Session 3
“I can’t believe you just said that!”
“You said you wanted me to be honest!”
“How could you say something so hurtful like that?”
“God, Foxx, I wasn’t trying to insult you.”
“You called me ugly!”
“I called the damn mask ugly, not you!”
“I am wearing the mask on my face, so therefore you must be associating ugliness with my face!”
“How the hell could you believe something so stupid?”
“Oh, so now I’m ugly and stupid! I can’t believe you really think that about me!”
“Okay!” Rebecca suddenly clapped her hands and moved to stand in between the young, muscular woman with bright red hair and the young, muscular man who wore a black, sequined masquerade mask over half of his face, a bright smile on her face. “I think that should be enough for honesty hour, so let’s move on to another exercise.”
“Fine,” Lula said, sitting down in one of the plump, soft chairs decorating the office. Foxx did likewise, adjusting the headwear he wore nervously.
“So, after evaluating that last exercise,” Rebecca began, her tone quite chipper, “I think we can all agree that there are some communication problems here.” The two nodded half-heartedly, murmuring agreement. “Now, these communication problems seem to be, in my opinion, centered around the fact that you two don’t understand each other as well as you once might have.”
“I don’t know if I ever understood her,” Foxx muttered. Lula stuck her tongue out at him but a clap from Rebecca drew their attention once again.
“I can see why you might feel that way, Foxx. That’s why I’d like to engage in a little role-play right now.” Rebecca walked over to an enormous mahogany wardrobe she kept in the corner of the room and pulled the doors wide open, revealing a vast array of hats, coats, wigs, costumes, and other props one might find backstage at a playhouse. “Foxx, Lula, I’d like each of you to pick out items you associate with your spouse, and then I’d like you to try to talk to each other as if you were your spouse.”
Foxx looked at the clothing and objects uncertainly. “I don’t know, Dr. Stoné. Wouldn’t that make us look silly?”
Lula let out a bark of laughter. “Are you serious right now? Do you think any of those costumes look sillier than you do right now?”
“What do you mean by that?” Foxx demanded.
In response Lula rose, strode over to the wardrobe, and picked up a large, green ogre mask which she quickly slipped over her face. “Hey, everyone,” she said, making her voice deeper and gruffer, “it’s me, Foxx. I dress up like a crazy person every day.”
“Now, let’s not use harmful words like crazy,” Rebecca interjected.
“I’m dressing up to promote the store!” Foxx cried, jumping to his feet as he tried to defend himself. “When people see me wearing these masks, they ask where I got them, and I tell them to come on by the shop to see for themselves!”
“I’m also too cheap to pay for TV or radio ads like a normal person!” Lula continued on in her mock male voice.
“Again, let’s try not to be insulting here, Lula.”
Before Rebecca could help Lula completely curtail her insults, Foxx was at the wardrobe as well, rifling through the contents until he placed onto his head a pair of dog ears. “I’m Lula,” he said, pitching his voice higher into something close to a screech. “I don’t care if Foxx spend all our money before we pay off our mortgage because I think money grows on trees! Plus I’m too busy hanging out with the wolves at the zoo to spend time with him!”
“I’m Foxx!” Lula fired back. “I don’t care that my wife’s family is embarrassed of me because of this mask obsession! I don’t even know what to say to comfort my wife when she’s upset about it because I pretend the problem doesn’t exist!”
Foxx winced at that remark before firing back, “I’m Lula! I spend all my time worrying about what my family thinks instead of caring how my husband feels! I want him to make everything happen quickly and easily, and if he doesn’t do that, I withhold affection from him!”
Lula yanked her mask off and looked to her husband in shock. “W-what? I don’t do that?”
Foxx harrumphed and crossed his arms. “When was the last time you held me after sex and told me you loved me? When was the last time you showed up at work with lunch for me, or called just to say you missed me? I can’t remember the last time you even kissed me, Lula.”
“I-I didn’t know you wanted me to do those things,” Lula admitted.
“Why not?” Rebecca wondered. “It’s not unusual for spouses to show affection to each other in that way.”
“Well yeah, but, I’m usually so busy worrying about our finances, or about my own job at the zoo, that I don’t have time to think about much else,” Lula admitted. “I never knew Foxx wasn’t feeling appreciated. He never told me and I’m not a mind reader, so how was I supposed to know he wanted me to do stuff like that?”
“That’s one area where improving the lines of communication will help,” Rebecca said before turning to Foxx. “What about you?
Do you feel like Lula has expectations for you that are unfair?”
“Well, yeah.” Foxx removed the wig and looked into Lula’s eyes. “I didn’t know she was unhappy because of what her family was saying. I would have tried to make things better if she’d told me about it before. But…” Foxx’s lips suddenly tightened. “You know what? I don’t really care what your family thinks about me, Lula. If the only problem they have with me is that I wear dumb masks, then I think they should lighten up, and… and I wish you would support me instead of feeling embarrassed about me,” he admitted. “I don’t think it’s my job to prove myself to your family anymore. I’ve already shown them I love you more than anyone else in the world… why isn’t that enough for you?”
Lula sighed and walked closer to Foxx, placing her hands on his arms. “I know that I shouldn’t be so concerned about what they think, Foxx, but I can’t help it. I just want my parents to love you as much as I do.”
The two leaned in close to share a kiss before pulling apart and smiling. Rebecca was smiling as well and she clapped her hands together happily. “Alright, I think we’ve made some great progress today, you two. Now, for our next session, I am going to give you a few homework assignments: first, I want you to promise me that you’ll continue to work on your communication skills. Foxx, if you’re feeling unappreciated, speak up and let Lula know what’s on your mind.”
Foxx nodded. “I will, Dr. Stoné.”
“Good.” Rebecca tilted her head down. “Lula, if you’re feeling embarrassed or frustrated, tell Foxx, preferably in a way that omits insults.”
“Right, doctor,” Lula agreed.
“Okay. Secondly, I want you two to think about what’s most important to you. I know it’s important to have a successful business, Foxx, but is it worth saving money if your wife feels embarrassed to be seen with you?” Foxx pulled the dog ears from his head and looked down, nodding once again. “And Lula, are you going to keep letting your family dictate to you what is and isn’t acceptable about your husband?”
“I already know that answer,” Lula said, squeezing Foxx’s hands tightly.
Rebecca smiled. “I’m glad to know that. Now, for your last assignment, I’d like you two to write up a list of ten fun activities you want to do together and do at least three before our next session. There will be no masks, no financial worries, and no nosy families during those fun times,” she declared, “only two people committed to making their relationship healthy and filled with love.”
“I can already think of one thing.” Lula leaned in close and whispered something into Foxx’s ear. Seconds later the two were on their way out the door.
“See ya next week, Dr. Stoné!”
Rebecca laughed before bending down to pick up her discarded costumes and tossing them into the laundry pile.
------
PATIENT COUPLE# 7332048-HARLEY & TORI SWEETSOUND
Session 1
“Mind if I smoke, doc?”
“Um, actually that’s illegal in this building, Mr. Sweetsound,” Rebecca informed the man in the suit.
“Please, call me Harley,” he replied as he pushed the small, silver case back into his pocket. Then he turned his head and gave a rather wet cough into a small, white handkerchief. After Harley had settled down, his gaze shifted to the short woman with dull red hair who was sitting in a chair across from him. “What was that? That look you just gave me?”
The woman didn’t respond and kept her eyes trained on the ground.
“Come on, Tori,” Harley said, growing agitated. “Say something, will ya? It’s been two weeks now and ya’ve barely said more than a word or two to me. Don’t ya want to be here? Don’t ya want to save our marriage?”
Tori cringed but still choose not to respond. Harley sighed. “Jeez I wish I could smoke in here.”
Before things could grow even more uncomfortable, Rebecca cleared her throat and drew their attention. “I can see that things are very tense between you two, but before we begin I need to make sure of something. Both of you do want to engage in these counseling sessions, right?” she asked, focusing now on Tori. “Because it’s very unlikely that I can help if you if both of you aren’t fully committed to helping to fix your relationship.”
“I am, though I don’t even know why I bother,” Harley muttered, shifting one leg to rest across his knee. Rebecca ignored him and kept her gaze on Tori who, after a few moments of hesitation, nodded. “You won’t even talk to the doc?” Harley wondered. “I know you stopped talking to me, but if you really want to make things better, you gotta at least tell her what’s going on.”
“It’s okay if she doesn’t feel comfortable just yet, Harley,” Rebecca told him, taking a seat as well. “For today’s session, we don’t have to get into anything very heavy, we can just generally get to know each other.”
“You wanna get to know us?” Harley asked, fingers twitching anxiously without a cigarette held in between them. “I’ll tell you all about us, doc. I’m a guy who busts his hump seven days a week singing in the seediest lounges and dives you can imagine to provide everything my wife could ever need, while she spends her days snatching purses and jewelry she certainly don’t need from every store she lays eyes on! Now, whatya make of that?”
“Harley,” Rebecca began to chastise, but her words were cut off by a sudden bout of coughing from the man. He seemed as if he might hack up a lung and Rebecca was about to ask if he was alright when at last he managed to clear his throat. To both of their surprise, Tori suddenly burst into tears and leapt up before fleeing out of the room.
“Hey, wait! Where are you going?” Harley called after her as he jumped up as well and ran to grab his coat. “Oh, I knew coming here was pointless. What good is it talking to some shrink when your wife’s got a screw loose?”
Harley chased after Tori out into the parking lot, and from Rebecca’s vantage point at the window, she could tell they wouldn’t be returning to her office that day. However, she was not one to give up on a relationship so easily, so she sat down at her desk, turned on her laptop, and began planning for next week’s meeting with the Sweetsounds.
-----
PATIENT COUPLE # 7326692-FOXX & LULA SOMBRA
Session 8
Rebecca wasn’t expecting anything unusual when she heard a knock on her office door two hours before her next scheduled session, so she was stunned when she found a crying Lula Sombra on the other side.
“Lula! What’s wrong?” she asked, gently guiding the young woman inside and helping her into a chair.
“I-it’s Foxx,” Lula moaned, dabbing at her runny eyes and nose with a crumpled tissue. “He’s gone.”
“What?” Rebecca gaped at her in disbelief. “Gone? Do you mean to say he left you?”
“I-I-I don’t know.” Lula sniffled and blew her nose rather loudly before continuing. “He hasn’t come home for three d-days now, and he won’t answer his phone, and I don’t know where he is.”
“I can’t believe this,” Rebecca murmured. Foxx had always seemed so devoted to Lula that she would have never expected him to leave her. “Lula, I’m so sorry to ask this if it’s painful, but can you tell me what happened?”
“I-It was… all my fault.” Lula lowered her head, sniffling once again. “I took all the masks Foxx uses for promoting the store to the zoo last weekend and I g-gave them away to the kids who came to visit the wolf d-den.”
“Why did you do that?”
“B-because I… I was sick and tired of feeling like my husband was hiding from me!” Lula twisted the tissue in her hands as she spoke, her tone suddenly growing defensive. “And I wasn’t the only one who thought that way! My mom thinks it’s creepy too! She said it would be better if Foxx sold the mask shop and found someplace decent to work! She said he should go back to school and learn another trade! Th-that would make the most sense, right? Grown men shouldn’t just play with masks all day!”
“Hmm,” Rebecca murmured, though she didn’t interrupt.
“S-so when Foxx came home and found the masks were gone, he got really angry, and I tried to tell him about my idea for him to go back to school or to sell the shop, and he just stormed out on me. I… I can’t believe he hasn’t called me.”
“It’s a hurtful thing for Foxx to do,” Rebecca agreed, “but I’m sure Foxx is hurting right now as well. You know how much passion he has for masks and for his shop, right Lula?”
Lula continued to hang her head. “I know.”
“But you still gave away his property without asking him. You also tried to push him in a direction he wasn’t comfortable with.” Rebecca looked at Lula sternly. “Are you sure those ideas were ones you came up with, Lula? Do you really think asking Foxx to change so drastically will make you both happy?”
“No!” Lula sobbed, burying her face in her hands. “I-I don’t even care about the masks! I only care about Foxx! I miss him so much!”
“I know you do.” Rebecca offered some fresh tissues to Lula. She gladly accepted them and wiped her face once more before turning to the doctor with red, swollen eyes.
“S-so, what am I supposed to do now, Dr. Stoné?”
“I’m afraid there isn’t much you can do until you get in contact with Foxx again,” Rebecca sadly admitted. “We can try to think of places he might have gone though-”
Rebecca’s words were cut off by a loud knock on the door. “Dr. Stoné? It’s me, Foxx Sombra. I know we have an appointment later today but I need to talk to you now.”
“Foxx!” Lula jumped up and ran to the door, throwing it open so she could gaze upon her husband happily. “Foxx! It’s you! Oh, thank God!”
“Lula?” Foxx asked in surprise, before he grunted as Lula launched herself at him and hugged him tightly. “I didn’t think I’d see you here.”
“As they say, great minds think alike,” Rebecca replied from the doorway. “Why don’t you both come in to talk?”
“Lula, you’re crying,” Foxx noted somewhat obviously as they made their way inside.
“Yeah, of course,” Lula responded, wiping the dampness off her cheeks. “I was worried sick about you. You were gone for three days and I couldn’t contact you at all, Foxx.”
Foxx bit his lip and looked ashamed. “I know. I’m sorry, Lula. I shouldn’t have left without calling you at all. I was just so mad at you, but I never meant to scare you or upset you like this.”
“I’m the one who should apologize,” Lula answered. “I acted like a jerk and didn’t think about what you wanted at all. I’m sorry, Foxx, and I promise that from now on I won’t try to change you or force you to do things you don’t want to do. So please, promise me that you’ll come home now.” She grabbed Foxx’s hands and looked pleadingly into his eyes.
“Of course I’m coming home,” Foxx said as he tightened his grip on Lula’s hands. “I didn’t want to leave in the first place. I was just so angry I couldn’t think straight for a while, but I’m over it now and I just want to come home with you, Lula.”
Lula hugged Foxx tightly before the two turned to Rebecca. “Dr. Stoné, I know we’re a little early, but is it okay if we have today’s session now?”
“Yes, that’s okay,” Rebecca said with a smile as she went to her desk to gather her notes. “We’ll definitely have a lot to talk about today, and I think we’ll start with why leaving your wife for three days without letting her know that you’re still alive is a very bad idea.”
Foxx nodded, looking very apologetic. “I know that was a crappy thing to do. I’m really sorry, Lula.”
“I’m sorry too,” Lula said. Rebecca noticed that instead of sitting in opposing chairs this time, the couple sat side by side on the moderately sized loveseat instead and refused to let go of the other’s hands.
-------
PATIENT COUPLE# 7332048-HARLEY & TORI SWEETSOUND
Session 2
Harley tapped a finger against the large window facing the parking lot of the Blue Patches Counseling Center. “Say doc, this thing open?”
“Yes it does.”
“Say I were to pop it up and stick my head outside there… could I get away with having a cig or two?”
Rebecca smiled but shook her head. “Sorry, Harley. You’ll have to wait until the session is over.”
Harley sighed and dropped his hand. “Figures.”
“Why don’t you have a seat so that we can begin,” Rebecca suggested. She glanced then to Tori, whose face looked even more worn than it had last week. “Tori, I’m sorry that you were upset last time, but I’m very happy you agreed to come back here today. I really want to help both you and Harley if you’ll let me.”
Tori briefly raised her eyes to Rebecca’s face but once again, said nothing.
“She still won’t talk to me,” Harley informed the doctor. “Ever since I picked her up from the police station a month ago, she’s kept her lips zipped. I just don’t know what to do.”
“I understand that you’re frustrated, Harley, but you must understand that Tori is feeling this way as well,” Rebecca gently responded. Instead of calming Harley though, this just seemed to rile him up.
“She’s frustrated? About what?” he demanded. “She ain’t the one singing her heart out for a crowd of lousy drunks who don’t give a damn! She ain’t the one wasting years of practice and devotion so that she can pay for three squeal meals a day and a crummy house to hang her hat in! No, that all falls on my shoulders, doc! I’m the one squandering my life and everything that used to bring me joy! I’m the one who’s unappreciated! Is it so much to want a little appreciation?” Harley’s cheeks grew redder the more he spoke while his breathing grew more labored. “Is it so much to wish for someone to come up and tell me how beautiful my singing is, how my voice brightened their day or put a smile on their face? Just one lousy person, that’s all… all I’m asking for…”
Harley’s outburst was only halted when his body was wracked with deep, wet coughs that even caused Rebecca to wince when she heard them. He swiftly pulled out his handkerchief and pressed it to his mouth for a few minutes before he could lower it again.
“Are you okay?” Rebecca asked in concern. “Would you like me to get you some water?”
“N-no thanks, I’m fine,” Harley assured her as he tucked the damp piece of cloth away. Rebecca noticed his hand instinctively reaching into the pocket where he kept his cigarettes before he visibly frowned and moved it back to his lap.
“Alright, if you’re sure.” Rebecca realized that Tori was struggling to hold back tears and she turned to her sympathetically. “Tori, are you okay? Is there anything I can get you?”
Tori shook her head and scrubbed at her eyes while Harley sighed. “I didn’t mean to go off like that, Tori. I’m just so damn frustrated with… with everything.”
“Tori, I know you’re feeling some very strong and very personal emotions right now,” Rebecca continued, her voice growing very gentle and comforting. “I want to help you express those emotions so that you will hopefully feel better, if that’s okay with you.” She smiled when Tori looked to her again, a small glimmer of hope in her watery eyes. “However, in order to do this, I need you to talk to us. I need you to tell Harley and me what you’re thinking and what you’re feeling. Now, this can sometimes be difficult to put into words, so first I’d like you to try this.”
Rebecca stood and moved to her mahogany wardrobe, opening it wide before the couple. Harley tilted his head in confusion. “Boy, look at all that. You got enough for a Halloween party in there.”
“I know.” Rebecca looked back to Tori. “Tori, I would like you to look through these costumes and props and odds and ends, and I want you to pick out two items. One which you think best represents Harley, and one which you think best represents yourself. Can you do that for me?”
Tori nodded and rose to her feet, taking short but steady steps toward the wardrobe. She rifled through the various pieces of clothing carefully before she bent down search through a box of hats and headgear. Finally she selected two items, gripping tightly to one in each hand, before she stood and turned around, allowing Rebecca and Harley to see what she’d selected.
Upon recognizing the headpieces, Harley’s mouth dropped open. “Are you kidding me?” he asked, eyes locked onto the item in
Tori’s left hand. “Devil horns? Y-you think a devil represents me, Tori? I… I can’t believe this…”
“Harley, please calm down,” Rebecca insisted.
“How am I supposed to be calm when my wife hates me so much she thinks I’m evil?” Harley’s hand instinctively reached into suit pocket and he wrapped his fingers around the cigarette case this time before forcing himself to stop. Although, it wasn’t so much force as shock, since Tori had arrived right in front of him and was holding something out to him.
It was a golden halo attached to a headband. Tori slipped it on top of Harley’s head with her right hand she placed the devil horns atop her own head with her left.
“Don’t you see, Harley?” Tori finally spoke, in a voice as fragile as glass. “I’m the devil here. I always have been. You should see that now, after all I’ve done. You should see it and leave me for good now.”
“Wh-what,” Harley sputtered, barely able to think straight now, “what are you talking about? Y-you’re not a devil, Tor, and I ain’t going anywhere!”
“You’ll leave me,” Tori repeated, a faraway look coming into her eyes. “It won’t be long now.”
“What the hell are you saying?” Harley demanded, so riled up that another coughing fit overwhelmed him. Tori whimpered and stepped back, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“See?” she softly cried. “You’re getting worse. Every day you get worse and soon you’ll go… just like Dad.”
“W-what?” Harley pounded his chest and gratefully gulped the water Rebecca handed him before he calmed down enough to focus on his wife. “Your dad? What about him?”
Tori closed her eyes. “He died,” she whispered.
Harley’s face paled and his eyes widening in shock. “He did? Oh God, I didn’t know. When did it happen, Tori?”
“Two months ago. I knew you had to travel for work so I didn’t want to bother you with it.”
“That wouldn’t have bothered me!” Harley insisted. “Oh jeez, Tori, you should have told me! I know your dad’s been sick…”
“Sick just like you are.” Tori’s watery eyes bore into Harley’s jacket. “He smoked a pack a day, just like you do now, Harley. And you’re getting worse… you’re sounding just like he did... and one day you’ll join him with the rest of the angels and leave the selfish devils like me behind to suffer alone… I can’t appreciate your voice enough, Harley… I’m sorry… I’m sorry I can’t be good enough for you… because of me you have to live like this, and because of me you’re going to destroy your voice before you destroy the rest of yourself. I deserve it… I deserve to be left in the gutter with the rest of the trash…”
Harley leapt to his feet and tossed his halo to the ground before he pulled Tori into a tight embrace. “Baby, no,” he sniffled, knocking the horns she bore askew as he leaned close to kiss her. “Don’t ever think that way. I-I ain’t gonna leave you all alone and I’d never think you were trash! No, you’re not trash and you’re not some selfish, evil thing either! You’re my wife and I love you so much and-and it kills me to know you been thinking like this!”
Tori sobbed and buried her face into Harley’s shoulder, her weak arms tightening around his torso. “I-I’ve been so scared and… and so tired. I thought it would be best if you… if you left n-now so that it would hurt less… b-but my whole body aches when you aren’t with me, H-harley! I-I lose my mind without you! I don’t want you to go away and leave me! I don’t want you to d-die!”
“I won’t leave you, baby!” Harley cried. “I can cut down on the smokes, I can come home more nights, I can do anything for you! Just please… please don’t think like that, baby! Please don’t hurt no more! When you hurt, I hurt, and my whole body’s been taking a beating ever since you stopped talking to me! So l-let’s give it another try, okay? I know we can do this if we try, baby, so please, please don’t give up like this!”
“O-okay, Harley.”
The two continued to cling to each other as their sobs turned into hiccups and then soft sniffles, and when they pulled apart they were actually smiling at each other. “I-I guess this shows you how much of a mess we really are, doc,” Harley joked to the woman who’d been watching them the entire time.
“I wouldn’t say that.” While they’d been speaking, Rebecca had been subtly making notes on her pad about how Tori’s grief and fear could have affected her mental state, causing her to shoplift, and how the stresses and lack of appreciation from Harley’s job caused him to start smoking more heavily than he had before, and a number of other issues they could discuss in future sessions. “I would say that you two have a number of obstacles to overcome if you want to strengthen your relationship, but I believe that these obstacles can indeed be overcome if you are both willing to put in the time and effort to do so.”
“We can do it, doc,” Harley said while Tori nodded along in agreement. “We love each other too much to give up without a fight. So if you’ll help us overcome our weaknesses, we’d be eternally grateful.”
Rebecca smiled. “I never turn down a request as heartfelt as that. I really believe that you two can overcome these issues and become even closer as a couple. For now, though, I think it’s time that you go home and take a nice rest. We’ve accomplished a lot tonight so I want you two to relax and think about everything you’ve said, and everything you want out of this relationship. I will give you a homework assignment though, so don’t think you’re getting off lightly,” she teased. “I’d like you two to have dinner together at least three times this week while you talk honestly about yourselves. Talk about your worries and fears, about your dreams and desires, and about any other thing that’s on your mind. Don’t try to solve each other’s problems right now, because we will start working on those issues together. Simply listen to each other and don’t try to hold things back. Can you two do that?”
“Yes, Dr. Stoné,” Tori agreed. “I know keeping everything bottled inside only leads to disaster, so I’m going to do my best to tell Harley what I’m thinking from now on.”
“And I promise I’ll be home for dinner even more than three nights a week,” Harley added. “I don’t care if I’m working the midnight shift for the rest of my life, I’m gonna make sure my wife knows I’m here when she needs me.”
“Thank you, Harley.” Tori hugged her husband happily while Rebecca nodded.
“I’m very glad to hear that. So, I’ll be seeing you in a week then, and I’ll be expecting full details about those dinners.”
The two chuckled as they made their way to the door. “Why don’t I do you one better and send you the grocery bills?” Harley teased.
Rebecca shot him a look of mock disapproval before smiling again. “I don’t think I need that much proof.”
Author: Ocelot_l
Characters: Rebecca, Donnie, Tacoma, Todd, Lupa, Harvey, Tara, Film Brain, Marzgurl, Cinema Snob, Maven, Quinn
Pairings: Todd/Lupa, Harvey/Tara, past Marzgurl/Hagan, implied Cinema Snob/Phelous
Summary: Rebecca, Donnie, and Tacoma are all therapists at the Blue Patches Counseling Center. They specialize in different areas but all share the same goal of helping their clients lead happier, healthier lives.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Bad Language, Dark Themes, Depression, Self-Harm, Blood, Suicide Attempt
Word Count: 15,771
Notes: The names of all the producers have been changed in this story, since Demo Reel was set in an alternate universe, but hopefully I've done enough to make the characters recognizable despite the name changes. I hope you enjoy!
PATIENT COUPLE # 7326692-FOXX & LULA SOMBRA
Session 3
“I can’t believe you just said that!”
“You said you wanted me to be honest!”
“How could you say something so hurtful like that?”
“God, Foxx, I wasn’t trying to insult you.”
“You called me ugly!”
“I called the damn mask ugly, not you!”
“I am wearing the mask on my face, so therefore you must be associating ugliness with my face!”
“How the hell could you believe something so stupid?”
“Oh, so now I’m ugly and stupid! I can’t believe you really think that about me!”
“Okay!” Rebecca suddenly clapped her hands and moved to stand in between the young, muscular woman with bright red hair and the young, muscular man who wore a black, sequined masquerade mask over half of his face, a bright smile on her face. “I think that should be enough for honesty hour, so let’s move on to another exercise.”
“Fine,” Lula said, sitting down in one of the plump, soft chairs decorating the office. Foxx did likewise, adjusting the headwear he wore nervously.
“So, after evaluating that last exercise,” Rebecca began, her tone quite chipper, “I think we can all agree that there are some communication problems here.” The two nodded half-heartedly, murmuring agreement. “Now, these communication problems seem to be, in my opinion, centered around the fact that you two don’t understand each other as well as you once might have.”
“I don’t know if I ever understood her,” Foxx muttered. Lula stuck her tongue out at him but a clap from Rebecca drew their attention once again.
“I can see why you might feel that way, Foxx. That’s why I’d like to engage in a little role-play right now.” Rebecca walked over to an enormous mahogany wardrobe she kept in the corner of the room and pulled the doors wide open, revealing a vast array of hats, coats, wigs, costumes, and other props one might find backstage at a playhouse. “Foxx, Lula, I’d like each of you to pick out items you associate with your spouse, and then I’d like you to try to talk to each other as if you were your spouse.”
Foxx looked at the clothing and objects uncertainly. “I don’t know, Dr. Stoné. Wouldn’t that make us look silly?”
Lula let out a bark of laughter. “Are you serious right now? Do you think any of those costumes look sillier than you do right now?”
“What do you mean by that?” Foxx demanded.
In response Lula rose, strode over to the wardrobe, and picked up a large, green ogre mask which she quickly slipped over her face. “Hey, everyone,” she said, making her voice deeper and gruffer, “it’s me, Foxx. I dress up like a crazy person every day.”
“Now, let’s not use harmful words like crazy,” Rebecca interjected.
“I’m dressing up to promote the store!” Foxx cried, jumping to his feet as he tried to defend himself. “When people see me wearing these masks, they ask where I got them, and I tell them to come on by the shop to see for themselves!”
“I’m also too cheap to pay for TV or radio ads like a normal person!” Lula continued on in her mock male voice.
“Again, let’s try not to be insulting here, Lula.”
Before Rebecca could help Lula completely curtail her insults, Foxx was at the wardrobe as well, rifling through the contents until he placed onto his head a pair of dog ears. “I’m Lula,” he said, pitching his voice higher into something close to a screech. “I don’t care if Foxx spend all our money before we pay off our mortgage because I think money grows on trees! Plus I’m too busy hanging out with the wolves at the zoo to spend time with him!”
“I’m Foxx!” Lula fired back. “I don’t care that my wife’s family is embarrassed of me because of this mask obsession! I don’t even know what to say to comfort my wife when she’s upset about it because I pretend the problem doesn’t exist!”
Foxx winced at that remark before firing back, “I’m Lula! I spend all my time worrying about what my family thinks instead of caring how my husband feels! I want him to make everything happen quickly and easily, and if he doesn’t do that, I withhold affection from him!”
Lula yanked her mask off and looked to her husband in shock. “W-what? I don’t do that?”
Foxx harrumphed and crossed his arms. “When was the last time you held me after sex and told me you loved me? When was the last time you showed up at work with lunch for me, or called just to say you missed me? I can’t remember the last time you even kissed me, Lula.”
“I-I didn’t know you wanted me to do those things,” Lula admitted.
“Why not?” Rebecca wondered. “It’s not unusual for spouses to show affection to each other in that way.”
“Well yeah, but, I’m usually so busy worrying about our finances, or about my own job at the zoo, that I don’t have time to think about much else,” Lula admitted. “I never knew Foxx wasn’t feeling appreciated. He never told me and I’m not a mind reader, so how was I supposed to know he wanted me to do stuff like that?”
“That’s one area where improving the lines of communication will help,” Rebecca said before turning to Foxx. “What about you?
Do you feel like Lula has expectations for you that are unfair?”
“Well, yeah.” Foxx removed the wig and looked into Lula’s eyes. “I didn’t know she was unhappy because of what her family was saying. I would have tried to make things better if she’d told me about it before. But…” Foxx’s lips suddenly tightened. “You know what? I don’t really care what your family thinks about me, Lula. If the only problem they have with me is that I wear dumb masks, then I think they should lighten up, and… and I wish you would support me instead of feeling embarrassed about me,” he admitted. “I don’t think it’s my job to prove myself to your family anymore. I’ve already shown them I love you more than anyone else in the world… why isn’t that enough for you?”
Lula sighed and walked closer to Foxx, placing her hands on his arms. “I know that I shouldn’t be so concerned about what they think, Foxx, but I can’t help it. I just want my parents to love you as much as I do.”
The two leaned in close to share a kiss before pulling apart and smiling. Rebecca was smiling as well and she clapped her hands together happily. “Alright, I think we’ve made some great progress today, you two. Now, for our next session, I am going to give you a few homework assignments: first, I want you to promise me that you’ll continue to work on your communication skills. Foxx, if you’re feeling unappreciated, speak up and let Lula know what’s on your mind.”
Foxx nodded. “I will, Dr. Stoné.”
“Good.” Rebecca tilted her head down. “Lula, if you’re feeling embarrassed or frustrated, tell Foxx, preferably in a way that omits insults.”
“Right, doctor,” Lula agreed.
“Okay. Secondly, I want you two to think about what’s most important to you. I know it’s important to have a successful business, Foxx, but is it worth saving money if your wife feels embarrassed to be seen with you?” Foxx pulled the dog ears from his head and looked down, nodding once again. “And Lula, are you going to keep letting your family dictate to you what is and isn’t acceptable about your husband?”
“I already know that answer,” Lula said, squeezing Foxx’s hands tightly.
Rebecca smiled. “I’m glad to know that. Now, for your last assignment, I’d like you two to write up a list of ten fun activities you want to do together and do at least three before our next session. There will be no masks, no financial worries, and no nosy families during those fun times,” she declared, “only two people committed to making their relationship healthy and filled with love.”
“I can already think of one thing.” Lula leaned in close and whispered something into Foxx’s ear. Seconds later the two were on their way out the door.
“See ya next week, Dr. Stoné!”
Rebecca laughed before bending down to pick up her discarded costumes and tossing them into the laundry pile.
------
PATIENT COUPLE# 7332048-HARLEY & TORI SWEETSOUND
Session 1
“Mind if I smoke, doc?”
“Um, actually that’s illegal in this building, Mr. Sweetsound,” Rebecca informed the man in the suit.
“Please, call me Harley,” he replied as he pushed the small, silver case back into his pocket. Then he turned his head and gave a rather wet cough into a small, white handkerchief. After Harley had settled down, his gaze shifted to the short woman with dull red hair who was sitting in a chair across from him. “What was that? That look you just gave me?”
The woman didn’t respond and kept her eyes trained on the ground.
“Come on, Tori,” Harley said, growing agitated. “Say something, will ya? It’s been two weeks now and ya’ve barely said more than a word or two to me. Don’t ya want to be here? Don’t ya want to save our marriage?”
Tori cringed but still choose not to respond. Harley sighed. “Jeez I wish I could smoke in here.”
Before things could grow even more uncomfortable, Rebecca cleared her throat and drew their attention. “I can see that things are very tense between you two, but before we begin I need to make sure of something. Both of you do want to engage in these counseling sessions, right?” she asked, focusing now on Tori. “Because it’s very unlikely that I can help if you if both of you aren’t fully committed to helping to fix your relationship.”
“I am, though I don’t even know why I bother,” Harley muttered, shifting one leg to rest across his knee. Rebecca ignored him and kept her gaze on Tori who, after a few moments of hesitation, nodded. “You won’t even talk to the doc?” Harley wondered. “I know you stopped talking to me, but if you really want to make things better, you gotta at least tell her what’s going on.”
“It’s okay if she doesn’t feel comfortable just yet, Harley,” Rebecca told him, taking a seat as well. “For today’s session, we don’t have to get into anything very heavy, we can just generally get to know each other.”
“You wanna get to know us?” Harley asked, fingers twitching anxiously without a cigarette held in between them. “I’ll tell you all about us, doc. I’m a guy who busts his hump seven days a week singing in the seediest lounges and dives you can imagine to provide everything my wife could ever need, while she spends her days snatching purses and jewelry she certainly don’t need from every store she lays eyes on! Now, whatya make of that?”
“Harley,” Rebecca began to chastise, but her words were cut off by a sudden bout of coughing from the man. He seemed as if he might hack up a lung and Rebecca was about to ask if he was alright when at last he managed to clear his throat. To both of their surprise, Tori suddenly burst into tears and leapt up before fleeing out of the room.
“Hey, wait! Where are you going?” Harley called after her as he jumped up as well and ran to grab his coat. “Oh, I knew coming here was pointless. What good is it talking to some shrink when your wife’s got a screw loose?”
Harley chased after Tori out into the parking lot, and from Rebecca’s vantage point at the window, she could tell they wouldn’t be returning to her office that day. However, she was not one to give up on a relationship so easily, so she sat down at her desk, turned on her laptop, and began planning for next week’s meeting with the Sweetsounds.
-----
PATIENT COUPLE # 7326692-FOXX & LULA SOMBRA
Session 8
Rebecca wasn’t expecting anything unusual when she heard a knock on her office door two hours before her next scheduled session, so she was stunned when she found a crying Lula Sombra on the other side.
“Lula! What’s wrong?” she asked, gently guiding the young woman inside and helping her into a chair.
“I-it’s Foxx,” Lula moaned, dabbing at her runny eyes and nose with a crumpled tissue. “He’s gone.”
“What?” Rebecca gaped at her in disbelief. “Gone? Do you mean to say he left you?”
“I-I-I don’t know.” Lula sniffled and blew her nose rather loudly before continuing. “He hasn’t come home for three d-days now, and he won’t answer his phone, and I don’t know where he is.”
“I can’t believe this,” Rebecca murmured. Foxx had always seemed so devoted to Lula that she would have never expected him to leave her. “Lula, I’m so sorry to ask this if it’s painful, but can you tell me what happened?”
“I-It was… all my fault.” Lula lowered her head, sniffling once again. “I took all the masks Foxx uses for promoting the store to the zoo last weekend and I g-gave them away to the kids who came to visit the wolf d-den.”
“Why did you do that?”
“B-because I… I was sick and tired of feeling like my husband was hiding from me!” Lula twisted the tissue in her hands as she spoke, her tone suddenly growing defensive. “And I wasn’t the only one who thought that way! My mom thinks it’s creepy too! She said it would be better if Foxx sold the mask shop and found someplace decent to work! She said he should go back to school and learn another trade! Th-that would make the most sense, right? Grown men shouldn’t just play with masks all day!”
“Hmm,” Rebecca murmured, though she didn’t interrupt.
“S-so when Foxx came home and found the masks were gone, he got really angry, and I tried to tell him about my idea for him to go back to school or to sell the shop, and he just stormed out on me. I… I can’t believe he hasn’t called me.”
“It’s a hurtful thing for Foxx to do,” Rebecca agreed, “but I’m sure Foxx is hurting right now as well. You know how much passion he has for masks and for his shop, right Lula?”
Lula continued to hang her head. “I know.”
“But you still gave away his property without asking him. You also tried to push him in a direction he wasn’t comfortable with.” Rebecca looked at Lula sternly. “Are you sure those ideas were ones you came up with, Lula? Do you really think asking Foxx to change so drastically will make you both happy?”
“No!” Lula sobbed, burying her face in her hands. “I-I don’t even care about the masks! I only care about Foxx! I miss him so much!”
“I know you do.” Rebecca offered some fresh tissues to Lula. She gladly accepted them and wiped her face once more before turning to the doctor with red, swollen eyes.
“S-so, what am I supposed to do now, Dr. Stoné?”
“I’m afraid there isn’t much you can do until you get in contact with Foxx again,” Rebecca sadly admitted. “We can try to think of places he might have gone though-”
Rebecca’s words were cut off by a loud knock on the door. “Dr. Stoné? It’s me, Foxx Sombra. I know we have an appointment later today but I need to talk to you now.”
“Foxx!” Lula jumped up and ran to the door, throwing it open so she could gaze upon her husband happily. “Foxx! It’s you! Oh, thank God!”
“Lula?” Foxx asked in surprise, before he grunted as Lula launched herself at him and hugged him tightly. “I didn’t think I’d see you here.”
“As they say, great minds think alike,” Rebecca replied from the doorway. “Why don’t you both come in to talk?”
“Lula, you’re crying,” Foxx noted somewhat obviously as they made their way inside.
“Yeah, of course,” Lula responded, wiping the dampness off her cheeks. “I was worried sick about you. You were gone for three days and I couldn’t contact you at all, Foxx.”
Foxx bit his lip and looked ashamed. “I know. I’m sorry, Lula. I shouldn’t have left without calling you at all. I was just so mad at you, but I never meant to scare you or upset you like this.”
“I’m the one who should apologize,” Lula answered. “I acted like a jerk and didn’t think about what you wanted at all. I’m sorry, Foxx, and I promise that from now on I won’t try to change you or force you to do things you don’t want to do. So please, promise me that you’ll come home now.” She grabbed Foxx’s hands and looked pleadingly into his eyes.
“Of course I’m coming home,” Foxx said as he tightened his grip on Lula’s hands. “I didn’t want to leave in the first place. I was just so angry I couldn’t think straight for a while, but I’m over it now and I just want to come home with you, Lula.”
Lula hugged Foxx tightly before the two turned to Rebecca. “Dr. Stoné, I know we’re a little early, but is it okay if we have today’s session now?”
“Yes, that’s okay,” Rebecca said with a smile as she went to her desk to gather her notes. “We’ll definitely have a lot to talk about today, and I think we’ll start with why leaving your wife for three days without letting her know that you’re still alive is a very bad idea.”
Foxx nodded, looking very apologetic. “I know that was a crappy thing to do. I’m really sorry, Lula.”
“I’m sorry too,” Lula said. Rebecca noticed that instead of sitting in opposing chairs this time, the couple sat side by side on the moderately sized loveseat instead and refused to let go of the other’s hands.
-------
PATIENT COUPLE# 7332048-HARLEY & TORI SWEETSOUND
Session 2
Harley tapped a finger against the large window facing the parking lot of the Blue Patches Counseling Center. “Say doc, this thing open?”
“Yes it does.”
“Say I were to pop it up and stick my head outside there… could I get away with having a cig or two?”
Rebecca smiled but shook her head. “Sorry, Harley. You’ll have to wait until the session is over.”
Harley sighed and dropped his hand. “Figures.”
“Why don’t you have a seat so that we can begin,” Rebecca suggested. She glanced then to Tori, whose face looked even more worn than it had last week. “Tori, I’m sorry that you were upset last time, but I’m very happy you agreed to come back here today. I really want to help both you and Harley if you’ll let me.”
Tori briefly raised her eyes to Rebecca’s face but once again, said nothing.
“She still won’t talk to me,” Harley informed the doctor. “Ever since I picked her up from the police station a month ago, she’s kept her lips zipped. I just don’t know what to do.”
“I understand that you’re frustrated, Harley, but you must understand that Tori is feeling this way as well,” Rebecca gently responded. Instead of calming Harley though, this just seemed to rile him up.
“She’s frustrated? About what?” he demanded. “She ain’t the one singing her heart out for a crowd of lousy drunks who don’t give a damn! She ain’t the one wasting years of practice and devotion so that she can pay for three squeal meals a day and a crummy house to hang her hat in! No, that all falls on my shoulders, doc! I’m the one squandering my life and everything that used to bring me joy! I’m the one who’s unappreciated! Is it so much to want a little appreciation?” Harley’s cheeks grew redder the more he spoke while his breathing grew more labored. “Is it so much to wish for someone to come up and tell me how beautiful my singing is, how my voice brightened their day or put a smile on their face? Just one lousy person, that’s all… all I’m asking for…”
Harley’s outburst was only halted when his body was wracked with deep, wet coughs that even caused Rebecca to wince when she heard them. He swiftly pulled out his handkerchief and pressed it to his mouth for a few minutes before he could lower it again.
“Are you okay?” Rebecca asked in concern. “Would you like me to get you some water?”
“N-no thanks, I’m fine,” Harley assured her as he tucked the damp piece of cloth away. Rebecca noticed his hand instinctively reaching into the pocket where he kept his cigarettes before he visibly frowned and moved it back to his lap.
“Alright, if you’re sure.” Rebecca realized that Tori was struggling to hold back tears and she turned to her sympathetically. “Tori, are you okay? Is there anything I can get you?”
Tori shook her head and scrubbed at her eyes while Harley sighed. “I didn’t mean to go off like that, Tori. I’m just so damn frustrated with… with everything.”
“Tori, I know you’re feeling some very strong and very personal emotions right now,” Rebecca continued, her voice growing very gentle and comforting. “I want to help you express those emotions so that you will hopefully feel better, if that’s okay with you.” She smiled when Tori looked to her again, a small glimmer of hope in her watery eyes. “However, in order to do this, I need you to talk to us. I need you to tell Harley and me what you’re thinking and what you’re feeling. Now, this can sometimes be difficult to put into words, so first I’d like you to try this.”
Rebecca stood and moved to her mahogany wardrobe, opening it wide before the couple. Harley tilted his head in confusion. “Boy, look at all that. You got enough for a Halloween party in there.”
“I know.” Rebecca looked back to Tori. “Tori, I would like you to look through these costumes and props and odds and ends, and I want you to pick out two items. One which you think best represents Harley, and one which you think best represents yourself. Can you do that for me?”
Tori nodded and rose to her feet, taking short but steady steps toward the wardrobe. She rifled through the various pieces of clothing carefully before she bent down search through a box of hats and headgear. Finally she selected two items, gripping tightly to one in each hand, before she stood and turned around, allowing Rebecca and Harley to see what she’d selected.
Upon recognizing the headpieces, Harley’s mouth dropped open. “Are you kidding me?” he asked, eyes locked onto the item in
Tori’s left hand. “Devil horns? Y-you think a devil represents me, Tori? I… I can’t believe this…”
“Harley, please calm down,” Rebecca insisted.
“How am I supposed to be calm when my wife hates me so much she thinks I’m evil?” Harley’s hand instinctively reached into suit pocket and he wrapped his fingers around the cigarette case this time before forcing himself to stop. Although, it wasn’t so much force as shock, since Tori had arrived right in front of him and was holding something out to him.
It was a golden halo attached to a headband. Tori slipped it on top of Harley’s head with her right hand she placed the devil horns atop her own head with her left.
“Don’t you see, Harley?” Tori finally spoke, in a voice as fragile as glass. “I’m the devil here. I always have been. You should see that now, after all I’ve done. You should see it and leave me for good now.”
“Wh-what,” Harley sputtered, barely able to think straight now, “what are you talking about? Y-you’re not a devil, Tor, and I ain’t going anywhere!”
“You’ll leave me,” Tori repeated, a faraway look coming into her eyes. “It won’t be long now.”
“What the hell are you saying?” Harley demanded, so riled up that another coughing fit overwhelmed him. Tori whimpered and stepped back, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“See?” she softly cried. “You’re getting worse. Every day you get worse and soon you’ll go… just like Dad.”
“W-what?” Harley pounded his chest and gratefully gulped the water Rebecca handed him before he calmed down enough to focus on his wife. “Your dad? What about him?”
Tori closed her eyes. “He died,” she whispered.
Harley’s face paled and his eyes widening in shock. “He did? Oh God, I didn’t know. When did it happen, Tori?”
“Two months ago. I knew you had to travel for work so I didn’t want to bother you with it.”
“That wouldn’t have bothered me!” Harley insisted. “Oh jeez, Tori, you should have told me! I know your dad’s been sick…”
“Sick just like you are.” Tori’s watery eyes bore into Harley’s jacket. “He smoked a pack a day, just like you do now, Harley. And you’re getting worse… you’re sounding just like he did... and one day you’ll join him with the rest of the angels and leave the selfish devils like me behind to suffer alone… I can’t appreciate your voice enough, Harley… I’m sorry… I’m sorry I can’t be good enough for you… because of me you have to live like this, and because of me you’re going to destroy your voice before you destroy the rest of yourself. I deserve it… I deserve to be left in the gutter with the rest of the trash…”
Harley leapt to his feet and tossed his halo to the ground before he pulled Tori into a tight embrace. “Baby, no,” he sniffled, knocking the horns she bore askew as he leaned close to kiss her. “Don’t ever think that way. I-I ain’t gonna leave you all alone and I’d never think you were trash! No, you’re not trash and you’re not some selfish, evil thing either! You’re my wife and I love you so much and-and it kills me to know you been thinking like this!”
Tori sobbed and buried her face into Harley’s shoulder, her weak arms tightening around his torso. “I-I’ve been so scared and… and so tired. I thought it would be best if you… if you left n-now so that it would hurt less… b-but my whole body aches when you aren’t with me, H-harley! I-I lose my mind without you! I don’t want you to go away and leave me! I don’t want you to d-die!”
“I won’t leave you, baby!” Harley cried. “I can cut down on the smokes, I can come home more nights, I can do anything for you! Just please… please don’t think like that, baby! Please don’t hurt no more! When you hurt, I hurt, and my whole body’s been taking a beating ever since you stopped talking to me! So l-let’s give it another try, okay? I know we can do this if we try, baby, so please, please don’t give up like this!”
“O-okay, Harley.”
The two continued to cling to each other as their sobs turned into hiccups and then soft sniffles, and when they pulled apart they were actually smiling at each other. “I-I guess this shows you how much of a mess we really are, doc,” Harley joked to the woman who’d been watching them the entire time.
“I wouldn’t say that.” While they’d been speaking, Rebecca had been subtly making notes on her pad about how Tori’s grief and fear could have affected her mental state, causing her to shoplift, and how the stresses and lack of appreciation from Harley’s job caused him to start smoking more heavily than he had before, and a number of other issues they could discuss in future sessions. “I would say that you two have a number of obstacles to overcome if you want to strengthen your relationship, but I believe that these obstacles can indeed be overcome if you are both willing to put in the time and effort to do so.”
“We can do it, doc,” Harley said while Tori nodded along in agreement. “We love each other too much to give up without a fight. So if you’ll help us overcome our weaknesses, we’d be eternally grateful.”
Rebecca smiled. “I never turn down a request as heartfelt as that. I really believe that you two can overcome these issues and become even closer as a couple. For now, though, I think it’s time that you go home and take a nice rest. We’ve accomplished a lot tonight so I want you two to relax and think about everything you’ve said, and everything you want out of this relationship. I will give you a homework assignment though, so don’t think you’re getting off lightly,” she teased. “I’d like you two to have dinner together at least three times this week while you talk honestly about yourselves. Talk about your worries and fears, about your dreams and desires, and about any other thing that’s on your mind. Don’t try to solve each other’s problems right now, because we will start working on those issues together. Simply listen to each other and don’t try to hold things back. Can you two do that?”
“Yes, Dr. Stoné,” Tori agreed. “I know keeping everything bottled inside only leads to disaster, so I’m going to do my best to tell Harley what I’m thinking from now on.”
“And I promise I’ll be home for dinner even more than three nights a week,” Harley added. “I don’t care if I’m working the midnight shift for the rest of my life, I’m gonna make sure my wife knows I’m here when she needs me.”
“Thank you, Harley.” Tori hugged her husband happily while Rebecca nodded.
“I’m very glad to hear that. So, I’ll be seeing you in a week then, and I’ll be expecting full details about those dinners.”
The two chuckled as they made their way to the door. “Why don’t I do you one better and send you the grocery bills?” Harley teased.
Rebecca shot him a look of mock disapproval before smiling again. “I don’t think I need that much proof.”