Part Seven: Need to Know
Sunday, February 4, 2001
4247 Maplewood Dr.
4:00 PM
"Pfaff speaking."
"Hello,sir--sorry to be calling you at home on a Sunday."
"That's all right, Amanda--what did you need to talk to me about?"
"I wanted to let you know that Jenna wants Lee to come with her to this session
tomorrow."
"I see."
"It's just that she feels a little nervous about going alone."
"It's not a problem--anything that will help her to be more comfortable and less
anxious is beneficial." There was a pause. "How are you doing?"
"Oh, you know--coping," Amanda said. "Some days are better than others--mostly
I just try to keep things as normal as possible for Jenna's sake."
"Normality is very important. Are you getting any rest?"
"Here and there--whenever I can."
"What about Lee?"
"It's hard to say." Amanda could hear the television going in the family
room--she kept her voice low. "I know that he's frightened for her--and that he
feels responsible even though none of this was his fault."
"No, it wasn't his fault, but given his background it's understandable that he
feels that way. Maybe the sessions will be beneficial for him as well."
"I hope that's true, sir," Amanda said. "And thank you."
Monday, February 5, 2001
IFF Headquarters
8:20 AM
"Well, here we are." Lee pulled the 'vette into his usual parking space. He
looked over at Jenna. "You ready?"
"I guess." Jenna said. Lee looked at her sitting there, ramrod-straight, her
small hands clenched into fists.
"Munchkin," he kept his voice and tone soft and gentle. "Look at me." He waited
until she did--noticing that her pupils were slightly dilated--some kind of fear
response? He wasn't sure.
"There's nothing to be scared of," Lee told her. "You'll be just fine--I
promise. It's not going to be bad."
"Okay, but you're going to stay there--right? You promise you won't leave me
alone with him?" Jenna's voice trembled.
Lee fought not to show anything outwardly, but he could feel his jaw clench--the
nausea that had been in his gut since yesterday intensified.
What exactly had Gary Johnston done to Jenna to make her this afraid? Jenna had
said that he hadn't--that he didn't--
'You can't even think the word, Stetson,' his inner voice said mockingly. 'Can
you? About what might have happened to her because you couldn't prevent
it--because you failed to protect your own child."
Had Jenna been telling the truth that night? At the time Lee had believed her,
but now---Amanda's words from their talk last night echoed in his head:
"Jenna needs to talk about the details of what happened, Lee--the more she keeps
it inside the worse it will be for her."
Lee agreed with his wife--keeping stuff inside only led to long-term
problems--Lord knows he'd done it often enough himself.
"I promise," he managed to say to Jenna, who was still looking at him. "I won't
leave you alone with him. I'll be there the whole time, okay?"
"Okay--thanks. I'm sorry, dad--I'm being so silly about this."
"You're fine, Jenna," Lee said firmly. "Everything will be all right--I promise
you that."
SMK SMK SMK SMK
"I don't want to leave Jenna out there too long by herself," Lee entered
Pfaff's office. "She still gets very frightened over things."
"There's nothing to worry about--Mrs. Marston will keep an eye on her. I just
thought we should talk first." "Dr. Pfaff opened the door to his other
office--located next to the Q-Bureau. For security reasons the other office
couldn't be used. This room looked nearly identical, Lee thought. Even down to
the small freezer and the sofa.
"Amanda tells me that Jenna wants you to attend this session with her?" Dr.
Pfaff sank down onto the sofa, looking up at him.
"Yeah," Lee said. "She's just a little nervous about being alone right now."
Pfaff nodded. "Well that's understandable. And I have no problem with you being
there if it makes Jenna more comfortable and able to open up."
"And do you think you'll be able to get her to open up?"
"Eventually--though treating Jenna is going to be different than treating you
agents.We'll have to start up slow--take a different approach."
"There won't be any drugs involved, right?"
Dr. Pfaff paused. "I won't know for certain until I'm able to treat and diagnose
her but as far as I can see we shouldn't have any reason to resort to drugs," he
said. "How has she been sleeping?"
"She hasn't," Lee ran a hand back through his hair. "Not really. I mean, there's
a few hours here and there--usually when she's tired to the point of
exhaustion--even that's interrupted by the nightmares."
"what are the nightmares about?"
"Sometimes about Gary Johnston coming to take her again, other times--I don't
know. Jenna hasn't exactly been forthcoming with details--when Amanda and I ask
she simply refuses to answer."
"That worries you--that she hasn't talked about what exactly happened during the
abduction?"
"Of course it worries me--it worries Amanda too. We wonder what she's hiding
from us."
Dr. Pfaff was quiet for a moment. "It might not be a question of hiding
something--she might be avoiding it because it's frightening to talk about."
"Maybe, doc--I just wish I knew for certain."
"You think something might have happened beyond the physical assaults?"
"Honestly--I don't know--all I do know is that she said that the thought of
being alone with a man in the room terrifies her--when I asked her why she just
clammed up."
"That could be connected to something else entirely." Dr. Pfaff knelt down and
opened the freezer, withdrawing a chocolate ice-cream bar. "You want one?"
"I don't need ice cream," Lee told him.
"Also--the fact that she might be frightened of something doesn't mean that it
happened to her," Dr. Pfaff continued. "It's a very natural worry for a girl
that age in that situation."
The man's detached tone was downright infuriating. "I know that," Lee snapped.
"And I know that the medical exam didn't turn up anything but that doesn't
necessarily mean that nothing happened and if something did, I--I'd just like to
know for sure."
"I see." Dr. Pfaff said. Lee could feel the man's eyes on him. "How have you
been sleeping these days?"
Lee shook his head. "I'm here for Jenna--this isn't about me--I'm not the one
who needs help.
"A trauma like this affects the whole family--getting help yourself might also
help your daughter."
"Can we drop this?"
Dr. Pfaff sighed. "All right, Scarecrow." Going over to his desk he picked up a
few pieces of paper--stapling them together before handing them to Lee. "For
diagnostic purposes I'm going to need you and Amanda to fill this out together."
Lee looked down at the form. Child Stress Disorders checklist. Stress disorders.
His hands shook slightly--quickly he folded the paper and placed it in his
pocket. "Thank you--we'll do that."
"Very good." Dr. Pfaff took another bite of his ice cream. "And now, I think I
should meet my patient.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.