The Therapist

by Kelly Holm

  “What are you going to do with us?” Leo asked, trying to stall, as he carefully continued to try and loosen the rope around

  his wrists.

  “I intend to shoot you both and then quickly harvest your organs for profit. Miss Bergman here is a great candidate; I have her earmarked for her kidneys and heart. You, I’ll have to test to see what is worth salvaging. Either way, the two of you will not be walking out of here today,” Dr. Blackmore said with a devilish smirk on his face, as he leaned back in the chair and put his feet up on the desk.

  “You’re a sick fuck!” Leo replied with disgust.

  “Maybe in your eyes, but in everyone else’s, I am a highly respected psychiatrist. Think what you like about me, but I’ll be walking out of here tonight, whereas you two, well, let’s just say you won’t be walking out…” he said, as he chuckled softly to himself.

  Leo was almost free of the rope, just a little more, and he could get his hands out. Larisa was very quiet during all of this; she hadn’t fully come down from the second injection she got from Lamar earlier. She still felt very woozy and foggy.

  Mila walked over to the desk where Dr. Blackmore was making himself quite comfortable and tried to reason with him.

  “There must be another way to rectify this. Killing them seems awfully severe,” Mila said.

  Dr. Blackmore motioned for her to lean down so he could speak softly and confidentially.

  “You know we can’t let them go; they have to pay for what they’ve done; just like our sick patients do. Now maybe the guy isn’t mentally sick, but he broke in and stole from me. There have to be consequences for doing bad things. Besides, this is becoming a very lucrative business, and I have no intention of losing it.”

  Mila understood precisely what he was talking about and even agreed with him to a point, but this was Leo they were talking about. She continued to play both sides since she still wasn’t sure which side she wanted to fall on. She had to find a way to defuse the situation without anyone getting killed.

  Leo could hear what Dr. Blackmore was saying, and it repulsed him. He quickly realized that what Maggie thought was happening, really was. Leo was convinced, now more than ever, that Dr. Blackmore definitely had something to do with Krystal’s death, and he intended to prove it; no matter if he died in the process. However, he also knew he had to get Larisa out before that psycho hurt her too.

  “Mila, please, you don’t have to do this. You’re better than this,” Leo pleaded.

  “Can we get on with this?” Dr. Blackmore asked impatiently.

  “I don’t want anything to happen to Leo, but Ms. Bergman, well she’s sick and needs the treatment; she killed her baby.”

  “You don’t want to hurt her either,” Leo injected, hoping to convince Mila to do the right thing.

  “You don’t know what you’re saying Leo, you don’t even know her. She’s sick, she killed her baby because it was crying and then stuffed it into an office supply box and buried it in the woods.” Mila wanted Leo to feel the disgust she did when she first heard.

  “She didn’t kill her baby…” Leo began as he shook his head from side to side. He suddenly realized he may have said too much, and now he might have to explain this. He secretly hoped that Mila would just get headstrong, and disregard what he just said.

  “How would you know? Trust me, I know what she did, and she needs to be punished. If we don’t do something now, she

  may do this again. Anyone who puts a baby in a box and buries it alive is very sick,” Mila reasoned.

  “Trust me, Mila, she’s more important to you then you know.” Leo knew he didn’t want to go down this road, but he was already in the lane, and he had his foot on the gas. He couldn’t stop himself.

  “I realize you have a soft spot for people and don’t want harm to come to anyone, but she’s not a good person. Look, she’s my patient, and it’s my responsibility, as her doctor, to give her the help she needs.”

  “She might be your patient, but she’s also you’re…” Leo stopped himself; this wasn’t the right place for all this to come out. He knew it would be an incredible shock to Mila when she finds out that she was adopted.

  “My what?” Mila asked defiantly.

  Leo sighed, “I guess it’s time for me to come clean. I was hoping this day wouldn’t come, but I guess you can’t always get what you want. I’ve been keeping this secret way too long.”

  “What secret?” Mila had no idea where Leo was going with this, but she was intrigued. She quickly moved in front of the gun so Dr. Blackmore wouldn’t have a shot until she moved.

  “Oh, come on now, a secret? Really… come on Mila, this is obviously just a ploy to soften you, and to get you to untie them and let them go. Are you seriously going to fall for this? Please, move to the side so I can get a clean shot.” Dr. Blackmore couldn’t believe how long it was taking; he had hoped to be done with this by now and was growing more impatient by the minute.

  “I’m not moving until I hear this,” Mila said defiantly.

  “Very well then, Lamar, would you please… just a short one to make a point, and hopefully shut him up,” Dr. Blackmore said, as he motioned to Lamar. Mila watched wondering what he was up to.

  Lamar walked over to where Leo was sitting and calmly pulled out the stun gun he had hidden in his back pocket. As Lamar placed his left hand on Leo’s shoulder and held the stun gun with the other, Leo braced himself.

  “This is going to hurt… a lot,” Lamar said to Leo, as he placed the taser on Leo’s neck for two seconds.

  “Auuuuggggg… you son of a bitch!” Leo yelled in pain.

  As soon as the stun gun hit his skin, his body went rigid, and he started to slide out of the chair on to the floor. He was completely aware of everything going on around him, but he couldn’t move any part of his body.

  “What the hell are you doing Lamar, get away from him,” Mila said, as she quickly ran over and grabbed the stun gun from his hands, “Leo, are you ok?”

  Leo could feel his body slowly relaxing and his motor skills coming back. As soon as the stiffness wore off, Mila helped him, as he pulled himself back into the chair. Luckily the ropes held, and it still looked like Leo’s hands were tied.

  “I’m ok, but when I get out of these ropes that dude over there isn’t going to be,” Leo said, as he glared at Lamar. Lamar just looked at him and rolled his eyes.

  “I’m glad you’re ok because I still want to hear why this woman is so important to me. So, who is she?”

  Leo wasn’t quite sure how to tell her, and he knew Dr. Blackmore was getting more and more impatient by the minute; sooner or later, he was going to fire that gun. He hoped that once Mila heard the truth, she would help him get rid of Dr. Blackmore once and for all, but he still wasn’t sure where her loyalties lie.

  “She’s your birth mother.” Leo watched Mila’s expression go from cocky to confused, as he waited for the news to sink in. Suddenly he thought about Larisa, this news could be devastating for her too.

  Mila was speechless. There were a million thoughts running through her head. She remembered how she had briefly tossed the idea of Larisa being her birth mother around herself, but thought it was too farfetched. She let the idea simmer a moment before allowing the anger and confusion set in.

  “Leo, that isn’t possible, my baby died over twenty-five years ago. That’s why I buried her,” Larisa said, as she shook her head with disbelief and confusion.

  Leo turned to her, “Look, honey, I know that’s what you believe, but it isn’t the truth.” He looked at Larisa and gave her a look to trust him.

  “I don’t understand…” Mila began.

  “It was the day I found out that my knee injury was career ending. I was still in Sacramento, working with the physical therapist when the coach told me the news. I was devastated and lost, and all I wanted to do was come home and spend some time with my dad and Daisy and figure out what I was going to do next. I started out late, and then about halfwa
y home a terrible thunderstorm hit, and it took me much longer to get back to the house.”

  “Oh, come on…” Dr. Blackmore said sarcastically.

  “Please, I need to hear this,” Mila said.

  “When I finally got there and got out of the car, I noticed Daisy leaving the house with a white box; it looked like she was going into the woods. I thought it was strange, considering it was well past midnight. I tried yelling out to her, but she didn’t hear me; it was thundering and raining so hard I could barely hear myself, so instead I followed her. I hid in the bushes and watched as she knelt down next to a tree and dug a hole, sobbing the entire time, and then she gently placed the white box in the hole and covered it with dirt.”

  “That was you? I knew I heard something.” Larisa said as she remembered the night.

  “Yes, when you left, I wanted to see what you buried, so I dug it up and looked inside the box. I couldn’t believe what I saw, here was this beautiful little baby, but she wasn’t moving or making any noise. I didn’t know if the baby was dead or not, but when I looked closer, I noticed that she was breathing… very shallow…but she was breathing. I did the only thing that made sense and brought the baby to Krystal. I knew she would know what to do.”

  “That can’t be, I checked, I know the baby was dead. I would never have buried her if she wasn’t.” Larisa sobbed. She was beside herself with guilt.

  “I know that honey, and I was going to tell you when I got back to the house, but when I got back, you were gone. I waited hours for you or Dad to come back to the house, but neither of you ever did. The next day I asked around town, but no one knew where you were, and Mr. Ashton told me Dad left town almost six months earlier. I had no idea where to find you, so when I still hadn’t heard from you a couple of weeks later, I let Krystal adopt the baby.”

  “Wait a minute, why are you calling her Daisy and honey? How exactly do you know her?” Mila asked, trying to put the pieces together.

  Mila felt like she was beginning to lose her cool, it was too much; first the arranged marriage and now this shit? How much more was she expected to take in a day?

  “This is my sister Daisy; well you know her as Larisa. I’m still getting used to the new name,” he said, as he smiled lovingly at her.

  Mila was doing her best to process everything Leo was telling her; she already knew she was adopted, but Mila had no idea that Larisa was actually Daisy and that she was her birth

  mother; that was definitely a twist in the story. She remembered thinking, while she was reading her mother’s diary that Daisy might be her birth mother, but then she found the postcard and the theory was blown to hell.

  “I’m confused; how can you be my birth mother? You told my mother in that postcard that you and your baby were doing fine in Phoenix.”

  “I felt horrible that I lied to her, especially after she was so kind to me, but I felt like I had no other choice. She knew the baby was born, and if she knew that the baby died so soon, she could have contacted the authorities and put me in jail. I was only eighteen years old, and I was all alone, I didn’t know what else to do. I was terrified.”

  Mila didn’t know what to believe anymore. When she read the diary, she thought she had most of the story, everything except who her birth mother was; but now, Leo had a different story altogether. Hearing this version, made her wonder if Larisa really did kill her baby or if it was, in fact, a terrible misunderstanding. Either way, it didn’t help the situation; she still had to figure out how to stop Dr. Blackmore from shooting them, and persuade him to let them go.

  Leo watched Mila’s reaction to all the news and wondered why she was so calm about it; he fully expected her to freak out and ask a million questions, but she didn’t. He thought that maybe she was trying to appear cool and collected in front of Dr. Blackmore, but still, with this news, she was way too calm. Leo wondered why she was still playing both sides now that she knew the whole truth; Mila could have easily defused the situation; why did she continue to allow Dr. Blackmore to hold them at gunpoint?

  “Are we about done with story time? I’ve heard more than enough of your family drama; can I please shoot them now?” Dr. Blackmore asked impatiently.

  He got up from the chair and walked around to the front of the desk and sat on the edge, still aiming the gun at Leo’s head and said, “The sooner we get this done, the sooner I can leave. I have a tee time in exactly,” he looked at his watch, “one hour.”

  By this time, Leo had gotten the rope completely loosened and was just holding it in place while he waited for the right moment to jump Dr. Blackmore and get the gun away from him.

  “Do you really think killing them is the right answer, considering they only got into one room? All they’ve seen is some needles and computer chips; they have no idea what those things are used for.” Mila was having second thoughts.

  “That’s true. We didn’t see anything,” Larisa chimed in, hoping it would convince him.

  “Do I need to remind you that he is not a patient and he was snooping around? Or that he broke into my office and stole a pricing sheet?”

  Dr. Blackmore was getting frustrated watching Mila play both sides. What is your end game, you little two-faced minx, are you playing me too? He wondered; but he smiled to himself when he thought about it because, in some weird way, it kind of turned him on.

  “Look, he’s right, I did break in, and I was snooping, but Larisa didn’t do anything wrong. Let her go. You can do whatever you want with me, just let Larisa go,” Leo pleaded.

  Dr. Blackmore was losing his patience; he knew he had to kill them both or his whole operation would be in jeopardy. It was just a matter of waiting for the perfect moment to pull the trigger; unfortunately, Mila was making it quite difficult for him.

  “I don’t want anyone shot or killed,” Mila quickly injected again.

  “Mila, are you out of your mind? There are consequences for actions. The consequence of breaking into my office and

  stealing from me is death. Besides, he’s just stalling, I’m sure you’ll find everything he’s been saying is just one big lie to get you to go against your instincts,” Dr. Blackmore said trying his best to convince Mila.

  Mila wasn’t listening to him; she knew what Leo was telling her was the truth; she just had to find out one more detail.

  “Leo, I just need to know one more thing. Did my mother know that your sister was my birth mother?”

  “I don’t think so, I never told her; and she never let on if she did know.”

  “Well then, it all makes sense now, the identity of my birth mother was the only missing piece,” Mila said feeling a little relief, like when you finally fit the last piece of the ten-thousand-piece puzzle.

  “You knew you were adopted? Your mother said she wasn’t going to tell you. How did you find out?” Leo asked.

  “I read her diary.”

  “Fuck. I knew there was something I was forgetting. How much did you read?”

  “All of it.”

  “Ok, I’ve heard more than enough. Mila, move out of my way, or I’m going to have to shoot through you.”

  Dr. Blackmore was done being courteous. He needed to get on with this; he was already running late, and he didn’t want to lose his tee time.

  Mila had to think fast, or she might be shot too. Suddenly it came to her, if she could accidentally tap the stun gun, she took from Lamar on Dr. Blackmore’s arm, he would flinch and drop the gun. While he was incapacitated, she could grab the gun and save the day. She thought it was a brilliant plan, but would it actually work?

  Chapter 19

  Mila watched as Dr. Blackmore grew more and more impatient. She knew her plan was risky, but it was her only option. Mila casually reached around behind herself and found the stun gun on the table. Slowly, so she didn’t call any attention to herself, she turned the stun gun on and waited for the right moment to strike.

  Meanwhile, Dr. Blackmore stood up and got ready to shoot. He had been patient long eno
ugh. Just as he was about to flip the safety off and pull the trigger, Mila accidentally bumped his arm, touching it with the live stun gun.

  “Aaaahhhhhh!” he yelled as the pain surged through his now ridged body and he fell clumsily to the floor.

  Mila had hoped that the gun would fall to the floor when Dr. Blackmore did, and she could pick it up and save the day, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, when she touched his arm with the stun gun, the gun he was holding flew up in the air and spiraled across the room headed right for Leo.

  Leo was watching the gun, and when he saw Mila accidentally stun Dr. Blackmore, he was ready to pounce. Luckily for him, the gun was coming right to him, just like the catch he made in Superbowl XXVII. He watched as the gun spiraled across the room like a new handcrafted Wilson football, and for a brief moment, he was lost in the memory.

  It was late in the fourth quarter, only thirty seconds left in the game. The Sacramento Sequoia had the ball on their opponent’s twenty-yard line. The score was 17-21, and they needed the touchdown to win. The coach ordered a running play but Treyvon, the quarterback, must have seen something else

  because when he got the ball, he threw it high and to the left. It

  was supposed to go directly to Leo… but it didn’t.

  Instead, the opposing team intercepted and started running towards their goal line. Winston, one of the blockers for the Sacramento Sequoia, caught up to him and punched the ball out of his arms, so it flew up into the air. Leo wasn’t far behind, and he immediately ran up and caught it.

  With no one really knowing what was happening, Leo ran for the goal. As he crossed the goal line, the opposing team’s safety clipped him from behind, and when Leo fell, he tore his ACL. They won the game, but it was the last time Leo ever played pro football.

  Leo snapped back into reality just in time to reach out and grab the gun with one hand and fall against the wall. When he looked up, he noticed Lamar inching towards the door.

  “Ya, you should be worried, asshole,” Leo said, as he playfully pointed the gun at Lamar.