Searching for Redemption (Redwood Coast Rescue Book 4) by Tonya Burrows

Author:Tonya Burrows [Burrows, Tonya]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-10-16T16:00:00+00:00

chapter twenty

The room was small and cozy, filled with the usual shrink’s office decor: a couch, two chairs, a desk, and a bookshelf stuffed with volumes on PTSD and psychological disorders. Dr. Firestone sat behind the desk, her graying brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, her expression blandly pleasant.

“Good afternoon, Shane,” she said, glancing up at him over her glasses. “You’re looking better. How are you feeling since you left the hospital?”

He took the seat opposite her, nerves jangling like he was walking into a trap. “Fine.”

“Fine?” She raised an eyebrow. “People only say ‘fine’ when they’re actually not.”

He wanted to tell her to fuck off. He didn’t owe her anything, but he knew he had to play the game if he wanted to stay out of the psych ward. “I’m... adjusting.”

“To life at the Rescue?”

“To… everything.”

“Good.” She wrote something down on a notepad. “Have you had any nightmares?”

The question made him clench his fists in his lap, and his scars tightened along his knuckles. He’d been having nightmares every night since he’d come here, but he didn’t want to tell her that. He didn’t want Dr. Firestone unraveling the threads of his trauma and laying them bare for her inspection. If he let her, he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to sew himself back together when she was done.

When he didn’t respond, Dr. Firestone wrote something else in her notebook and continued as if she hadn’t asked the question. “I understand you’ve been helping out with the dogs. Animals can be very therapeutic. That’s why I have Alfie here to help with these sessions.”

“Alfie?”

For the first time, he noticed the dog bed under her desk. At the sound of his name, the petite brown and white dog poked its head up from the bed. He wore a green plaid bowtie and had big, fluffy ears that stuck out on either side of his head like wings. Alfie curled from the bed and trotted over to sit at Shane’s feet. When Shane didn’t move, he gave a small, questioning arf.

“What does he want?”

“For you to pick him up.”

“No, thanks.” But even as he said the words, Alfie launched into his lap in a jump that seemed to defy physics. Maybe those really were wings instead of ears.

The dog was soft, and the warm weight of him settled the unease swirling inside Shane’s chest. Tension eased out of his muscles and his fists unclenched. He stroked a hand over Alfie’s back.

“I don’t want to be here,” he told Dr. Firestone bluntly.

“Nobody ever does.” She waited a beat, then took off her glasses and folded them on her desk. “Tell me, Shane. What made life on the mountain easier for you?”

He tensed at the mention of his mountain. It seemed like it was worlds away now, impossible to reach.

“It was quiet,” he said finally. “I liked the quiet.”

“You mention noise often. What kind of noise?”

“Just…” He trailed off, unable to find the right words to explain it. “People.”

“You prefer being alone?”

“I prefer not having to deal with anyone’s bullshit.

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