"You can go in now." The secretary said nodding towards the door. I stood and pressed my hand along my suit. I couldn't help but take a good look at her and realize just how attractive she was. Her blond hair, piercing blue eyes and smoky lips make quite an impression.
Nodding sympathetically towards her, I opened the door and passed into the sizable and well decorated office. There was plenty of light coming in from the floor to ceiling windows. There were comfortable chairs and a long sofa. The desk was lovely without being lavish. The wall behind it was adorned with diplomas and certificates.
"Mr. Bryant." The woman sitting behind the desk stood with a welcoming smile. "I'm Dr. Rachel Teller. Nice to meet you in person." She introduced herself, holding her hand out to me. She was beautiful. Uncomfortably so. Her long flowing red hair went all the way to her lower back. Her face was symmetrical with the most beautiful set of full lips I had the opportunity to lay eyes on. Her green eyes were bright and shone through with intelligence.
The ankle length skirt and tight white blouse did a great job of showing off an incredible body that she must have spent hours in the gym working on. Her skin was flawless. So were the pearly white teeth she displayed, smiling as she shook my hands.
"Thank you for seeing me." I told her trying to not stare. "I know you're quite busy." She was usually packed. Dr Rachel Teller was a prominent therapist in Los Angeles. Her business catered to the rich and famous of the city. From CEOs to actors, producers and from this moment on, me.
"A patient of mine actually finished their therapy. You called at the perfect moment."
"Some would call that fate." I said as she directed us towards her seating area.
"Some would. I wouldn't." She replied sitting in a chair facing the sofa.
"You don't believe in fate?" I asked sitting across from her.
"I believe that people like to believe there is a reason for seemingly total random acts taking place. Makes them feel more in control. That life has a purpose, a greater plan in mind."
"You lean towards chaos?"
"There's beauty in chaos if you take a close look. It's unsettling, maybe even scary at times, but that's usually where we find what I think is the most important thing in our world."
"And that would be?" I asked completely intrigued by the doctor.
"Truth." She said simply. As though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "The truth shall set you free. It sets us all free."
"If only it were that easy." I replied.
"Oh it's far from easy. Seeing the truth is only part of it. Accepting it is a different matter entirely."
"I see why you're in such high demand."
"My looks also help." She said with a soft smile. It didn't come off as cocky, or self-serving. It was just the honest to god truth. "Why don't we begin talking about you Mr. Bryant?"
"You can call me Duncan." I cut in.
"Of course. Duncan." She said my name with a smile so quick I thought I had imagined it. "Why are you here?"
"I haven't been sleeping." I answered.
"How long has this been happening?" She asked her demeanor changing.
"It's been on and off for the past few years. But it's been pretty consistent these last few months."
"Has there been any major changes in your life? Or any events that may have caused this?"
"I'm sure that you've heard. I was kidnapped and held hostage." She simply nodded. Making a mental note and encouraging me to carry on. "We had to fight ourselves out. I...I almost died. I had a gun pointed to my head. I thought it was over. If the authorities hadn't arrived at that moment, I wouldn't be sitting here right now."
"That must have been a harrowing experience." She offered. "Near death experiences tend to awaken our minds with realities that have been buried into our subconscious. I'm willing to make a wager that you've been having nightmares." I nodded. "These nightmares are so terrifying they wake you from your sleep. You want to run from them, so you fight sleep. To avoid seeing them again."
"Yes." I admitted taking in a large gulp of air.
"Do you feel comfortable enough, to open up about these nightmares?" She asked leaning in her chair.
"I...I'm standing on the edge of the ocean. And I see something at the bottom. I jump in and swim towards it. Underneath the water, it's dark. Almost pitch black." I begin feeling my pulse quicken as the memories of the nightmare flood my mind. "I swim as hard as I can towards whatever is down there. I can feel my lungs and arms burning as I push myself harder. I realize that what's at the bottom isn't an object, it's a woman. Sometimes she's still and passive. Other times she's panicked, trying to scream but no words will come out. I swim harder and faster to make it to her. But the harder I swim....the further she gets."
"Until recently." The doctor said matter of flatly.
"Yes." I confessed shutting my eyes and remembering the new developments. "Lately, I've been able to reach the bottom. The woman she's tied by a lock. I see a shining object not far from her and swim towards it realizing that it's a key. When I turn back...there's now two of them." My heart was now beating furiously in my chest. "I can't save both of them...I only have one key." I stopped talking and simply tried to control my breathing.
"Here. Drink this." Doctor Teller was standing by me holding a glass of ice water. I took it from her and took a large gulp. "Take deep breaths. Make them slow." She instructed trying to get me to calm down.
"Thank you." I finally said putting the glass down on the coffee table.
"Did that help?"
"It did. Thank you." I said a little embarrassed by my reaction.
"No need to be embarrassed." She said almost like a mind reader. "The mind is incredibly powerful. Your body's reaction is perfectly natural. It just goes to show how striking these images are to you."
