After The Storm (Sequel)

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Liliana's pov

"So Liliana, why have you chosen to start therapy" my therapist, Dr. Parker, asks as I sit on the couch holding Jackson's hand. It is only the beginning of my appointment, but I was already ready for it to be over. I just felt so vulnerable knowing that I was going to have to talk to this lady about my many problems. The only thing that kept me calm is having Jackson here. The therapist thought that it would be helpful for him to join us so he could offer more perspective.

"Jackson thought it would be a good idea" I say

"And why do you feel that he suggested it" she asks

"Well I've been through some things recently" I sigh

"I think that's a little bit of an understatement" he interjects

"You are not supposed to speak unless she asks you a question, Avery" I say. I'm working on not shutting Jackson out during this recovery process, but it's just natural for me to be defensive when I have to talk about my problems.

"No, it's fine. I would like for Jackson to chime in any time he has anything to add. It helps give me more perspective" he says

"Of course, it does" I sigh

"So Jackson said that your prior statement was a little bit of an understatement. Why do you think he feels that way" she asks

"Well I've went through a lot emotionally. We had a baby a little over a year ago, but um, he died and a couple of months later my best friend Derek also died" I sigh

"Wow, I'm so sorry for your losses, both of you" she apologizes

"Thank you" we say

"That's a lot to deal with. It has to have had a huge emotional toll on you. How are you coping" she asks

"I've dealt with both in different ways. After our baby died I left Seattle for a couple of months and I stayed in D.C. where Derek was working at the time. It gave me time to find myself and put my life back together" I say

"How long did you stay in D.C." she asks

"Three months" I answer

"Jackson, were you with Liliana during her time in D.C." she asks

"No, I wasn't" he sighs. I can tell that talking about D.C. was making him a little uncomfortable by how tense he got as we discussed it, so I squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"So it was just you and Derek. You two had to have grown close during that time" she says

"Of course. Derek and I have always been...well we were extremely close for years prior to D.C., but I would say that we grew even closer then before while I was there with him. It really deepened my appreciation for our friendship and it gave us the opportunity to make some great memories together" I say

"Well I imagine it had to be extremely hard for you to lose him after having grown even closer to each other and after he helped you through such a difficult time in your life" she says

"Yeah, it was very hard. It always will be. Derek was such a huge part of my life. I wouldn't be the woman or the surgeon I am today if Derek hadn't been a part of my life and now that he's gone I don't know what I'm supposed to do or who I am anymore. How am I supposed to just live without him? It doesn't feel right" I sigh

"I know right now it seems impossible, but you're going to make it through this. It's going to take a lot of time and work, but you will be happy again one day" she assures me. I know that the words she was saying were true, but I'm not at a point where I can picture a happy future for myself yet. We continuedbmy therapy session and after a little while it came to an end. The rest of it consisted of pretty basic questions to help the therapist get to know me better and we are going to go deeper into discussion about everything during my next session.