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101. Mental Health
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The Mark 102. Leave
...Damian POV...Zane clapped me on the back before leaving the NICU. I looked over to see Jessica standing on the other side of the window. I realized that Zane must've seen her as well, which is why he left. I watched as he made his way out, and held her in a tight embrace. They began to kiss passionately. I smiled, but looked away. It was a bit more passionate than I would care to see. But I couldn't fault them. We've all been through so much already. I hadn't even once thought of how this was affecting Zane or Jessica. I was simply focused on one thing, and one thing only. Haley. I felt Maverick begin to fall asleep in my arms, and held him close to me. I kissed the top of his head, and looked back to Sienna. Wishing I could hold her in my arms as well. I called one of the nurses over and asked about Sienna's condition."How's Sienna?""She's doing well. But would like to monitor her for a few more weeks to make sure there are no issues. Premature babies are prone to the risk of
The Mark 103. Picture Perfect
...Zane POV...It's been a week since Haley woke up. Her progression has been improving. She speaks to a therapist for a few hours every day. She's also been instructed to write in a journal. The therapist asked her to write down all the memories she has, and together with Jess, myself, and the therapist would sit down to explain what parts were true, and what parts were made up.It didn't really feel like we were making any progress. Haley seemed terrified of my brother, for reasons we couldn't really understand. But from what the therapist could gather, she believes that for months Haley was suffering mental trauma from her own mind. Her mind was creating these delusions as a protective measure. The therapist explained that it had something to do with both a coping mechanism and a way for the patient to help deal with their traumatic experience. It didn't make a lot of sense to me. How could an illusion help a person get over a trauma? Frustrated after a week of what felt like no p
The Mark 104. Revelations
...Haley POV...Ever since I woke up, I've been nothing but confused. Nothing is making sense. I couldn't distinguish between what was real and what wasn't. The memories I had from the time I spent in a coma seemed to outweigh my original memories to the point that everything seemed backwards. I didn't know who I really was, who was with me or against me, nor Damian's true feelings for me. In the end, words were just words. How was I supposed to know what was real and what wasn't? I needed some sort of proof. Something that would put my mind at ease into which decision I had to make.Dr. Matthews had suggested I see a therapist. Dr. Elizabeth Manning was the psychiatrist assigned to me. I had never been to therapy before so I had no idea what to expect. The first few sessions were a bit difficult but soon began to find it easy to talk to her. I found the more I talked to her, the easier it was to understand what was happening to me. She explained that I was suffering from Depersonaliz
The Mark 105. State of Shock
My mind was in absolute turmoil. I'd never seen this letter before. But after reading it, I can understand why. Damian must've written it after we went separate ways. I never realized he truly felt that way about me. I was so stunned that I didn't know how to respond. "Haley?" I could hear someone say to me, but it was as if I'd entered a trance-like state. My mind was reeling from this new information, that my mind had completely shut down. Everything around me blurred out of focus. I could hear sounds, but nothing that made sense, or grabbed my attention."Ms. Cunningham?" The voice called out, however, my focus was on the note in my hands."Mr. Stone?" "Can you stop by my office immediately?""I've paged for Dr. Matthews to come here as well.""She's catatonic."The voice said. Yet once again, nothing made sense. The words on the paper began to swirl through my mind followed by a flow of memories. It was as if someone had turned on a tap in my brain, flooding it with every single
The Mark 106. Experimental My Dear
...Damian POV...What the actual hell happened? One moment everything was ok, the next, I'm being kicked out of the room as I look at Haley's limp body sitting lifeless in her wheelchair. I hated everything that was happening to her. She looked like a lifeless doll. Seeing her like that made me think of a patient in an insane asylum. Those that would spend the entire day sitting in a chair, barely blinking, and with no other signs of life. I wanted more than anything to hold her in my arms to show her how much I loved her. I hated being away from her. This past week had been absolute hell. I dived headfirst in my work in hopes of distracting myself during the day. At night, I would check over Sienna and Maverick. I would also go to the hospital to check on them whenever Haley was out of the room at one of her appointments. I couldn't afford to see her right now. I don't know what was going on, but she seemed to be experiencing some sort of psychotic break. After Dr. Matthews kicked
The Mark 107. Possessive
I could hear my heart palpitating in my chest. It was beating so strongly that it drowned out the noise from the rest of the room. When she said those words, I thought I had to be dreaming. I walked over to her and crouched beside her bed, not wanting to intimidate her."Are you sure?" I ask, giving her the chance to change her mind. Perhaps she was only asking me to stay, because she didn't realize who I was. Perhaps she thought it was Zane or Jessica. Maybe she only asked me to stay because she felt obligated to say so. I didn't want her to feel as though she had to make me stay, so I wanted her to know that she was truly free to say what was on her mind.Instead of responding, she turned around so that her back was no longer facing me. When she looked in my direction, I saw tears fall from her face. Instantly, I was on my feet, and reached over to wipe away her tears. I caressed her head, and comforted her."Why are you crying?" I asked in a quiet tone, not wanting to scare her."I
The Mark 108. New Connections
After Zane and Jess left to get us something to eat, I turned back to look at Haley. An idea had come to mind that I thought would help."I know you're afraid right now, so what would you think if I had a solution I thought might help?" I suggest."What kind of solution?" Haley inquired."What about some sort of code word. A word that only you and I will know so that if you feel uncomfortable or afraid in any way, then I will come to you. We can also have another code word for if you think I'm not really me." I suggest.Ever since Dr. Edwards told me what had happened to Haley, and why she was acting so distant to me, I had done a bunch of research on it. There weren't a lot of studies done, as Haley's condition was extremely rare. However, one article I came across mentioned how the use of code words had helped to make the patient feel more secure. I figured it was worth the shot."How would it work?" She asks."Well, we would come up with a word for times when you feel uncomfortable
The Mark 109. Forever & Always
...Haley POV...A week had already gone by, and Damian continued to live up to his promise. He didn't leave my side for even a second. Though the more time that went by, I was beginning to feel more confident that everything was ok. I did have moments here and there, but Damian's plan seemed to work. Anytime I began to doubt him, all I had to say was per sempre, and he would reply with sempre. Each time I heard that simple word, I would feel my body relax. I was thankful for his solution. It helped me far better than I had expected.The main problems I was having now were trying to focus on what was real and attempting to ignore what wasn't. The issue was that my mind was still foggy. From what Dr. Edwards explained, she agreed that this could be a lifelong condition. However, it would get better day by day. As long as Damian was by my side, I knew I would be ok. Damian was beyond patient with me. He was the first person by my side if I started to experience a panic attack or felt ove
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