"Don, I'm proud of the progress we've made working together."

"Yes, and I can sense a 'but' coming a mile away." He gestured the imaginary quotation marks simultaneously as he said the word 'but'.

"You crave your former lifestyle, despite ignoring advice so you can overcome an impossible barricade because of your current circumstances. However, have you considered the consequences of leading a team torn apart after your kidnapping?" Don glanced around the room, avoiding eye contact with his therapist.

Crystal continued despite the difficulties, and his hardships left to conquer. She couldn't quit now; she recognized a breakthrough was close to the surface. "Difficulties of the job depend on commanding your team into dangerous situations. If any of them hesitated, even for an instant, death might be the end result. Can your coworkers ignore the elephant in the room? First hand witnessing your child-like behavior requiring their guidance and protection. How can you be a dynamic leader if they are questioning your every move, wondering if today will overwhelm you and you suddenly revert to thinking and acting like an adolescent?"

"Damn it, I'm a grown-ass man. Stuck in a situation without the ability to regain my rights. It doesn't matter, because so far the judge isn't giving an inch. Every time I think I'm finally making progress, something slams everything to a screeching halt. I need to climb off the merry-go-round. Will you help me or not?"

"I'm asking you to consider the genuine possibilities once you return to work. Colby fed and dressed you when you couldn't manage it for yourself. He's got to reconcile the two images he must have of you. They reprimanded Charlie for allowing you to be in charge when you got royally drunk. The consequences, the judge revoked his guardianship privileges and until recently he couldn't supervise or escort you anywhere unless another adult was present."

"Now, he's being overly cautious. I'm Charlie's older brother, yet he grabs my clothes and lays them out on the bed. At first, I thought he was being considerate of my recovery from my latest incident. Yet, he still insists on assisting me, even though I'm capable of picking out my own clothes. He's so paranoid that the judge will reverse his decision."

Crystal sighed, "It's conceivable...in fact, this conversation is dangerous, as the prospect of being reinstated into your old lifestyle is still down the road. Don, I grasp your frustration, but the truth is, we never expected a recovery. I can't promise a judge that a breakdown isn't possible, that you won't revert..."

"I won't, I'm not one hundred percent cured but I won't lose myself again. You must believe that." Don got up and turned his back to her.

"Don, I understand you want everything back to normal. Even so, as your doctor, I'm unable to sign off on declaring you competent. The protection your family offers you, for now, is vital for your well-being. You may be a grown man in the body, but mentally you are still in a dangerous position. I need you to accept where you are today; a minor in the eyes of the law. "

Don stood rock still, and Crystal discovered that her patient had zoned out. She approached and placed her hand on his shoulder. He didn't react, but he responded to her directions to sit back on the couch. She turned and got a glass of water. "Don, Donny...can you hear me? Donny, it will be alright, take some nice deep breaths."

Don looked up and faced his therapist. Her voice pulled him from somewhere. His awareness gradually returning. The constant being on his toes was taking a toll on his concentration, that's all. Why was everyone so freaked out? Don felt embarrassed; it had happened again. Staring at a spot in on the wall and unable to remember what had grabbed his attention. He'd never convinced the doctor that he could resume his normal routine prior to the kidnapping, as this single issue negated everything and harmed his chances. "I just don't get it. So sometimes I zone out. Can you blame me? I'm ready to be in charge of my life, but no one trusts me to handle my own decisions."

"Don, this is difficult. The judge is looking for an excuse to remove you from your family. Charlie learned that lesson the hard way, with too many mixed signals. You've withdrawn from participating with your family. So much so; that Charlie voiced his current apprehension before walking out of this room." She put her pen down and walked towards the window.

"Donny was a child, dependent on everyone. Tell me, Don, if you could return to your old job, would you expect everything to resume back to normal? Would you be willing to try an experiment?"

"Sure, anything if it will help."

"Donny, listen to this situation. You're the boss, and on your desk, you find Colby's evaluation. What I'm about to share with you will not be easy to grasp. Worse, it might harm your relationships. Consider for over six months, Colby was the one that had been childlike...would you believe he could do his job effectively? Would you trust him or would you act cautiously, wondering if the stress of the job could return him to his childlike state? Now, what if you had dressed him in his favorite Scooby-Doo PJ's? Tucked him in bed?"

"Colby never...God, No." He sank to his knees as tears started rolling down his cheeks. "I'm sorry, I don't understand why I'm so emotional. Tell me it isn't true." In a split-second, he imagines Colby dressing him as pain slammed into his gut. Helpless and too trusting, he couldn't ignore it. Plus, it didn't help that he couldn't control his emotional baggage.

She shook her head no. "I'm afraid I can't. So can you see why so many of us are against you gaining your life back to normal? Nothing's normal. You've got a lot to reflect on, to absorb. I need you to stop running from the issues and to embrace this crazy mixed-up situation. Only then do I believe you can honestly return to your old lifestyle." Crystal crossed over and knelt in front of her patient.

"I totally understand the desire to resume all the old headaches, but I need you to slow down. Every time we make some headway, you've been re-injured, and your recovery takes a step backward. You haven't dealt with anything; pushing it aside is dangerous. You must give yourself time to recover." She walked back to her desk and sat down. "If I can be frank with you, we shouldn't be in this situation at all. You should still be childlike. Your healing has been a miracle. None of my efforts worked. It wasn't some kind of regressive amnesia... Some might think it was a fluke of nature that you can even appear to be your old self. So if they are extra attentive, extra helpful...they are struggling to reconcile the rapid change."

"I don't remember being childlike. It wasn't true for me; why can't you see that? My last memory is being an agent and protecting my family. If I can't reclaim my work..." Shaking his head and desperate to ignore her point.

"I understand, but you're ignoring my suggestions." Crystal realized that she had to pull out the big guns. She couldn't let him disregard his painful revelations. "I guess from your point of view, it appears stupid. Nice avoidance technique of my questions."

"How can you say that? I heard how Colby babysat me. I can deal with it." He stood, daring her to continue.

"Did you clearly picture the situation? You required special attention. Everyone that interacted with you believed you were vulnerable." She stressed her next statement, " Furthermore, you reacted as an emotional five-year-old. Would you sign off for Colby to return to work, if he hadn't processed his situation? If he kept pretending everything was normal? Supposed Colby constantly declared himself healed without sorting through any of his emotions. His consistent response, of I'm fine, yet he just suppressed his reactions? Would you let him have a gun?"

Don started pacing and clenched and unclenched his fists. "No." He looked away and stared at the wall. "Wait, you said the judge is attempting to remove me from my family..."

"If you rush this, give the judge a reason; the threat to institutionalize you is very real. So I need you to slow down. Allow the healing to occur, to process this mixed-up situation. I don't want to see you have a relapse, as I don't think you'd ever recover. The seriousness of this situation. It's treacherous. Little Donny's memories." she paused. "Someone is afraid if you recovered your damaging memories from your time spent as little Donny, you could harm them. I believe this is dangerous not only to yourself but those responsible for your care."

"You've never been this blunt before."

"I guess I'm trusting you to keep this between us. If it's too much and you lose yourself, well at least you know you can trust me to do everything I can to help you. I'm following my gut...something I've understood as an agent you frequently did. It never felt safe to say this before, so I think...no I hope you'll trust that I do see the man standing before me. But I will admit it is a battle sometimes when your actions remind me of child-like, Donny."

"How do I deal with my team? How can I ever lead them again? I don't want to live like this forever. I want, I need my life back."

"Then let's start at the beginning. Accepting that, for now, you're dependent on others. Start to process all the raw, awkward emotions. Avoiding the issues is dangerous because if you have a relapse, it could be permanent. So can you accept that for now, we have to move at a..."

He interrupted, "You mean, at a snail pace, but I'm experiencing a sense of control. How can I get my life back if I'm never allowed to deal with the messy raw emotions? I'm not running from this, it's hard to imagine, but I need to be me again."

"If the judge rushed into the room and said, I'll reverse the orders. I still wouldn't sign off. We've got work to do and you need to accept the facts. For now, everyone else is in charge of your life decisions. Living under your father's roof, having rules to follow seems negative, but you also have less stress, the weight of the world isn't on your shoulders. You have the freedom to avoid those pesky adult decisions. So let us carry the weight for a little while longer."

Don braced himself for his argument, but found himself interrupted before he could whisper the first syllable,

Crystal said, "No, I can't give you a deadline. When it's time, I'll know."

"Can you at least get Charlie to back off selecting my clothes? He'll never see me as the older brother..." They shared a slight chuckle over his minor victory.

"For now, I'll ask, but I doubt he'll listen. Think of it as his way of making sure you know he won't let you get drunk again. He won't let you drive without him being behind the driver's wheel. You preyed on his natural response, and now he understands what is at stake. You're too important for him to lose."

"Everyone is so afraid that if I'm treated as an adult, I'll barge over the boundaries again. Everyone is shoving it down my throat, my place in this world."

"If you overstep, the judge will remove and lock you up in a mental facility, drugged into compliance."

"How can Colby ever treat me normal again? Tell me there were some limits?"

"I heard Colby say that an exhibitionist best described the wild boy on an enjoyable day. Reminded me of my nephew. His story, one day you didn't want to wear what they had dressed you in, so you stripped. Luckily you only ran around buck naked in the house, but Colby was the one that got you to put some clothes on. He bribed you with a Scooby-Doo t-shirt."

"Damn, when did he tell you this?"

"When they showed me the picture of you dressed like a toddler in the high chair. He wanted to know how much he should ever tell you. He's afraid to embarrass you and very protective of you. So you're not the only one that needs time." She handed him a pill and a glass.

"Please, I don't want..."

"Today was a rough session, and I've put you through the wringer. It's a light dose, so your emotions don't overwhelm you. For your protection, it shouldn't force a catnap, just curb or soothe your emotional response."

He stared at the pills before swallowing. Don hated his dependence on others, but somehow he vowed he would solve the threat to his family. Some serious issues still required solutions, but he could do it. He felt more like his old self. He had a case to solve...

"Relax, you'll be on your way home before you know it." She squeezed his shoulder.

"Hey, Donny, we're almost home."

The voice was unexpected, and he rubbed his eyes trying to clear his head... Donny complained, "Crystal said it wouldn't put me to sleep?" As he gazed out, the moving scenery didn't provide too many clues. Then he noticed Gertrude behind the wheel instead of Charlie. "You've missed the turnoff and obviously, you're not driving me home, care to explain? Where's Charlie?"

"They believe you're ready for some action. Charlie won't be joining us for now. The bugs prove it's time to step up the game and for once we believe you can assist without having a major setback. Instead of driving you home, so they could continue to spy on your entire family, we're heading for a safe house. It's time to let you in on a little secret."

She focused on the twists and turns on the road. "I wasn't in an accident. I survived by sheer luck." She smiled. "The cabin's being stocked and prepared for our arrival. Funny, you've been chomping at the bit to be treated as an agent. I think it's time we were proactive instead of reactive. How about we find out if you still have any significant detective skills."

Don blinked finding his reaction time was a bit distorted. He'd been waiting for this chance...Suspicion tugged at his gut. "Gertrude, when did you return? Did Crystal plan this with you?" Frustrated, the drug interfered with his movement and his thinking remained fuzzy. "Don't tell me you are part of the kidnapper's ring?"

"Take a breath. Inhale, exhale. No, your kidnapper's made their move and attempted to kill me. I notice you're disoriented. You're getting your wish. We decided to start acting instead of reacting. With that, came the need to relocate to a safer location without prying eyes or overheard conversations. Kind of hard to take someone down, if they're forewarned prior to our operation. Look, as soon as it's safe, your father and brother will join us. Tell me, Don, did you discover the bugs placed around your bedroom and house?

Don nodded and leaned forward as a plan was put in motion, but he couldn't concentrate. "You know about the bugs? Crystal stated the drug would just take the edge off, but I'm having trouble moving and focusing."

"I'm afraid I overrode her intentions. Your expertise could be valuable. You'll feel slightly disoriented for a few more hours. Funny, for the first time we're responding to your demands. You've been begging to be an agent, to be treated as an adult. I believe you can function somewhat as your old self. If you appear overwhelmed, you'll sit on the sidelines. But if we work together, we should capture those behind this. "


A/N I've been struggling and rewriting this chapter since April 2018. Many things have happened over the last two years, but one positive is that I'm no longer working in a toxic environment.

I'm trying out a grammar software, several actually, and I would like to know if this chapter's pace seems stronger. I struggled to show vs tell and would be interested to know if I was successful. Next chapter planning to get the ball rolling with Don playing an active role. Story ideas are finally moving after the muse left me. So thanks for sticking with the story even though I don't deserve it considering how long it has been.