Saturday, April 11th
The next morning, Ren was drinking coffee by the kitchen island, wandering off in his head. 
"Morning. I see you're still here somehow." Jessica's mother walked through the door. She was still wearing the dress she wore on her night out with friends, and carried the heels in her hand. She set them down by the shoe rack and gestured for him to pour her a cup. She sat down across from him and propped her chin on her hand.
"Morning. Hey, can I ask you something?" Ren asked when he woke from his thoughts and grabbed her a cup.
"If it's about how I would feel if my daughter got pregnant accidentally, I will show you what Alice would've done with that umbrella." Ren chuckled.
"It's not that. I was just wondering, have you ever considered putting these girls through therapy?"
"What do you mean?" She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Well, they have gone through a lot. I mean, your exes, poverty, the last ten months. Hell, especially Jessica. She was literally tortured."
"What are you saying? That there's something wrong with my daughters?"
"No, of course not. I'm just saying, Jess has got to be dealing with some pretty bad demons. I'm sure you've noticed too." She bit her lower and stared at her cup.
"I admit, she has been a little more... Easily startled, lately." She sighed. "But, it makes sense. She really trusted that kid and then all of that crap happened."
"I'm not sure if she's told you, but she's having nightmares. Sometimes flashbacks. They terrify her. I woke up to pee a few hours ago and I could sense she was still awake. She's forcing herself to, and that's not healthy."
"Where is she now?"
"Sleeping, finally. I grabbed some stuffed animal from the floor and gave it to her before hugging her close. She fell asleep soon after. She must've been exhausted." He glanced at Jessica's bedroom door.
"Probably the dog, right?" Her mother chuckled. Ren nodded.
"She's had it since she was seven. Her grandmother bought it for her. She saw it in a store and ran out with it to show her. Alarms went off and she got so scared she just started wailing. My mom bought it for her because she felt so bad for her. It's one of her most cherished items." She smiled. Ren smiled too.
"That's sweet. She must feel safe with it."
"Maybe. She passed away before she started high school. She was devastated. She might kill me for telling you this, but in freshman year she would keep it in her bag every day. She wasn't ready to grow up, I think, because it meant accepting and moving on from her grandmother's passing." She cleared after a while. "I must still be drunk to tell you all this. What were you asking me?"
"I asked if you considered sending Jess to therapy. I think she could really benefit from it."
"Sure, I thought about it. When she was lying in that hospital bed after they pumped her stomach, I was livid. But, those boys were out of my reach. And, then the doctors started going on about our health insurance and all that crap, and I just couldn't imagine how much worse therapy would be. All these years she's been this positive, sweet, little girl. I figured with enough time, she might be able to put it behind her, like everything else."
"You didn't see how she was after that first attack. She was terrified. And, in that house, she was drugged out of her mind, but I could still see how terrified she was. With all possible respect, I truly believe not sending her to therapy would be a bad parent move."
"You're lucky I'm too hungover to throw that pot of coffee at you and bash your head in." She smirked. He sighed.
"Minki, even if I wanted to, I just can't afford it. I have a preschooler and a college student living in a dorm. She gets her education for free, sure, but she has to pay rent. And, soon Jessica will be in that same boat. And, thanks to you, she wants to go all the way across the world to Seoul University. I can barely pay for a ticket to the country, let alone that prestigious college tuition. If I could, I'd love to help her, but as much as it pains me, I can't."
"Then, let me pay for it."
"I can't do that either. Your father already paid for all her hospital fees, as well as the down payment for this apartment and the furniture. I can't take any more money from your family."
"You're family too." She stared quietly at him. "Look, as much as you might hate me, and as much as Alice would still want to kill me for everything I did, I love Jessica. And, I love Jamie. You're their mother. Alice is her sister. I desperately want to be with your daughter for the rest of my life. To me, that means I consider you my family. This is not just handing out money because I can. I'm already seeing what all this trauma is doing to your daughter, and it's scaring me. I don't want her to become a risk where she might hurt herself. I know a few good therapists that have very great careers. If you could just allow me to help your daughter, that would be something I will be eternally grateful for. But, if you can't, I'm going to find a way to do it behind your back. Jess needs help. You of all people should know that." Her mother stared at him quietly for a while. She sighed and looked down at her lap.
"Fine. But, you're going to promise me that you'll be there for her during every visit. And I don't just mean emotional support. You're going to drive her to every damn one until she throws you out of there personally. Got it?"
"Of course. I wouldn't have it any other way." She nodded and stood up.
"Now, I'm going to take a shower. Afterwards, I'll be taking a very long nap. I hope you and my daughter can find a way to enjoy each other's company quietly." She sighed and walked over to her own room.
"Don't worry. I doubt Jess is going to wake up before lunchtime." 
"Good." She closed the door with a bang. Ren chuckled and headed over to Jessica's room. He smiled when he saw she was still completely out and sat in her old chair. He grabbed the book she was apparently reading and decided to start on it himself, waiting for Jessica to wake from her slumber so they could eat.

Thursday, April 16th

"You know, staring at that door won't make time go any faster. And, neither will biting your lip till you bleed for that matter." Ren commented when he glanced at Jessica. They were in the waiting room for Jessica's first therapy session, and she was about to run straight out the door. 
"I have to use the bathroom." She stood up.
"You already tried that. You can't escape through the window. Sit down." Ren spoke without looking up from his book. Jessica sighed and sat back down.
"You know I hate talking about my emotions. Why are you forcing me?"
"This isn't the same as talking about it. You're actively working on a way to deal with it, with a trained professional."
"I feel fine." She glared at him. He sighed.
"Look me in the eye and tell me you didn't have a nightmare last night or some type of panic attack because you thought about what happened." He looked at her. She swallowed hard and looked down. "Thought so."
"What will I even talk about? It's not like I understand why I suddenly have nightmares. They came out of nowhere." She muttered. Ren grabbed her hand and squeezed.
"Don't worry about that. One session isn't going to fix everything. It might even take a long time before you feel better."
"Then, what's the point?"
"Even if it takes a long time, it's better than not trying anything at all. You know I love you. I don't want to see things go so bad with you, that you might regret, simply because you don't want to talk about it." She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Have you ever gone to therapy?"
"A few times. Richard's death was tough on me. So was our break up." 
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I was the one who broke up with you. Truth is, I should be the ne apologizing."
"Don't make me cry, now. I don't want my first session to end with bloodshot eyes." They chuckled. Jessica glanced at the door again. "So, is she really as good as Google suggested?"
"I think so. She's the same therapist Aron uses. He seems to be doing alright."
"Aron? Why does he need therapy?" She frowned.
"Anxiety . He's been going for a few years. It's why we stay in the VIP rooms all the time and never go to too busy places or stand in crowds at parties."
"So, my soon to be therapist is already going to know everything about me, from him?"
"I don't know."
"How could you not know? He's your best friend!"
"Therapy is private! Plus, it's not like I get a I'll detailed report on what he's feeling."
"So, you're making me go to the same therapist, who might know about my sister's life, my life, my mother's history and the bet?!" He paused and stared ahead for a while.
"Crap, I didn't think about that." Jessica groaned and slumped in her seat. The door opened and revealed a young woman with a tearstained face and a first full of tissues. Jessica widened her eyes at it.
"I'll see you next week, alright? I'll plan you in for an additional hour." An older lady walked out behind her and smiled at the woman before watching her leave. She then turned to Jessica, who flinched.
"You must be Jessica. Come on in." She stepped aside and waited for Jessica to get up.
"She was crying!" She muttered to Ren when he urged her to go into her office.
"She needs an extra hour!" Jessica argued.
"Go." Ren gave her a warning look. She swallowed and rushed into the office. As the woman closed the door behind them, Jessica took in the setting of the office. Aside from the large, wide book cabinets and trophy case, there wasn't much decoration. There was a large comfortable couch with a modern glass coffee table and a big armchair in the middle of the room. There was also a corner desk and chair not far from the door with a laptop and some paperwork on it.
"Have a seat." The woman smiled at Jessica. She awkwardly smiled back and sat on the far end of the couch, leaning her arm on the armrest.
"Is this your first time in a therapist's office?" The woman asked as she sat down in the armchair.
"That obvious?" 
"You just seem nervous. Perfectly understandable. I'm not sure if it'll help, but I can assure you that nothing you'll say to me will ever leave this room."
"I suppose that's comforting."
"Now, I'm doctor Lia Moore. But, if you'd prefer, you can call me Lia."
"Okay. Shouldn't you have, like, a notebook or something? To, you know, take notes?"
"I was actually about to ask you if you'd be alright with me recording the session. It'll just be an audio recording, and it will stay on my laptop, which will also stay in this room."
"You record your sessions?" Doctor Moore nodded.
"I find it easier than taking notes. Sometimes when we use key words, we forget half that's been said and this way I can actually focus on listening, rather than taking notes."
"Okay."
"So, you're okay with it?" Jessica nodded. Doctor Moore stood up for a moment and hit a few buttons on her laptop before sitting back down.
"So, how does this work? I just tell you what's bothering me?"
"Sure, we could. But, since this is your first session, I'd like to start with why you're here today."
"I'm mostly here because my boyfriend forced me to." Jessica muttered and looked at her lap.
"No one can force someone into therapy. Even people with a probation order have to be somewhat willing to go to therapy."
"Well, he's paying for it and said it could help, so here I am."
"That was him in the waiting room, right? Why did he think you need it?"
"I've been having nightmares the past couple weeks. Flashbacks too sometimes."
"What about?"
"A few weeks before, I was dating someone else. It was only two months or so, but it was a little intense. Apparently Ren knew him as a kid and was pretty mean to him. He had this grudge against Ren because of it, and when I sensed that, I tried to get away. But, his friends got to me first and drugged me. When I woke up, Ren was coming over and there was this weird who remembers who moment. Thankfully Ren's friends