Me
It’s okay, really. I’ll meet him another time.
Thomas
Okay. Can I see you later?
Me
I’m not sure.
Thomas
Hannah, please. Don’t pull away. I know that coming home is a hard transition for us both, but we can lean on each other.
Me
Okay.
Thomas
Thank you. I’ll come over after I’m done at Josie and Andrew’s. Are you sure you don’t want to come?
Me
I’m sure. Tell everyone I said hi.
Thomas
I will.
I close the message thread and tap a few times to call Julia. It rings maybe twice and then she’s answering.
“Oh my goodness, it took you long enough! Where are you? Are you at Thomas’s? Should I pick you up? Tiff and I want to have breakfast with you.”
“Jeepers, Julia. Calm down,” I say with a soft laugh. “I’m at my place.”
“Oh, did he drop you off on the way to work or something?” she questions.
“No, I stayed here. He dropped me off last night after we got home.”
The line is silent for a moment. “Oookay?” she says questioningly. “Alrighty then. Should I pick you up? Or do you want to meet at the diner? We have so much to talk about.”
“I can meet you at the diner in forty minutes. Does that work?”
“Yep. Tiff and I will pick up Grandma.”
“Great,” I reply. I’m surprised she doesn’t stay on the phone the whole time I get ready and drive over, but she hangs up after a few minutes.
While I get ready, I call my therapist, Kimberly’s office. I definitely need to get in and see her sooner rather than later. I swallow down the fear of making a phone call. I hate making calls for appointments. Usually, I schedule online, but when I checked on the scheduling app, she’s booked out for three weeks, which is not ideal in this situation, but I remember her mentioning that she always has emergency slots open.
I figure I’ll leave a message with reception and see about getting an emergency appointment sometime in the next few days. I’ve never needed an emergency appointment, so hopefully it’s not too hard to get one. I had Julia give Kimberly an update when we left and I missed my scheduled appointment, so hopefully she’s aware of the situation.
The receptionist answers after a few rings. “Thank you for calling Ivy Ridge Health and Wellness, this is Laura, how can I help you?”
I shove down the anxiety brewing in my chest. “Hi, Laura. This is Hannah Pearson, one of Kimberly’s patients.”
“Oh, hi, Hannah!” she says happily.
