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“I agree.” It felt like such a relief to have somebody on her side. Somebody who saw the value in her quest to figure out what happened and get them to make amends.
“If you do find them, what will you do?”
“Hurt them.”
Doctor Kingsbury’s eyebrows rose a fraction. “Would you really hurt them?”
Nell slumped back in her seat. “No, probably not. But I want answers. No, I need answers. When people report their own alien abduction experiences, they detail all kinds of weird probing that happened. I don’t remember any of that. All I remember is feeling disorientated, losing track of time, and having these tiny puncture wounds on my body.”
“That you know are experimentation marks.”
“Exactly, but I don’t remember what kind of experiments happened to me.”
“You have no memory of the incident at all?”
Nell bit her bottom lip. “Maybe it wasn’t so bad, and they simply stood over me and watched to see what I would do.”
“Your desire for a violent retribution is understandable, but you know what I’m going to say.”
“If I did that, I’d be even more of an outcast than I already am.”
“You are not an outcast, but life would not be so easy for you. You could go to prison. You would lose your job. You might lose your friends, and you could end up hurting somebody. Do you want that version of your life?”
Nell’s shoulders slumped. She hated it when Doctor Kingsbury dropped a truth bomb. “I guess we need to work on my anger issues, as well.”
“Everything is a work in progress, Nell. We take it one step at a time. I believe this immersion therapy is helping you.”
Nell shifted in her seat. “About that. I did as you suggested last week. I tried to write through my issues. Nothing came out. I’m still creatively blocked. I know what I need to do. I need to get excited by an alien.”
“You want to become aroused by an alien? You want to desire them?” Doctor Kingsbury’s tone remained neutral, not passing any judgment.
Even so, Nell’s cheeks grew warm. “The same as every other woman. Others find it so simple to look past the horns or the scales or even the tentacles. I get stuck at the first hurdle.”
“The next step in your immersion therapy will be ideal for you. It will help you confront your phobia of being too close to an alien in a one-to-one setting.”
“If you’re going to suggest I look at pictures of aliens, I’ve already tried that. I didn’t find any of them attractive.” Nell rubbed the end of her nose. The Olickie hadn’t been hideous. She’d been able to look at their pictures without grimacing. And when she’d met Rane, although his nakedness and size had intimidated her, there was nothing about him she found unattractive if she could look past the whole alien alert that flashed in her head.
“It’s more than just looking,” Doctor Kingsbury said. “This is about a fully immersive therapy. You need to be immersed in a full body experience with an alien.”
Nell’s stomach tensed. She didn’t like the direction this conversation was going. “How would that work?”
“When was the last time you touched an alien?”
“Never.” Nell tilted her head. “No, that’s not true. Padam touched my wrist, only for a few seconds.”
“That’s good. That is progress to engage in physical contact.” Doctor Kingsbury stood and walked to the door. “I have asked a therapist friend to be involved in the next part of your treatment. He’s experienced and knowledgeable and has his own client list of humans, so he understands your particular needs.”
“Wait a second. You said he has a client list of humans. Does that mean he’s not human?” Nell grabbed the arms of the chair.
“This is your next step in treatment. To spend more time with an alien. Not a group of aliens like you do with your work or your dancing, but up close and personal with one alien.”
Nell’s mouth went dry as she watched Doctor Kingsbury’s hand go to the access panel on the door. “I’m not ready.”
“You must try. You can stop at any time. I will be right here if you need me.” She passed a hand over the access panel.
The door opened to reveal a tall, bulky blue-skinned Draxdan outside.
“Doctor Non. Please come in.”
