Survivor - By Kaye Draper Page 0,34

anything, and he…well he makes me feel better about myself.” I grinned at him. “You’d love some of the things that come out of the man’s mouth about accepting myself, blah, blah, blah….”

The doctor pushed his glasses up and regarded me seriously. “Are you intimate with him?”

I stared at him. I wasn’t really surprised or embarrassed, at least not that much. I was used to everyone knowing all of my business all the time. It came with the territory of not being in charge of your own life. I sighed. “Yes,” I said tiredly. “And before you even ask: no, he never pressured me. I’m the one who wanted to have sex, and yes I’m safe about it, and no, that isn’t the only thing we ever do together.” Though, sometimes I wished it was.

Dr. Walton smiled at me. “Good. I’m glad you are in a healthy relationship.”

It was nice to hear that. Someone was glad I was getting laid. He wasn’t going to give me some ridiculous spiel. I wanted to throw my hands up and praise God for creating someone who acknowledged that relationships and sex were a part of life.

Then he had to go and ruin it. “Do your parents know that you are intimate with him?”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t talk about that stuff with them. Of course they probably just know he’s forcing me into kinky sex acts and stealing my social security disability checks, the fact that he works at a successful law firm notwithstanding.” I could just imagine telling Mom how far our relationship had progressed. She’d probably drop dead on the spot.

He sighed. “Melody, they are your legal guardians. They have a right to make sure you aren’t being taken advantage of. And as parents, they will also be concerned about you.”

I clenched my fists, frustration and anger rising through me like smoke from a flame. “So let’s change that then.”

He took a deep breath, but didn’t say anything, just waiting for me to start the conversation. “You said before that I wasn’t there yet,” I said tersely. “What about now? I want to be in control of my own life.”

The old man took out my chart and leafed through it to look at my injury date and his prior notes. “Honestly,” he said slowly. “If you petitioned for guardianship, I would have no reason not to support your independence.”

I felt my shoulders drop as my tension eased. I was there. It was a possibility. I could get my life back, and not have someone constantly telling me I was too brain injured to make my own decisions. It was a short-lived feeling.

“I still don’t think you should do it right now.” He was calm as ever, as he crushed my hopes. “Your parents would never agree. You would have to petition the court for your independence. There will be all sorts of harsh feelings on both sides. I think you need to consider that even though you might be ready, your parents are not.” He sighed. “I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but I advise you to wait a little bit longer. Let your parents have time to adjust to the thought. You need them in your life. Don’t alienate them.”

If I didn’t want to lose my family completely, then I had to continue to put up with them running my life. I couldn’t do anything without their approval. I had to put up with their disapproving looks, their constant interference in everything I did. I took a deep breath, fighting the helpless, trapped feeling that was engulfing me.

*****

I awkwardly curled my legs under me and leaned against the arm of the couch. The microwave hummed to life in the kitchen, and the explosion of popping kernels grew loud in the small apartment. Peter and I had instituted a weekly movie night. I thought it ironic that he was always in charge of the snacks. The microwave beeped and I could hear him moving around in the kitchen, arranging things and humming to himself. Nothing was as comforting as a content vampire. I always felt really relaxed around him. Too bad he had to go and ruin it by telling me that it was all due to the hormones he naturally exuded to calm his prey.

Peter glided into the room and set a big bowl of popcorn and a can of soda on the TV tray in front of me. I smiled my gratitude and he went