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He swallowed and nodded, eyes wide.
“Good. Me, too.”
Then, still holding his hand, Lauren stood up, with Jacob following a little more slowly as he scooted off the couch.
Lauren turned her attention to David. “Jacob and I will be busy for about an hour, and if you need anything during that time, like water or coffee, just ask my receptionist, Nora, and she’ll be happy to get it for you.”
David glanced over at Nora, who gave him a quick smile. “Thanks. I will.”
Looking back down at Jacob, Lauren gave his hand a little squeeze before leading him toward the doorway next to the room she’d initially come out of. David watched the two of them disappear inside, then after the door closed softly behind them, he took a long breath and headed over to the viewing window to watch his son have his first therapy session.
Chapter 50
Once inside the room, Jacob looked around, his curiosity pushing aside some of his fear.
The walls were painted a cheerful yellow that made him think of sunshine, with the lower half of one wall made up of built-in bookshelves, filled with books, toys, games, and other delights. Another wall boasted a long window seat, padded with green and white striped cushions and pillows, and the remaining two walls were decorated with a detailed mural of trees, flowers, and various woodland creatures.
In the center of the room, there was a green love seat with matching chairs arranged directly across from it, creating a cozy seating arrangement. But instead of leading Jacob there, Lauren took him instead to a low, round table, with a white, furry rug underneath it and large pillows scattered around. After letting go of his hand, she kneeled down on one of the pillows and invited him to do the same.
“First, I want to say you coming here to talk to me is a very brave thing to do. It’s hard to talk to someone you don’t know, especially if you’re going to talk about something that you might not want to talk about. But I want you to know you’re safe in this room and you can tell me anything, and I mean anything. And … the more you tell me, the better.”
“Okay.”
“Also, nothing you tell me will make me mad at you, or get you in trouble, all right? I promise.”
Her voice was soft and melodic, soothing, even, but there was still a ribbon of anxiety running through Jacob, and he looked down at the table for a moment. As he did, his eyes landed on a clear bowl in between them, filled with shiny, colored rocks, of all shapes and sizes.
He rose up on his knees a little and leaned forward to pull the bowl closer. A dark purple rock on top caught his attention and without thinking, he picked it up and rubbed its smooth surface before setting it on the table and reaching into the bowl for another one. This time, he chose a light green one, and it got placed on the table, too. Jacob did this several times, until he had a dozen or more stones in front of him, like an extended rainbow.
“They’re pretty, aren’t they?” Lauren asked him.
He blinked at her and nodded.
“They’re crystals,” she told him. “Do you know what those are?”
He shook his head.
She leaned forward and plucked one from the bowl and held it up, the red color catching the light. “They’re like … magical rocks.”
“Magical rocks?” Jacob looked down at the crystals, wondering if they were going to disappear or turn into something else in front of his eyes.
“A lot of people think they have powers.”
“What kind of powers?”
“All kinds. Like helping you be happy, giving you courage, good health, protection … stuff like that.”
His eyes widened. “How do they work?”
“Well, they’re kind of like vitamins.” She tilted her head, then asked, “Do you know what a vitamin is?”
“You eat them.”
“Yes, some vitamins do have to be eaten, to help make you healthy and strong, but crystals help make you healthy and strong without having to be eaten.”
“How?”
“Crystals are made in nature, so they have natural energy inside them. I like to think of this energy as a kind of … power. And this power stays in crystals forever, and sort of gets shared with you when you wear one, or hold one, or keep it nearby.” She paused for a moment. “It’s like when you play outside in the sunshine and breathe in fresh air, and it makes you feel better, right? That’s how crystals work.”
