Morgan is standing over you, smiling.

You dart awake. You feel relaxed and peaceful, like a great weight has been lifted off your shoulders. You feel a hand rubbing your chest gently to rouse you. You see Morgan standing above you. She is smiling that gentle, warm smile that always made you feel so safe, like nothing you could say would be too much for her to hear. You feel a warmth spreading all over your body as you look her in the eyes. Like a bad dream, her betrayal and the whole scene of Chris's triumphant revelation fade deep into the bowels of your mind, never to surface again. Staring deep into her welcoming, hazel eyes you know you can trust Morgan.

I must trust Morgan. You think almost automatically. You blink as the fluorescent lights above her head begin to bother you.

"Hey there Quinn." She says, her voice gentle and soothing. "You dozed off on me. I'm not surprised, this was a big session. I'm sure you're feeling all kinds of ways right now." Her words draw you in. A new memory of lying down, as normal, on Morgan's couch begins to form in your mind. You can't for the life of you recall what you talked about though, and you don't know why you feel so groggy. You try to sit up but Morgan gently but firmly pushes you back down. "Hold on there cowboy, you still owe me five minutes of couch time. I know it's been hard, especially when your mother was in here at first, but we still have things to discuss." You think for a moment, you suppose you do recall your mother saying Morgan wanted to see both of you at first.

"Where's mom? What time is it?" You ask, absentmindedly, trying still to recall what took place over the course of your appointment.

"Hey somebody's still waking up. It's almost five sleepy head. Your mom's waiting for you in the lobby. After we got it all out in the open I asked to speak to you alone, remember?" You recall your mother coming into the appointment with you, but you're not sure when she left.

"I'm sorry Morgan, I suppose I was just feeling overwhelmed." You say, trying hard to clear your mind and remember where you were in your conversation with Morgan. Any suspicion that anything about your visit with Morgan is or has been out of the ordinary fades completely away.

"That's OK Quinn. That's why we're here, to find a way to handle these big changes in your life." Her smile is so reassuring. "I know you have a dark history with Chris, and his return is obviously going to be hard for you to deal with."

"He's doing something to us!" You try to sit up again. Your memory of your intention to elicit Morgan's aid finally returning. Morgan pushes you down once more.

"Shhh, it's alright Quinn." Her voice calms you and you are drawn once again into the depths of her gaze. "I know Chris's return has made you feel weak and powerless just like you used to when he abused you before. And you have every reason to be concerned with his return." Her validation of your feelings where everyone else you know has brushed them off fills you with further warmth as she continues. "I'm worried there's still some trauma from Chris's treatment of you in your childhood that hasn't been fully dealt with. Chris's return at such an uncertain time in your life, the transition to college, adulthood, new responsibilities, new..." She gives you a knowing look. "feelings. Ugh! It's a pain under the best of circumstances." Her calm demeanor and affable smile never fail to quiet your concerns and you relax under her touch once more. "Compound all these new experiences you have to find a way to process with the stress of seeing your abuser once again, a man you helped send to prison, someone you know to be capable of great ****. No one could fault you for behaving oddly under such circumstances." Despite disagreeing that this is simply a matter of your 'odd behavior,' you still appreciate Morgan's reassurance. She's always had a way of comforting you in the worst of times.

"But Chris is-" Morgan places a finger on your lips to cut you off.

"I have a confession to make Quinton, I worked with Chris during his incarceration as a volunteer counselor." You're startled by this revelation and it shows. "I helped him understand his rage and his own feelings of powerlessness that caused him to lash out at you and your friends. I don't, and nobody could, expect you to just forgive and forget. Who could blame you for being weary of him? But trust me when I tell you that Chris is simply trying to move on with life. Prison was a wake up call for him." You want to trust Morgan.

I must trust Morgan. The automatic thought returns forcing you to blink to clear your head. Morgan has always helped you. Her treatment got your life back on track in the wake of Chris's downfall.

"But he's after my mom." You almost whisper, still trying to summon the will to make your case.

"I know you love your mother." Morgan says in her sweet, compassionate tone. "I know your relationship is special. You remember what we talked about during your first visits? About your childhood urges toward your mother?" You blush a little recalling such intimate conversations. You try to look away from her but a gentle hand redirects your gaze back to hers. "You remember we discovered they were the result of the love and support she gave you through the **** you were receiving. The trauma caused an inappropriate attachment to develop, right?" You're conflicted. You do recall those sessions and the work you put in to put those feelings behind you.

"Y-yes, but-" She continues, cutting you off once again.

"It's not surprising Chris's return has reignited those inappropriate feelings. Like opening old wounds." She stares deeper into your eyes. You are perplexed how someone could fail to acknowledge the reality of Chris's plot against you and yet still make you feel so completely understood and accepted. She breaks contact and looks at the clock. "Well we're out of time today. I think your mother will agree with my assessment that we need at least three sessions a week. This is a complicated time in your life and you need all the support I can give you." She gives you one last perfect smile and allows you to rise. You thank her and she gives you a warm hug before opening the door to her office waiting room. Despite failing in your mission to conscript her in your fight against Chris, you feel hopeful and excited to see her again. Her confidence in her ability to help you inexplicably makes you feel secure again. As you walk through the door you see Tiffany sitting at her desk, typing on her computer. She looks up at you with a smile.

"3PM Wednesday Quinn?" You nod in assent. "Alright I'll pencil you in. See you Wednesday, hope you have a wonderful Tuesday." She giggles a little and goes back to typing. Your mother is sitting on a sofa, looking up at you from her magazine. She is not smiling but her expression is soft, as though you both went through a painful experience together and need time to understand it together.

"Ready to go?" She says gently.

"Yes." You reply. She puts the magazine down and rises to her feet. You hold the door for her and follow her out. You don't speak again until you're both in the car and back on the road home. You feel compelled to apologize for spying on her, for the humiliating things she's caught you doing. "I'm sorry for my behavior mommy." She focuses on driving as you speak. "I know it's embarrassing and inappropriate to feel the way I did." She sighs.

"I love you Quinton. You're my baby boy." She glances at you and for the first time in days her gaze is only filled with love. "But what you did was wrong. It can't happen again. It has to stop."

"I understand mom." You say, tilting your head in shame. "I only want to make you happy." She takes your hand in hers and your heart flutters.

"I know sweetie." You spend the rest of the ride in silence. You separate once you make it home until it's time for you to cook dinner. You realize you like making dinner for your mother. It feels good to take something off her shoulders, you know she's worked so hard to provide for you. You don't manage much conversation but you eat together in a comfortable silence. After you clean and put away the dishes you return to your room. Your mother has lifted your afternoon punishment but you still just want time alone to think about everything. Your thoughts are restless. You feel torn between fear that you've failed somehow today, that you're one step closer to doom, and the comfort and confidence Morgan left you with at the end of your appointment. You fall into a dreamless sleep, wishing you could skip right to Wednesday's appointment. You need to see Morgan again, she's the only one who you trust to understand your feelings.

I must trust Morgan.