RP:Free Will
Summary: Alvina takes Harper to visit Dr. Noah Atwood on the heels of a complaint from school about her behavior.
Dr. Noah Atwood's Office
(1-2) The address of 1455 West Beloy Street is a humble brick building with white shutters and a welcome sign that reads ‘The Doctor Is In’ dangles just above the door. Upon entering the building, one will find themselves in the cozy waiting room that has a crackling fire in the corner, and several chairs arranged in a circle around a table. Upon the table are various pamphlets and newspapers with articles relating to anything psychological. An area for children rests to the left, with coloring books, crayons, and a few block toys to make the doctor’s less frightening. The fill-in receptionist, Linda, is friendly and hands new patients a stack of papers to fill out where they can give their contact information, any interesting details, and of course, their symptoms. Just beyond the door beside the receptionist, is a washroom, and a medication room that’s securely locked. Dr. Noah Atwood’s private office for seeing patients is at the end of the hall and is decorated with comfortable couches and chairs, a sturdy polished desk, a hearth that has a golden retriever resting before it, and various awards are hanging from the walls.
(2-2) Noah looks up when Linda hands him the forms that Alvina has filled out for her child, “Thanks, Linda. You can bring them back.” He doesn’t smile or meet her gaze, as he’s all about keeping his professional and private life separate and he doesn’t believe in fraternizing with the staff. Hazel eyes look over the paperwork in a curious manner as most of his patients are adults, and he finds it more rewarding to help the youths than the seniors. Rarely do psychological ailments strike the young, but there is always one or two that doesn’t fit the typical pattern. Noah is pristine in appearance, clad in a navy button down shirt with a name badge, khaki’s, and a pair of loafers. His beard and mustache are trimmed to perfection and his thick chocolate hair has been combed back in a tight wave. His physique is toned and his words are often clipped and at the perfect decibel, but there is an occasional warmth that he shows to the patients that are truly suffering. Noah rises when Alvina and her daughter enter the room and he motions towards the three-person leather sofa at the center of the room, “Please, take a seat and make yourselves comfortable.” He waits until Linda closes the door to begin his usual spheal, “I’m Doctor Noah Atwood, but you can call me ‘Noah’ if that’s easier. Anything that’s told to me in this room will remain strictly confidential.” He dumbs the words down a bit, because the patient is rather young, “That means that any secrets you tell me, remain -just- between us. Okay? I won’t tell your mother anything that you don’t want her to know, but there are times that she will need to be in here.” He has to see how the parent and child interact, as well as how she acts without her parents present. “Before we begin, do either of you have any questions?”
Coming to see Dr. Atwood was not Harper’s idea. It was a consequence of her recent behavior, both in school and at home. School sending home a letter had been the last straw. Mrs. Landon fills out the admission forms in quick, elegant quill strokes and hands them promptly back to Linda with a grateful smile. Harper, the aged appearance of 12 or 13, slumps alongside her mother in the waiting room chairs until they’re called and directed down the office’s hallway towards the doctor’s office. Through the door walks a woman, stark red hair pinned back on the sides, with curls loose and tumbling neatly across her back. She wears a professional white blouse which is paired with a smart black pencil skirt and black heels. She’s accompanied by the patient, who sports a short a-line bob and a trademarked teenage scowl of disinterest. Harper’s wearing her school uniform, a plaid skirt, long white socks and matching polo shirt. Dr. Atwood directs them and Alvina finds a spot. Harper takes the spot farthest away from her mother on the same couch. Alvina takes this distance in stride, watching Harper’s reaction for any flicker of acceptance or chance she’ll open up to this strange man.
Harper’s focused on one of the awards in the room and mumbles a disinterested “Whatever” to his notation of patient privacy.
“Harper.” Alvina says softly, frowning.
“What,” the girl spits, turning her head towards the door, eager to leave. “I didn’t want to do this in the first place.”
To this, Alvina sighs and straightens her own skirt compulsively before addressing Noah. “I’m sorry, she’s never been to a therapist before.”
“I have a question,” Harper turns back to both her mother and Dr.Atwood. “Alice at school says all doctor’s do is tell you you’re fat. When are you going to tell me I’m fat?” Alvina’s face pales immediately.
“Harper.” Her mother’s tone is a little more stern but Harper just looks away, feigning disinterest again. They’d already discussed this wasn’t that kind of doctor.
“You can’t make me talk mom.” Harper slumps against the couch, kicking the back of her heels against the frame.
“That’s not…” She starts at Harper, who’s completely ignoring her, before turning back to Noah with a helpless, shrugged apology that says ‘I don’t know what to do’. On the new patient paperwork, no symptoms or medications had been listed. Only a neatly written comment about Harper's rebellious behavior that's straining relationships at school and home, that started in earnest when her parents agreed to a permanent separation.
Noah is mildly amused at the banter between mother and daughter, and he’s unsure just which one is to be his patient at this point. A brief once over is given to the forms and an ‘aha’ look brightens his gaze, but he doesn’t comment on anything just yet. He’s enjoying the typical display that’s before him and while he’s listening to their grievances, he’s more so interested in their body language. Alvina dislikes the fact that her daughter is suffering but she’s also concerned with how that behavior makes her look as a parent. It’s obvious that Harper has a bad attitude due to the fact that her parents are separated and for some reason she’s blaming her mother. Noah isn’t the type to sugarcoat a situation and he is known for speaking his mind, so he interjects where he sees fit.
“I’m pretty sure that Alice dislikes going to the doctor because she -is- fat, and being incredibly overweight is a serious health matter! But, I assure you, I am not a doctor that treats the body.” He pauses, having captured both of their attentions with his rude statement about little Alice, “I am here to treat the mind.”
The old fashioned clock upon the mantle ticks a few strokes before he picks up the conversation again, “Harper, is it? You need to understand that whatever happens or happened between your parents was not your fault. It’s also not -just- your mother’s fault. A marriage takes the work of two people. So it’s not fair to blame one person or to act out for attention, when this has nothing to do with you.” The doctor shifts his gaze to the pretty redhead and slightly scowls, “And as for you, Mrs. Landon, you need to learn not to react to everything that Harper does or says… She is a child that is hurting and projecting her fears, and each time you give in with any type of physical or verbal reaction, you are feeding the fire and making things escalate.”
Satisfied that he’s now narrowed down what needs to be fixed, Dr. Atwood leans back in his chair and divides his attention between the mother and daughter, “I want you both to listen closely now, because we are going to do a little exercise.” He waits to make sure they are focusing, “There is a nicer way to get your point across to each other and to show that you respect the other person's feelings. For example, I could easily say something like… “Buddy, you’re a bad dog for eating my slippers and you deserve to go to the pound!” Upon hearing his name, the golden retriever lying before the hearth lifts his head, “That wouldn’t be well received, right? So instead, I would say… Buddy, I feel sad when you destroy my things, and I need you to be more mindful of my property.” Buddy rests his head upon his paws to go back to sleep while Noah motions towards the women, “It’s simple. ‘I feel this way, when you do this behavior, and I need you to do this to make it better.”
Noah points to Harper, “Take the floor young lady, and tell your Mother something that she does that upsets you and how you think it can be resolved. Next, Mrs. Landon, it will be your turn.”
Noah’s words were things Harper's heard before. From her mother, from a very brief conversation with her father and from the morbidly disinterested counsellors at school. A bandaid. A grown up excuse. “I know it’s not my fault, it’s hers.” This made sense to Harper. Despite the couple sitting their children down and discussing it was a mutual decision, Alvina was in charge of the children and so their father’s absence must be because Alvina decided he can’t live with them anymore. Childhood math.
Alvina only closes her eyes at this remark. She’s heard it a thousand times. Harper’s rude to Alvina constantly but she’d also been quite rude to Hudson once when he’d stopped by. Harper somehow managed to blame both parents equally for different reasons, none of which are her fault directly. “It’s also cause my dad’s in the mob.” Harper adds, knowing this will be a thing to cause a reaction.
The shock is plastered, unfiltered, on Alvina’s face. She stumbles to correct the error. “Harper, you know that’s not true…” But Noah’s now telling Alvina she’s too reactive and while Alvina knows he’s right, she hates feeling helpless when it comes to how her children feel. There’s no magic ‘fix it’ button to push here and despite so much time passing between the decisions finality and now. She keeps thinking there is some answer she can give or some explanation that will be enough to make Harper feel better. Negative reinforcement but, “I just want her to know I hear her.” And, honestly, she is sometimes embarrassed by this outlandish behavior because they are a well-to-do family and there are expectations in their social standing.
Harper takes notice of the dog. Something in her softens at Buddy’s existence. She hears the doctor but is more respectful of the dog for child logic reasons. Animals don’t get embarrassed of you or send your dad away. “That’s stupid. He’s just a dog.” Harper is taking the example too literally. Besides, she didn’t know how to phrase her feelings into that sentence but the adults are watching her expectantly and maybe the doctor will take her side.
“I feel mad,” Harper starts, drawing out the thought like taffy. “when you won’t let dad live with us anymore, and I need you to let him live with us to make it better.”
As the mother and daughter continue to go back and forth, Noah maintains a watchful eye on both their body language and the tone that’s implied behind their words. Alvina clearly is concerned and dislikes the strain on their relationship. Whereas Harper delivers blows and accusations that she doesn’t understand, let alone truly mean. Sure, she’s glaring and her lines pack a punch, but her body slightly shifts away from her mother. A sure indicator that she’s merely nothing more than a teenager filled with angst over the splitting of her parents.
Having heard enough from both of them, or rather having seen enough of their dynamic to offer any type of treatment plan, the doctor clears his throat to intervene. “I think-” Harper claims that her father is involved in some sort of mob and Noah arches his eyebrows but he doesn’t ask the child to elaborate. He has served quite a few unsavory employers in his many years and it’s of no concern of his what Mr. Landon does as he’s not currently his patient.
“Harper, that is a beautiful display of your emotions! But… I don’t feel that your statement is very fair.” He pauses and glances at Alvina before looking back to Harper, “You are mad, which describes the feeling. You are mad because Dad moved out of the house and you feel Mom pushed him out, right? That’s the reason. And you think that the only way to fix this is for Dad to move back into your home, correct?” He pauses and waits for Harper to nod or speak, “That’s where the problem lies. You are taking away Dad’s free will by telling Mom that she has to tell him to move back in, otherwise you all won’t be okay.”
Noah pauses before continuing, “Living with someone that you don’t get along with very well is never a realistic solution. And it’s not fair to assume that Dad wants to come home, or that Mom has the power to force him back into the house. Right? Let’s try to change your sentence for this exercise, hm? So it’s more fitting and fair to everyone…How about something like this…?”
“I feel angry. Because Dad doesn’t live with us. I need you Mom to… Maybe, play a sport or game that you used to enjoy with your Dad? Perhaps, invite Dad to dinner a few times a month? Do you think those small steps would help you to feel better, Harper?”
Buddy rises from his place before the hearth and walks over to the child as he senses the struggle of emotions in the room. The dog rests his head upon her lap and looks up at her with those big gold eyes, begging for pets and also holding her prisoner on the couch.
Noah looks at Alvina, “It’s your turn now.”
Buddy is still the most interesting thing in the room to Harper, as if locking eyes with Noah would uncover all her feelings and secrets. The young girl looks momentarily pleased with herself. She doesn't need to look at her mother to know it shatters her. Alvina's lips pull into a thin line, restraining the urge to buck this 'plan' of her daughters. Mrs.Landon blinks at Noah's assessment of Harper's 'display of emotions', briefly, until he continues. Her eyes go wide in agreement. Yes, the woman's face screams, it's quite unfair! A silly thing to feel against one's own daughter. A residual feeling of validation in his assessment of her daughter's reaction.
Harper avoids eye contact as Noah talks. She nods absentmindedly when Noah confirms her logic. Mom made dad leave, obviously. He'd come back if she let him. When he continues, though, she keeps him in the safety of her peripheral vision, listening. Her dad's free will? She doesn't really understand but stays still. Alvina is also still, hands clenched in soft fists in her lap. Both Landons are quietly assessing his advice and revision. Harper's a little miffed that he'd edited what she said, because those were things her mother was already doing and it didn't feel all that helpful. "But he already came over for dinner before." Harper sighs, deflated. The dog by the fireplace approaches her and she pets him instinctively. He's looking up at her with big baby eyes. Harper leans down to hug Buddy's face. This puppy understood more than these adults and deserved all the pets, forever.
Alvina bites the inside of her lip, wiping at her eyes in one swift, graceful motion. Noah's attention turns back to her and she maintains her practised posture. Her turn. How did she say what she wanted to in a constructive, concise way? Strip away the poetic prose to it's most basic state.
"I feel sad," she tries, feeling the phrasing is understated but continuing in hopes it helps Harper understand her viewpoint. She's like to be anything besides the enemy, "when you blame me for your father not living with us." It was so much more complicated than that. "I need you to be considerate of how hard it is for me too." Clearly, Alvina isn't out partying every night. She's home, trying to exist in a space once filled by two.
Harper kept her face hidden in Buddy's fur, trying to cling to her anger. It was harder to be mad when her mom said it was hard for her too. But it's her fault! But...if her dad wanted to be there, would he be without her mom's approval? That would be the next thing Harper needed to figure out then. Even though her parents had sat all the kids down and explained it was decided by both of them. Conveniently, Harper doesn't believe that. Doubting herself, Harper stays quiet, trying to sort her thoughts.
Noah feels sympathy for both the mother and the daughter as they tip toe on thin ice in each other's presence. It’s no life for either of them if it’s spent walking on eggshells and he silently reflects on this, as well. Harper will not meet his eyes and Alvina is doing her best not to openly weep, and the doctor clears his throat and makes a few notes. Buddy is supplying comfort to the young girl and she seems receptive to the dog, which gives Noah an idea but he won’t mention that until he’s alone with the mother.
“Very good, Mrs. Landon…” His eyes move to Harper and he studies her reaction to her mothers words. There’s an obvious shift in her mood. Did she not think that her mother is also missing Harper’s father? As fast as the emotion appears on her face it’s replaced by uncertainty and the lack of eye contact remains steadfast. “Harper. How do you feel when you hear your mother say those words? Your father has come over for dinner during this separation, like you said, and your mother isn’t telling him that he can’t visit. So maybe it’s a little bit unfair to put all the blame on Mom, right?” He dips his quill in the inkwell and gently forces another question, “Do you think your Mother is lying to you, Harper?”
The doctor glances at Alvina and doesn’t offer any insight as to why he would pose such a question. He’s trying to see if the child has reasons for mistrusting her parents, or if she just needs -someone- to blame and so she lashes out at the one closest to her; Alvina Landon.
Moving onwards, Noah smiles at Harper as Buddy lifts his head to lick the girls face, eating up all the attention. “Can you redo that exercise for me? I feel… When… I need… That one?” He’s hoping that they have made even a small dent in this therapy session so that they can tackle the bigger issues at the next visit.
Alvina nods to acknowledge Noah’s words but he isn’t holding the most of her attention.
All eyes are on Harper as she does her little best to keep her eyes elsewhere. The doctor’s question makes the youth sigh. They were both saying the same thing, the adults, but it didn’t solve the problem of her father not being home. When he asks if Harper thought her mom was lying, Harper considers the question seriously. Why wouldn’t she lie? Harper hadn’t seen it hurting her mother at all. She’d gone on with life normally, like there wasn’t a glaring hole in the house. “It doesn’t look hard.” Harper mumbles on Buddy.
Alvina’s attention swivels back to Noah at this question. That question seemed loaded…but he was the doctor. Uneasy, Mrs.Landon waits.
Harper lets out a little laugh when Buddy licks her. Why isn’t therapy just visiting a dog? That sounds more fun. Noah asks Harper to try the ‘phrase’ again and Harper thinks her opinion hasn’t changed.
“I feel mad,” Harper starts again with uncertainty. “when dad doesn’t live with us anymore, and I need you to let him come over more to make it better.” It’s basically the same, Harper tells herself, so she doesn’t feel like she’s backed down. Her mom is still the problem somehow. She’ll just have to think about it more to figure out why. That’s all.
(1-2) Noah gets the impression that both parents haven’t been completely honest with their daughter about the separation, as they have only coddled her which has led to the muddling of emotions. Hudson and Alvina are trying to appear as a united front before their children, as neither of them wish to take blame, and so the kids are going to choose one side over the other. The mother is usually the one that faces their wrath, as she’s the more fragile of the parents, and the old adage of ‘you always hurt the one you love’ rings true. The doctor sighs and thinks about Harper’s response when asked if she thinks her mother is a liar, and her ‘I feel’ statement is about as good as he’s going to get today. The waiting room is filled with two new patients waiting to be seen and if he had more time today he would encourage Harper to try -again- and not try to steal someone’s free will. Instead, he feigns an encouraging smile, “Very good, Harper. I think that’s enough for today, but I do have some homework for you to do before our next visit.” Noah pauses to glance at his notes and sees that the girl needs an outlet more than anything, “I want you to keep a diary of your feelings, every day. You can write down things that happened at school or at home and how those things made you feel. People tend to bottle up their emotions and that’s not always healthy, so I think this will help you to feel better, and it will help me to better understand how you react to situations. Please, bring me the diary on your next visit, okay?”
(2-2) Hazel eyes shift from the daughter to the mother, before Noah says, “Catch!” and chucks a small squishy ball filled with beans her way. “That is a stress ball. Whenever you are feeling that you have to correct Harper or any of your other children, you can give that a few squeezes and focus on your breathing. Of course, if it’s a major issue that you need to address, by all means, handle your children as you see fit! But, if it’s something small, you need to learn not to react in that moment when things are already somewhat heated.” He glances at Harper, “Mrs. Landon, perhaps you could speak with Mr. Landon and see if he would like to join us in a therapy session? I think it would be helpful. And, as Harper said, she would like to see more of her father, so maybe you can invite him over to the house more. If you aren’t comfortable with being in his presence, maybe select a day or two during the week where he can be with the kids, without you present.” Noah doesn’t know the custody situation or the circumstances surrounding their pending divorce, but it’s not his concern, as he’s treating Harper and not her parents. “Should you wish to continue with therapy, I think that Harper will greatly benefit from these sessions and learn to accept some things that she’s facing. Next week, I would like to speak one-on-one with Harper and at the end of the meeting, you will join us.” Brief pause. “Does that sound alright, Mrs. Landon?”
Harper sighs loudly at this ‘homework’ but doesn’t argue. She’d done what the doctor wanted already but whatever. Kids really overuse the term whatever. “My girlfriend has a diary.” She says when he explains the diary homework.
Alvina’s eyes are on her daughter. She thought Harper was already keeping a diary but maybe it was her girlfriend’s that had been mentioned in their brief conversations. Noah throws this ball and Alvina fumbles it into her lap. She gives him a thin lipped smile, not sure how to say that’s impossible. Especially in front of Harper right now. They don’t talk except through letters and bank statements. He’s busy running the mob in Cenril. Exposure was purposely limited. Despite the brave and united front the parents presented, their united front was silence and their bravery was their children. She was admittedly emotional so maybe this ball exercise would help. “I’ll see what we can work out.” She nods, watching Harper watching her. “I will.” She tells them, herself included. His instructions for further sessions sound simple enough. “Thank you doctor.” Harper’s face looks a little less sore, giving Buddy a couple more pets before they both stand. The teen rolls her eyes but doesn’t argue about it. “Next week.”