darker_london | Renee / Doctor Rheinegold - A meeting

Renee sat down in front of Doctor Rheinegold's desk, the man smiling pleasantly at her. This was going to be a pivotal meeting, she knew it. Given the subject matter, how could it not be? She tried to keep her expression calm, though a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. It was optimism. Something she hadn't felt in a long time...

"Well then, Renee," Doctor Rheinegold smiled. "This is certainly unexpected. I don't often have patients asking for extra meetings, on top of everything else. I'm glad you asked to see me. What can I do for you?"

Renee took a deep breath. This was it. "I wanted to talk about what I did."

"What you did," Doctor Rheinegold repeated. He obviously wanted to say something, but what I did could mean anything, really...

"Yes," Renee said. "In the park. When I stabbed myself."

Yes, this was good. This was what he was hoping for. Doctor Rheinegold leaned forward to show that he was paying attention. "What would you like to tell me about it, Renee?"

"I want to tell you why I did it," she began. "I wasn't willing to admit it before, because I didn't understand. But you were right. A part of me did want to die. And I tried to kill that part. I did kill that part."

The doctor was watching Renee intently, always keeping eye contact, nodding at her to continue. What she was saying was pure Hillman, what he had written in Suicide and the Soul. He wondered if she knew that... either way, she was making more sense than she had since she had been in here. This was very good.

"It took me a long time to realise that. But that part of me is gone, the part of me that wanted to die. Fath- Peter, Peter Kemp, helped me to replace it with something else. Something better, a different kind of faith. I'm not going to hurt myself for religious reasons again, Doctor. Or any reason. I have no need of that faith, that life, any more. I have a wonderful support network, beautiful friends, a loving girlfriend, and of course Peter. He has helped me so much, Doctor."

Doctor Rheinegold could see where this was going, and he was quite happy for the discussion to go there. She did seem to be doing very well, lately.

"That sounds very good, Renee," he smiled. "This is excellent progress. The fact that you've admitted to what you did is very inspiring. You've made a tremendous breakthrough."

At this, a huge smile broke out on Renee's face. Please, please, tell me what I want to hear now...

"I know what you're thinking," the doctor smiled, "and I do believe we can come to some sort of arrangement. If you wanted to continue your therapy whilst living at home..." He smiled indulgently as Renee gave a small squeal of happiness, "... then we will do our best to accommodate that," he finished. "We'll need to talk to your parents first, but you can rest assured that I will support your release. Now, you'll be living at the Victoria Lane residence, rather than with your parents, is that correct?"

"Yes," Renee nodded. As if she would go back to her parents now, after all of this. For a moment, she became worried. "Will that be a problem?"

"No, no," he assured her. "Nothing like that. But under the circumstances, we will have to ask you to come in here every day so that we can keep an eye on you, and make sure you're all right. Don't worry, we'll keep it outside of school hours," he added as Renee opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again with a wry smile as Doctor Rheinegold pre-empted her question.

"I'll get in contact with your parents before the end of the day," the doctor smiled. "Well done, Renee. I'm very proud of you."

"Thank you," Renee smiled. "I appreciate your doing this. Helping me to go home."

"That's quite alright," he replied. "Oh, Renee," he called. She turned back to face him. "You were friends with John Troy, weren't you?"

"Yes," Renee nodded. "Is he alright?"

"He's fine," the doctor smiled. "But if possible, I think it would be good for him if you could keep in touch. He didn't have many friends in here, or at school. Only if it's no trouble, of course."

"It's no trouble," Renee said, and she meant it. John - Damien - was a nice boy. "I'd be more than happy to do that."

"Thank you, Renee," Doctor Rheinegold said, and rose to shake her hand. "And again, may I just say how proud I am of you. You've come a very long way. You'll be home before you know it."

Renee smiled at the doctor, the most genuine smile that had graced her features in a long time, and returned to her room with a spring in her step that had been absent for many months now.