Battle-Hardened, War Weary Ch. 04

'Maybe you have Stockholm Syndrome,' her conscience suggested.

Kali chuckled.

She sat up in her bed and swung her legs off of the edge. She planted her feet on the carpeted floor. "Oh God," she groaned. She glanced at her pillow. She wanted to go back to bed. Today was the first day of her three-week vacation and she was still getting up early in the morning. "No, no, you have to go to your meeting," she chastised herself.

Kali attended one weekly group therapy session, another effort at treating her PTSD. Besides the prescribed medication and the group therapy session, she has weekly private meetings with her psychiatrist. Her therapist Abby is also the organizer for her group meetings.

The meetings have been a part of her PTSD treatment regimen since she was twenty-four years old. At that point in her life, her PTSD symptoms were detrimental to her health. Her nightmares were constant. She had certain idiosyncrasies. She was afraid of occupying unknown rooms, in particular, bedrooms. She couldn't occupy a room that the other occupants were men and she was the lone woman. The fragrance of English Lather would cause her to have panic attacks. She was also prone to having hallucinations. Since her first meeting, Kali has managed to make wonderful progress.

'Oh God, I hope that I am not late,' Kali prayed.

The small, stiletto heels clicked against the polished linoleum tiles as she ran down the hallway. The clicking noise echoed off of the walls. She tried to run as fast as she could, but she was weighed down by groceries.

Kali was awoken at a reasonable hour, on this Monday morning, April 16th. She managed to get ready for her day, in under an hour and she was out of the house before 9:00 AM. Her meeting begins at 10:30 AM, so she had an hour to fulfill the errands that she needed to do. Each of the twelve members of the group was given the role of providing snacks for the people during the sessions. It was Kali's turn, for this week. She had gone to a local marketplace to buy some condiments, eating utensils and napkins. She bought small jars of grape jelly, orange marinade and strawberry preserves. She bought a canister of cream cheese, butter and some kosher lox. After she left the supermarket, she had gone to a local bakery and purchase two bags of assorted bagels. Then, she visited a Dunkin' Donuts store and bought three boxes of assorted donuts. By the time, she started her journey to her therapist's office; she had her arms filled with groceries.

Her psychiatrist's office was in a posh-looking, building that held fourteen floors, in Rego Park, Queens. By the time she arrived to the building, the time was 10:23 AM. She managed to travel to the eighth floor, by the freight elevator. As soon as she was able to get off of the elevator, she ran to her therapist's office. Once she arrived at the brightly-lit office, she was panting and sweating.

She entered the office and saw four people lounging the waiting room. She recognized them as fellow members. They were sitting in the reception chairs. Some were reading newspapers and the others were staring at their cell phones. "Good morning, everybody!" she greeted as she walked into the area.

Everyone gave the woman a collective greeting. "Good morning, Kali!"

One of the members, a man by the name of Jim, had stood up and approaches her. "Kali, give me those bags and groceries! You shouldn't be carrying all of these items!" he gently admonished her.

"Oh," she gasped. She was surprised by the act of chivalry. She gave the boxes of donuts and grocery bags to Jim. "Thank you, Jim!"

"You're welcome, darling" he said with a smile. "Go on and hang up your coat while I'll take this to the meeting room."

"Okay, thank you" she said with a big smile. She watched Jim travel into their meeting room, which was another room that was adjacent to the waiting room. She walked over to the coat closet that was next to the doctor's office. She peeled off her light blue knitted cap and her navy blue pea coat. She stuffed her hat, scarf and mittens into the left sleeve before she hung up her coat.

Kali entered the meeting room and found six more members inside of the room. They were in various stages of hanging out before their meeting begins. She saw Abby and her assistant Gabrielle inside of the room. They were standing in front of the large, dry erase board and talking to each other. Jim had placed the boxes of food and groceries on a long wooden table that was pushed against the right wall. She walked over to the table and proceeded to fix up the food.

"Oh my God..." Kali heard her therapist even before she could see the woman.

A petite, 5'5, middle-aged woman had approached Kali. The woman wore a large red sweater and a pair of black pants and a pair of black ballet flats on her feet. Her pale cheeks where affected by a slight case of freezer burn. Her brown hair was slightly mussed and wind-swept. She wore her gold, round eyeglasses low on the bridge of her nose.

"Look at all of this food!" the woman claimed. She placed a protective arm around Kali's waist. She gazed down at the opulent display of food. "What did you do: buy out the grocery store?" she joked. Kali and the therapist laughed.

"No, I haven't," giggled Kali. "I just wanted to make sure that I bought enough food!"

"You certainly bought enough food. I think you're going to make us eat our fill to the point that we all are going to be dozing off during the meeting," Abby quipped.

Kali laughed. "I know I had over-reacted by buying all of this stuff, but I caught a shopping bug," she explained to her therapist. She continued to arrange the food, the condiments and everything else with a finesse and ease. "Besides, if there is any food left over, I'm sure Cody will have no problem taking this food..."

Kali and Abby looked over their shoulders to a man that was positioned across the meeting room. He was posted up in a corner. He was sitting in a black leather armchair that was between the wall and a potted plant. He was busy reading a magazine. He possessed a lanky build that was showcased in an ill-fitting, tight red sweater, a pair of slightly tattered blue jeans and a pair of sneakers that had seen better days. On the top of his egg-shaped head, there were light brown hair, which was already thinned and barely covered that bald spot at the crown of his skull. He wore a pair of discolored metal, round-eyed eyeglasses that were small in size. His optical accessory highlighted his small, deep set round eyes and they were held up by his bird-beak type of nose. Below his bird-beak type of nose, there was a mouth that reminded Kali of black sea bass' mouth. His lips appeared to frown all of the time.

"... He is always the first person to take the leftovers and then some..." Kali turned to face her therapist. "Abby, are you sure that he is here because of the therapy and not because of the free food?"

"Trust me, he is here for the therapy" Abby confirmed. "He is just a cheapskate and stingy." Abby began to help Kali arrange the food. The women continued to converse.

As the women chatted by the banquet-styled table, they were approached by a posh-looking, young woman. She was a statuesque beauty with chocolate-brown hair and glowing, tanned skin. She wore a zebra-printed sweater dress, with a pair of tight black low-rider jeans underneath, along with a pair of black high-heeled boots on her feet.

"Good morning Abby! Good morning Kali!" the woman greeted each woman.

Kali and Abby gave the woman a collective greeting in return. "Good morning, Jennifer!"

"Oooh Kali, you look absolutely lovely this morning!" commented Jennifer as she took in Kali's choice of wardrobe.

"Really, you think so?" Kali inquired, as she glanced down at her outfit. She glanced at the teal-colored, cashmere sweater and the pair of black trousers that she wore, as well as, the black boots she wore. "I just picked whatever item that I can fit and hoped that it matched," she informed the fellow group member. "Thank you for the compliment! The way I feel right now, it is more than welcomed."

"No problem, honey, you deserve it!" Jennifer walked over the table. She grabbed a napkin and then a sprinkled donut from out of a box. She stood in between her therapist and Kali. "Sorry for interrupting your conversation, but I need to know something, Abby."

"What is it?" the therapist asked her patient.

"You must tell me about the new guy. Is he going to be a new member to our group? Or are we trying him out temporarily?" asked Jennifer. "Cause, I would definitely like to try him out."

"Oh, Jennifer," Abby scoffed.

"We have a new member?" said a surprised Kali.

"Yeah, he's sitting right over..." Jennifer pointed over to a person, who was sitting in the center of the room. "...there, in the Trust Circle."

Kali looked in the direction of where her group mate was pointing. Her eyes scanned the large group of blue chairs that was in a circular formation, also known as the Trust Circle. Her amethyst eyes spotted the man that Jennifer was referring. Her eyes widened, due to feeling amazed at the sight. His broad back was facing the trio of women. He was facing the front of the room, staring at the dry erase board. This man was large in height and in weight. He had the height of a giant, but the build of either a professional bodybuilder or one of those professional wrestlers. Kali thought that this man was gargantuan. She wondered how the chair was able to withhold all of that weight. She quickly tried to think back to the moment when she entered the room. She tried to remember if she spotted this man before. She didn't remembered seeing him. She concluded that he must've entered the Meeting Room, after she did.

"Oh my God," she gasped. "He is huge!"

"Yeah, I'm hoping that he is huge in another place," Jennifer had said in a half-jokingly manner. Both Abby and Kali laughed at Jennifer's audacious nature.

"Well, Miss Temptress, why don't go over there and introduce yourself?" suggested Abby. "I'm sure that he would appreciate the welcome."

"He does appear to be nervous," added Kali.

Jennifer's hazel eyes glistened with a sense of interest. She pulled the bottom of her sweater further down her thighs. The collar of her top drifted down her collarbone to reveal her cleavage. Once her shirt was in the desired position, she used her fingers to pinch at her nipples. Kali let out a gasp in shock while Abby chortled.

"I'll see you ladies later," Jennifer told the both of them. "Let me go and be the Welcome Committee!" The woman walked away. They watched the young coquette travel over to the center of the room. They watched her stand in front of the new member. She had spoken to the large man as she extended her hand.

Kali and Abby had turned back to the table. The food was ready to be served.

"Only Jennifer could use a group therapy session as a dating service..."

There was a sudden rush of fluttering inside of Kali's stomach. She felt as if a small animal had run across her stomach. She loudly gasped and made a stagger. Her hands had clutched onto her sphere that was hidden underneath her top.

Abby witnessed her patient's sudden change in behavior. Feeling alarmed, she was by Kali's side quickly. She held onto her waist. "Kali, honey, are you all right?"

In response, Kali laughed. "I'm all right, Abby. I just experienced... I think..." A jubilant smile spread across her full lips. "I... I think my baby just moved right now." She gazed down at her bulging stomach.

"Describe the feeling to me," suggested Abby. "I can tell you whether or not if it was the baby that moved."

"Oh my... It feels like fluttering. It almost feels like..." There was another case of fluttering inside of her gut. She grabbed a hold of Abby's hand and she placed the hand on her stomach.

The therapist felt the skin ripple and twitch underneath her hand. She let out a giggle. "Yeah, that's your baby moving! And in the way she is moving, I think she might grow up to be a dancer!"

'My baby is moving,' Kali thought as she continued to feel her child move. She felt as if she experienced an 'out-of-body' occurrence. It was too surreal. It was too beautiful and it felt so wonderful.

"Oh wow," muttered Kali with tears in her eyes.

Abby had given her back a soothing rub. "Let me go and start the meeting..." She stood closer to the woman. "Congratulations, Mommy" she said, softly. She walked away from Kali and traveled to the Trust Circle.

Soon after Kali experienced her baby's first act of movement, the meeting had begun. Abby, being that her role was the meeting's organizer; she was the one who made introductions. She stood in the center of the Trust Circle.

"Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to say that I am happy to see all of you here today!" she addressed the group as she slowly spun around. She wanted to make sure that she stared at each member as she spoke. "Today, as we all know by now, we have a new member here..."

At this moment in the therapist's address, Kali glanced at the man who sat in the row that was in front of hers. She couldn't see his face still. He kept his head dipped. She observed him as he sat there. He was quiet. He appeared as if he wanted to be left alone.

"... Sir, can you please stand up and come to the center of the circle?" the doctor asked the giant of man.

She heard the large man let out a sigh, which could've been mistaken as a grunt. The giant lifted himself out of the chair, which creaked during his movement. Now standing, he appeared magnanimous. He traveled to the center of their center. He used long strides and was in the desired spot in no time.

Kali gawked at the man as he stood in front. He is nervous, she assumed. His body language conveyed that he was shy. He was fidgeting from both of his feet while his hands fumbled with his knitted cap. He gazed down at the floor.

"Um, good morning to everyone..." the new member greeted the members, Abby and her assistant. He briefly glanced at the crowd. "My name is Kyle Oliver..."

Kali watched Mr. Kyle Oliver stand there. The first thing she noticed was his skin. It was the body part that stood out the most. It was an unnatural color for his racial makeup. He was the color combination of brown and orange. Due to the useless information that she possessed, she knew that the orange-brown skin was the effect of a spray-tanning process. She also knew that most bodybuilders use the spray-tan effect, as preparation, for their competitions.

'Well, it will explain the large build that he has,' she concluded.

The second thing that she noticed was his face, or rather, every feature that was on his entire head. His black hair was slicked away from his face and was styled with hair products. The hair that covered his temples had patches of gray hair. On his oblong-shaped face, there were features that were masculine and handsome. There was a broad forehead that was now littered with worry lines as he folded his brows. His nose was dignified yet couldn't be an example of conventional beauty. The bridge was thick and it made the nose the prominent feature on his face. He possessed a pair of cheeks that were chiseled. The pair of eyes that was positioned above each cheek was the shade of dark brown. They were so dark in color that they could've been black. Each eye had a round shape to them, similar to hers but they were so different. His eyes were alert and cautious as they glared warily at everyone. She saw his feeling of distrust in them. His pink lips contrast with his skin's current color, which made his face appear odd.

"... I am thirty-five years old..."

'He's thirty-five? He looks a bit older than thirty-five.'

"... I am a construction worker..."

'It does explain the clothes,' she said to herself.

Kali stared at the Kyle Oliver's clothes. He wore a thick, black denim jacket that had the sleeves cut off while leaving frayed pieces in its wake. Underneath the denim jacket, there was another jacket that was black and leather. The leather jacket was unzipped and revealed two more layers of clothes: a gray sweatshirt and a white thermal. He wore a pair of blue jeans on his thick, long legs and a pair of battered, black boots on his feet.

"... I have been diagnosed with PTSD, back in September of 1999, when I was still in the Marines. I have been..."

Kali's eyes stared down at Kyle's hands. They continued to play with the knitted cap. Like the skin on his face and neck, his hands also were the color of brown-orange. They were large. She imagined that his hands could hold her head as if he was holding a tangerine.

'Or his hands are large enough to capture a pair of breasts in his hands?'

Her hormone-addled mind conjured up a portion of her dream from the previous night. Instead of being with the Demon-Ryan-Monster, she was with Kyle Oliver. A mental image of a pair of brown-orange hands kneading her breasts seared into her mind. They were cradling and caressing her sensitive skin.

Kali sighed, as a flood of arousal drowned her core. She felt her breasts become inflamed. Her nipples hardened. Her core seeped.

'Kali Doreen Richardson, you are checking him out!' her conscience teased her. She blushed with embarrassment. She ran an appreciative hand over her pregnant belly. 'No, no, I am not. It's... It's just my topsy-turvy hormones!' Kali nodded her head, completely oblivious that she was conversing with herself. 'Yes, it is my hormones.'

"...I would like to get to the point where I am better," Kyle Oliver reported to the group. He stared at Abby. "Um, Ma'am, it's the only thing that I have to say," he informed her.

"It's okay and you have given us just enough. You can return to your seat, Mr. Oliver," the therapist instructed him.

"Um, thank you Ma'am" Kyle Oliver mumbled.

Kali watched the new member walk back to his seat. Before he sat down, Kali's eyes and his eyes had met. Unlike his time of standing in front of the Trust Circle, Kyle had managed to keep his eyes on her. She felt like she was caught with her proverbial hand stuck in the cookie jar. She gave him a simpering smile as she stared up at him. He gave her one, in return. He sat down in his chair and then glanced over his left shoulder to give her another glance.

The day's session proceeded. Abby allowed the group members to speak and converse with each other. It was during this time, Kali made a brief glimpse at Kyle Oliver. He was silence throughout the meeting. He remained in his seat as well. Even though he did not participate in the meeting, he did provide his attention to whoever had spoken. There was an occasion during the session, when Kali offered her input. She felt his eyes on her. There was a fluttering in her belly. She knew that it wasn't her daughter fidgeting around.

Once the meeting was concluded, Kali lingered around for an additional thirty minutes. She chatted with a few members, had shared a conversation with Abby's assistant and then helped Cody clean up. Truthfully, it was more like showing Cody how to pack the food up in the grocery bags, so the plastic bags won't rip while he was on his way home. Afterwards, she wished everyone a 'good day'.

She opted to take the city buses than the subway, so she waited for the 'Q60' bus at a designated bus depot. There were eight other passengers in the depot, who were waiting for the bus. She stood in line, behind an old lady. She gazed down the long street that was nicknamed the 'Boulevard of Death' and hoped to see a bus.

'Nothing,' she sighed. 'Well, at least the weather isn't bad today.'

Three months and a few weeks have passed since the night of the Tolley's holiday party. For the first few weeks after, Kali was living with ongoing cases of anxiety and paranoia. She was anxious because she was worried about Ryan's reactions to his assault. She knew that Ryan was manipulative and was prone to be vindictive. Plus, he had a lot of money to obtain the resources that he need in order to enact his revenge.