Page 1 of Shielding Aubree

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Henley Matlick shifted on the loveseat in her office. She still wasn't sure if she wanted to go back to her old chair now that she'd had her baby, Elizabeth. The loveseat had been a miracle helping with the lower back pains that she'd had off and on during her pregnancy, but now the size difference was noticeable.

Her phone buzzed on the side table, and she looked at the screen. A simple swipe of her finger across the screen picked up the call.

"Yes?"

"Hey, Henley. Your next appointment is here."

"Oh? Is this Officer Cueva?"

"Yes. New Mexico State Police. Car rollover."

Henley knew the story of the crash mostly from news accounts. Local stations were all over it when it happened, not only because of the crash and the officer's injuries but also the danger and painful suffering of the Cueva family in the last few years.

Getting up out of her chair, Henley crossed over to the door and used the camera to check and make sure that it was herclient entering the outer office. With a quick in-drawn breath she turned the knob on the door and opened it slowly.

The last thing she wanted to do was startle her patient given what was likely her emotional state.

The woman on the other side of the door held herself like an officer of the law, standing ramrod straight and her arms lowered to her side, but not resting at her sides.

It made her stance a little awkward, but if she was wearing her duty belt it would explain the slight oddity.

"Hi." She didn't move into the room more than a couple of steps keeping space between them. She stopped and held out her hand. "I'm Henley Matlick. And you're Aubree Cueva, right?"

The other woman looked at her hand and took a step closer.

"Yeah. That's my name." An indrawn breath preceded two more steps and Aubree held out her hand to shake, but her aim was a little off and the tips of her fingers bumped against Henley's before she managed to take her hand. "Sorry. I... That was embarrassing."

"No need to be embarrassed with me." Henley easily broke contact with Aubree's hand and gestured toward the office. "I have a big couch in here for you to sit on and we've got a good view out the window if you'd like to come in."

While she didn't make a show of it, she'd been watching Aubree's eyes and body language as she invited her inside.

Couch didn't cause much of a reaction, but as soon as Aubree looked at the open doorway behind her, Aubree tensed.

And even though her expression had eased at the mention of windows, Aubree only took a half-step forward to look into the office.

Henley was trying to see it through Aubree's eyes. The walls, dark, but warm. The interior of the office was well lit, but not overly bright even with the sun beaming down outside. Sometimes when working with a new patient there was moreinformation in their body language than what was written in their medical and intake files. "Would you like to go in and choose a seat?"

Aubree's gaze shifted to Henley’s, and she could see the evaluation going on right in front of her.

The observations that she'd tried to make of Aubree, Aubree was trying to take stock of her as well.

So Henley just stood there and let the other woman look.

And evaluate.

This was all a part of the process.

Her visual catalogue of Henley completed, Aubree took a step closer to the door and moving close to the door frame on the opposite side of where Henley was, Aubree looked into the room, taking stock of the windows and the bright sunlight before turning to see in the other direction.

That's when Henley saw it.

The first unguarded reaction from her patient.

Fear.

Dread.

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