Past Unveiling by Audrey Walker (little readers .TXT) 📕

has mentioned it since. We don’t know what to do. We are too scared to pursue an actual relationship. We are afraid of how this will affect our friendship.”

“Perhaps overcoming this fear will help you,” he said. “And I suggest you do that by asking him out.”

“What?” Robin said, shocked.

“Why not? You like him. It’s about time you had a healthy, loving relationship,” he said. “After all the years you have spent dealing with the trauma of your past, you need to move on. And for that, you need to do something you never thought of doing before. You must make an active effort to be happy, Robin. You need to come out of this. You have to struggle with yourself, but you can escape it if you want to.”

“I guess,” Robin said. “I will try.”

“I will wait at the edge of my seat to know how it goes,” he said, smiling at her.

“You do get invested in the lives of your patients, don’t you?” she asked, smiling.

“To be truthful, most of them are a bit boring,” he said. “You come to me with murders and serial killers and all things fun.”

“Careful, Dr. Rosemond,” she said, getting up. “If you talk like that, your patients will start thinking you are the one who needs therapy.”

“To be frank, Robin,” he said. “There are times I think I do.”

“Does this have anything to do with Ginny?” Robin asked, smiling at him.

Ginny was his girlfriend, a girl Robin had recently met and instantly liked. She knew it was unconventional to be friends with your therapist but it had sort of happened. Perhaps it was because of how much she liked him.

“She is angry at me again,” he said with a sigh. “I don’t even know what I did wrong!”

“Ask her,” Robin said. “You are a therapist. Figure it out.”

“Easier said than done,” he said, laughing. “Anyway, I will talk to Ginny. See you next week, same time?”

“See ya!” Robin said, waving goodbye as she walked out of there.

Chapter Two

Robin finished putting on her uniform, ready for her first day at work. She usually didn’t wear her uniform, but she had felt strangely drawn to it since it was her first day back. Robin looked at her reflection, straightening everything until she was satisfied. Her mind flashed back to the last time she had worn it, which had been the day of the Captain’s funeral.

Two weeks. That’s how long it has been since the incident. After a week in the hospital, Robin had finally recovered enough to come back home and be able to attend the funeral. She remembered it as if it had happened yesterday. In fact, Robin thought she would never be able to forget the day, no matter how hard she tried.

She still remembered standing there, the entire task force with her, dressed in their uniforms. It had been raining that day as if the sky itself was crying. The grief everyone felt in their heart was so palpable, but for Robin, it was worse. It wasn't just grief that ate at her; it was guilt. She spent nights awake going over every single moment of that day, wondering how she could have saved him. Robin couldn’t help but blame herself. He had died saving her, and she was the reason he was gone.

Robin closed her eyes and shuddered as the image of the coffin bearers carrying his coffin flashed before her eyes. She couldn’t believe it, at that moment, that the Captain was lying there, dead. Robin remembered the way they had saluted as the coffin was lowered slowly into the grave.

“Papa!” A small voice called out. “Papa, no!”

Robin shivered when she heard that tiny voice. His daughter was weeping in her mother’s arms as his teenage son stood there, silent tears falling down his cheeks. The Captain’s wife sobbed openly, clutching her daughter as she did.

“Roy,” there was a tremble in her voice as she had called out to her dead husband. “Please, Roy. Just come back to me. Please, you know I can’t do this without you.”

When the first bit of dirt hit the coffin, Robin winced. She couldn’t believe her Captain was lying there, cold and dead. No longer smiling, no longer laughing, and no longer living. When the coffin was finally buried, they all saluted to him one final time.

Robin couldn’t help but shudder as she walked through the crowd. She knew all the eyes were on her; people were whispering as she passed by. Accusing eyes followed her, blaming her for the Captain’s death. They all thought she was responsible for this, and she agreed.

“Mrs. Roy,” Robin went after the Captain’s wife. She had just wanted to talk to her, that’s all.

“You,” Mrs. Roy whispered. “You have always been nothing but trouble! And now, because of you, he is gone. He always protected you, looked after you. He always cared for you, and this is what he got. Death. You took him away from us. You took him away from his children. Just go! Please!”

She walked away, leaving Robin standing there.

“It’s okay,” Kyle whispered, taking her hand. “It’s okay.”

But nothing could comfort Robin at that moment. All she knew was the Captain was dead, and it was all her fault.

Robin pushed the memory out of her head and wiped the tears that had escaped her eyes. She took a deep breath and turned around, making her way downstairs.

“I am off, Abby,” she called out.

“Have a good day!” Abby said. “Have fun. Enjoy. Don’t do anything stupid. And I packed you a lunch!”

“You certainly are becoming more and more maternal, aren’t you?” Robin asked, smiling at her sister.

“Maybe,” Abby said with a smile. “Are you okay, Robin?”

“Yes,” Robin whispered. “I am okay.”

“You will talk to me if something is wrong, won’t you?” she asked.

“I will, I promise,” Robin said, kissing her sister on the cheek.

“This isn’t over, is it?” Abby asked.

Robin just smiled at her and walked away. It was true. This wasn’t over by