Chapter 31

Josiah and Rossalyn pulled up to the rehab center a little after 7:30 in the morning. Sarah and the kids would arrive around nine to visit with Roger after their meeting. Sarah had told them that she didn't want to be there for the meeting. She wasn't even sure she wanted to bring the kids to see him without having seen him first herself, but Josiah insisted that they'd have a good idea of how he's doing by the time she arrived and they would let her know if it was a good idea for her to let him see the kids. With that assurance, Sarah had agreed reluctantly.

They waited in the SUV until a few minutes to eight before going inside the center for their meeting. When they went in, they were pretty much immediately escorted to a well appointed office toward the back of the center where a man in his early fourties waited for them. He stood when they were brought inside and introduced himself.

"I'm Harry, the center director. It is nice to meet you both." Harry said holding his hand out to shake their hands.

"I'm Josiah, this is my wife Rossalyn. Thank you for taking the time to meet us this morning." Josiah said taking his hand.

"Hi." Rossalyn gave a smile as she shook his hand.

"Please, have a seat." Harry said then once they were seated in front of his desk he took his own and opened the file he had in front of him.

"How has he been doing?" Rossalyn asked, not waiting for either of the men to offer anything up first.

"He has been doing alright. He's been very lonely since we've not allowed him visitors or interaction with other patients. I have to admit that is a rare tactic of ours, but with your insistence....well....progress has been slow." Harry admitted.

"You're aware he didn't exactly come to rehab voluntarily. He caused a lot of pain to his wife and sister. WIthout placing the restrictions we have, I don't think he would have stayed if he thought for a moment he had somewhere to go." Josiah said with a shrug.

"Breaking ties with people that enable him is definitely a difficult first step. Some people come in with that already done, while others have to get to that point before we're comfortable releasing them. But, we find the most success with allowing them to form bonds with people that are in similar situations that have similar goals." Harry said.

"We're hoping that now that he has had a few months of reflection and no contact with anyone outside, he may be ready to do just that. We've had time to heal from the hurt that he's caused us and hopefully he's had time to reflect on the life that he wants and will be willing to make progress towards those ends." Rossalyn said, then sighed. "If we hadn't taken the time to process and heal from the things that he did before trying to interact with him, I'm not sure he'd have family to support him when he was released."

"A support system is critical for a patient to be released and be successful." Harry said, narrowing his eyes warily.

"I'm just not sure if we're there yet. We had to talk his wife into coming to visit and bringing their children. She's still not sure if she is ready to see him." Josiah said.

"I see. He's made a lot of progress over the last month. He's stopped blame shifting so badly when he's talked to his therapist. He's taken ownership of the things that happened that landed him in here with no family willing to visit him. The first month it was all ranting and raving and threatening to harm himself if we didn't let him out. The last few weeks he has just been asking when he'd be allowed to call his wife, even if just on speaker phone to hear her voice." Harry said, obviously reading from the notes of the therapist assigned to him.

"That is good to hear. I think it might be time for the next phase in that case. I would like for him to stay here, though start allowing him interaction with other patients and an approved list of visitors." Josiah said.

"We agreed to three months, Mr. Roja." Harry said stiffly.

"We agreed that when he was at a place that you could guarantee that he wouldn't backslide into the same things he was doing he'd be released. Can you do that?" Josiah countered.

"Ahh....no....I can't guarantee that right now." Harry said on a sigh.

"Then, he will stay three more months. You will grant him more freedom to interact with the other patients and have an approved list of visitors. He will also be closely monitored for the duration." Josiah reiterated firmly.

"Alright. But he will be released after three additional months, regardless of his progress. He's not a danger to himself or others even from now. But I can see that those that will be his support system need more time, and he will benefit from additional inpatient therapy as well." Harry reluctantly agreed, then added: "But I must insist that both you and your wife and his come to therapy sessions with him twice a week."

"We can do that." Josiah said and stood from his chair and held his hand out to shake, calling an end to the meeting. "Please inform Roger that we will be waiting for him in the therapy room for a visit."

"Yes sir." Harry said and shook both of their hands.

Josiah and Rossalyn exited the office and walked down the hall to a door marked 'Therapy room' and entered. The door was open and the room was unoccupied as had been requested since they were not ready to have the typical visitation with Roger at that point. They wanted to speak to him privately and get a feel of how he was doing without distractions of other patients around them in the main visitation hall. They took a seat on the sofa that was against the far wall and waited for Roger to be retrieved.

"Are you sure this is the best idea?" Rossalyn asked, nervously watching the door for her brother.

"I know its a better idea than letting him out right now. He's barely started taking responsibility for what he put you guys through. I won't allow him to live with us, and if Sarah has to be begged to visit him, she certainly isn't ready to let him come home." Josiah answered with a shrug.

"I know, it just feels a lot like keeping him hostage." Rossalyn said with a sigh.

"He got himself into this mess, Ross. He's got to work to get himself out and earn trust again. I know it is hard, but it is for everyone's best interest." Josiah said then took her hand in his and squeezed it. "The first three months of isolation was part punishment for what he did, but mostly it was for breaking the reliances he'd built. That was why his first few weeks in here were so rough for him. He went into withdrawal on a few different ends."

Rossalyn was going to respond but a shadow approached the door and she knew in her bones that her twin was a second from entering the room with them. Roger was wearing blue scrub pants and a white plain cotton shirt with leather sandals on his feet. She went rigid when she saw him come into the room and shut the door behind him. Without saying a word to either of them, he sat in the arm chair across from them and watched them warily.

"How are you?" Rossalyn asked, her tone careful.