Kasey
~*~*~*
 
Chapter 8. 
	
	" Let me get this straight. You want AJ to join in on
the sessions with my daughter, but I’m considered too
much of an emotional risk?" Kevin asked, barely
containing his anger at this latest development.
	" Yes," Brianna said and prepared herself for the
arguement that was sure to come. 
	" You’re kidding right? AJ is not Ellas father. I am.
Shouldn’t I be the one to join in? How on earth is
introducing AJ into the sessions going to help Ella
come to accept me?" Kevin asked, sounding genuinely
confused.
	" Nick mentioned that Ella follows AJ around. That
she’s like a puppy dog, hard to shake, always coming
back. It seems that Ella has some kind of, I guess you
could call it a crush, on AJ and maybe that crush will
be the catalyst."
 	" Have you mentioned this to AJ yet?"
	" No, not yet. I wanted to run it by you first."
	" Oh well then I should thank you for including me in
on one decision regarding my own god damn daughter!"
by the end of the sentence Kevin was literally
roaring. Brianna managed not to flinch.
	" Look, getting angry wont help Ella..."
	" No, but it will help me! God damn quack," Kevin
muttered and stalked off. Brianna exchanged a glance
with Nick, who looked mighty amused.
	" This is funny?"
	" Oh hell yeah. Kevin doesn’t lose his temper much.
Usually he’s the cool, collected type. Ya know, more
quiet simmer than loud roar. This is the first time in
a long time that I’ve seen him like this. It shows how
much he cares for Ella," Nick said and Brianna
shrugged.
	" He has to realise that Ella wont recover overnight.
And anything that may help her needs to be used. If AJ
needs to sit in on the sessions, then I’m
going to do that. The whole world does not revolve
around Kevin Richardson," Brianna said.
	" You think that he thinks like that?" Nick asked,
sounding surprised and wary.
	" No, of course not. I’ve seen the way he is when
he’s around Ella. I see the side of him he keeps
hidden. But I also see the frustration, and in this
case,
the anger. Sometimes I think he expects miracles from
me, and I’m afraid that I don’t have that kind of
power," Brianna said.
	" Kevin likes his life orderly. Hearing about Ella,
well thats thrown his entire life out the window."
	" Children do that to you."
	" He knows that. But he wasn’t expecting to be a
father for a long time yet. And to find out that his
daughter never knew about him and still wont
accept him as her father, its making him react
different," Nick said.
	" I see that. I just don’t know how else to get
through to Ella, other than to see if AJ works.
Believe me, if Ella seemed comfortable around Kevin,
he’d be there, but I have to think of Ella first,
Kevin second," Brianna said and left the room in
search of AJ.

*****

	" Um, okay. So you want me to just sit there and see
how Ella reacts?" AJ asked, confused at his role in
this.
	" Exactly. I heard about her attachment to you. I’m
hoping that will help her in some way. How, I don’t
know just yet. But maybe she’ll make the first
move and...well, I don’t know what else. I’m just not
sure what else to do. I’ve never seen such a reaction
in a child against a man who hasn’t abused her. Its
confusing the hell out of me to be completely honest,"
Brianna admitted.
	" I’ll help as much as I can, I guess. But what was
Kevins reaction?" 
	" Well, lets just say that he’s not exactly
thrilled."
	" No, he wouldn’t be. He’d feel as though he was
failing. He desperately wants to make things right for
Ella and he cant do that while she’s not
responding to him the way he had hoped."
	" I told Nick that a miracle would not occur. It’s
going to take time and a lot of therapy to help Ella.
Kevin seems to think it will happen overnight,"
Brianna said.
	" Kevin just wants to be the kind of father his
father was. That’s all. He wants to make his father
proud."
	" So Kevin should call his father, ask him..."
	" Brianna, Kevins father died."
	" So is he trying to..."
	" Don’t assume anything about Kevin and his father.
I’m warning you now, in the most amicable way I know."
	" I’m not assuming anything about him."
	" Then what were you going to say, is he trying
to...?"
	" Oh. Okay, so I guess I was going to make an
assumption."
	" Making assumptions about Kevin and his father will
not put you in his good books. Thats a friendly
warning Brianna. It would be in your best interest to
just accept Kevin the way he is."

*****