Ethical Dilemma

It had been three years to the day that I had become a therapist. I didn't have a specific clientele I wanted to work with, unlike the rest of my graduating class. Where they wanted to work with couples or substance abuse victims, I wanted to be open to anyone who walked through my door. Little did I know the slogan, "No judgement, I'm here to help," actually brought only one type of clientele. Villains. 

My first client was Henry Shekler, who went by the moniker, Shredder. At first, all I could picture was the villain from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles show I used to watch as a kid. That image changed drastically over the course of a month. The more I learned about him, the less innocent he became.

He would go into extreme detail of the people he would kill down by the docks. Shredder was an appropriate name, given that his victims would be shredded into strips of meat that rivaled bacon. He even showed me pictures from his wallet. You would have sworn they were his children, the way he lit up showing off his kills. The worst part was, I didn't entirely believe him at first.

Henry worked a day job at a Halloween supply store, so I figured he was simply mixing up reality with his delusions. The pictures all were stylized, making the blood or graphic details less realistic looking. It all looked out of a movie, which he even admitted he was working on as a second job. Eventually, I felt the need to call him out on his delusions. He didn't take it well and stormed out of my office.

I thought I wasn't going to see him again, but like a lot of things, I was proven wrong. He came back the next day, interrupting my lunch to drop a literal head on my couch. I didn't need any more convincing that he was telling the truth at that point. Staring back at me was my ex-boyfriend's severed head in a sealed plastic bag. As you can expect, I freaked out.

"What the hell!" I said, falling back in my chair.

"You didn't believe me. Now do you?"

I brushed my half eaten sandwich off me and stood up to stare at the head he brought me. Bad memories rushed back to me. All the fighting. The abuse. The scars. I touched my side out of reflex, feeling the phantom pain I thought was long gone.

"What—why?"

"He was your ex, right? What better way to show my thanks than to kill that son of a bitch for you?"

"I never mentioned Kel to you."

"I know. Your parents did."

"You spoke to my parents?" I said, shocked once again by his actions.

"Of course. You would never tell me anything about you in our sessions, so I asked them. They are delightful by the way."

"I can't believe you talked to them. That is completely—"

"Insane?" he asked, shying away from me.

"Inappropriate."

"Whew, I was worried I went too far," he said, relaxing from my answer.

I pointed to Kel's severed head. "What do you think that is?"

"Justice."

"When did you believe in justice?"

"When I heard what he did to you."

I looked back at Kel's head and shuttered. The severed head or Henry's newfound knowledge did not bother me. It was reliving the horror I thought was gone when I saw Kel's face again. I had half a mind to do what Henry actually did to Kel. He certainly deserved it, but I didn't have it in me to commit such an act. 

Henry put his hand on my shoulder and it woke me up from my trance. I turned to face him, my eyes wandering to his bright blue eyes. My heart fluttered. I couldn't explain it, but at that moment, I was overwhelmed with a wave of emotions. Fear, anger, relief, and finally...desire. I broke all my ethics as a therapist that day and threw caution to the wind. He had done something no one would be willing to do, just to see me happy. If that isn't love, I don't know what is. 

Our lips collided and a jolt went through my whole body. His lips had a metallic taste, but it only made me want him more. I won't get into too much detail, but we definitely defiled my couch and made sure Kel was watching. It was the closest I would get to revenge, so I made it count.

After that day, he was no longer a client anymore. We dated for a few weeks, but I had made up my mind. He was my one and only. I didn't care if I lost my license, he made me happy and that was all there was to it. He was worried at first that his villain status would cause problems, but I reassured him I was devoted to him. My only request was that he not bring his work home, which he was happy to oblige. 

Our honeymoon phase lasted longer than normal, a whole two years to be exact. He was an attentive husband and I was willing to look past his killer nature to see the real man inside. We were living our best lives. I never got found out by the board and Henry even got me more clients. His work was solid and kept a smile on his face. Not sure if that meant more or less killing, but he was happy and that was all that mattered. 

It was all going great until today. I had a new client scheduled and he had quite the reputation.

"Jaster, please come in," I said to the man dressed in a slimming dark suit.

"Mrs. Shekler, I am glad you took the time to schedule me."

"It was no trouble. Are you another one of Henry's colleagues?"

"No, but he is the reason I am here."

"Excuse me?"

"That little monster of yours decided it would be a good idea to turn one of my minions into minced meat. I don't take kindly to my minions being killed, nor do I care for his sadistic methods."

"I'm sure there must be some misunderstanding."

"There isn't. This is more of a curiosity call at this point. The police are already at your house to arrest him. They will be here soon for you too...if our conversation doesn't go well."

I got up from my seat. "What do you want?"

"I want the list of your clients and dossiers made up for each one. Leave no details out."

"I can't do that."

"We both know you waved goodbye to ethics a long time ago, so don't try it."

"...I won't do it unless Henry goes free."

"That is out of my hands. You still have a chance to save yourself. Or else I can just take your records later?"

"My best insights are in my head, not written down anywhere. If you want real insight on these villains, you need me."

"How about this, I will arrange conjugal visits between you two."

I marched up to him and poked him in the chest. "No. He walks!"

"Fine. I'll have him killed in prison and the police will be here soon for you," Jaster said and turned to walk away. 

"No! Wait!" I screamed and fell to the floor. "Please...don't kill him."

"You have two weeks to complete them. If you get it done in one, I will get you those visits," Jaster said and left my office. 

I ran to my phone and called Henry, praying he hadn't been taken in yet. He answered long enough for me to hear the gunshots on the other end...

This recording is my living testimony in the event I am killed. Jaster deserves to pay for what he did and I hope this will be enough. I am Gabby Shekler and this is my story. I love you Henry. I'm coming for you.

***