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.

***

Anger Management

Six pairs of eyes darted back and forth from one another. They all were sitting in fold out chairs that groaned every time someone shifted their weight. The hum of the air conditioner in the window was the only sound, until Paul looked up from his phone.

"Alright, sorry about that. Had some family business to attend to." Paul put his phone in his pocket. "My name is Paul and I would like to welcome you to our first session of Villain Anger Management."

All six villains focused on him, upset that he interrupted their silent game of sizing each other up. First to speak was a small, young woman with woodland creatures crawling through her vibrant green hair. 

"Paul, you sure have some balls," the woman said.

Paul looked down at his crotch, smiled, and returned his focus to her. "Very observant. Good to know you have two eyes."

The other villains laughed, not expecting such a cutting quip from a therapist. The woman stood up and kicked her chair behind her. Squirrels poked their heads out of her hair and growled at Paul. 

"Minions, attack!" she yelled.

Paul sprung off his chair before the squirrels left her hair. Closing the gap inside the circle of villains, he plucked a squirrel from her hair and slammed the little critter's face first into her mouth. The squirrel's tail moved like a windshield wiper, obscuring the woman's vision. She fell back onto the floor, trying to take out the giant hoagie of a squirrel in her mouth. The other villains erupted into laughter, while the other squirrels snickered among each other inside her hair.

The woman pulled the wet squirrel out of her mouth. "Argghh! You are going to pay for that!"

She wasn't talking to Paul, she was talking to the squirrel. Her grip tightened around the squirrel, which struggled in her grip. The squirrel's eyes started to poke out of its skull before Paul intervened. Paul grabbed her by the wrist. With one squeeze, her bones cracked and the squirrel was free from her wrath. His other hand went around her neck, lifting her high in the air.

"What's your name?" Paul said.

She gasped for air and her feet kicked in the air. "Elee."

"Well Elee, consider this your first lesson. Don't blame your minions for your failures," he said, slamming her to the floor.

Elee blinked her eyes a few times, trying to bring the world back in focus. When it did, she saw Paul with her minion perched on his shoulder. This made her blood boil. 

"Traitor!"

"No, Elee. You are the traitor," Paul said. 

"I am not!"

"You hurt your own minion, even willing to kill this furry little guy." Paul scratched the squirrel’s head. "And for what? Failing to accomplish a task?"

"Yes!"

Paul shook his head. "Failure is not the same as betrayal. Would you consider yourself a traitor whenever you failed a task?"

Elee's rage left her body faster than it arrived. Her breathing slowed and fell silent, letting his words take hold in her mind. 

"I don't know who or what hurt you in your past, but you can't go around lashing out on your family," Paul said.

"My family?"

"Yes. Minions are your family. Who else would join forces with you to accomplish your diabolical aspirations? Jaster?"

Elee scoffed at his comment. "Jaster can't be trusted. He's a city slicker."

"Good. You know who you don't trust. But you also need to recognize who you can."

Elee turned her attention to the squirrel who was happily rubbing against Paul's neck. Tears started to well in her eyes, realizing her most trusted companions she was taking for granted. The squirrel jumped off Paul and scurried down to Elee's face, licking the tear from her eye.

She laughed. "Stop it, Kenny."

Paul released his grip from her neck and helped her up. He went over to her chair and folded it up. "I think that is enough for our first session. The takeaway is obvious, but it's worth repeating. These minions you are killing are your family. Treat them with respect, because at the end of the day, they are the only ones you can truly trust."

The villains didn't say anything, but their faces showed his words and actions got to them. They all started to make their way out and Paul began stacking the folding chairs when his phone rang.

"This is Paul," he answered. 

"You seemed to make a good first impression," a voice said.

"So you are watching my sessions? Thought you would be too busy?"

"I'm retired. I have plenty of time."

"Sure you do. If you have so much time, why didn't you stop in?" Paul asked, walking over to the window.

"But then you would have never gotten that breakthrough with squirrel girl."

"Her name's Elee."

"Do you think she is recruitable?"

"Not for you. At least not directly."

"That's never been a problem before."

"Why the sudden interest? Finally looking to settle down?" Paul said with a toothy grin.

"No, but her control over those squirrels could be useful to me."

"Always working. When are you going to stop by to visit? My wife has been dying to try a new recipe. And the kids love seeing their favorite uncle."

"...I will let you know. Keep up the good work, but don't get carried away. Don't want you turning them into heroes."

"Would that really be so bad?"

"Have a good night, Paul."

"You too, Jas."

***