The keys jingled as they clashed together against the lock of my office door. As I entered, I flipped the switch, and an array of lights flooded the room one by one.  I blinked my eyes a few times before they could adjust. The bright white light reflected off the table that laid in the center of the room. I carefully placed my keys back in my purse and walked steadily to my desk that sat in the corner. I sat my coffee down and the cold, smooth wood lightly scraped across my hand as I put the purse in the bottom drawer. I flipped open my computer as my finger glided over to the power button. The screen blared on my eyes right when I heard a knock at the front door.
“Come in, it’s unlocked.”, I said.
A head peaked through the crack of the opening, “It’s just me.”
I looked at the time on my computer, “Ah, yes, Sarah! Please, go ahead and sit down while I gather my things.”
Sarah dragged her feet over to the couch adjacent to mine. Her lavender hair bounced from side to side in a ponytail with each step.  She lightly sat down on the couch which resembled charcoal. As soon as I got up to grab her patient file, she reached for the fuzzy blanket that lay beside her. When I sat down on the couch adjacent to her, she clung onto it tighter. I assumed it’s because she wanted to prepare for what we were going to talk about today.
“So, Sarah, how have you been since our last session?” I clicked my pen open and flipped to a free page in the notebook file.
“I’m okay.”, she answered hesitantly.
I nodded as I proceeded my inquiry, “Okay, do you think we should try a breathing exercise before we start?”
Sarah shook her head rather quickly. If she were to continue, I would have thought it would swing off her neck. She covered her knees with her hands as they began to shake ever so slightly.
I wrote it down in her file swiftly as she looked at me with curiosity, “Just starting a new line.”, I reassured her.
“Okay,” she took in one last breath, “I’m ready.”
“So, tell me about the fear that you have. It might help lead us to what caused the incident.”
“I looked up the name on my phone to be precise. It’s called optophobia.”
“Okay, and what does it entail?”
Sarah sighed, “It’s the fear of opening one’s eyes.”
I pursed my lips together and nodded, “Do we know where this fear stemmed from?”
Sarah started as she blinked her eyes to keep tears from spilling, “It’s from when I was a kid. As you know, my sister was kidnapped when I was little.”
“Go, on.”
“Well, I remember it was during the night. I had been awoken by the thunder when all of a sudden, I looked over and there was this tall man standing over my sister’s bed trying to grab her. I screamed to get my parents, but it was too late.”
Sarah began to sniffle. She looked down at her lap and played with her fingernails. Some of the skin across the edge of her cuticle had been peeled back. Blood had encompassed the nail. It oozed from her skin over to the sunshine yellow sweater she was wearing. There appeared to be dried stains on the edge of the sleeve as well. I slid the tissue box across the table so she could clean herself up a little before continuing.
“Take a deep breath, Sarah. You’re doing wonderful.”
She dabbed the tissue at her eyes veraciously, “Why don’t we shift the topic of discussion I think I have enough detail there, okay? Why don’t you begin to tell me how this relates to what happened to your boyfriend?”
“Well, he was in the kitchen making breakfast as a surprise for me and when he came in the room, I was still asleep. He leaned over me and tried to give me a forehead kiss to wake me up, but all I felt was someone standing over me, I couldn’t bear to open my eyes and see that man again. I didn’t know what else to do.” Sarah was sobbing now.
“So, you felt threatened?”
Sarah nodded, “I did and so I grabbed the vase on the nightstand and swung it at him. I didn’t know it was him though, I swear! I just didn’t feel safe. I would never hit him on purpose!”
“I believe you, Sarah. “
Sarah took in some deep breaths and finally calmed herself down, “You do?”
“Yes, and I’ll make sure to tell the police this, okay?”
Sarah nodded and gave a slight smile. “Thank you, doctor. I love him so much. I would never ever imagine hurting him. I just need someone to believe me!”
“They will now that we’ve had a psych evaluation.” I gave her a soft smile and then sent her on her way back to her hotel room. Then, I began to type out an email to the police stating that I was going to scan them the document deeming Sarah stable for trial. For this was going to be quite the court case. After all, this was not the first time Sarah had an incident like this one.