GATES, GREYSON MATTHEW

IS THIS THE PLACE I'M DREAMING OF?

25 | heterosexual | engaged | police officer | hero | richard madden

Greyson M. Gates,

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1ST THERAPY SESSION GIVE ME THERAPY I'M A WALKING TRAVESTY "Greyson? What are you drawing?" A six year old boy sits quietly on the opposite side of the 'play' therapy room used for younger children. It's supposed to help the people on the opposite side of the one-way glass get an idea of the child they were working with. To watch and observe their mannerisms through the way they interact with toys and the therapist. Greyson was a particularly interesting case. He was the one witness of a murder and suicide. The cops found him ridged and immobile within the hallway closet of his family home. There were traces of tears on his face but he said nothing except for when he started murmuring his sister's name. Other than that he hadn't responded to anything the police prompted him with. Just stood there with a wild look in his young eyes. They were afraid he might snap, but that hadn't happened. Instead of breaking down the young boy turned to denial. Upon moving in with his Aunt and Uncle from his mother's side he started acting as if he was on some sort of a vacation. Like at any moment his parents would show up and he'd be going home any day now. He functioned like a normal child throughout the day. He played with his cousins and sister, ate dinner, and chattered away with a sort of forced enthusiasm about everything. It was only when bedtime rolled around when you could really get an idea has to just how damaged he really was. Nightmares had him screaming and thrashing in the night. Most times he couldn't remember them. The only ones he did remember were the ones where he saw his parents' faces. The therapists, however, didn't know that because he had yet to really talk about anything that had happened. This six year old boy was an interesting case indeed. "Greyson?" The woman urges again, pushing her chair a little closer to the boy. Suddenly he looks up, a mixture of darkness and light tangled in his eyes. Like he was battling something within himself. "Yes?" He responds with a distant and confused look in his eyes. He hadn't been listening, but on the piece of paper there was a picture. Three stick figures. A tall male and female with a smaller boy and girl in the middle with a house in the background. This would have been a typical drawing for a child but there was something peculiar about it. Everything was drawn in a dark crimson, making the picture a little scarring. "That's a nice picture Greyson, but how come you only used red?" The boy goes ridged but it only lasts a second before he calms back down and relaxes. He turns his bright blue eyes to the woman and responds as if it's the most obvious thing in the world, "Because that's the color I see them in." Red. The color of blood. The substance that had been everywhere on the floor of his house the night the police found him. SESSION NOTES AND THE EXPERTS SAY I'M DELIRIOUS January 5th, 1993 - Greyson Gates After today's session hardly even scratched the surface with Greyson. He displayed severe signs of anxiety when his parents were mentioned but instead of crying or shutting down, Greyson went into an extreme state of denial by repeatedly shaking his head, returning to what he was doing, and changing the topic. It is clear that he doesn't want to face the memories while conscious but can not run from them in his dreams. By acting as normal and overly friendly as possible he is trying to mask the true pain underneath. He doesn't want to accept what has happened which, quite honestly, his a very natural thing for any young child to do. But I've never seen a child go about it the way he has. Denial is a deadly thing and it will become my goal to try and ease him into talking more about what happened in a subliminal sort of way so it does not rattle or break his very obviously fragile psyche. GREYSON'S JOURNAL I THINK THAT KEEPING THIS UP COULD BE DANGEROUS Not... really sure what I'm supposed to be writing down right now but the lady at the building place that my Aunt took me to asked me to start writing stuff down. So here I am, just kinda writing I guess though I'm pretty sure I want to go outside with Troy and Freckles soon. Think we're going to play some baseball or something. I don't know. Maybe. Uh... well that building place was weird and I'm not sure if I want to go back there. They kept asking me questions about everything I did and it was weird. Really I just wanted to leave but my Aunt and Uncle really wanted me to go so I did. They way they looked at me there was... weird. Like there was something wrong with me or something. But there isn't anything wrong with me. I'm fine. Really. I wish people would stop asking me if I am or looking at me like I'm different. It's weird and I just... don't want to think about it or them or anything. So I don't. Not until I fall asleep. Then it's all over the place and I'm scared and I don't understand it.... but I'm fine. Really I am. I wish people would stop trying to find something wrong with me... TESTIMONIALS MY FRIENDS ARE A DIFFERENT BREED "What about Greyson? Well, he really was a sweet boy who has grown up to be an even sweeter man. He honestly tries his hardest to please everyone and has a sort of light about him that I've never seen in anyone before. I love him like my own son and I mean that. It's a real tragedy, what happened to him you know... and my heard breaks for him every single day because I know it's done strange things to his head. He's very sensitive about his parents and has created some sort of fantasy of them because he doesn't want to think about the truth of what happened, but other than that he is a very good person. Honest and genuine though he is prone to make mistakes along the way. His heart is in the right place and I know he'll make that sweet girl of his, Penny, a very happy woman. I'm hoping that she'll be able to break this reckless streak of his. At least eventually, anyway. I just attended their wedding and they are absolutely gorgeous together. She's probably the best thing that has ever happened to him." - Anna Knowles, 52, aunt "Oh man, I love that idiot. Seriously like... I grew up with him so he's like a brother to me. Hell, we had such a blast growing up. It's crazy to think he's staying in fucking Hawaii! That lucky bastard. I wish I could tag along with him but y'know, gotta grow up and go our separate ways now that he's a married man and all. But if he doesn't fucking visit... scratch that. If he doesn't let me go visit, there will be hell to pay!" - Troy Knowles, 24, cousin "Hm... Greyson Gates? Oh... oh yeah! I remember him. He was a pretty... noticeable guy. I had Biology class with him some years ago. The teachers hated to love him because he was always so loud and clumsy but really sweet and friendly. We did a project together once and he accidentally messed the whole thing up because he tripped and dropped the project. But he promised to fix it and he did. Only got a B on it but I wasn't complaining because he was really cute. Tried to score another group project with him but I wasn't so lucky. Haven't heard from him since graduation, though I think I read something about him in the newspaper once. Not sure. Could have been someone else" - Liz, 26, high school classmate "Why would you want to know about that kid? Wasn't really a fan to be honest. He wasn't really an asshole or anything, just annoying. Like and itch you can't scratch or a fly you can't get to leave you the hell alone. He was always so enthusiastic about everything. Most everything. He got a little weird in history class when we were talking about our parent's occupations. Never understood that, but I'll give him one thing, the kid knew how to fight. Caught a glimpse of one he'd gotten to. Think it was about some dude talking shit about his little sister or something. Greyson was a favorite of the girls I guess. I don't know. But he was pretty protective but kind of an idiot about it. If you're gonna fight someone, you should probably pick someone your own size or have someone to back you up. Just don't start throwing your firsts blindly." - Adam, 25, high school classmate "My former partner, Officer Gates, was a good man. A little reckless on the job I can admit, but you can tell he has a real passion for the job. Quite honorable if you ask me... even though as I've said before he's pretty reckless. I'm pretty sure his hospital records take up a whole damn filing cabinet. Always the first to throw himself in dangerous situations, let me tell you. Guess that could be taken as bravery or just sheer stupidity. Maybe both. Just wish he would be a little more cautious is all." - Officer Adams, 27, former partner "Gates, yes, I remember the case well. He was a very peculiar boy who was forced to witness an unfortunate chain of events. It was very clear the first day I met him that he was severely traumatized by the death of his parents, as any child would, mind you. But things were... different for him. He hardly talked about his parents in a direct manner. Always hinted his discomfort through pictures or subliminal messages behind his words. Never openly talked about it and I couldn't really get him to. But he did show improvement through our session and I'm very proud of him now. I imagine there's still issues underneath that he has to deal with and the last we spoke he told me that the nightmares still occurred rather frequently. Not every night but perhaps every other night or so. I don't think he is at risk of anything too serious though. He seems to be like a functional young man, only with a few mental scars and minor issues that the people close to him should maybe be sensitive of." - Dr. Owens, 64, therapist LOVE LETTER BUT I'M SMILING AT EVERYTHING Penny, So we both know I'm bloody awful at this Romeo thing, but I'm going to try anyway because I love you and you know you love it. For five years we've been together and for six years I've continued to fall more and more in love with you. That's... 1,800 days. So I've been in love with you for a reaaally long time and I wouldn't have it any other way. I knew you were the one when I saved you at that godawful college party and you bit off a little more than you could chew... Kidding! (But not really because I'm just saving you all the time. Just saying). Since then I've grown to love you and everything about you. Like the way you drink tea all the time and fuss over my need to do everything myself and even when you make me get up during the early hours of the morning on weekends. Pretty sure I would be okay if you decided to not do that last one though... anyway, I'm just kind of rambling now because I swear to you that I love you so much. You're like the peanut butter to my jelly. Just... my everything. You're my world and I love you and I hope you know that. You should because I say it all the time. Seriously though, you're my best friend and I don't know what I'd do without you. I can't imagine living any sort of life without you in it anymore and I need you. You make this life worth living and everything is so much more beautiful with you in it. And I mean that with everything in me. I know that sometimes it's a little hard for me to get serious and I can be in a pain in the ass... like how I always get you the wrong kind of tea, still try to do everything by myself, and am pretty grumpy every single time you try to wake me up early... but you're so good to me and I hope that what I do for you is enough. All I want is to make your life as wonderful and enjoyable as you have made mine. That's all I ever want to do. As I've said before, I don't want to spend the rest of my life with anyone but you. You're all I want. You're all I see in my future and I love you. So I have one question to ask you Miss Penelope Fischer... Will you marry me? - Greyson aka Grett

leah | eastern | seventeen |CYRUS SAMUEL PAISLEY

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ACCEPTED

ayeee grey