A Mother's Dilemma

Synopsis: In Cruel "Therapy," Brenda comforted her daughter Lori after an intense anxiety attack. Lori has a phobia of boxes, which is called Kasoniphobia. The attack was intentionally provoked by her brother Bryan. Their story continues here.

Brenda

Brenda was exhausted and emotionally drained when she left Lori's house. She was surprised that Lori had run out of anti-anxiety medication. Lori was always meticulous about keeping it on hand and taking it. In fact, she couldn't remember when Lori last had an attack this severe.

Brenda walked home. Her house was at the end of a cul-de-sac. Lori lived on the right side of her and Bryan lived on the left. While both of her children had gone all out and built state of the art smart homes, Lori preferred her old-fashioned house. She called it her "dumb home." Brenda thought it was creepy to have cameras and microphones recording your every move, but Bryan and Lori felt safer surrounded by technology.

"Well," thought Brenda, "there are pros and cons to everything. Different strokes for different folks."

Brenda was troubled by the events that had taken place at Lori's house. Why would Bryan taunt his sister with a box? Did he get some sort of perverse pleasure from her terror or was something else motivating him?

Brenda sat on her porch swing, reflecting on the state of her family. Glancing to her left, she saw that Bryan's truck was not in his driveway. She assumed that meant he wasn't home, which was a relief. She didn't have the energy to deal with him.

It was a beautiful fall day. The leaves were just starting to change color. It was an exact replica of the day when she and her husband, Jason brought Lori and Bryan home for the first time 20 years ago. They had adopted the children from a worn torn country. Jason had been a physician that traveled to war torn countries to provide medical care to all, but his specialty was Pediatrics. Brenda was a therapist. She didn't usually travel with him, but that particular year she did. While they were in Eastern Europe, there had been a horrible explosion at an orphanage. When the medical team arrived on site, Jason found a little boy and little girl sitting on the ground. The girl was screaming hysterically and the boy was just sitting there shell shocked. They were the only kids to survive. From what the police could piece together, the little girl had found a box near the door. The box was ticking. Out of curiosity, she picked it up and handed it to one of the teachers, who was standing just inside the door. The teacher knew immediately that the box contained an explosive device and he shoved the kids out the door. Shortly after, the whole thing blew up. The kids had been thrown by the blast. Jason found them where they landed. Fortunately, their physical injuries were minor but their psychological injuries were much worse. Brenda and Jason gave both kids a new name in honor of their new life.

Brenda quit her job to take care of Lori and Bryan. She worked tirelessly to help them both recover and cope with their trauma. Jason took a job at a local hospital. He wanted to be present and involved in his children's lives. The adjustment for the children was difficult. Both Bryan and Lori had extreme mood swings. One minute they would be getting along, and the next Lori was shrieking and screaming. Bryan would occasionally raise his voice, but when he was angry he was more prone to withdrawing and going off by himself.

When Lori was 16 and Bryan was 17, Jason became very ill. He was diagnosed with an aggressive type of cancer and his life expectancy was less than a year. Jason was determined to fight. His oncologist emphasized the importance of reducing stress, along with a special diet. Shortly after that particular appointment, Jason and Brenda had a big fight. Jason wanted to send the children back to their home country to re-home them. His rationale was that it would reduce his stress and free up Brenda to dedicate her time caring for him. Brenda was irate. She couldn't believe he was so selfish. Looking back, Brenda wondered if the cancer had started to affect his brain. She shook her head as she remembered the epic fight. While they were arguing, the kids came home from school. Both Lori and Bryan heard Jason's plan. Lori was devastated and weepy. Bryan became sullen and even more withdrawn. Brenda stood her ground. She was not giving up her babies.

A week later, Jason lost control of his car on an icy road. He slid across the frozen pond and slammed into a tree. He was killed instantly. Brenda wiped her eyes. She still teared up when she thought about that awful day. Eventually, they discovered that Jason's break line had been cut. The police didn't know who did it, but Brenda wondered if it was Bryan.

With a sigh, Brenda went inside the house. She was completely taken aback when she saw Bryan sitting at her kitchen table.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Bryan gave her a blank look that sent chills down her spine.

"When we were at Lori's you said you would deal with me later. I figured I would wait here instead of making you look for me," he replied.

"Oh," said Brenda. "I didn't see your truck in your driveway, so I figured you weren't home."

Bryan said wryly, "It's in the garage."

Brenda stood across the kitchen with her arms crossed, looking at her son. She never had understood him, but she did love him.

"Why were you tormenting your sister with the box?" Brenda asked.

Mimicking her pose, Bryan crossed his arms. "Mom, something is not right with Lori. I've been trying to figure out what's going on with her."

"I'm aware of her issues, Bryan. It's your issues we are discussing right now." Brenda threw her hands up in frustration.

Bryan looked at her for a moment. Then he said, "You can't see it, because she is your favorite."

Bryan stood up and walked over to his mom. Brenda nervously put her hand to her throat. Bryan rolled his eyes in exasperation, looking very much like the boy he'd once been.

"I would never hurt you, mom. I consider myself "dealt with." I'm going home to grab a nap before work tonight."

Bryan grabbed his backpack and out the house, leaving Brenda feeling unsettled. What was she supposed to do now? What did Bryan mean when he said that Lori wasn't right?

Bryan

Bryan left his mother's house, with a sense of relief. He'd almost been caught installing hidden cameras and microphones. When he got home he locked the door and went to the office in his basement. He had the best computer and security system money could buy. He also had monitors that displayed images from the cameras at his mom's and Lori's house. Bryan made sure everything was in proper working order. He set alerts for the doors to Lori's house so he would be awakened if she left her home. He wasn't scheduled at his job tonight, but he hadn't lied when he told his mom that he had to work tonight. Bryan went up to his bedroom and immediately fell asleep.

Lori

When Lori woke up, it was dusk. She stretched, then got up to get a drink of water. The medication gave her dry mouth. She scanned the room as she drank, wondering which camera her brother had hacked to watch her. Raising her middle finger in the direction of the nearest camera, Lori saluted Bryan. She had underestimated Bryan. He was always so quiet and creeping around, she didn't realize that he was paying close attention to her. Did she make a mistake? How much did he know? Lori went to shower, plotting her next move.

Once it was full dark outside, Lori went to her mom's house. She let herself in and went to the den where there was a gas fireplace. Pulling a pair of pliers from her pocket, she tampered with the gas connection. Then she went to the box of her mom's security system. If she could rig everything just right, the house would blow up and the evidence would lead to Bryan. He thought he was such a hot shot as a security systems expert. Lori had considered killing Bryan but framing him for murder would cause him more suffering.

Bryan

Bryan jerked awake when he heard the alert that indicated Lori had left her house. He ran down to his office, so he could see where she went. When he got to his office he scanned the monitors looking for his sister. He saw her in their mom's den. He called his mom to wake her up. He was surprised when she answered right away. She usually took a sleeping pill that knocked her out. Bryan told his mom that she needed to get out as soon as possible, then he called the police. Bryan ran to his mom's house. He had to shut off the gas so the house wouldn't explode.