A Familiar Prison

Chapter 21

"I'm so glad it's working so well for you!" Piper exclaimed after Gwen told her about her latest dreams and how she was able to get out of them.

"Thanks. I'm just glad I feel like I can take control of my dreams now. I'm still having them every time I sleep, but being able to change them or at least control them I feel much better. They've also decreased down to only one or two a night, rather than four or five."

"You've come very far in just a week! I am so proud of you and what you've accomplished, and you should be too!" Piper beamed at Gwen.

"Thanks. I am proud."

"So what I want you to do now is just keep on this path. Keep doing imagery rehearsal, keep journaling, and keep an open mind."

"I definitely will. I've been walking around the block too each evening trying to basically wear myself out before bed, hoping if I'm more tired, the less they'll seep into my subconscious."

"If it's working for you, don't stop." Piper checked her notes. "Have you heard more about your house?"

"Only that it should be ready in a few weeks, hopefully." Gwen smiled.

"What about a car? I know you were in a wreck just before seeing me the last time."

"We're still looking around. We haven't found one that we like in our budget just yet. I'm sure we will soon."

"Well, it sounds like things are falling into a good place for you!" Piper checked her calendar. "Let's keep you scheduled as weekly sessions for now, but we may get to extend those out."

"Sounds great! See you next week Piper! Thank you!"

"You're welcome. See you next week Gwen!"

Gwen exited the office smiling. AJ stood and smiled at her. "Seems like that went well."

"Yep!" She walked over and scheduled her next appointment for the next week. They left the office and were driving back to Kevin and Katie's house. "So, when we get back, what did you want to do?"

"I actually have to keep working on my project for work. But we can definitely play a board game tonight after dinner if you want."

"Okay, sounds good." Gwen took his hand and held it the rest of the way home.

Once back, Gwen had an idea. She looked around the car websites and found a great car for the two of them in their price range and that she was sure AJ would approve. She then wrote down a chicken and noodles recipe she found on a cooking website. Checking to make sure they had the ingredients needed, she sent a text to Katie while she was at work to let her know what would be made for dinner. Katie agreed it sounded good and Gwen got started on the prep work for their dinner.

She cut all she would need as to make mixing things in easier. After cutting, she put everything in the fridge. She then went outside to read for a bit until it was time to start actually making dinner.

After dinner, they all played a board game. Katie and Kevin turned in after the board game finished, while AJ and Gwen played a couple rounds of different card games. They decided to go for Gwen's evening stroll together. Gwen told AJ about the car she saw, and he agreed it sounded perfect for them, that they could go look at it this weekend. They finished their walk and headed to their room. AJ got ready for bed while Gwen journaled. Gwen then got ready for bed, joined AJ, and soon they both were sound asleep.