The next morning the alarm goes off at 7:30 AM to make sure I am up to get ready to go to work. We slept in those johnnies again.

As I get up it wakes Jena up who decides to get up with me.

I shower and dress before sitting down to eat and as Jena and I are eating Andy wakes up and informs us he has to change shift. So he calls for his replacement to come in. Andy informs me that she is already on her way.

After she rings the doorbell I am surprised to see it is Suzen again.

I comment to her, “You’re working another shift?”

“Yep, I’m back again.”

Andy gives Suzen the shock device.

There is still some time before I have to leave for work so the four of us chat a bit before Andy leaves. Then I browse the net to see what’s going on in the world and check some emails while Jena turns on the TV to see if there is anything interesting on for her to watch.

Finally I head out to work in the car with Suzen as I say goodbye to my wife and kiss her on the lips.

I arrive for work at the front desk with Suzen and explain to the secretary that I am clocking in and this is my aid that will be accompanying me.

She explains that she is not aware that I now have an aid and needs to run it by my boss.

She calls him up and he decides to come to the counter.

He explains to his secretary that yes this is something that had been discussed with him.

He then reaches out his right hand to Suzen.

They shake hands as he says, “Hi, my name is George. Nice to meet you. I was told John might be accompanied by an aid for the next two weeks for his treatment.”

“Yes. My name is Suzen. I work at the Rockford Care Hospital.”

George then turns to me and says, “Go ahead and clock in and start work.”

I log into the computer with my ID badge. (Luckily they use those here, because I am not good at remembering cryptic strings and numbers). It’s one of those wireless NFC badges that you tap. Like the kind doctors use in the hospital to log onto computers.

I have worked there long enough to know where to go and what I need to do. It’s mainly just refurbishing old computers that we resell to customers and computer shops.

Inside the room I enter there is a shelf with several laptops and a few desktops. There is a hook hanging off the shelf. It only protrudes a little, just enough for the clipboard that is hanging on it. This clipboard lists the inventory, what repairs need to be done, and which computer is the highest priority to get fixed.

So I take down the clipboard and go over it. I then take one of the laptops down and set it up on the table. I go and get out the tools I will need for the job.

As I’m going through the laptops testing them and replacing the parts I get to one that needs a new disk drive. I have it all apart because this laptop happens to be one that you have to take apart to replace the drive. As I’m trying to take the drive’s caddy off one of the screws keeps turning and turning without coming out. So I realize it’s stripped. But I can’t get the caddy off without getting the screw out.

“Fuck.” I exclaim.

Suzen my aid responds, “No swearing!” and then shocks me.

“Aaaaaaaaaaah!” I exclaim and the electricity surges through my leg for 2 full seconds. Which may sound short but it feels like a while when you’re getting shocked for that long!

Then I just look at her for a second. After this I look back at my work, sit for a few seconds then go back to working on it.

I get a small pair of pliers and a small flat head screwdriver to pry the stupid screw out.

A co-worker comes in and asks if I am OK. I tell him I am. He then asks me, “Are you sure, because it sounded like you really hurt yourself.” Then I assure him I am fine and he leaves.

Over the next week I get shocked quite a bit. I end up telling my co-workers that I am on a device that an aid shocks me with. Some of them already figure it out. Some think it is to extrema and some of them think it is quite funny.

My wife and I go to some outings during the week but since it is just the two of us it is not very awkward that I am on the device.

I get to the point where I stop so I don’t get myself shocked and take some deep breaths or step away.

My aid shows me charts of my behaviors going down.

On the 2nd week I go to some more outings with my wife and go to work, but I notice I have not been getting shocked nearly as much. In fact the last 3 days I am on the device I don’t get shocked at all.

Then I go off the device, and thank the staff.

I have a couple people tell me that aversion therapy (which is what they call it in the psychiatric field) stops working when the threat of the shock is removed. But time will tell. And time will tell how well Rockford Care Hospital will do as our primary medical provider instead of the clinic we were going to before.

My wife is very optimistic and believes our new medical provider is going to work out great, and believes the effects of my therapy will last. I’m cautious to not be to optimistic because I don’t know what to expect. But I think things will work out.

I’m just hoping neither one of us have to be hospitalized any time soon. There really is nothing else to say.

The End