Name: Bobby Donnell Name: Lindsay Dole
Occupation: Attorney Occupation: Attorney
Age: 38 Age: 32
Marital Status: Married Marital Status: Married
Children: Robert Donnell, 2
Lindsay and Bobby first became romantically involved six months after Lindsay was hired at Bobby’s law firm. Fearing the accusation of showing partiality, Bobby and Lindsay decided to keep their romance a secret from the other partners at the firm. When Bobby hinted interest in Lindsay’s best friend, Helen, Lindsay and Bobby’s four month romance dissolved into a plutonic friendship.
After ending his short relationship with Helen, Bobby sought companionship once again with Lindsay, only this time to make it last and have it openly known. Hesitant at first to trust Bobby and herself (proclaiming that she thought too much with her heart instead of her head), Lindsay finally agreed to be in an exclusive relationship with Bobby.
Several months after they had been dating, Lindsay was brutally attacked, after hours at the office, just barely escaping death. After being in a coma for three days, Bobby realized he could never face to lose Lindsay again; therefore, he asked her to marry him. Although she said yes immediately, Lindsay wondered if it took a tragedy for Bobby to realize that he loved her.
Throughout the months of Bobby and Lindsay’s engagement, the couple experienced problems such as religious conflicts (Bobby practicing Catholicism and Lindsay a protestant), post traumatic stress from Lindsay’s attack, tension from jealous co workers, and the stress of being partners in the same law firm. Both partners often stated during this time that one another were resistant to opening up and letting the other in (C (1)). The couple states that they over came this issue by sitting down and talking to each other daily.
Shortly after their wedding, Lindsay became pregnant with their son, Robert. During her pregnancy, Lindsay was stalked by a former client. The stalker on top of the pregnancy caused additional stress in their marriage. Lindsay showed signs of hypervigilance, and Bobby feared the possibility of a miscarriage. Although there were stressors, the couple used this opportunity of conflict to bond closer to each other. This is evident by the couple spending more time together, and by setting aside time to talk about each stressful situation. Bobby also was able to take on the protector role in their relationship. He felt as though he could shield Lindsay from potential harm.
Two years after their son was born, Lindsay, once again, was stalked by a client who killed and then ate his victims. Throughout the period she was stalked, Lindsay often exploded in several angry outbursts at the workplace and at home. She often stated to Bobby, “I have never been ok after the stabbing three years ago; I have never gone back to being ok.” When the stalker appeared at their home one night, Lindsay shot and killed him. After this event, Lindsay suffered from post traumatic stress. This is evident by memory loss of the shooting, hypervigilance and flash backs of the event. Lindsay was first found guilty of the murder, spent several months in prison but then later was acquitted because of an error by the District Attorney. Throughout this time, Lindsay states that Bobby acted more like her attorney than her husband. She states that she needed someone to talk to and care for her as a wife instead of a client. Bobby states that raising his son alone was difficult and partly blames Lindsay for not being there because she “snapped” and killed her stalker.
Throughout the next several months, Bobby and Lindsay’s communication to one another became sparse. They often experienced frequent arguments over small situations that often ended with Lindsay in tears. The event that led the couple to counseling was Lindsay witnessing Bobby kissing a former girlfriend. Bobby states that the affair