Ghost - Elmax

Chapter 18 : The bridge

There were three brown leather sofas in a U. Gabrielle and Lucas were facing Max and Jane, while Moussa and Beverly were on the third line of the U, in front of the psychologist, all separated by a coffee table. The room was wide with many bookcases and big windows above the garden.

The atmosphere was awkward. Moussa, Gabrielle, and Max were sharing desperate eyes with each other. Lucas was killing with his eyes Jane who was looking away, while Beverly was looking down at her lap.

- "So," began the psychologist, "how are you all?"

No one really answered. Jane, Lucas, and Bev didn't react, while the three others just pouted, not really knowing how they were.

- "I'm going to explain why we are all here and what we are going to do. First, Ms. Marsh, Ms. Brown, and Mr. Sinclair, you all have PTSD further to several months in a hostile environment in Somalia. Since you're back in America, you have nightmares, flashbacks, uncontrollable anger, and depression. Today, we're beginning with a confrontation. I'm going to try to understand when everything went wrong with all of you by asking you questions and details about your last mission."

When the woman said that, Jane tensed her body, Bev had a faster breathing, and Lucas began to shake. It was apparently their last mission which traumatized them the most. Moussa, Max, and Gabrielle had the same spark of hope in their eyes, thinking this woman knew exactly what she was doing and would clear the situation.

- "You were sent, you and your team, to transport supplies to a town which had just been bombarded. How many were you?"

- "Ten."

- "Shut up, Bev!" ordered Jane.

- "I'm sorry...I'm so tired..."

- "I don't give a fuck! We're all tired!"

- "Leave her alone!" intervened Lucas. "This is your fault, not hers!"

- "No! This is not my fault! I didn't wanna use this road to avoid exactly what happened!"

- "And what happened?" asked the psychologist.

- "Nothing."

Jane leaned back on the couch, grabbed the pillow next to her, and hugged it. Lucas shook his head in disbelief in her direction, before leaning back too. The woman didn't continue immediately, giving them some time to calm down.

- "What was the problem with the first road?" she asked.

Jane clenched her jaw and looked away like a child, while Lucas just didn't react.

- "The bridge exploded," told Bev.

- "Enough Bev!" continued Jane.

- "No! I'm sorry for what happened, I really am, but I'm tired to have nightmares, to not be able to do anything without being terrified, to hurt Moussa without knowing it! I want and I need things to change! They took us here for a reason!"

- "We're fine! I'm fine!"

- "No you're not!" intervened Gabrielle. "None of you are! Even us! We're tired too! We don't support to see you like this! You don't hear your girlfriend cry every night because of you!?"

- "Max is fine!"

- "Yeah! She is so fine that she cheated on you!"

Max wasn't ready for this. She closed her eyes with a worried frown and pinched her lips together, wanting to disappear. She didn't hear Jane answer and was scared to know why. When she opened her eyes, the brunette was leaned again on the couch, looking at Gabrielle with angry eyes.