Operation Holiday Cheer - A Spy School Story

Chapter 15: Departure

CIA Academy of Espionage

Washington, DC

Nathan Hale Administration Building

December 18th, 2015

1145 hours

Alexander POV

After the three of us finished breakfast, we returned to my office, where I picked up some papers. While Cath and I were waiting for Ben to change, I received a call from Professor Weaver.

I answered the call. "Professor Weaver."

"Hello, Agent Hale. I have considered the situation you sent to me," Weaver replied in his thick Russian accent.

"What do you think, sir?"

"This certainly sounds like some form of PTSD, which can result in night terrors."

I silently shivered, feeling thankful that, even as a proper officer, I have never been captured on a mission. I knew some guys that were actually tortured... some managed to push through and heal, but a few were never the same again.

I remember one that went the extra step. The step Ben thankfully didn't take.

"However," he added. "There is a chance that this may not be PTSD. It could be something else. You'd need a psychiatrist to know for sure."

"Is there anything we can do, Professor?"

"Well, make sure that he has support, from friends and family. But find a balance: too much interaction with other people can have unintended negative consequences, depending on the person. Also, despite what you may think, you shouldn't try to wake him from a night terror. Not only is this incredibly difficult, it can be bad for him, and he will likely be disoriented and confused. It'll make it more difficult to try and go back to sleep."

I remembered Ben's delirium this morning, and we didn't even wake him. I shuddered imagining how much worse it would be if we did.

"Anything else, sir?" I queried.

"In regards to sleeping, try to figure out if there's some sort of sleeping arrangement he needs. Does he need to be alone, or does he need company in the room with him? Finally, keep his stress levels down as much as possible. And make sure he's got some sort of bedtime routine so he can try to have a good night's sleep. Now, assuming that we're dealing with PTSD, keep this in mind: it isn't curable, per se, but it can definitely be treated. Don't get any medication involved unless the situation becomes dire. Like I said earlier, try to see if you can get him checked by a medical professional at some point."

"If I may, it sounds like you're speaking from experience."

"That's classified. But between you and me, Agent Hale... yes," he said solemnly.

"Understood. Thank you, sir."

"No problem at all. Please tell Benjamin that Mason, Woods, Hudson, Bowman, and myself all wish him a Merry Christmas. Also, from us to you, Agent Hale, please watch over him. He's a fine young man, and we're all counting on you, as his most trusted adult, to keep him safe."

"Yes, sir. I will," I promised.

"Thank you, Agent Hale. Have a good Christmas. Best of luck," he said as we both hung up.

"What's the situation?" Cath asked.

"Okay, so Weaver—and by extension, the rest of the SAD/SOG Five—are thinking it's PTSD. Although he added that there's an off-chance that this isn't PTSD. Ben would need a psychiatrist's lookover to know for certain."