Thanks to Ellen Hursh for her Croatian translations.
Dave's second session with Nina proved to be a lot more constructive than the first. He kept his promise and told her in detail about the attack and the nightmares.
"How do you feel now?" asked Nina, gently as she handed him a glass of water.
Dave shrugged, "A bit better. Guess Luka was right. It does help to talk about it." His throat ached from talking for so long, and he sipped the water gratefully.
"Dave, just because you've been able to open up to a few people, doesn't mean that the nightmares will stop overnight."
"I know that," said Dave quietly. "But they will stop...won't they?"
"I hope so. I wish I could tell you for sure, but Psychiatry isn't an exact science. Only time will tell."
Dave sighed heavily, looking away from Nina.
"Dave?" He looked up at her again. "You will get through this."
Dave had just been wheeled back to his room, when Elizabeth arrived on her rounds. She gave him her usual thorough examination.
Dave watched apprehensively as she wrote detailed notes on his chart. "So," he said, finally. "Do I get out of here today or what?"
"What? Oh, yes. Yes you do. I expect you'll be glad to be going home?"
"You bet," said Dave, with feeling.
"Well, I hope you're going to be sensible about your convalescence. You're to have plenty of rest."
"I'll be good, I promise," said Dave. "I'll lie on the couch and watch TV all day. It'll be hard, but I guess I'll just have to live with it." He grinned at Elizabeth.
"Hmm, well I'm sure Luka will make you rest." Elizabeth finished with the chart and stood up. "I'll just sign your discharge orders and you'll be free to go. Just remember, rest, rest and more rest. The next time I see you in here, I want you to be a doctor, not a patient."
"I'll behave," said Dave, as Elizabeth left the room. Alone at last, he lay back on the bed. A part of him was eager to be finally going home, but another part of him was uneasy at leaving the safety and security of the hospital. "Everything's gonna be all right," he told himself. "I'm going home, that's all that matters."
to be continued
Authors note
Luka's words to Dave are
'I'll protect you from the hooded claw.
I'll keep the vampires from your door'
(The Power of Love - Frankie Goes to Hollywood ~1994)
(i've always like those particular lyrics)
ceindreadh
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"i have never understood why it is necessary to become irrational in order to prove that you care, or why it should be necessary to prove it at all"
Kerr Avon
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