Raising my head, I look at my friend, hesitating for only a moment before I say, “We need a therapist.”
“That’s going to be hard for Lio. I became his confidant because, while he’s extremely open with those he trusts and loves, he still isn’t comfortable with emotions. I don’t know how he’ll handle seeing a professional…”
“I don’t care if he sits there for an hour or two in silence at first. So long as he goes and knows he has a safe space. Roman as well—he grew up knowing what happened to Tennant, so his perspective of mental health professionals is fucked up. But, I already need to get someone for Hollis—he also doesn’t get a choice, as I no longer trust him.
“I’m not sure if you have a short list of people we can trust, but I have one we can go off of. I have a feeling we’ll need more than one person eventually, but for now, we need to get someone in here.”
“I agree.” Her gray eyes are dark and stormy, and I can see the worry for her friend etched clearly on her face.
“We can get together tomorrow and iron out what we want. I think someone who specializes in trauma would be good to bring in—I have a name I really like, but we’ll discuss that later. For now…I just need ten minutes to not think.”
She laughs softly. “I agree with you there as well. I almost feel bad for leaving you. Almost.”
I snort. “No you don’t. And I don’t blame you one bit. You deserve the opportunity; it’s a great one—I just hope you know what you’re doing. The Bratva…”
“I’ll be fine. I trust David when he says he won’t let anything happen to me. He has plans, apparently.” She gives me a wry grin. “Should be fun.”
I laugh. Fun, yeah…there’s a reason Emilio and Sarah are friends. They’re both crazy.
Sighing, I lay my head back against the couch again and close my eyes. Ten minutes. That’s all I need…just ten minutesof peace and quiet, and no one trying to fucking die on me. One day, I should let them, just to teach the assholes a lesson…
My nerves are pulled taut and the world is spinning out of control. I hate being stuck in this bed, forced to do nothing but rely on the crumbs of knowledge thrown my way. Cristian has been popping in and out to keep me semi-updated. Unfortunately, his own information is lacking as he has also been brushed to the side by everyone.
At least, I know that Roman and Emilio are here and safe. I can breathe easier knowing that. Still, having next to no information about their state…it grates. Not that I don’t deserve it. Although, I worry for Cristian. He’s not handling it well. While he was granted the privilege of rescuing his son, everyone has made it clear they’d rather he be anywhere else. My heart hurts for him, but it’s not anything we don’t deserve.
It would help if he’d at least apologize to Ignacio…but so far, I haven’t been able to get that through to him. I shrug, wincing asit pulls at my healing wound. Tilting my head back, I stare at the ceiling and let my thoughts take me back to a time when things were right…but fuck if I even know them anymore.
The sharp strike of heels against the floor has me turning my head toward the doorway, in a desperate hope that Sarah will come speak with me. I blink in shock when she actually does come in, and I wonder if I’m hallucinating it. Yet, if I was, I’m sure I wouldn’t imagine her looking so tired.
“Are you taking care of yourself?” I ask, my voice almost rusty from disuse, even with Cristian’s occasional visits.
She rolls her eyes at me and it brings a partial smile to my face. One of my favorite things about Sarah is that she never backs down to me—even before I fucked everything up.
“If people could stop getting injured and take care of themselves, I wouldn’t have to worry about getting rest. Then again, this is helping prepare me for my next venture.”
I tilt my head and gesture for her to sit down. “Next venture?”
Sighing, she gives me a sad smile. “I have a lot to update you on. First, I know you’re worried about Lio.”
“And Roman,” I interrupt.
Her brows raise dramatically in response, but she doesn’t ask why. “Very well. And Roman. What I can tell you is that both are likely suffering severe trauma responses. I’ll leave it up to the mental health professionals to determine any formal diagnoses.”
“Then you’re going to get them help?” I ask hopefully.
She narrows her eyes, her lips pursing as she studies me. Slowly, she retorts, “I’m surprised you’re advocating for it.”
Snorting, I shake my head. “I advocated for Emilio to have therapy when he was finally free of Peter. You know that.”
“True.” She waves her hand in acknowledgement. “I suppose I forgot because you didn’t take care of your own mental health and decided to destroy everything instead.”
Cringing, I glance away.She’s not wrong. Properly chastised, I sigh in frustration. “Yes, I know. But can you find someone that will work?”
“Doc has a name. I’m going to check it over, but I trust him.” Her eyes soften as she stares at me. “I’ll advocate for Lio and Roman. Like I should have with you.”
I swallow roughly at that. “It probably wouldn’t have made a difference. But so long as they get help, that’s what matters. I haven’t been told much about what they went through, but I can’t imagine it was easy.”
“Let’s just say that while comparing trauma is never right, I have a bad feeling this will affect Lio more than what he went through with Peter.”
