Part Two
The Troubled Treasure Hunter
"And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain,
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder"
-The Beatles' "Hey Jude"
Chapter One
A Professional's Point-of-View
3:30 P.M.
London, England
As Lara Croft sat in a chair beside the office window, she watched the flecks of rain hit the side and run off. "Lady Croft," a voice said. She turned and saw her psychiatrist, Dr. Grey. He had balding gray hair and small brown eyes.
"Sorry, Dr. Grey," she said. She was dressed in a black dress suit with her hair let down, much unlike her old style of dress from two years ago. Her face was gaunt and pail, her eyes bloodshot and sunken.
She had decided to find a psychiatrist after going through a very severe bout of depression. Ever since the massacre at Paraíso, she had found it difficult to talk to anyone, even Winston. She lost contact with many people, and began to lose her dignity. All she did was read and exercise. One day, she woke up and realized it was Amanda's birthday. She sat in her room the entire day, staring at the ceiling, and realized she would need help, for fear she would take her own life.
So, here was Lara Croft, the very shell of a woman she had once been. All grace and humor left behind, she sat in a psychiatrist's office, desperate to cure herself and return to the way things were. "Lara," Grey said, "you have been visiting me for the past six months, and we have barely approached the subject of what happened in Paraíso."
"You read the papers," Lara said sadly, "there was a cave-in. Unstable conditions. Nothing more."
"There's something you wish to tell me Lara. I'm quite sure of it," Grey persisted.
"No," Lara said, her voice rising, "nothing more."
"Lara, please calm down--" Grey began.
"CALM DOWN?" Lara cried, standing up, "how dare you tell me to calm down! You don't know what it was like down there! You have no idea! The terrors! The horrors!"
"Would you like to talk about it?" Grey asked, disturbingly calm. Lara slowly sat down.
"Yes," she said. And so, she relayed the entire experience of what happened that fateful day in Paraíso. The broken cable, the cave-in, the finding of Sarah's body, Kent's report of Oscar's death, Kent's death, Amanda's death, and the discovery of David's body. She even mentioned the monster that killed them all. The psychiatrist wrote these all down.
"Lara," he said, "I appreciate your telling the truth. I'm going to give you some mild sedatives. I want you to take them for the next 2 weeks. You can pick up the prescription with my receptionist."
"Thank you Dr. Gray," Lara said, smiling for the first time in months, "it feels like a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders."
"I'm glad you feel that way, Lara," Grey said, picking up the phone to call his receptionist, "See you next week."
"Goodbye," Lara said. As she turned to walk out the door, she could swear that she saw Grey mouth monster with a suspicious expression, which disturbed her greatly.
The next week was a very simple session. That was, until the last 20 minutes. "Lara," Grey said, "I was thinking about what you said about the killer in Paraíso."
"Yes?" Lara asked. He reached over to his coffee table and picked up a manila file folder. He opened it and pulled out a stapled white packet.
"This," he said, showing it to Lara, "is a brief file on David Morse." The bottom of Lara's stomach dropped out. She could not believe that the man in front of her had actually uttered the name of the man she loved. "Y-yes?" she stuttered, her mouth dry.
"Before I go on, I'm going to ask your permission to read his file to you. Do you wish me to do this?" Grey asked.
"What did David's parents say?" Lara asked, both anxious and curious.
"They gave me permission to help one of my patients who was close to David. I'm going to ask you again: may I read David's file to you?" Lara sat in silence for some time.
"Yes," she muttered. Grey opened the file and read David's basic information, his family, all those things. He eventually read the portion about mental health.
"David suffered from a chemical imbalance. This caused severe fits of… violence. Though he wanted to be an archaeologist, his doctor and parents did not believe he could handle the position, what with the confined spaces and drastic climates. He had run out of his medication while on the excavation, and I believe he suffered a severe attack that day of the cave-in."
"What are you trying to say?" Lara asked, flustered.
"I'm saying that David might have been your 'monster.'
"HOW DARE YOU?" Lara shrieked, "HOW DARE YOU SAY SUCH A THING?"
"Lara, think rationally. You had discovered a warning a few days before that described a monster guarding the temple. There were no wounds on David's body. You could have easily seen David and pictured him as a mythical beast with tentacles and claws. It's your mind's way of protecting you."
"I KNOW WHAT I SAW!" Lara cried. She cast aside a lamp into a bookshelf. Several thick volumes fell to the floor. "HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THE WOUNDS ON SARAH? KENT'S DEATH?"
"You said there were pick-axes at the dig site. I hate to paint a horrible picture, but this could have been the weapon he used," Grey said.
"THE CAVE-IN!" Lara screamed, "DO YOU THINK IT WAS CAUSED BY DAVID? YOU DON'T THINK AMANDA PULLED THAT STONE AND TRIGGERED THE FLOODING?"
"No, I do believe that," Grey said, "but please Lara. You must realize that this is the only way you can get better!"
Lara stood in silence for the rest of the session. Dr. Grey gave his secretary a prescription for sedatives and some other pills that Lara realized could only brain-wash her into believing Grey. She vowed to herself not to take these pills, and remember the sacrifices of Paraíso. It was her way of respecting the dead.
For the next few sessions Lara played along with Dr. Gray, pretending that David was the actual killer, and that she was getting over the incident. The shocking thing to her was that she felt like she actually was getting better. She was laughing, smiling, and talking once more. Eventually, at a positive session, she told Dr. Grey exciting news. "I'm going on an excavation," she said, "in Egypt. Next month."
"Really? That's fantastic. Are you sure you're up to it?" Grey asked.
"Pretty sure," laughed Lara.
"Well, I must say Lady Croft, you certainly have changed. I'm proud of you," he said.
"Thank you, doctor."
"And that," Grey said, looking at his watch, "concludes our session. Thank you Lara, and have a pleasant journey."
"Thank you so much Dr. Gray. Have a good day," Lara said. For the first time in two years, Lara Croft was actually happy and confident in herself.