A/N – Thanks for the comments! Glad you liked the Sonny twist! It's amazing how much they have changed his character.

Chapter 20

Edward's eyes perused the room, everyone in the family is present, some in better shape than others. Emily is being stoic, but he can see pain flash in her eyes frequently and it worries him and he wonders if she has PTSD too. What are the odds that two people in his family would suffer so badly around the same time? Elizabeth took a seat next to Emily and Johnny spoke to Francis at the back of the room. Victoria and AJ are talking while Tracy pours herself a drink. Monica and Alan are trying to distract a nervous Lila while Ned chats with his daughter on the phone. Alice walks in an all talk ceases as Sonny steps into the room.

"Hello," Lila says. Please, have a seat.

He nods and sits in a chair. "My name is Sonny Corinthos and I am Jason's therapist. I asked you here today to talk about what comes next and to answer any questions you may have."

"Do you have any experience treating a patient like Jason?" Tracy asks.

"Yes and I have suffered from PTSD in the past as well. I understand what he is experiencing and what it takes for him to heal."

He looks around the room. "Can you introduce yourself and tell me what relationship you have with Jason, please?"

One by one, they go around the room and when they were done, he started to tell them about the therapies and how they work.

"So, he will still have these incidents where he flashes back?" Liz asked.

"Yes. It's good that Jason is facing it now, but he'll still be very uncomfortable with large crowds of people for a while. This has been a big trigger in the past. The good news is that I don't think it will be as bad as when he was still keeping the secret."

"What can we do?" Alan asked.

"That's a big question because the answer isn't that simple, but mainly, Jason needs normalcy. He doesn't need you coddling him or treating him completely differently, nor does he want anyone's pity and he needs to get back to a consistent routine. If you are around him during an episode, just make sure he's in no position to hurt himself and talk to him. I have to warn you that tomorrow is the six month anniversary of the bombing which means there will be televised broadcasts of the aftermath. This will be tough on him, but hopefully, we can engage him at work and keep him occupied."

"Is it like his brain is stuck back there?" Lila asked.

"Kind of. By isolating himself, his brain started to learn a bad response pattern. It's my job to help train his brain to react differently and take the charge off of it. As Jason starts releasing his guilt and moving forward, he'll be able to handle things better and differently."

"What about medication?" Francis asked.

"For now, Jason wants to avoid that, but he knows it might be a necessity depending on how things go."

"So it will be bad for him to go back to Paris?" Edward asked.

"For the foreseeable future, I don't recommend that. At some point, he'll have to face that, but not now. He's not remotely ready."

"Could he have an episode while he is driving?" Tracy said.

"I suppose he could."

"Should he be driving then?" Alan asked.

"Jason has been fine so far, but I'll talk to him about it and we'll let it be his decision."

"So, in your opinion, is my son going to get better?" Monica said.

Sonny sat back in the chair. "I think your son is the right frame of mind to help himself get beyond this, but I can't guarantee you anything and it's going to take time. He's going to get frustrated at times and he may try to distance himself when that happens. Don't give up, just give him space when he needs it. Now, I need to talk to AJ, Elizabeth, and Emily separately."

"You can use the den," Monica said.

AJ stood. "I'll go first."

Sonny followed him to the den and they sat on a couch.

"I know that you are trying to heal your relationship with your brother, but there can't be any pressure there. Do you understand?"

"Yes. I won't try to force anything and I'll just try to be there for him when he needs me."

"Good. Try to keep it drama free for his sake."

"I can do that. I don't want to hurt him more than I already have."

"If Jason wants to work on your relationship, are you willing to come to a session?"

"Yes. What about the meetings? Is it wrong to ask him if I can go with him for moral support?"

"We encourage everyone to talk and share something in the meetings. He may be less apt to do that around you, so let him initiate that. In the beginning, I'll be there for him."

"I understand. I go to AA meetings and it has helped me a lot."

Sonny smiled warmly. "You are probably feeling helpless, but I think these meetings will help him heal. He just has to give it time."

AJ stood. "I'll go get Elizabeth."

Sonny closed his eyes as he waited. He had expected Jason's family to be pushy, at least that is what Jason implied, but it seems like everyone is willing to do whatever it takes for Jason get better.

Elizabeth shut the door and sat in a chair.

"Thanks for meeting with me. Jason has told me about your budding relationship." It had been quite the phone call when they had discussed all the dynamics, but Sonny had taken good notes.

"He's very important to me."

"I think he feels the same way, but he is a little insecure about it though."

"We talked about it earlier. He's scared that I'll bail because it might take some time before he's back to normal."

"You were a big catalyst for him dealing with this. He has a lot of survivor's guilt, but he also recognizes that he has a unique connection with you. It's stronger than the one he had with Nadea, so there's some guilt about moving forward too."

"I'm not sure there is anything I can do about that."

"There isn't, but sometimes, it might cause Jason to pull back."

"Mr. Corinthos…"

"Sonny."

"Sonny, Jason just needs to tell me if he needs space. We have to communicate or this isn't going to work at all. If it's too much and we need to slow it down, I'll deal with that, but I can't deal with him just pulling away and not talking to me. I can't just let someone hurt me like that."

"I don't think you're being unreasonable. Talk to him about it. You are right, communication will be very important."

"So, when you say this is going to take awhile, are we talking years?"

"It could, but honestly, I think Jason is motivated and willing to do what it takes. I'm hoping after the next six months are over, he'll be in a much better place."

"I only ask because it's hard watching someone you care about suffer."

"He's lucky to have such good family and friends."

"I feel very lucky to have him as well."

Sonny handed her a card. "Call me if you need me. I meant it. If something happens and he's not coming back around, I want to be there."

"He's lucky to have you too," she said before exiting the room.

Johnny carried Emily into the study and sat her down. "Mr. Corinthos, please come get me when you are done. She's tired and I don't want her walking."

"I will."

Emily took a deep breath.

"Emily, blaming yourself for any of this is not helping your brother."

"You can tell?"

"Yes. Jason doesn't blame you, but I think he's scared for you right now."

"Why?"

"Because you've been through a lot of trauma yourself and he doesn't want you to be haunted forever either."

She fiddled with the blanket that Johnny had thrown across her lap. "I have nightmares, even though I know he's gone, but my bruises will heal eventually and it will be easier to deal with."

"But if you don't do something about the emotional aspect, it will change your life and not in a good way."

She wiped a tear away. "My family is walking on egg shells around me. And trust me, that is a hard thing for them to do. I feel so ashamed."

"That's common for a rape victim."

She flinched.

"My fiance is a psychologist. She's good and with your permission, I could have her give you a call and don't worry, we won't be discussing you. She will respect your privacy."

She bit her lip and then closed her eyes. "Okay."

Sonny breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll have her call you tomorrow. Just text me your number." He gave her a card. "I know this will be hard for you, but you deserve a future without this haunting you."

"It's just so mortifying."

"Well, we all have done things that we wish we could take back, no matter what, you didn't ask for what he did nor did you deserve it. Logan was out of control and tried to take all of your power away. Now, you have a choice to take it back. Don't let him win."

She nodded. "I won't."

He softly smiled. "Good. You should be proud of yourself. It takes guts to hash everything out with a therapist. You and Jason are fighters."

"Thank you for helping him."

"I feel honored to have his trust. Lainey is good and she won't judge you."

"I'm scared, but I'm looking forward to starting."

"I'll go get Johnny."

When Johnny returned, he could tell how tired Emily is and took her home. Edward pulled Sonny aside.

"I know I may have caused more damage with my methods, but I love my grandson and if holding back my natural tendency to interfere will help him, then I'll do it."

"Mr. Quartermaine, Jason knows that you love him and he doesn't hate you for what you did. Just give it time. I understand he's working on some campaign right now, but what about when that's over?"

"I'm making some plans so that he'll work at corporate. I had to replace his position in Paris. I didn't want to because I didn't want to take away his options, but I had no choice. I'm going to let him handle a few big deals we have coming up with Tracy assisting. They work well together. After that, hopefully he'll be in a place to make some decisions about his future."

"That sounds like a good plan."

"He means the world to me, Mr. Corinthos."

"I know and I'll do my best to help him."

"Thank you."

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Elizabeth is let into the penthouse and she spots Jason on the balcony. Slowly she slides the door open and he turns towards the noise.

"Hey."

She slightly smiled. "Hey."

He motions for her to sit, so she does.

"I listened to everything Sonny had to say and had a private meeting with him and I haven't changed my mind."

He lets out the breath he is holding. "Thank you."

"I'm willing to take this journey with you, but I also need you to be honest with me. If you need space, then tell me. What you did the other night, made me feel very insecure even though I know you didn't mean to hurt me and you needed the space. it would have been nice to hear it from you though, even if it was a text. Going forward, all you have to do is tell me and I'll back off. I know you won't always be perfect about it, but I need you to at least try."

"Okay. I need you to just be yourself with me and not treat me differently because of the therapy."

"Okay. I can do that."

"And I am really sorry that I didn't let you know where my head is at. Honestly, I was blindsided."

"I know." She stood and sat on his lap.

"I just want to hold you for the rest of the night. Is that okay with you?"

"It's more than okay."

They ate dinner together and then went to his room and Jason held her and they talked some more. It was a good night and they felt like they were back on track again.

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The next morning, Johnny went to the office.

"Hey," Claudia said with a smile. "How is she?"

"She's at a therapy session right now."

"Wow. That's great, right?"

"Yeah." Luckily, Lainey had a last-minute cancellation. "I just wish I could do more for her."

"You have already done more than you probably even realize. She's finally doing something to take her life back. Why do you look so pathetic?"

"I'm falling in love with her, Claudia."

"Duh."

"You don't get it. I don't know if she'll ever see me as more than a friend."

"Maybe you haven't stopped to think that she can see what is right in front of her and you're part of the reason she wants to get better. Don't give up on her."

His eyes narrowed. "You seem different."

Claudia grinned.

"Holy shit. You hooked up with someone."

"Maybe."

"Who is it?"

She didn't mean to, but she laughed at Johnny's protective scowl. "Relax, you know him and not only is he really good in bed, I think he's a keeper."

Adam strolled into the room with flowers and then stopped.

"Holy shit," Johnny said under his breath.

"Sorry, I didn't realize you weren't alone. Hello, Johnny."

Adam put the vase on her desk.

"How is Emily?"

"She's doing a little better. Listen, she told me what you did and thank you for helping her."

"I—she didn't deserve any of it and I'm glad he's dead and he can't physically hurt her anymore."

"Yeah." Johnny stood. "I have to go pick her up soon, so I'm going to check my messages before I leave." As he walked by Adam, he paused. "You hurt Claudia and I'll have to hurt you. Do you understand?"

Adam nodded.

"Good."

Claudia rolled her eyes, but it means a lot to her that Johnny treats her like family.

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Jason hugged a squealing Victoria back. "What was that for?"

"I have a date with Jax tonight thanks to you."

"I just hope that after dinner, you still want to thank me."

She smacked him on the arm. "You're so bad. He's a good guy."

"He'd be more tolerable without that annoying accent."

She rolled her eyes. "I could always go back to Nikolas."

Jason gagged, making her laugh.

"You have a lot of work to do today."

"Good."

"Let's get started."

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Elizabeth watched Felix do a happy dance as she laughed.

"I'm so excited for you, but I'm going to tell you something that will make your good mood even better.

"What's that."

"We got the Newman party."

"What Newman party?"

"Victor is throwing a party for Abby."

Her brow quirked. "And you took the gig?"

"Yes. He was close to hiring Carly, but I talked him out of it."

Liz groaned. "I'm not sure that was the right move."

"Why?" He plopped down into a chair.

"AJ is dating Abby who is on the outs with her father. This spells disaster."

"Look at it this way. With you at the helm, it will be tastefully done at least."

"He could be trying to use me to get to Abby."

"True, but then he doesn't know you very well, because you are all about business. Talk to AJ and see what he thinks before you totally bail."

"Fine."