Chapter Four: Exploring The Past
Disclaimer: I don't own Moulin Rouge.
Two days later, Christian and Satine sat anxiously in their entry hall, waiting for the therapist to arrive. Satine's nightmare had returned the night before and although her reaction wasn't quite as severe, Christian thought it would be best to have the sessions in their home, in case anything evoked another reaction like that.
The doorbell rang, and Christian got up to answer it. Satine didn't move. Although she wouldn't admit it, she was scared. She felt a little silly being scared of what was essentially a doctor's visit, but she was scared. Satine wasn't afraid of very many things. But what she was afraid of was her past, and she knew that her past would have to be confronted with the therapist.
Christian let the therapist in. "Hello. I'm Dr. Steven Landon. You must be Christian" the doctor said as he took off his coat.
"Yes, I'm Christian and this is Satine." Christian said, gesturing to Satine who still remained motionless.
The doctor appeared unfazed by Satine's lack of response. "Well, Satine, why don't we go into the living room and get started?" he said.
Satine's face suddenly filled with panic. "Christian can stay with me, right?" Satine wasn't going through with this if Christian couldn't be with her.
The doctor paused for a moment. "Well, it isn't what I normally like to do, but I don't see why not." Satine's face filled with relief, and she stood up and accompanied Christian and Dr. Landon into the living room.
In the living room, Satine and Christian sat on the couch while Dr. Landon sat on a chair opposite them. Christian held on to Satine's hand as Dr. Landon began his session. "So Satine, Christian tells me that you were a bit anxious at the idea of starting therapy. Can you tell me why?
Satine didn't respond. She shifted her gaze downwards, as if she was ashamed of being scared. Dr. Landon continued. "You know, it's alright if you were. A lot of people are scared about starting therapy. And from what Christian told me, I can see why you would be. But I can promise you that I am never going to do anything to hurt you. Ok?" Satine nodded. This doctor was certainly a lot nicer than the ones she had dealt with in the past.
Dr. Landon looked at his notepad and continued. "Now, you know that we're here to talk about these nightmares of yours. I already know what they're about, and I already know what happened to you when you were ten. That's half our battle right there, knowing what is causing the dreams. What I need to find out is why that night still scares you so much, because although you have been through a traumatic event, something like the past couple nights shouldn't still be happening-especially when you have so many good things going on right now.
Satine knew the doctor was right. She wanted to know why she was scared just as badly as he did. Dr. Landon began asking her questions. "Now Satine, the fact that you're still holding onto this fear leads me to believe that that night was not the first time something really scary happened to you. So I want you to think back for me-to before you were ten. Did anything else happen that was really scary?
Satine immediately nodded. "Can you tell me what it was?" Dr. Landon asked. Satine took a deep breath. "When I was nine, I was with my motherÉwe were just going for a walk. It was only about two months before I was attacked. Anyway, we were walking back to our house, when someoneÉhe jumped out of a tree and grabbed my motherÉhe had a knifeÉI heard her scream but I didn't know what to do. I tried calling for help, but no one answered. I was scared to leave. He killed her. " Satine said as she started to cry. She quickly stopped and looked at the doctor for a response.
Dr. Landon extended a hand to Satine. He could see that she was trying very hard not to cry. "Satine, it's perfectly alright to cry here, ok? Now, were you and your mother very close?" he asked. Satine nodded. "She and I were so much alike. I never got along well with my father, but with mommy it was differentÉwe always knew what the other one wanted. She was like my best friend." Satine had stopped trying to hold in the tears.
Christian saw Satine in a new way. Looking at her on the couch, he no longer saw the "sparkling diamond" or even his own diamond. He saw a scared little girl, wanting nothing more than her mommy. All he wanted to do was to hold her on his lap while she cried. It was no wonder that Satine had never mentioned her family before. Christian gently rubbed Satine's shoulder.
Dr. Landon was almost done for the day, but he had one more thing to cover. "Satine, that night when you were attacked. I want you to think back for me. Was it the same man who attacked your mom that attacked you?" Satine thought for a minute. "I'm not sure. I never saw his faceÉit was really dark andÉ" Satine was crying too hard now to speak.
Dr. Landon stood up and put his notepad away. "Alright, I think we're done for today. You did really well today, Satine. I think you deserve a little reward. This may seem strange to give to a twenty-three-year-old, but hereÉ" he said as he handed Satine a small lollipop. Satine took the candy, and Christian stood to see the doctor out.
When Christian came back into the living room, Satine was sitting on the couch, crying, sucking on her lollipop. Christian sat beside her and gently put his arms around her. Like he had done so many times before that week, he rocked her from side to side while stroking her hair. "Baby, it's ok. It's all going to be ok. I promise" he said softly. They stayed there for quite awhile. Christian didn't want to let go of Satine. She was so scared, and so fragile. He had never seen her like this before. He pulled her close to him, and whispered "It will all be over soon. " He hoped he was right, for both their sakes.
