I'm back;-P. So I didn't get to sleep until about 7AM and didn't wake up till like 3PM so I might be up late again tonight watching Netflix, ROTG, Frozen, Brave and writing Fanfiction. So last chapter was all about war experiences and this chapter is about transitioning out of war and starting to deal with PTSD. I have also made these two chapters into a new story that will have more chapters so I will jump from this one to Life in Arendelle and to Solders Heart.
PTSD(POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER):
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.
Many people who go through traumatic events have difficulty adjusting and coping for a while. But with time and taking care of yourself, such traumatic reactions usually get better. In some cases, though, the symptoms can get worse or last for months or even years. Sometimes they may completely shake up your life. In a case such as this, you may have post-traumatic stress disorder.
Getting treatment as soon as possible after post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms develop may prevent long-term post-traumatic stress disorder.
Gone but Not Forgotten:Part II War Ends, Heroes, Discharge and Therapy
August 25th 2013: Arendelle, New York
It was just a normal day for Anna Winters-Bjorgman as she went to and from work. She got home to see her husband standing at the counter reading the mail, he looked at her when she came through the door. Anna noticed he had a solemn expression on his face instead of hid usual childish grin."Kristoff?" she asked."What's wrong?"
"You got a letter today," he said."From the Air Force," he added. Anna's face lit up.
"Elsa wrote?" she asked excitedly.
"Not exactly," Kristoff answered. Anna's face fell and she slowly made her way over to the counter where Kristoff handed her the letter. She opened it with shaky hands and sat down at the kitchen table.
To the family of Second Lieutenant Elizabeth Anderson Winters,
We regret to inform you of an accident that occured during the last mission that the First Airborne Division went on. Lieutenant Winters plane had suffered colladeral damage and crashed outside the small village that the enemy HQ was located, her squad was bringing an air strike to the 2nd company infantrymen of the United States Marine Corps. There was only one survivor of the company who was injured at the scene, Lieutenant Winters was one of two injured of the mission. She is currently being cared for at the Baghdad air base awaiting a transport back to the United States, she will be at DC Memorial Hospital in Washington, DC on the 3rd of September 2013. When she recovers she will be given full honors, as well as the distinguished service medal, and be regarded as a war hero who ended the war. We are truly sorry for what has happened and hope that her recovery is well taken care of.
Sincerely,
Department of Veterans Affairs
Anna dropped the letter on the table and stared at the black words, she didn't even notice when Kristoff came over.
"Are you okay, is she coming home?" he asked. Anna looked up at him with tears brimming in her eyes.
"She's coming home," she said. Kristoff smiled a little but knew something else was wrong.
"There's more of a reason she's coming home isn't there," he said. She nodded and her shoulders slumped.
"She was injured, she'll be in DC on the 3rd," she said. Kristoff pulled her into a hug as she sobbed."They said that when she recovers she'll be given full honors and be regarded as one of the heroes of the war," she added.
"Hey that's a plus right?" he asked.
"Well, I guess, but she'll be in bad shape," Anna said."She probably won't wanna see anyone," she added."Not even me," she finished just above a whisper.
"Oh, Anna don't say that, even if she doesn't want to see you, you still have to be there," Kristoff said.
"Why?!" Anna exclaimed.
"Because she needs you now more than ever," he said."She needs your help fitting in again, just like when we were in high school," he told her.
"But that was different, she was a scared, anti-social girl and it was easy to turn it around," Anna said. She stood up and started pacing."Now she's a returning soldier trying to fit back into society, it was hard enough to get her to fit in at school and now! I can't even think of where to start with her..." Kristoff laughed and watched his wife ramble on and on about how hard it would be to help her sister.
"Hey don't worry about it I know you can do it," he stopped her. Anna stopped moving and stared at him for a minute.
"I can?" she asked not believing him.
"Yes, you know why?" he asked.
"Why?"
"'Cause you never give up on Elsa," he told her. Anna smiled and hugged Kristoff.
"You're right Kristoff, I don't give up on Elsa and I can definately do this," she said.
"So she'll be in DC on September 3 rd?" he asked.
"Uh-huh," she answered.
"That's quite the early birthday present then huh," he stated. Anna jerked her head up, and remembered what he was talking about. Her and Elsa were nine months and one week apart, which means that her sister would be here only four months before her birthday, and six months after her own.
"This is going to be hard," she said to herself.
Jack woke up to white all around him, he tried to sit up but felt a sharp pain in his stomach. He let out a little cry of pain and fell back on the bed, wait bed? He was confused at where he was. He wanted to know where his company was, then it hit him. The gunfire, explosions, bodies and blood, but the sight he saw that scared him the most was the jet coming down over him. He heard a person come and talk to someone next to him and payed no attention to the voices, but turned when he heard a cry of pain. Who he saw the voice belonged to made his heart stop."Elsa," he whispered. When the nurse was done and left Elsa had her head turned away from him and he noticed little whimpers coming from her."Elsa?" he asked. She must not have heard him so he tried something that could get her attention."Poor Elphaba, why are you so sad? Do you miss Glinda?" he asked. Elsa's whimpers stopped and she very slowly turned her head, her eyes widened when she noticed who was talking to her.
"Jack?" she asked. He nodded and smiled.
"The one and only," he said. He felt horrible because of how she looked, she was still in her combat gear and she had blood on her face and hands. He wondered whose blood it was but then noticed her right sleeve was missing and put two and two together. The blood was hers, her blood. Elsa's blood."No," he whispered."You couldn't have been the jet that went down over me," he said. He noticed that was maybe the wrong thing to say because Elsa turned her head again."Hey I'm sorry I-I just didn't want to ever see you like this," he apologized.
"You don't need to apologize, it was just colladeral damage, from me and my squad if anyone's at fault it's me, I was flying to low and should have been higher up," she said. A doctor came in and interrupted them to clean and dress Elsa's wounds, Jack couldn't bear hearing her cry so he forced himself off the bed, ignoring to doctors yelling, he went over and took Elsa's left hand and had her look into his eyes.
"Elsa look here, squeeze my hand and focus on me and only me," he said. Elsa, through her tears, nodded and stared at him. When the doctor was done Elsa was exaughsted, Jack went to go back to his bed but something tugged him back.
"Don't go, please," Elsa said."Don't leave me," she added. Jack noticed new tears forming in her eyes, so he nodded and layed down beside her.
"I will never leave you Elsa, I'll always be right here," he said. Elsa sighed and leaned into him careful not to hurt him more than he already was. That night Jack felt that his luck was coming back, but there's a funny thing about luck. It comes and goes at random times.
The next eight days Anna could hardly sleep. She'd go to bed but wouldn't get any sleep and would often fall asleep watching TV with Kristoff after she got home from work, now here she was waiting at DC Memorial Hospital for her sister to be cleared to come home. Kristoff was sitting by her holding her hand, she kept glancing at the clock every once in a while."Hey, calm down," he told her.
"Okay," she said.
"It'll be okay, trust me," he said. He squeezed her hand gently and she looked up at him, he offered her a small smile which she gladly returned.
"Anna? Kristoff?" they heard someone say. They looked up and saw a familiar face.
"Aster?" they asked. He nodded and sat down by them.
"So what brings you here?" Anna asked.
"I'm here for Jack," he answered.
"Jack? Is he okay?" Kristoff asked.
"Yeah, well physically at least," Aster said."He might be messed up mentally," he added.
"Why?" Anna asked. Aster took a deep breath and looked at them with sad eyes.
"He watched his whole company get killed," he explained."He watched them die one by one and he was the only one to make it out alive, and he did it by doing the one thing that he's always done," he said. He had to looked down to compose himself, then looked back up."Do you know what that does to someones mind? Let alone a 21 year old kid" he asked. Anna gave him a hug.
"It has to be hard, but you know what?" she asked him.
"What?" Aster replied.
"You have to stay strong for him, be there for him when he's scared," she told him. Aster smiled a little and nodded.
"Aster?" they heard someone ask. They all turned to see a soldier in a wheelchair coming towards them, he had white hair and blue eyes. It was Jack. Aster jumped out of his seat to give his cousin a slight hug, Anna noticed something in Jacks eyes that wasn't there when he left three years ago. Fear.
"It's so good to see you Jacky boy," his cousin said."I missed you," he told him.
"I missed you too," Jack said returning the hug. He looked to Anna and Kristoff and smiled softly at them."Hey guys, long time no see," he said.
"Three years," Kristoff answered. They all chatted for a while until Aster and Jack left, Anna and Kristoff were talking when a voice came to their ears. A voice Anna had longed to hear for three years.
"Anna?" it said. Anna turned her head slowly to see her sister standing there.
"Elsa?" she whispered. Elsa smiled slightly and Anna ran to her and wrapped her arms around her, she heard Elsa give a grunt and felt her right arm flinch from her touch."Sorry! I don't know exactly where you're injured," she apologized and pulled away.
"It's okay," her sister said."I was burned on my right arm," she said lifting her sleeve to reveal the bandages. Anna gasped and looked at the white fabric running up the blondes arm.
"Oh Elsa," Anna said.
"I'm fine Anna, I just wanna go home," she said. Anna agreed with her and they made their way to the car, Kristoff was generous enough to carry Elsa's bag. The ride home Anna tried her best to strike a conversation with her sister but it didn't work, Elsa just sat in the back seat and stare out the window.
"Kristoff," she whispered. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye."I'm worried about her," she said.
"Don't worry Anna," he said."Just give her time, she'll come around," he told her.
"Yeah, but how long will that take?" she asked. He thought for a moment trying to come up with something to say but shrugged, he looked in the rear view mirror at his sister-in-law and sighed.
"Yeah when will that be?" he asked himself.
When Elsa walked into the house she had grown up in she thought it hardly changed, everything was nearly the same as it was when she left three years ago. Anna led her down the hall and to the familiar door she had gone in and out of for 18 years, she ran her hand over the painted letters that spelled out her name. She laughed a little remembering the day her father had painted them on there."A snow queen always should have the most elegant things don't you think Elsa?" he asked as he finished painting the elegant blue letters. She can remember it like it was yesterday when she first looked at that paint. ELIZABETH. She remembered trying to write out her name on paper sitting in front of that door.
"We left it just the way you did when you left," Anna said snapping her out of the memory. Anna opened the door and Elsa looked in, and saw Anna told the truth. Her bed was still made like it was that morning she had flew out to San Antonio to start Basic Training. Her dresser was the same as she had left it, even the chest at the foot of her bed hadn't been opened.
"You didn't have to do that Anna," she told her sister.
"No I had to, I'll let you unpack and rest a little, dinners in an hour if you want to join me and Kristoff," Anna said. Elsa nodded a little and watched her sister leave, she went over to her nightstand and stared at the pictures. One was of the varsity hockey team when they had won state her sophmore year of high school, the next was of her, Jack, Anna, and Kristoff senior year just before graduation. The final one was of her parents, she stared at it for a long time and thought about how she had let her father down by being so stupid. Elsa noticed she must have been sitting there for hours because she heard a knock on the door."Elsa?" Anna asked."I brought you dinner, I'll leave it outside your door," she said. Anna walked away and turned the corner, she smiled when she heard her sisters door click open and then close again. Maybe she could get her sister back to normal.
She was falling, fast toward the ground. She didn't have a parachute and wasn't able to stop, she was surprised when she didn't die when she hit the ground. She let out a groan of pain as she pulled herself up. She looked around and noticed she was in the desert with no village in sight."Where am I?" she thought.
"Elsa," she heard her name. The voice sounded so familiar, she turned in the direction of the voice. She gasped.
"No, y-you're dead," she said.
"Elsa you've forgotten me," the man said.
"No papa, how could I," Elsa stated.
"You've forgotten what you strive for and who you are and so, forgotten me," he said. Elsa felt her right arm burn and saw it morph into what it was now."You must move on and be who you are," her father said.
"How?" she asked."How can I go back? I'm not who I used to be," she said.
"Remember who you are, you are the Winter Soldier, a soldier with a Soldiers Heart who understands what they strive for," he said. He was slowly fading and everything was being replaced with familiar sounds.
"Papa?" she asked. Elsa heard the familiar beeping of warnings and saw the fire burning her arm, but this time her whole squad was down, all of them were falling to the desert. She looked over and saw Anna, Jack and Kristoff laying in the sand surrounded by crimson. She started panicking, then everything went black.
Elsa woke up screaming and crying, she didn't even notice Anna come in."Elsa? Elsa calm down it was just a nightmare, you're home, you're safe," she had said. Elsa looked over to her in terror, Anna pulled her into a tight embrace that she returned. Anna rubbed soothing circles on her back as she cried, her eyelids soon began to get heavy and Anna moved her to lay back down. Anna went to move towards the door, but was stopped by a tug on her wrist.
"Anna, I'm scared, I don't want to be alone," Elsa said."Don't leave me," she pleaded. Anna looked down at her older sister and sat back down on the bed.
"I'm not going anywhere Elsa," she said."I won't leave you, I promise," she told her as she layed down. Anna held Elsa close as she drifted off to sleep.
January 18th, 2014: Arendelle Armed Forces Office
Jack was nervous to say the least, today he was getting discharged and earning all the honors he recieved in the war. As he was getting ready he heard a familiar laugh and turned his head to see Anna, when she moved he saw her. He saw Elsa. She looked different somehow, her normal personality was gone and it was replaced by someone else that he didn't know. She smiled until her sister was out of sight, then slumped in the chair that was nearby and bowed her head. Jack walked over and sat down by her."Do you always have it planned that you look down or in pain when you see me?" he asked her. She looked up at him, he noticed the shadows under her eyes."You okay?" he asked. Elsa looked down and shook her head.
"No," she said."I'm being regarded as a hero and yet I don't feel like one," she explained.
"Why?" he asked. Jack knew the answer, he was feeling the same way. Tired of the flinching every time he heard a pop, tired of the sleepless nights, tired of the nightmares. A hero never flinches when they hear a pop, and never has nightmares so bad that they attack their cousin when he comes to calm them down.
"I have nightmares, I hardly eat anything, and I can't even sit by the fire without reliving the crash," she said."Jack I don't know what to do anymore, I'm lost," she told him.
"Then let me help you, I understand what you're going through," Jack said. Elsa looked up at him."I have the same problem, nightmares, scared of loud noises," he said."My own living hell, I cant even go to a football game without freaking out," he told her.
"I'm sorry, you shouldn't have to see me like this," she said.
"Nah, that's okay, I just get to see the you nobody understands," he said.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"You're a scared, fragile, flower," he said."But I know that if given the chance you could bloom and be the most beautiful and strong flower in the garden," he told her.
"How would I get the chance?" she asked."Who would give it to me?"
"I would,' he said. Elsa looked at him."If you let me, starting today I could help you," he told her.
"What could you possibly know about me?" she asked raising an eyebrow.
"We could help each other fit in again, we could help each other stop the nightmares, together," Jack explained. Elsa stared at him for a minute and moved a little closer to him, Jack tensed up when she gave him a light embrace.
"Thank you Jack," she said. Jack smiled and returned the embrace, he felt just like he had back in August. Lucky.
Finally done with this chapter, I got really emotional writing this and it took me all night to write this. I'm running on like two hours of sleep right now so yeah. I'm sooooooooooooo excited right now I get to go see Divergent tonight XD. So if you want to find out where Jack and Elsa go from here follow my other story Soldiers Heart.-FrozenSWLoKfan01