New chapter up. THank you so much for the reviews. LOVE 'EM!!

CHAPTER 6

Nick woke mid afternoon. He had slept soundly for nearly 5 hours and was in a much better frame of mind despite the fact he was still burdened with anxiety and panic attacks.

A hospital appointed psychologist had arrived while Nick was sleeping and came back once he was awake to start the intensive counselling sessions. He had spoken with Jillian and Roger while Nick slept and had discussed Nicks sleeping difficulties and his initial response to the trauma. What he reinforced most to both parents was that, in order to recover, Nick would have to face his trauma head on - and it would be confronting and it would be painful. There would be tears, there would be anger and there would be healing.

He arrived back to assess Nick later in the afternoon.

It was a new experience for both of them - Nick had never spoken to a counsellor before, and the psychologist had never spoken with anyone who had been buried in a coffin and eaten by fireants before. The counsellor coped better than his patient.

Nick found it too confronting and intimidating to speak about his ordeal with a stranger. He found he couldn't verbalise his feelings and found the tears which appeared embarrassing. The better frame of mind which he had woken with soon disappeared and his anxieties and frustrations started to come to the fore again. His hands started fidgeting and scratching the bites and his agitation became more and more apparent as the session continued. He was becomming increasingly emotional, tears and shakes as the psychologist walked him through the experience.

Finally, the psychologist had to end the counselling and bring Nicks parents back into the room when he was no longer able to talk.

His parents had been waiting just outside the room and Jillian rushed to her sons side as his distress was obvious as soon as she entered the room. Nick was a mess - fingers dug into his eye sockets as he sobbed at the horrible memories of the last few days, his whole body shaking, skin pale as the surrounding walls. Jillian sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Nick into her arms, tucked his head into the crook of her shoulder and neck and held him tightly.

She glanced at the psychologist in despair - how could causing her son this much pain possibly be helping him?

Nick clung onto his mother as he cried. He was in physical pain. His chest hurt, his throat was burning and his head was starting to ache but the tears would not stop and the shaking was getting worse instead of better. His body was vibrating so hard his mother was shaking too. He felt strong hands on his shoulders and became aware of his father sitting on the bed behind him, his forehead coming to rest on the back of Nicks head.

After several long minutes, he settled. His tears dried up and his breathing steadied but he remained content to stay in his Moms arms feeling safe and secure like he always had when he was a child. He felt his dad pull back and the weight on the mattress disappeared when his father stood up, though he kept a protective hand on his sons shoulder.

The psychologists voice made Nick jump a little, which must have been perceptable even through the shakes as he felt his mothers embrace tighten again.

"You've done well, Nick." he started, "I know that you don't want to think too much about what you've been through, but I cant stress enough how important it is for you to start talking about it. I wish I could make this less painful for you but all I can do is tell you it will get easier. The more you talk about your abduction the easier it will become. We're going to continue these sessions twice a day until you're discharged. I'm going to teach you some relaxation and coping techniques so you'll be able to manage the panic attacks by yourself and I'm going to prescribe you Ambien for any crisis times when you need a bit more help."

Nick nodded, his head was still resting against his Moms shoulder. He was so tired. He felt his eyes getting heavier and heavier as he felt his Mom rubbing his back and stroking the back of his head.

The psychologist smiled and got up. "I'll come back this evening and start with the relaxation exercises, Nick. That should help you sleep as well. Just remember - you're OK. You're safe. It will get easier."

The certainty in the way the words were delivered and the comfort from his mothers embrace made him more and more relaxed. He closed his eyes - they were too heavy to stay open and heard the soft voices of his father and the psychologist as they both left the room.

He was safe.

He was OK.

He was asleep.

Jillian felt her sons weight increase in her arms and felt him take a deep breath in and out as he finally succumbed to sleep. She gently lowered him back down on the pillows and took a moment to just look at him, stroking her fingers through his hair and counting her blessings that she still had him. The youngest of her seven children. Her little boy. Her baby.

She thought back to the phone call in her office. She had been busy preparing for a landmark case with all the confidence of a respected and prominant prosecutor, wife of a State Supreme Court Judge. She knew the ins and outs of the legal system intimately. There were few things that rattled her now. The phone call from her husband and the desperation and fear in his voice did more than rattle her. She had lost every ounce of the confidence and reverted to terrified mother in the space of a couple of seconds. She thought back to the utter desperation of trying to get an immediate flight to Las Vegas. The absolute need to get to her child. It didn't matter that Nick was an adult now. That he was 35 years old and living an independent life in, of all places, Las Vegas. At that moment, he was Jillian Stokes' little boy and she would have moved Heaven and Earth to get to him.

She watched him now, peacefully asleep. The tremors had stopped as he drifted into sleep.

He was safe.

He was OK.

He was back with his family.

As always - please drop me a line and review. Most of my stories dont really have a plan before I set out so I just sit and write. Any feedback is greatly appreciated as it gives me a focus for where I should head. Does anyone want an appearance from Nicks brother, Robbie, in this story (from Day From Hell)?