Sue and Myles were behind the one way glass window in the interrogation room. They were watching one of the lys rouge members at the small table in the middle bouncing his right knee and looking nervous. They were almost done with this case. All they needed now was the former members to disclose where their fentanyl supplier was. The group didn't have labs big enough to produce bulk quantities of fentanyl, but someone they knew did. Once the agents knew where lys rouge's suppliers were located, they could hand the case off to the proper jurisdiction where they could set up their own sting operation and end this.

Sue and Myles could tell that their suspect was shaking in his boots, and both of them knew that Myles' interrogation style would make the anxious man squeal in seconds. Once they pried information from him, they would proceed to compare his story with other lys rouge members that they planned on interviewing to see if his information was valid. They didn't need to interview all fifteen members that were arrested; only three to five to get the answers they needed.

Before going in, Sue looked at Myles. Now that he'd gotten some proper sleep, his appearance vastly improved from yesterday, but it was obvious that exhaustion was still prominent due to his facial expressions and body language. Myles was good at pretending, but Sue was more observant and didn't buy his façade one bit. She needed to pull him aside and talk to him before someone else did. If he endured questioning of his health from his other teammates, he might suspect that Sue said something, and that's the last thing she wanted him to think. Sue made up her mind that she would talk to him after their interrogations; currently, they needed to focus on the task at hand, and close this case.

Myles asked Sue, "Are you ready to make these men talk?"

Sue smiled back. "Of course, but…you'll be doing most of the talking."

"Why?"

"I can't speak French!"

"Oh…I thought you could?"

"No."

Myles chuckled, "Well…we can do whatever we want right now. We can start with English, and if he doesn't understand, I'll switch to French. If he bites the English, I'll let you be the bad cop."

Sue shot back, "Be careful, I might just take you up on that offer, Mr. Leland."

The interrogations were a success. Sue and Myles started at 8:00am, and ended at 2:00pm. In total, they interviewed seven out of the fifteen lys rouge members that were arrested. Unfortunately, some remained silent, some were difficult, and others immediately asked for lawyers; but, four former members disclosed the location of their fentanyl supplier without the agents having to throw in a deal. Luckily for them, their stories were consistent with one another. It turns out lys rouge's supplier was conveniently located in the Baltimore area, and since that wasn't their jurisdiction, they could finally hand off the case, and wash their hands clean.

Myles said as they sauntered down the busy hallways of the Bureau, "You're pretty good at playing bad cop. You should do it more often."

Sue looked away with a small, cheeky grin. She was kind of proud of herself since it was very seldom anyone would receive a compliment from Myles. She replied, "I'm just surprised they all decided to speak English. Some spoke it well."

"And we didn't have to make any deals, so these people should be getting long sentences for their crimes."

Sue agreed. She then said, "To be honest, I think I'm done playing bad cop for a while. I'll leave that up to you and the others."

Myles said sarcastically, "Aww, but being the good guy is no fun. I guess you'll go back to playing Ms. Perfect Sue who believes anything a criminal says, and everyone else believes her because she has a feeling."

Sue had to laugh at that remark that others might find mean. "To be honest Myles, I'm not always right. It might seem that way, but you're the voice of reason on the team. You have a knack for challenging us, making us think creatively, because even though we deny it, you might have a point."

Myles then stopped in the hallway, and Sue followed suit, "Is everything alright," she asked.

Myles held out his hand and offered Sue a handshake. "Excellent job on this case, Ms. Thomas. You led this case well, even if there were a few complications along the way."

Sue accepted his gesture with a smile. "And thank you, Mr. Leland, for leading me in the right direction."

After shaking hands, Sue lowered her smile, and said, "Myles. I need to discuss something with you in private."

Myles' half smile fell. Was something wrong? Did he do something that Sue didn't find tasteful?

She continued, "Can we go somewhere more private?"

In a random board room on the third floor, the two teammates found their own place to stand. Myles was leaning against the window with his arms crossed, while Sue stood closer to the door. Myles was intrigued. He had no idea what she wanted to talk to him about, but if she pulled him aside, it had to be serious. Was it something about this particular case? Was it a favor? Or was it another secret that she wanted him to keep.

Sue briefly licked her lips, before saying, "Myles, as a warning, I am going to be very blunt with you. What I'm about to say is serious, and I need you to listen to me, even if you don't want to. I don't want to see any eye rolling, or hear any groaning."

Myles grumbled, "What is it, Thomas? Spit it out."

Sue said in a passive-aggressive tone, "You need to start taking your medication."

She was right. That was very upfront. In retaliation, Myles tried to make up an excuse, but Sue was quick to interrupt him:

"No interrupting. I'm speaking, and I am dead serious. I know you've complained to me that the medication makes you dizzy and drowsy, but you've got to start taking it again. It's been a year now since your last prescription, and the bottle is still full. You are trying to hide your condition by saying "you're fine," but you and I both know that you are going downhill fast, and right now, our other teammates are starting to notice that something strange is happening to you. And they're concerned. Yesterday, I was approached twice by our teammates. They were asking me if I knew anything about your odd behavior, and I lied to them."

Myles briefly looked at the floor. He hated being lectured to like this…and from Sue Thomas of all people.

"If you don't start taking care of yourself soon, you are going to self-destruct. You'll eventually expose yourself, and it'll either be in this office, or out in the field on a raid or something. If that happens, I can't protect you. You will immediately be put on medical leave, and it'll be impossible to prove that you are suitable to return to the team without dozens of doctor's notes. Like I said before, I care about you, and seeing you deteriorate breaks my heart. Please, take your medication." She then pressed her luck, "And maybe tell our teammates too."

Myles drew a breath while giving her an icy gaze. He replied, very quietly, "Sue, if I tell anyone about my PTSD, I could lose my job."

"That's not true," said Sue, "That kind of thinking is just a stigma. Agents with PTSD are more than capable of doing this line of work. It's only if your PTSD affects the well being of the team that they will remove you. So, if you want to work here for another ten years, I recommend taking your prescribed medication and telling both Garrett and Jack about your condition."

Myles' ears perked, "Jack? Why Jack?"

"Because he's your team leader."

"Sue, if I tell Jack, he'll treat me like a cripple. He'll stop me from doing my job. He already has trust issues with me; this'll just add fuel to the fire."

Sue lifted her hands in surrender. This man both annoyed and frustrated her. Why wouldn't he just listen to her, and reach out for help? "Myles, I don't know how many times I have to regurgitate that Jack and the rest of the team trust you. I can't say for the others, but I know Jack the best. And I know that if you tell him, he won't treat you any differently than he does now. I'm deaf, and he's never treated me like a charity case. Maybe his eyes might be on you more, but he knows that he can't stop you from doing your job."

Myles responded, "Don't you dare tell anyone."

Sue assured him, "I have no intention to, Myles. You and I made a pact years ago, and I intend to keep it. I don't care if I get into trouble. At this point, I can only give you advice. I'm not your wife, and I'm not your mom. Just…coming from a friend who deeply cares about your health…promise me that you'll start taking your medication to give me some peace of mind. It's your decision on whether or not you want to tell the team about your condition."

Myles paused for quite some time. He just stared at her. She had no idea what he was thinking. Maybe he was calling her names in his head. Then, he said in a quiet, serious tone. "Okay, I'll start taking my medication."

Sue believed him. "Thank you." Then, she left the boardroom. While biting his lip, Myles continued to sit on the window sill, and think. He didn't want to tell anyone for fear of losing his job and appearing weak. Sue told him long ago that reaching out for help was a sign of strength and bravery, but for a man like Myles, reaching for help felt demeaning and like he lost all self-confidence. He was a private person (he wanted it to stay that way), and always wanted to appear as someone who was invincible to the world surrounding him. What would his friends think if they knew he wasn't? The thought of it was more terrifying than what they would think if he told them he was bisexual.

The man gave a light sigh, then proceeded to leave the room himself.

Chapter 23 (the final chapter) is next…