"Samantha, what is it?" Magda rushed forward and took the other woman into her arms. "What has happened."

"Nothing," she answered, although she continued to hold onto her friend. "It's okay, Magda, really."

"It is not," Magda answered, as she drew Sam into the salon. She waived her husband away, somehow knowing that a woman was needed right now.

"Sit and I will have Magnus prepare some tea."

"Please, don't worry about me," Sam sniffed, wiping her face with her arm.

"Don't be silly. If you do not want to tell me what is wrong, I will understand, but right now you need someone to be with you." She walked to the door and asked her husband to make some tea, and then returned and sat beside Sam.

"Here," she sat close and put her arms around the woman who had become a dear friend. "It is Jack, isn't it?" she said knowingly.

Sam snorted through her tears. "How did you know?"

"It is almost always the men in our lives who cause us the most grief," Magda said, half humorously. "In reality, I guessed it had to do with him as I have seen how you feel about one another, and I also know that Jack has many demons. I expect one of those demons rose up today and bit him – how does he say it "in the ass".

Sam giggled although her voice was also thick with tears. She forced herself to sit up straight. "You're a very wise woman, Magda," Sam said, giving her friend a hug of thanks. "But I'm afraid you're wrong about one thing. It's I that have feelings, he just views me as a friend."

Magda stared at her for a few seconds and then practically rolled her eyes. "Don't be silly, Samantha. The man is madly in love with you. We all know it – have known it before you even found him. When he thought you might be dead, his heart was – it was crushed. If it hadn't been for Ethan's boys, I don't think he would have wanted to go on."

"He believes it's wrong to leave anyone behind," Sam argued, once again on the verge of tears. "He felt responsible for me, and so felt guilty. That doesn't mean he cared for me – in that way."

"Samantha, you are a smart woman – probably smarter than anyone I have ever known. But in this matter, you are not wise. Of course he loves you. You are bright, you are kind, and you are beautiful. I see the way he looks at you – and the way you look at him. If he tried to tell you he didn't love you, well, that was a lie. Was it his demons that caused you to feel so sad?"

"Yes – no – I really can't – do you know what happened to him?"

"You mean being hurt?" Magda asked, looking intently at Sam.

"Yes. Do you know – what was done to him?"

Magda sighed and sat back on the sofa. "I do not know, nor does Magnus and we have never asked or discussed it. Doc Markus will never say anything. He believes, as do all of us, that things said between you and your doctor should be private. And Ethan would never say anything either. He views Jack as almost a son – and Ethan is a man of integrity. No one has spoken to us – or to anyone I'm sure – about the details of what happened."

Magda took a deep breath and then looked directly at Sam. "All we do know is that he was very badly injured. I was only Magnus' next-door neighbor at the time, so I was not closely involved, but Magnus told me a few things when he was helping Ethan. I guess they did not expect him to survive. In fact, it was a miracle that Ethan even made it back to Hjem with him." She gave a quick smile. "Jack must be a stubborn man."

Sam laughed softly. "You have no idea!"

"Well, that stubbornness kept him alive." After a brief smile at one another as the two women agreed about Jack, Magda continued. "What I do know, Samantha, is that whatever was done to him - damaged him – emotionally. You can see, even when he pretends to be happy or joking around, that he is in pain. He is a man who has suffered much, and he has been sorely hurt."

Sam nodded and then looked down at her hands, clasped tightly in her lap. It was true. Jack had been hurt so many times in his life. And now there was this, the latest hurt. She let out a small sob and leaned back into Magda's arms.

"Sam," the other woman said gently almost hesitatingly, "I really don't know what happened to him, and nor does Magnus, but whatever it was, it is obviously affecting his relationship with you. We all agree that Jack needs to love and allow himself to be loved – and you are that person. But first, he needs to heal."

Sam nodded, knowing that Magda was right about Jack's emotional state and about it affecting their relationship. She couldn't tell her about the other, though, which was the reason they couldn't be together. Saying anything would be a betrayal and she could never do that to Jack. "I don't know how to help him," she finally admitted.

"I don't know if you can," Magda answered, which caused Sam to look at her in surprise. "I don't mean that you should do nothing," the other woman said gently. "Continue to love him and to be his friend. I meant that he needs help from someone who understands wounds of the spirit and the mind. Those too close to him may not be able to help him."

"Is there someone like that?" Sam asked. "Can Doc Markus help?"

"He is a wise man, and does much for his patients, but his focus is on the body. No, Jack needs someone for the mind."

"We have that where I – we come from," Sam told her, "but Jack isn't a fan – uh – he doesn't much like those people."

Magda shook her head. "Why does that not surprise me? Well, we will just have to bring in Ethan and Magnus – oh, and Doc Markus as well – to make that man get help for himself. I think I know the perfect person to help him."

"You do? Uh, his name wouldn't be McKenzie, would it?" Sam asked with a slight grin.

"McKenzie? No, I have not heard of anyone one with that name in Hjem. It's actually a woman and her name is Kisamor. She is well known as a healer of the mind. If we can get Jack to go, I think he will like her."

"I wouldn't count on it," Sam told her, knowing Jack too well when it came to healers of any kind. Although to be fair, he did like Janet, even though he complained anytime he had to go to the Infirmary.

"Well, first we must get him there. I will speak with Magnus, if you are okay with that. I will not tell him of our conversation, only that I feel that Jack needs help. Magnus can then speak with Ethan."

"I hope it works," Sam answered sadly, although she knew it was only part of the issue. Even if he did work through his trauma, it didn't mean that they could end up together.

"Is it alright if I enter?" Magnus stood at the door, carrying a tray with a pot of the local tea and two cups.

"Samantha?" Magda looked at her enquiringly.

"Yes, please, Magnus," Sam smiled at the gentle man. "I'm sorry to have monopolized your wife."

"You never have to apologize, Samantha. You are like family to us. I just hope all works out for you. Magda and I will do all we can to help."

As Sam lay in bed that night, she thought about what wonderful people she'd gotten to know in Hjem. She thought back to the first few months of fear, anguish and resentment and was grateful that now she was part of a community of people who cared for her. She didn't know what she would have done without people like Magda and Magnus.

She sighed and rubbed her eyes. She was heartbroken over Jack – over the fact that he had been so cruelly hurt by vicious men – and by the fact that there seemed to be no future for the two of them. Oh, she told herself that she could assure him that there was more to love than sex, but she knew him well enough to know that he would never accept that. Hell, few men would.

She turned over and punched her pillow. She didn't know what to do and even whether she could even face him the next day. She didn't want him to think she looked at him differently now, but she also knew it would be impossible to pretend after what he'd shared. She truly wished she could hunt those men down and make them suffer for what they'd done to the Colonel.

She thought about the months – maybe years – ahead. Could she bear to see him everyday and not yearn for him. Would that be cruel to him? Maybe she should offer to move to the new store and manage it. That way she would only have to see him occasionally. She wanted to cry thinking about that but didn't know what else to do.

Life had suddenly turned dark once more. With tears running down her cheeks, Sam lay there, unable to sleep.

"Jack, I want to speak with you," Ethan told him one evening that week, after the boys had gone to bed.

"Sure," Jack looked at him in surprise, wondering what was going on. Ethan sounded a bit strange and he just hoped nothing was wrong. "Here, let me grab us both a drink and then we can talk."

Once they were both settled in the salon, Jack looked at the older man expectantly. He could tell Ethan was uncomfortable, and suddenly felt a sense of dread. "Ethan? What is it?"

His friend sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Jack, you know that having you here has been the best thing since I lost Astrid and Elias. You have become like the son I didn't have, and a father to the boys. I don't know what we would do without you."

"Ethan," Jack held up his hand. "Without you I would have died, but now I have a new family, a good job – and a life. I'm the one who is more grateful than I can ever say."

Ethan nodded, and smiled, but then grew serious. "Jack, do you love the boys?"

"Of course," the younger man answered in surprise.

"And do you care about me – and Magnus, Magda, Samantha – your other friends?"

"Of course I do," he repeated. "Ethan, what is this about."

"Well, if you care for us – especially the boys, then we need you well."

Jack stared at his friend, at first not sure what he meant. Soon, however, he began to feel angry, sure that he'd been hijacked and that Sam had betrayed his confidence. "Did Sam put you up to this?"

"Sam? Samantha?" Ethan said in surprise. "I have not spoken to her for days and she has never said anything to me about you. She wouldn't do that."

He relaxed a bit, realizing that it was true. Sam would never do that to him. But he still wondered what was going on.

"Then what is this about?"

"Jack, we have all seen the hurt you try and hide," Ethan told him gently. "We all know that – what did you call it - the trauma of what you suffered is still with you."

"Everyone knows this?" Jack asked, suddenly feeling vulnerable and hurt by the fact that all his friends seemed to know there was something wrong with him.

"Jack, everyone loves you – they care for you and want you to be well. No one is talking behind your back, but I have noticed, and others have simply said they're worried."

"Others?"

"Mmm hmm. Magnus, the Doc, even Magrit has mentioned it."

"But not Sam?"

"No, Sam has said nothing, I told you. Although I'm sure she knows, as she is in love with you."

"Ethan, stop right there," Jack said sharply. "Sam and I are friends, nothing more and you really have to stop this."

"I have not said or done anything about your feelings for her since you spoke to me, Jack, and I would certainly never speak with her," Ethan answered him seriously. "But that does not mean I cannot observe. The two of you love one another, but there is a barrier. I am not asking what it is, as it is none of my business. What is my business is the health and well-being of my family. I have already lost a child, and I do not want to lose you."

"I'm fine, Ethan. You're not going to lose me."

"Physically yes, you're fine. But your spirit is not, and it is slowly killing you. I am speaking to you as someone who loves you – and I am also speaking as a Grandfather. You have taken the role, with my blessing, of surrogate father to Simon and Jankin. I trust you completely – but I also need to know that you are looking after yourself, for their sakes if not your own. They cannot lose you, Jack. They need you, as do I. Please, for us – get help."

Jack sat silently, his hands clasped tightly, and his teeth clenched. He hated this kind of thing. His experience with people who fuzzed with your mind was not good. He'd gone to therapy after Charlie, and it hadn't made him feel in the least bit better. Then there was good ol' Doc McKenzie, who almost committed poor Daniel to life in a mental institution. No – he didn't like "mind doctors!"

But he had to acknowledge that what Ethan was saying was true. He wasn't well, either mentally or emotionally. He forced himself to keep going, but he knew too well it was possible to pretend for a long time, and then suddenly go through a breakdown. And Ethan was also right that it wouldn't be fair to the boys, nor to Ethan himself. He owed the man his life, if not his soul.

"I wouldn't even know where to start," he finally said. At his words he could see the older man relax. He felt badly at that. Ethan knew him too well and had been frightened to broach the subject.

"Doc Markus gave me a name of someone when we knew you would live. He thought it would be a good idea for you to eventually talk to a healer. I didn't say anything, because at first I thought you were handling everything. But I think it may be time."

"Okay, I'll go see this person," Jack agreed begrudgingly, "but I can't promise I'll keep going."

"Just try it and see if it helps. And I won't say anything to anyone, Jack, that I promise."

"I know you won't," Jack answered, suddenly feeling exhausted and depressed. He knew that Ethan was right, and that he needed to deal with the trauma. But he knew that would only help so much – and it wouldn't bring Sam back into his life.

She hadn't been in to work all week. Magnus had delivered a message, saying she had caught a bug and Magda was keeping her home until she was better. Jack knew the truth, however. She was avoiding him, and he couldn't blame her. He just wondered how they were going to deal with one another going forward.

"So, you'll go?" Ethan interrupted his thoughts.

"Yes, I'll go. Who is this healer?"

"Her name is Kisamor. Here," he handed over a folded piece of paper. "I wrote out her address. And Jack?"

"Yes," Jack stared at the paper for a moment, and then looked up.

"Thank you. This is the right decision."

Jack just nodded, not convinced that anything was going to make his world right again.