So, you were saying something about an intervention?

Simon sighed, readjusting his book bag on his shoulder as he stepped off the hotel elevator, and frowned slightly as he looked down the corridor towards his own room at the far end of the hall. He knew if he went there directly, he'd settle in to routine, and miss his chance to talk to Ronnie before she left for work. He checked his watch - it was just a little after five. If he put it off now, he would just keep putting it off later as well.

He strode down the hall, stopping at hers and Bea's room, and knocked after only a brief hesitation.

"C'mon in!" Ronnie's voice said from behind the door. As Simon opened it, he saw Ronnie sitting crosslegged on one of the two hotel beds, her long hair pinned up in a bun and several psychology textbooks with mounds of sticky notes posted throughout them on the bed in front of her. Among the titles were "Advanced Abnormal Psychosis", "Metabolic Processes and the Science of Addiction", and "When Man Created God: A Primer on the Psychology of Religion". She wore a very light white tank top and jean shorts, a concession to the quickly approaching summer weather.

"Oh, hey Simon..." Ronnie said as she looked up, putting down her pencil, "What's up?"

Simon entered, glancing at the book titles with a half smile that fell somewhere in a continuum of 'wry' to 'resigned' before looking over at Esperanza.

"Uhh, I don't wanna bother you if you're busy, and I know you have to work tonight, but I was wondering if I could talk to you about Nils?"

Ronnie sighed and closed the book she'd been reading.

"Yeah... I guess we need to talk, don't we?" she said in a melancholy tone, "I have a few hours yet before work. Have a seat..." she said, gesturing to the bed.

"Yeah... sorry." He plunked down on what he guessed was Bea's bed, half-consciously sliding Nàm out of his bag and settling the computer on his lap. "I talked to him at school today though. About the whole lying thing, and the drinking thing. He's keeping...well I'm guessing wine... in a water bottle in his desk. He's going to get kicked out of his program, on top of everything else, if he keeps this up. He told me three completely different things when I tried to ask him about it. And he also told me that he talked to you and you said that you wouldn't help him - which just smacks of complete BS. He's a friend, and I'm worried about him, but I don't even know if I can trust what he says any more, and I don't know what to do."

He sighed, looking up at Ronnie again after realizing he'd mostly been talking to his hands.

"I am sorry - I don't mean to lay this all on you, I just figured that of all of us, you're the mostly likely to know something we can actually *do*."

Esperanza's heart sank in her chest.

"He said I wouldn't help him?" she asked, one eyebrow raised, "Dios mio... he only hears what he wants to."

She sighed.

"He's so full of guilt. He blames himself for Chrys... for what happened to her. For everything that's happening. He feels like he should have been able to prevent it. I tried to tell him that it wasn't his fault but... he's far enough gone that even I'm not getting through to him. To be honest... I don't know what we can do. He needs help, but he won't let anyone help him. The harder we push, the more he's gonna pull away. I think..."

she trailed off for a minute and then loked up, looking into Simon's eyes.

"I think he's trying to punish himself."

"That's sort of.. yeah. I'm trying to think of this whole Ambrose thing as just more self-destructive tendencies. It's so frustrating. He said he is 'scared to change what he is doing' because he's managing. Only he *has* changed what he is doing... and he *isn't* managing. It's like... he thinks he is the only person in the world to have experienced something traumatic? That he can't find some better way? And doesn't *deserve it?*"

He pressed his temples with the tips of his fingers, trying to rub away the headache the situation was threatening him with.

"I feel bad for him, and I understand its rough but... It makes me mad too, Ronnie.
At the end of the day - he's not the one who died, no matter what he saw and felt."

"I know." Ronnie said, "But sometimes being the survivor is the hardest part. He felt her death, Simon. He saw it through her eyes. I'm not saying that excuses his behavior. It doesn't. He needs help. Unfortunately, the kind of help he needs would have him locked up in a psychiatric ward if he even began to tell them about what's happening to him."

Ronnie stood up and walked over to the hotel minifridge, opening it and grabbing two bottles of cold water. She offered one to Simon.

"We've all been through some rough shit the last few weeks. Unfortunately... some of us aren't handling it as well as others. But we can't give up on him, Simon. We have to help him through this... somehow..."

"Thanks." Simon took the water, cracking it open and drinking half the bottle as he was thinking.

"I know you're right, and I'm not talking about giving up on him. But okay then - you're the psychologist. What can do you to help people who have been through some kind of horrible trauma? Because my first instinct is to dig up a bunch of links to stuff like PTSD sites and mail them to him, and I'm not sure that's really the best way."

"That's the thing, Simon", Ronnie said as she held the cold bottle of water againt her forehead, her eyes staring blindly down at the books, "PTSD isn'tt something you just get better from. People spend their whole lives trying to get over things like this. I mean normally the first thing we'd do is get him a therapist, but there's no way we can find him a counselor who'd believe..."

Ronnie's voice trailed off as she looked up at Simon. For a moment she was silent.

"Oh..." she said.

"What?"

"Well... me." Ronnie said, "I mean, I'm not a licensed therapist, but I'm the best we've got. Do you think... you think he would agree to meet for counseling once a week? It's not a cure, but in psychology there's no such thing as a cure. And maybe it could be a start."

"Oh. Well - yes. I guess that is sort of what I was thinking?" He tried an encouraging smile. "It's got to be worth trying. You can probably talk him in to giving it at least a token effort, and maybe go from there?"

"Yeah..." Ronnie said, her face emotionless, "I owe it to him to try."

Inwardly, she was full of doubt. She was only a grad student, not a psychiatrist. She barely had a clue as to where to begin. Besides, a therapist was supposed to be removed... objective. How could she possibly do that with everything that had happened? But she knew she had to do something. Every minute that she did nothing, Nils was stumbling closer to the brink, and she had to do something... anything... to pull him back.

She sighed and reached up to pull out the pencils holding her hair in a bun and her long, brown mane cascaded down her back.

"Alright. But I'm gonna need help. He needs to know that we care about him. That we're there for him. All of us."

"Well, yeah - of course."

He did feel a little guilty - it was asking a lot, and putting a lot of weight on her shoulders. But he also believed that if anyone could do it, it was Ronnie. It was what she'd chosen to do with her life - generally speaking, anyway - and Simon knew she would be good at it. He would do whatever he could to help, too... if only he could figure out just what that was.

"That kind of goes without saying, doesn't it? And you too - I can't imagine it'll be *easy* for you. And everyone." He fixed her with a serious look. "I mean - that we all have each other, that's a real strength. Can you imagine if we didn't?"

For a moment Ronnie thought of Ambrose. The fear and confusion that was evident in his demeanor. He had been alone. And look where he had ended up.

"Yeah..." she said, "I think I can."

Ronnie took a drink of water and looked out the window, pulling the blinds down slightly with one finger to peer out.

"Most everyone is really shaken up right now, but I think we'll be okay eventually. Without each other, though... Look, some of the guys are still in class and I have work in a few hours, but I'd like to try to talk to everyone about setting up a meeting. Not really an intervention... I think something that intense might scare him off more than it would help. But I would like for us all to sit down with Nils and let him know that we're there for him and that we're willing to support him."

Simon nodded.

"Sure - I can let people know if I see them. If I'm not at school I'm mostly here, anyway... I'd just say, make sure people know the difference, or what you have in mind, so things don't get too out of hand. We're not all the most patient bunch, even if we mean well."

Bea and Amy, especially, he thought, but let that go unsaid.

"Thanks." Ronnie said, turning to look at Simon.

"How are *you* doing, Simon? Are you holding up? I know these last few weeks have been hard on everyone. Do you need to talk?"

He blinked. He should have been expecting the question, but somehow wasn't. "Oh, well. You know. I'm.... Well I have more outlets, I think. It's just a lot of change to deal with all at once. You?"

Esperanza nodded.

"Change is always hard. I know you have your computer..." she said, nodding to the laptop sitting next to him, "...and I know you're not much for conversation, but if you ever need to talk... you seem very angry lately. I mean, I don't blame you. It's a natural way to react to stress. But I want to make sure you're ok."

He took a deep breath, letting it go slowly, hugging his laptop a little closer, and wondering briefly if Ronnie really knew all of what 'having his computer' entailed. he had online friend's he'd known since he was in highschool - not that he could really talk to them about all that was going on, but they were still *there*. And of course he wasn't really surprised she'd picked on on the anger. "Yeah," he said after a moment. "I'm working on that."

Ronnie reached out and touched the back of his hand, lightly.

"I know." she said, "Whatever you feel, it's okay. Whatever you need to do to cope with things, no one is going to judge you."

She sat back again and sighed.

"We all have to deal with this in our own way."

"Thanks." It wasn't true, though, he knew, no matter what she said. Nils was proof enough that 'whatever you feel, or need to do, is okay' and 'no one is going to judge you' were just ideals. All things considered, though, he could be doing a lot worse. "I'll be okay. What about you?" He looked over, trying to gauge how she seemed. reading people wasn't something he'd really ever been all that great at, unfortunately.

Esperanza shrugged.

"I'm okay." She said simply, although not without her own doubts. She had broken down in tears withNils earlier. That wasn't something that happened easily. The stress was taking it's toll on her as well.

"I'm more worried about everyone else."

That at least, was completely true.

Simon smiled.

"Of course you are. Just take care of yourself too - okay? I'll let you get ready for work."

He stood, slinging his pack over his shoulder and tucking Nàm under his arm.