Pain

Six Weeks

Logan sat in the grass and let the sun shine on his face. When a shadow suddenly covered the sun, he opened his eyes and saw Jeff standing in front of him. He greeted Logan and lay down on the grass next to him.

"How did your group session go?" Logan asked sleepily. Jeff laughed. "Well, let me put it in this way: It wasn't a good idea to group the boy whose nose always starts bleeding when he gets upset with the girl who always passes out when she sees blood."

Logan looked at Jeff in disbelief. "You're kidding me, right?"

"Nope. I'm telling you it was a total disaster."

"Who came up with this stupid idea?"

Jeff shrugged. "The girl's therapist must be sick this week, so she was put in my group. It certainly won't happen again."

"But they're both fine, aren't they?"

"Yes. They were taken to the sickroom and given medical attention." He shook his head. "You really experience the most incredible things in this place." He stretched and his eyes fell on a card lying on the grass next to Logan. "What's this?"

Logan followed his gaze and smiled. "A postcard from my sister."

Jeff picked up the postcard and looked at it with interest. "Malibu? Nice. And what's up with the photo?" He tapped the small photo of a white house tied to one corner of the postcard with a paper clip.

"It's our new home. We've been talking about the best place to move. And there was that one day that Kiara and I spent at the beach and so we thought, hey, why not move to the beach?"

Jeff nodded. "This is a good idea. Get out of town and hit the beach. I'm from San Diego so I know what I'm talking about. It's definitely a good place to heal and leave behind all the crap you've been through."

Logan nodded in agreement and was about to ask something when one of the older boys called over from the sports field, "Hey, Jeff! Do you want to play baseball with us?"

"I'm having a conversation here!" Jeff shouted back, then turned to Logan, shaking his head. "Can you believe these people?"

Logan smiled and asked, "Hey, what time is it?"

Jeff checked his watch. "Um, almost two thirty."

Logan got up from the grass. "Then you can join the game. I have my session with Dr. Richards at two thirty."

"Okay, see you later, alligator."

"Sure," Logan replied with a smile. He watched Jeff get up and walk over to the sports field before heading back into the building.

The walls were painted in friendly pastel colors and decorated with calming pictures. Logan passed the common room, the media room, and the dining room, before finally stepping into the spacious and bright elevator. He got out on the second floor, where everything also looked bright, friendly, and calming. Not only the therapists had their offices here, but also the nursing staff, psychiatrists, and two or three general practitioners. The other floors housed the "patients" bedrooms, while the basement had a gym and a pool. Basically, the entire facility looked like the most luxurious youth hostel ever... apart from the medical staff, of course.