"Did you get a second doctor's report?" Athena asked Gianna after about thirty minutes—after the tears had finally ebbed, after the room had stopped feeling like it was holding its breath, after Gianna had steadied herself enough to say she was okay.
She had insisted she would rather talk now that everything was out in the open, pointing out calmly that whoever had chosen this moment to release the news was clearly after something.
Athena thought her friend impossibly strong in that moment, even as she was already mapping out ways to convince her to go for therapy.
Gianna shook her head at Athena's question. "Wasn't necessary. The man was good at his job… he kept me alive."
"Maybe you should—"
Gianna shook her head again, sharper this time, cutting the suggestion off before it could take shape.
"I would rather not. There's only so much I can take with everything thrown at my face…" she confessed, the words leaving her with a tired exhale as she leaned back into the couch.
