Gaston had no idea where he was or what had happened to him. He didn't know that River had helped him to the hospital wing, and even if he did, he was much too weak to resist. The last thing he remembered was standing in the corridor, then everything went black... just like his hair, his clothes, his heart. He lie back on the bed, too lost in a feverish dream to register anything that was going on around him.

Gaston blnked, holding up a hand to shield his eyes form the bright light shining in them. When the light dimmed slightly, he quickly recognized his surroundings. He outside on the school grounds, standing under the tree that still housed the treehouse that meant so much to him. As he looked around, he saw his beloved Rosalyn smiling at him... and she wasn't the only one. Lucien, Ed, Armand, Tillie, Jer, Professor Evremonde.... all the people who were kind to him were there too. They all clapped him on the back and exchanged encouraging words. Rose hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek, but when he tried to hug her back, she pulled away suddenly and a deep male voice whispered in his ear, "You always were a weak, pathetic shrinking violet, son."

A pair of cold, hard blue eyes met his own, and he could only stare in horror as Rosalyn's form turned into that of his father. And the others ere changing too... Lucien and his other friends turned into students, ex-girlfriends, and former school bulies. The figures swarmed around him, laughing, insulting, berating him. The sky turned darker and darker with each biting word. Gaston tried to run, but they surrounded him, talking louder and louder. He covered his ears, but it did nothing to stop the barrage of insults. There was no escape...

Back in the hospital wing, the real Gaston tossed and turned in the bed, shaking violently as his dream counterpart fought to escape the torment.

From the corridor to the Hospital Wing, River couldn't feel his arms go sore as he carried Gaston in his arms, and ran as fast as he can to get his colleague settled in an empty bed. Relieving the Charms professor of his shoes and socks, River quickly moved to undo Gaston's shirt buttons to let his skin breathe. Once he was done with the initial procedure, River took a step back and took several deep breaths to calm his racing heart. The Healer wasn't too sure as to how long Gaston had been knocked out cold.

Remembering that the man had a very weak pulse, River didn't waste another second to retrieve the correct potions to stabilise his patient. But once he got back to Gaston, the man was tossing and turning in his sleep as if he was possessed. "Merlin's holy socks..." River placed the potions on the nearest bedside table and gently placed his hands on Gaston's arms, and tried to wake him up as calm as possible. "Professor Marchand...wake up...come on now..." River had his grip firmer, determined to pull the man out of his misery, "Gaston? Gaston? Wake up...it's a dream..." See, being calm in these situations was a hard thing to do.

The cruel, mocking voices boomed louder and louder than ever until... they suddenly stopped. Gaston forced himself to look up and saw that the taunting figures were gone. He breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the worst was over, but little did he know it was only beginning. "It's time for your next session, Gaston," a cold, drawling voice said, and Gaston's blood ran cold. He knew that voice anywhere... even before he saw the balding man in a white coat and eyeglasses looming over him. The same man who singlehandedly made his childhood a living nightmare, Dr. Severin Javert.

"People like you don't belong in this world," Javert said. "You're a bad person. You always have been and always will be until you learn to control your destructive tendencies..." The scene dissolved, and suddenly Gaston found himself in an empty dark room. He tried to move, but his arms were pinned down. Javert has strapped restraints on him! He struggled and fought,
but the restraints just got even tighter. "There's no use fighting, Gaston..."

Gaston's panic-stricken blue eyes snapped open, darting frantically around the room. There was still a voice calling his name, and his arms were still pinned. It took him a moment to adjust to his surroundings and realize that Dr. Javert was gone. There was only the school healer. "River..." he choked out, his voice sounding hoarse and raw. He realized what must've happened and silently berated himself for dragging the healer into his problems. "I'm sorry... No need to worry about me. I'll just be going..."

He tried to stand but immediately wobbled and had to grab hold of the nightstand to steady himself. He sat back on the bed with a resigned sigh.
Obviously he wasn't goig anywhere any time soon...

River held his breath as he watched Gaston writhe in place, not responding to his call. The next thing that came to mind was to wake the Charms Professor from within his dream state. It was a risky and dangerous move, of course, but if he had to do it to save this man's sanity, he would. Thankfully, Gaston did respond to him after a few more calls. River exhaled the breath he'd been holding slowly, and resigned by sitting down on the edge of Gaston's bed, as he watched the man with worry.

His research and investigative interviews with Gaston's former healers were starting to shape up into a more conclusive finding, and River did not like it one bit. Physically, Gaston would've been healthy if it wasn't for his...current state. Obviously, something must be done right away.

The Healer knew that any attempt to escape the Hospital Wing would be futile. Obviously, Gaston hasn't seen his sorry state. He'd definitely need to go through basic treatment to sort out the more...sensitive issues going on with him. River let out an audible sigh as he stood up immediately from his spot and pressed on Gaston's shoulder. "You need to rest, my friend. And there's no need for you to be sorry." It was his job to look after sick people, after all. With firm hands, River helped Gaston in bed, and propped more pillows for him to lean back on. And as soon as Gaston had settled, River sat on his trusty medical stool beside his patient's bed and waited for the man to speak. If River's eyes could talk, it would've told the Charms Professor that he now knows everything...

Gaston let out a dejected sigh and reluctantly allowed River to help him back into the bed. He lie back, still noticeably trembling as he stared up at the ceiling for several moments. The horrible dream might've been over, but the voices of his father and Dr. Javert still replayed in his mind no matter how he tried to block them out, reminding him of how he'd never be the person they wanted him to be. See, none of this would've happened if you could control your emotions like a real man, their voices taunted him. And they were right... here he was burdening River with his troubles when his time could be better spent tending to people with real illnesses.

Then another, much worse thought occurred to him. How long had he been out? Had anyone else seen him before River did? What if a student found him? That would give them even more cause to dislike him. What if one of his colleagues found him? Then they'd just go on underestimating him. Or... what if Rosalyn found him? she'd already seen him at one of his lowest points over the summer, and he still hadn't forgiven himself for it. He couldn't do that to her again!

Gaston could barely look at River, let alone actually tell him anything yet. How did he know that he wouldn't judge him once he knew about his insecurities? And why was he looking at him like that? Finally, he forced himself to speak. "Did anyone else see me like this before-?" he began, but his voice trailed off before he could finish the question.

Given his profession, River was a man of action. Nothing else could hype his adrenaline by being quick on his feet while he raced against time, saving a person's life. It had been the same with Gaston, in fact, River could not shake the feeling that he'd been too late. That he'd been reviewing his files for too long that the man in question was on the verge of losing his sanity.

River could not help but be disgusted with the fact that Gaston had been overlooked all these years by his friends and family. Or perhaps, the man in question was to blame? River had all the questions filed in his head, most were left unanswered simply because Gaston had the answers to them. For now, he had to earn the man's trust just like any other patient before him. He had to make the Charms professor understand that he was the man for the job, and that he would treat his issues with utmost confidentiality. That's how Healers work anyway.

He had noticed the lack of eye contact, and River could not help but confirm Gaston's deep insecurities. He seemed afraid of his own shadow. River kept his gaze, and his tone gentle. "I don't think so. I would've immediately received a patronus or a message from a freaked out student if I didn't see you first." River tilted his head to the side, curious about his reaction. People did care for him, and they would've panicked if they'd seen him lying on the ground unconscious. River got up from his seat and gave Gaston his glass of water, and offered it to the man. "You're not exactly fit to be in a pub to talk things over with me, so this would have to do." River grinned as he too got his own glass of water, trying to set up a friendly mood; much like how two grown men would discuss things in a dimly lit bar. "So...care to tell me what's going on?" And don't lie, Gaston. We got your medical records on hand.

Gaston began to relax a little bit when River answered his question. At least he knew that no one else had seen his moment of weakness. He blinked dumbly as River continued speaking. Normally the comment about talking things over in a pub would've got a chuckle from him, but he was too sad and exhausted right now. The thought crossed his mind to refuse the water he was offered, but somehow he had an idea that wouldn't go over well with the healer. He took the glass and had a small sip. He'd been so wrapped up in his sadness that he hadn't realized how thirsty he was; all he'd had to drink today was a few sips of coffee this morning. Before he could take another sip, his hands started trembling so violently that he had to set the glass on the nightstand to keep from sloshing it all over the bed.

He sighed and looked at River for a few moments. He really didn't want to tell him what had happened, not so much out of lack of trust but because he knew he'd never be able to get through it without losing whatever hold he still had on his emotions. Still, he respected him too much to try to lie. At length, he spoke, "My father... we had a fight over the summer, and since then I can't eat or sleep or do anything but think about the hurtful thing he said to me." He neglected to mention exactly what the fight was about. River didn't need to know everything about his personal drama, and he could always fill in the details later if he had to.

"He's always been demanding, but I always convinced myself that he meant well," Gaston forced himself on, "that he l-loved me deep down. But now I see that all this time his 'love' was just an act..." His voice broke, and he took another sip of water so he could swallow the lump rising in his throat. He silently stared at the floor for several minutes, trying to will himself not to fall apart in front of River. He'd tell him more soon, but he needed a break.

River finished his drink in one go, wishing that his drink would've been made of something stronger. Some, if not most of his medical cases hadn't been outstanding or mind-boggling as he expected, but adult cases were far more interesting...and troubling. It was worth mentioning that he'd lost a few hours of sleep by going through Gaston's records, wondering and theorising the cause of his...case. As a Healer, it has been instilled in him that he must help those who are in need of his medical services, no matter how hopeless it seemed. Lucky for Gaston, River thought that his case wasn't a lost cause.

"Mhmm." River nodded, gesturing Gaston to continue talking as he placed his empty glass down and removed his healer robes. As he got up from his seat, the Healer rolled up his sleeves, drew in the privacy screens around Gaston's bed and placed the Muffliato charm on it. The last thing they needed were eavesdropping patients. "I...see." River sat back down and propped both of his elbows on his knees, "I'm sorry Gaston." the healer continued in a gentle voice. If he was going to be honest, River couldn't fully relate to what Gaston's going through at the moment. He has a loving family back in England, and although his parents had been tough on them, they had been very sincere in their care and love.

River paused and gave Gaston the time to breathe. New questions formed inside his head, and the man struggled a bit to filter each. He didn't want to trigger Gaston any further, but he wanted the man to feel better. "I don't blame you if you're having a hard time trusting your colleagues, Gaston...but, you know that we're fully functioning adults who are willing to help each other out, yes?" River gently pressed on, urging the man in front of him to not be afraid. The Healer sighed, opened his mouth and closed it again, rubbing the side of his head, uncertain of his words. "What I'm trying to say is that I am here to help you face your truths...but it has to start with you, Gaston." it was a clear indication that River knows more than what Gaston expected. Healers have a close-knit network, and it was almost too easy to delve into the bottom of Gaston's case, simply because of the past records he got from his connections.

Gaston gave River a look of gratitude as he drew the screen and cast a Muffilato charm on it. He didn't want anyone else to know about this; he'd probably be even more disliked than he already was if word got out. He kept his gaze fixed on the wall; he couldn't even look River in the eye. He's not Javert, he reminded himself, trying to calm his panicked thoughts and racing heart, but it didn't work. He still half-expected ridicule and disapproval for opening up about himself. But that didn't happen; instead River was being sympathetic. He sat up in the bed, staring at the healer in utter disbelief. Now that was unexpected!

He nodded in reply to the healer as his mind searched for the right words to say. Somehow he got an uneasy feeling that River knew more about his past than he was letting on, but he tried to push that thought out of his mind. A part of him knew River was right, but he just couldn't shake his nagging doubts. "You have no idea how much I want to believe that," he said, his blue eyes clouded with sadness as he looked back at the healer, "but I don't think I can... not now anyway. All my life I've tried to see the best in others, and look where it got me!" All alone and despised...

Gaston sighed and downed the rest of his drink in one gulp, setting the glass back down on the nightstand with a loud clunk. It wasn't so much that he didn't trust others; he didn't trust himself. He didn't exactly have the best track record of making friends. It seemed that the more he showed of his true self, the more disliked he became. "What if he's not the only one? What if everyone else I thought cared about me is just pretending too?" he said, more to himself than to River. His head bowed and he made a noise that sounded like a half-scoff, half-sob. "I idolized him, and he never saw anything but the worst in me! And now... I don't know who I am anymore." He didn't know how to be the strong, stoic man his father always wanted him to be or the brave leader his students deserved. And the worst part was he didn't know how to be the romantic fool he once was anymore...

His eyes were a storm of conflicting emotions, reflecting all the anger, fear, and overwhelming sadness that he felt as he forced himself to look up. He had no idea where that had come from! Now what would be the consequences of pouring his heart out to River like this?