Doctor Gallagher is still standing by Freddie's bedroom door, just looking at me. I cannot say whether he is angry, disappointed or even satisfied. His expression is neutral.

Freddie is still in my arms, sobbing. The embrace we shared seems to have appeased him. I walk away from him.

"I'll be right back, buddy," I say, smiling.

My friend nodshis head before wiping his face with tears. I approach the local chief. We both go out in the hallway. The doctor Gallagher takes care to close the door, so that the following exchange does not reach Freddie's ears. He turns towards me, always with this impassive air. Before getting stoned on the spot, I decide to attack first.

"So if you want to fire me, go ahead, do it! Frankly, since I've been here, I've seen enough!"

The doctor still looks at me, without an ounce of anger in his eyes.

"Frankly... I thought you were an honest man who only wanted the well-being of his patients, but I'm sure you don't know half the things that are happening right under your nose! Because if I did, the nurse I punched this morning would have been fired a long time ago!"

Gallagher remains silent. I continue to pour out my venom and everything I have on my heart, under his enigmatic gaze.

"And Freddie! Look at the state he's in! And you were ready to let him out? You're really unconscious, gosh! And, despite all that, you dare to blame me? I know I'm wrong about this, but, uh, sweep first at your door, okay? You brag about choosing the cream of the crop when it comes to doctors, and yet..."

I give a cry of frustration. I would love to tell him more! I am out of breath after my tirade. And I feel a little better. Always under his sharp gaze, he decides to speak.

"Are you feeling better?" he asks me.

- No... yes... I don't know, actually! But you better do something to fix it because...

"I have a question: do you attract problems or are they the ones that attract you?" he asks again, cutting me off.

While I clearly expected to be set on fire, his relative calm leaves me perplexed. I don't know what to say to that and I just frown. He starts pacing in front of me.

"I know you're not a bad guy," he continues, "I felt it from the moment you arrived.I'm not going to go back over your propensity to break the rules. And yet, I surprise you here, in a section of the institute, formally forbidden to residents... Honestly, I should fire you right now."

His calm tone makes me think he doesn't want to.

"I know Ben, and I am aware of his temperament," he continues. I'm sure you're not the instigator of the conflict this morning. But he's a good asset to our institute.

" 'A good asset '? Are you serious?" I laugh. " With the complicity of another nurse and a doctor, they wanted to force Stella to take her treatment! You think that makes it a good asset? Not respecting people's will?"

"Miss Atkins... you don't know anything about her, or why she's here. Her case is... peculiar."

What does he mean by that? That she deserves to be treated this way because she is special?

"Look, I would like to go back to what I said this morning. I forbade you from interacting with patients, but seeing you with Freddie, I don't think it's a good idea, nor do I think it's a good idea to tell him the truth about who you are. You were about to, weren't you?"

"Of course I was going to! I can't keep lying to him, especially not after everything he told me!"

"He trusts you... Brody... not Hero," he explains to me, putting a friendly hand on my shoulder, which he quickly removes. "I did not think that he would be able to open himself in this way and especially so quickly with another resident. Of course, he spoke about his trauma in front of our medical teams, but he hasn't spoken about it since. To anyone. So far. Until Brody."

Unfortunately, everything he said makes sense. What if the truth upset Freddie even more? Maybe he would feel betrayed... I close my eyes to try to see through this whole thing.

"So I'll allow you to come and see Freddie here while he's convalescing," he tells me. "For some reason, you're doing him good. But, if there is another slip, even insignificant, I will put an end to our agreement... and to your stay here. This is your last chance. There will be no more. Am I clear?"

I nod my head. Dr. Gallagher walks away, but before he disappears, he turns to me and retraces his steps. He looks thoughtful.

- Freddie est un garçon en or, j'espère que vous vous en rendez compte, me dit-il. Je n'ai jamais vu un patient aussi gentil. Mais il est aussi très naïf. Il a ce côté très enfantin, parce que la période la plus heureuse de sa vie est lorsqu'il était gamin. C'est pour ça qu'il essaie de s'y réfugier, au risque de régresser dans son évolution. Je vous explique cela, même si je n'y suis pas autorisé, pour que vous compreniez bien à qui vous avez à faire. Ce jeune homme a été brisé par la vie et mérite d'être heureux. Je doute qu'il y arrivera un jour, alors... autant le laisser vivre dans son monde. Alors, si vous décidez de rester autour de lui, faites très attention.

Cela ne ressemble pas à une menace, ni à une mise en garde. Au contraire. Cela ressemblait plus à une supplique. Cette fois-ci, il tourne les talons et s'éloigne pour de bon. Je suis encore chamboulé par les révélations de mon ami, et encore plus troublé par ce face à face avec le docteur Gallagher.

"Freddie is a golden boy, I hope you realize that," he says. "I have never seen such a nice patient. But he's also very naive. He has this very childish side, because the happiest time of his life is when he was a kid. This is why he tries to take refuge there, at the risk of regressing in his evolution. I am explaining this to you, even though I am not authorized to do so, so that you can clearly understand who you are dealing with. This young man has been shattered by life and deserves to be happy. I doubt he'll ever get there, so... let him live in his world. So if you decide to stay around him, be very careful."

It doesn't sound like a threat, it doesn't sound like a warning. On the contrary. It sounded more like a plea. This time, he turns his back and walks away for good. I am still shaken by the revelations of my friend, and even more troubled by this face-to-face with Dr Gallagher.

I decide to join my friend, and continue to bring him the comfort and support he needs...

******