Before long, a soft familiar knock to the bedroom door echoed through the room.

(knockin on the floor-what's she using a broom and hittin the ceilin'? hehe)

Luke didn't answer, crying softly to himself, his whole body shivering.

(dont know what yer talkin bout cuz )

Sara waited for a moment before stepping into the room quietly, standing by the door with a small smile before saying quietly.

"Well hey there stranger..."

Luke choked at the familiar voice looking up tearily at her, but wiping his eyes quickly. "H-h-hi."

Sara crossed over to him quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Well ya held out longer than any o'my patients so far..."

"He-held out?" he asked with a whimper. He hadn't been home one day hardly and already she needed to come fix him. "I ain't gettin' better...makin...things worse..."

Sara shook her head softly.

"No...its all a part of coming back t'someplace an adjustin Luke...most people take one step through the front door of the house and wanna come back to the hospital again. Its a different atmosphere here...you have to start fending for yourself...and its a big shock...big thing to get used to again...I knew you'd call, I was plannin on it...but if I'd told you that, you never woulda tried t'come home..."

Luke reached shakily for her hand. Always before it seemed to have a magical power, able to soothe and calm him with a mere touch. "Had....another..." he choked out a tear escaping down his cheek.

Sara took his hand gently, resting it in between the two of hers with a gentle nod.

"Okay...ok...just take a few deep breaths...keep calm and gently...calmly...recite it to me...as it happens...i'll just listen..."

Luke choked not sure if he could say it again. It had scared Bo away...part of him was afraid it would scare Sara too.

Sara just carressed his hand softly as she waited patiently for him to start telling her.

Luke began his story, much the same way he had with Bo, stopping again when he came to the part about being captured, waiting for her to leave, as Bo had done.

Sara however didn't move a muscle, her thumb still gently rubbing his knuckles as she listened attentivly, none of what he was saying seeming to phase her at all.

Luke swallowed when he saw that she wasn't leaving. "You...you sure...you don't wanna go?"

Sara shook her head.

"I'm positive...why would I leave? I came here t'help ya...listen to what needs t'be listened to and help ya work through it...why would I stop doin that now?"

"What I say...hurts people," answered Luke softly.

Sara raised her eyebrows before frowning.

"Wow...well...it aint hurt me..."

"Yet." He figured it was just a matter of time. Still though, a part of him was tired of keeping it all inside. It seemed to eat away at him, from the inside out.

Sara shook her head gently.

"Luke...believe me....through my career i've heard so many tales...so many problems and I can probably guarentee that i've heard something similar to your story before. Nam weren't just suffered by you...hundreds of troops made it back suffering the same kinda psychological problems you are now..."

Luke sighed but nodded a llittle, figuring he had might as well try. "Bullet grazed me... I...I tried t' get up...somethin....hit me...next thing I knew...was in...a cage...n'no bigger...than the bed."

Sara nodded quietly, giving Luke's hand a gentle supportive squeeze.

"Well Done Luke..."

Luke whimpered the rest all unfolding in his mind, the tortures, the beatings, the fear: fear that he would not be alive the next day, but more often than not the fear that he would be... he didn't know how to voice all this, so he only sat tears streaming down his cheeks in shame rocking himself back and forth in vain attempt to give himself the comfort he so deperately needed.

Sara sat up more and took both of Luke's hands, forcing him to uncurl and to stop rocking himself.

"Luke dont shut yourself away from me...dont do that...you know that that doesn't lead to anything good...we've talked about this...just because your home does not mean that everything we talked about is null and void..."

Luke whimpered, "I can't...I can't...it hurts....make it stop...please....make it stop hurting..." he begged. His shoulders shook as he looked to her. He had thought he was better.... thought all this was behind him.

"I can't make it stop hurting Luke, only you can make it stop hurting by stopping it controlling your life...you need to let this go, you need to tell me about everything that you need to...I can help you, but like I said when we started, I need to know everything...everything...."

She said firmly but softly, like she would speak to a child who didn't want a shot or who didn't want to stay in hospital.