*Krystal’s POV*

I awoke early the next morning, sure that the last week had been a dream. I refused to open my eyes, my head hurt. Heck! Everything hurts; I must be hung over. I do love my boys, but jeez they are a bad influence!

Even though it really fucking hurt; I stretched and it took me a moment longer than it should've to realise that I was in the warm embrace of a man. I opened my eyes. Fuck, I am in the hospital. Wait – If I really am here... Then that means... I squirmed around in his arms so that I could see his face. Ashley!

"Good morning" he murmured and I smiled at him. "Nice sleep?" he asked.

"Yep" I grinned. It wasn’t a dream. Well, now that I come to think of it... Everything I’ve ever wanted in life is happening. This is a dream. It’s MY dream. Holy shit. I am officially living my dream! "Yep!” I repeated. “What about you? Did you sleep okay?”

"Um… yes. It was pleasant" he answered awkwardly, but he was hiding a cheeky smile.

"What?" I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

"Krystal, did you know that you talk in your sleep?" he asked casually, carefully playing with a single strand of my hair, twiddling it round his index finger.

"Oh no..." I moaned quietly "What did I say?"

He stared into my eyes, his own softening and making my insides melt "You said that you loved me."

"You already knew that." I pointed out.

"And you said that I saved your life..." he said.

"You did..." I whispered. "Without you by my side, I wouldn't have had the strength to come back. It was horrible while I was out, Ash." I shuddered and buried my head in his chest. His arm wrapped round me protectively.

"I really helped that much?"

I nodded into his chest. “Nothing meant anything to me until I heard your voice" I admitted.

"I find that hard to believe" he chuckled.

"Well, you better bloody believe it!" I told him, as I gazed up at him. "You really mean that much to me."

He lowered his head next to mine and whispered into my ear. "You mean more to me." His sweet breath blew on my neck, tickling it. I couldn’t help myself. I was blushing uncontrollably.

"Impossible" I muttered.

"I highly doubt it."

“Oi! Lover birds!” CC startled me and I fell off the bed.

“OW! YOU FUCKER!” I shouted at him from behind the bed.

“You idiot!” Ash jumped up and knelt beside me as CC spoke again.

“Shit... Sorry Krissy” I froze up. I didn’t mean to, I knew it was stupid; but I honestly couldn’t help it... He just-

“Dude, she’s not responding. What’s wrong?” I could sense panic in CC’s voice. I really needed to snap out of this.

“Go and get Brennan.” Ash glared upwards. “NOW!”

I heard CC scurry away and I was desperately trying to pull myself back to the real world but I was failing. Everything was so dark. It was like I was almost blind. I think tears started to build in my eyes because Ashley started to hold me closer and told me everything was going to be okay and not to cry.

“Are you hurt? Please talk to me darl’. C’mon you, I need to know what’s wrong”

“Ashley? What happened?” Dr Brennan was here.

CC didn’t let Ashley get a word in edgeways “It was me. I made her jump and she fell out of her bed. Is she hurt? Oh what have I done?” CC was really scared. I felt so bad! Ashley and Dr Brennan lifted me into the bed. There was a bright light shone into my eyes and I was poked, prodded and examined for any injuries.

“Ah, okay, don’t worry Christian, she’s fine. Well she will be fine. Once she is back with us we can give her medication that can help these episodes.”

“What do you mean, back with us? What episodes?” Ashley practically demanded an answer.

“Okay, sit down. It’s hard to explain, but I will try my best.” I heard both CC and Ash sit down. “Right. She’s basically ‘frozen’ I’m guessing from her abuse. Something may have triggered her. The fall, something someone said etc.”

“I still don’t understand.”

“Okay – well freezing is how the nervous system manages to handle moments of traumatic stress. It is this type of freezing that causes many people to develop trauma symptoms long after the danger has passed. In other words, something that has previously happened to Krystal has made her go into freeze yet she may or may not be aware of it.”

“So she could be hearing all of this right now?”

“Yes. She could be, so Krystal if you can, then you’re safe and we’re not going to leave you. Ashley, Christian and I will all stay here until you are conscious again.”

“Okay, I don’t understand all this freezing stuff”

“Right, let me explain. During a traumatic event, an enormous amount of energy is released by our neuroendocrine system. If there is sufficient resiliency in your nervous system you will be able to discharge this energy without being traumatized. For some people however this life-threatening experience can stop this discharge from happening. The energy mobilized by the apparent threat gets "locked" into the nervous system and when triggered, this can cause people to go into freeze.
You still look confused...
Ok, long story short, non doctor speak - Something has triggered her memories of a traumatic event that she hasn't dealt with, and has overulled the normal instinct to fight it and the fear has locked her in a freeze.”

“Ok, now that last bit made more sense than all that babble." CC was laughing. "Sorry - I didn't mean that in a nasty way, I just. I'm dumb, y'know?" Ash and Brennan both joined in with the laughing.

"Too right, dumb ass! You really ar-"

"Ash?" I mumbled.

"Krystal! Hey angel, how are you?" I hated his tone.

"Please don't talk to me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like that! Like I'm a baby. Like I'm weak and fragile. It's patronising... I-" Great, I was crying again.

"Oh, no. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be"

"I know.. I'm sorry. I just- I don't want to be weak. I don't want you to feel like you have to baby me."

"I don't feel that way. I just care."

"Okay, I'm sorry." He hugged me tight and I felt at ease again. "I guess you're all wandering what made me freeze up..." I avoided making eye contact.

Dr Brennan replied "Only if you feel comfortable telling us."

"I would rather tell you. Maybe then we can steer away from that and making it happen again. Um. Right. Well my boss... He used to call me a nickname. I hated it. CC said it after I fell off the bed." I couldn't bring myself to actually say it. "Argh. Can I write it please?" I was handed a scrap piece of paper and I scrawled the word "Krissy" onto it. "Stupid, I know."

"No, that's actually understandable. It put you back in that place and you were frightened. But you're safe now. Why don't we have that chat I was after? I have something I wanted to express to you both since we discovered the cause of your return to the hospital for the internal bleed. I want to put your minds at ease."