Elissa’s heart dropped when Rhea said he’d hung. How close had she been to losing him? She smiled when he accepted her offer. “An Indian mystic taught me this. It never fails.” She said standing behind him. “Breath in and out when I tell you to.” Elissa placed her hands at the base of his neck. “Breathe in.” She instructed ready to push down firmly when he breathed out. The action would pop his back and release the tension in the neck and shoulder muscles. “Breathe out.” 

She was about to sit back down when Peter spoke. Elissa paled suddenly when he mentioned Bedlam. The flashback came almost at once. “Don’t send me back.” She begged instinctively. Her breathing became rapid as the memories pulled her in. She was trembling.

Adam noticed the change at once, how she paled and her eyes became dark and distant. He was on his feet and at her side in an instant. “You aren’t there now.” He said firmly, grasping her shoulders. “Elissa.” He snapped trying to bring her back. Her eyes focused again as she gasped for breathe. “Drink, just a little to calm you.” Adam instructed handing her the tankard that had been previously offered to her. “Sit before you fall.” 

She slowly sat and took a small drink of the scotch. “I’ve been there. My crew was there.” She said in a hushed voice.

“Don’t think on it,” Adam told her. He knew the place. He’d first been assigned there and after seeing what it was like, what they did to people he left. Piracy was better than that place.

“I was fourteen! Do the rumors say that? I was only fourteen years old when he had me thrown into that place!” She cried. “They treated me like I was crazy. I just wanted my mother back. I just wanted my best friend to come home. I was lonely, not crazy. He didn’t care. He wanted me gone.” She sat there shaking her head. “They locked me in the dark. I had to stand, the room wasn’t big enough for me to sit. They called it the coffin.” She looked up but not at anyone. 

“Drink more.” Adam instructed holding the cup to her lips. He understood how she could fall apart. They all had stories. They all had their breaking point. He knew the horrors of Bedlam but only from the standpoint of a doctor. “You aren’t there now.” He looked to Joseph. “I think it’s time she gets some rest. Will you take her back to your cabin? I can talk with you later about Bedlam, I was a doctor there, for a day, but still...” He hated admitting that he’d been a doctor at that place. Adam may have been a pirate but even he wasn’t heartless enough to send someone, much less a fourteen year old girl, to Bedlam. He doubted anyone on the ship was that heartless.

Elissa took another drink before shaking her head. “No, I’m alright.” She said, calmer now than the last time she spoke. “I’m fine now. I don’t want to ruin your fun. I’m sorry, Bedlam is just a bad memory for me. It’s one of my stories I want to forget.” She looked to Joseph. “I don’t need to go back to the cabin. I’m alright, I promise. How’s your neck now?” She didn’t want to ruin the enjoyment that Joseph was having. After the way he’d left earlier she knew he needed it.