More AJ

When I walked into the room where AJ was, he seemed to be in prety good spirits while Sage was lying down on the bed, halfway asleep???  She'd been there all night with him.

"AJ?" I announced when I walked in the room. "The doctor says you're going home tomorrow. They can't find anything physically wrong with you and have chalked your illness up to stress. I don't think you should be joining the military."
"But I want to, mom."
"I'm just, you know, I'm not sure if it's an option for you right now. Maybe sometime in the future but not now. Perhaps you can take it easy for awhile, go to your counseling sessions, and go to that facility in Shang Simla that Dr. Bill wants --"
"I'm sick of facilities and treatment centers! I just -- you know -- I just want to be normal."
I could hear Sage start to sob.
"You are normal," I reassured him. "But you know, sometimes, even normal people need help coping with things. It's not a sign of weakness. I had a hard time dealing with that myself. I promise you, AJ, once you're done with Shang Simla -- you'll never be the same."
I told him about my first encounter with martial arts and yoga in Shang Simla. "I still do the yoga breathing techniques on occasion. They're very relaxing and I think you'd benefit from them, AJ."

Meanwhile, I got a call from Salty Springs, the residential treatment facility where Andy and I have talked about sending Sierra.  Frankly, I want her to go to Fort Starch but Andy and Sage want a different approach. 

Speaking of Sierra, Andy finally dragged her into AJ's hospital room. 

And when she was there, she didn't say anything to AJ... but instead chose to scream and yell at Sage. 

Meanwhile, Dr. Bill arrived soon after we called. 

"AJ's tests came back completely normal," Dr. Bill told us.  "He's healthier physically than all of us put together.  But I've long suspected, and I suspected even after talking to him, that his issues are more mental and emotional than they are physical.  The only reason that I can tell that he passed out was because he's under a tremendous amount of stress. That's why I've suggested Shang Simla's holistic treatment facility.  The atmosphere is much more relaxed than Fort Starch.  Allowing him to deal with his own issues, without the added pressures of his siblings' issues, would certainly help him to maybe come into his own a little more.  Because, let's face it, he's an adult now.  He has to live his own life."

"Look, Andrew, you are a loving father. I get that. You have been the pillar holding this family together. You've been doing your job and your wife's too. The fact remains that you've got one son who more than likely has a touch of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a daughter with such abandonment issues that she's afraid to get close to anyone, and your younger daughter, whose own issues came storming to the forefront, who is completely out of control. You and your wife need to get a handle on this situation right now."