[interesting]

Tina was intimidated by Gael. In the car on the way back, she had kept quiet as her mother and Gael had chatted about seemingly irrelevant things. Back in their apartment, Tina had quickly returned to her room. She was angry at being sick, at having an infection, at being unable to fulfill her obligation to the Rat Pack, at herself for being blackmailed into all this. She was mostly terrified of letting every single person she had slept with (many of whom she didn't even know the names) know that she might have given them an STD, albeit a minor one.

What bothered her about missing tonight (she had again confirmed with the Rat Pack her absence, for health reasons, and the SMS reply had seemed understanding) was that this could affect the length of her contract with them. Her infection caused the same concern. She still had a full week to go, and next Friday and Saturday as well. But if she missed out on one day, what did that mean in the greater scheme. The fact that her mother and Gael were chatting away in the computer room did not help. She would have liked to talk with her mother about what had transpired, to tell her everything, but she couldn't, simply because her mother wasn't available.

Gael, on her part, wasn't taking it easy on Justine. As a psychiatrist, she had figured out some of the major issues in Justine's life. It didn't take much analysis to peer through her defenses.

"The way I see it," Gael told her, "you are compensating for all the lack of attention you got as a child..."
"Maybe so..."
"...and the way you feel about your daughter, how important she is - well, it's because your own mother renounced you."
"That makes sense."

Justine had never thought about her life under such light; what Gael was saying truly opened her mind.

"And these urges to... protect her? To keep her safe and... close?"
"All natural. A mother's instinct is powerful."

Shame was hard to ignore. When it was merely her daughter and herself, the social aspect of their intimate relationship could easily be dismissed. With someone else's presence in the room, eyes looking at her, she couldn't disregard them.

Gael leaned closer, a hand on Justine's own.

"You love your daughter..."
"Yes."
"More than you should, perhaps?"

Justine was reluctant to answer, so Gael coaxed her on.

"I see how you look at her. I see the fear and shame... have you two ever...?"

Justine wanted to lie, but she didn't reply. Her silence was more vocal than her words would have been.

"I see..."
"...I don't know why but..."
"But it happened, right?"
"Yes..."

If Gael had harbored any bad intentions, she could have easily taken advantage of Justine's weakness. A confession, indirect as it was, could spell disaster for the mother. She would lose guardianship of her minor daughter at the very least, and could face criminal charges. But Gael, despite an overbearing sexual personality, was still a kind person, and she didn't think along the lines of most of her colleagues.

"Did you force it or did it happen naturally...?"
"...naturally... I hope."
"Did she want it?"
"Yes."
"And did you?"
"Yes..."

There was a pause.

"It's where you got the infection too," Gael replied.
"I think so... I'm sorry if I gave it to you."
"I'm clean for now, but I'll check up with my doctor tomorrow."

There was a pause and Justine stared at Gael, visibly distraught, scared at the consequences of her admission.

"...what are you going to do about Tina and me?"