Chapter 28

Nancy walked beside the Doctor as they went down the hall; she was confused about the Final Test, and turned to him.

"So what exactly is this 'final test' about?"

"Remember what Tonya said about breaking through a wall?"

"Yeah..."

"During the Endurance Test, she did it in her mind;" he explained, "now, she'll do the same kind of thing, only in body as well."

"She's going to go through a wall?" Nancy asked, confused.

"Oh, no, no, no," he laughed, "it's still metaphorical about the 'wall'; what I mean is that she'll be in a situation where she's forced to overcome several obstacles, and she can't stop until she passes the test."

"I still don't get it"

"Well," he replied, "imagine trying to do your figure skating routine through an obstacle course."

"That would be impossible!" Nancy cried, shocked!

"The obstacles won't be on the ice, though;" he continued, "remember the shock probe that you used on her?"

"Uh-huh..."

"She'll be wearing one while she does her skating routine, along with all the other equipment she's still hooked up to from the Endurance Test," he explained, "At the moments that she has to use her most intense concentration, like when she goes into a jump, she'll receive a shock."

"You CAN'T be serious!" Nancy replied, mortified!

"Tonya will have to keep going, no matter how painful it gets for her," he continued, "that way, she'll learn to not let anything stop her, no matter how bad it is."

"But why do you have to hurt her so much?"

"Keep in mind that for women who've been abused, pain and hurt have been used as a way to keep them under control, destroy their self-esteem, and make them feel less than human," he said, his voice filled with compassion, "so when I developed my Intense Therapy, I realized that in order to truly benefit a woman, the same pain had to be used to make her stronger emotionally."

"But does it work?" Nancy asked.

"Have you ever heard the quote from Nietschze, 'That which does not kill me makes me stronger'?"

"Yeah..."

"Most women who've been abused don't realize that, regardless of how badly they've been treated, they've survived," he explained, "once they understand that, it's much easier to build up their self- esteem so that they can prevent themselves from being victimized again."

"And it works... ?"

"Absolutely!" the Doctor exclaimed proudly, "Once they get that first feeling of power and control over their lives, they want it to last, and they're willing to work hard for it!"

"Is it working for Tonya?" Nancy asked.

"Well, you heard what she said after the Endurance Test," he said, "she felt stronger, more at ease, like she was turning into a whole new person."