Beatrice: taps fingers H-How are ya alive?! Last I s-saw... you were six feet under!
Well, I ain't the only one who had a near-death experience, sweetheart. But I guess that's why they call them "near" death experiences, right? So you're still here. And I'm not. I guess that's what you get for drowning.
narrows eyes You think this is a joke? You think you can just come back from the dead and make fun of me? After everything we went through?
I ain't makin' fun of ya, Bea. Just sayin' it's wild that you survived too, after what you went through as a kid. Drowning ain't somethin' you forget.
crosses arms You think you know what it's like to go through something like that? To almost lose your life? You think you understand what it's like to have everything fall apart?
You're right, I ain't in your shoes. But I did go through hell while we were married. It wasn't just you who got hurt, Bea.
throws her hands up Oh, spare me the sympathy, Lopez! You think you were the only one who suffered?
I'm not tryin' to be the only one who suffered. Just remindin' you that we both had our demons, okay?
rolls her eyes Yeah, well, my demons are a little more complicated than yours, Lopez.
leans in closer Well, for starters, my demons come with a side of trauma. Drowning changes a person, you know. It messes with your head, your emotions...
Yeah, I heard stories about people who almost drowned coming out with some real weird fears. Like, they freak out over certain sounds or something like that.
snaps her fingers Yeah, you got that right. Sounds, specific sounds... they drive me crazy! pauses But you know what's even crazier?
leans in closer, voice lowering What's crazy is that those sounds, the ones that used to terrify me, they're the same ones that... pauses, looking troubled
That's trouble. What's the connection?
Beatrice reveals that the traumatic sounds she is haunted by are the same ones that her ex-husband used to make during their arguments
Damn, Bea. That's heavy. So the sounds that haunt you, they're the same ones I used to make? That's...that's creepy as hell.
paces back and forth Yeah, it's creepy! It's like my own trauma, my own fears, are haunting me! And I can't escape it, Lopez!
Jesus, Bea. That's rough. But hey, we gotta figure this out together, alright? We owe it to ourselves.
stops pacing and locks eyes with Lopez You're damn right we owe it to ourselves. And I'm not gonna let those sounds control me anymore!
No way we're lettin' those sounds win, Bea. We're stronger than that shit.
grabs Lopez's hand You're goddamn right we are! We're gonna fight back, Lopez! We're gonna conquer these fears and take control of our lives!
Hell yeah, Bea! We're gonna beat this thing. Together.
pulls out a notebook Alright, Lopez, we need a plan. We gotta figure out how to address these sounds, conquer them, and move forward.
Alright, let's do this. You're the boss, Beatrice. What's our first step?
flips through the pages of her notebook Alright, first things first, we need to identify the specific sounds that trigger my trauma.
Sounds like a start. Got any ideas on how we tackle 'em?
puts on her thinking cap Well, one thing that might help is exposure therapy.
Exposure therapy? You mean, like, repeatedly listening to those sounds until they don't scare me no more?
nods Exactly, Lopez! We gotta face our fears head-on, gradually desensitize ourselves to those sounds, and in doing so, break the hold they have over us.
Alright, I'm down. Let's start this exposure therapy crap and take back control, Beatrice.
stands up Good, Lopez! We're gonna make a list of all the triggering sounds and start exposure therapy right away.
Let's get this shit show on the road then, Beatrice. Show those sounds who's boss!
starts writing down the triggering sounds in her notebook Alright, Lopez, let's start with the most bothersome sound first.
Lead the way, Beatrice. Whatever it takes to kick these demons to the curb.
scribbles in her notebook Okay, Lopez, the first sound we're gonna tackle is the sound of breaking glass.
Breaking glass? That's a doozy, Beatrice. How the hell did glass breaking become such a big deal for you?
pauses, looking down It's...it's a reminder of the past, Lopez. When I was younger, my parents had a violent argument that ended with them shattering a glass door.
Damn, Beatrice. That's rough. No wonder that sound triggers bad memories.
takes a deep breath Yeah, it's a painful memory, but we gotta face it head-on if we wanna move forward.
You got that right, Beatrice. Let's conquer this shit together.
gathers her courage Alright, Lopez, it's time to expose myself to the sound of breaking glass.