Long Way Home
4
"Now, your session is scheduled for an hour, but you can leave whenever you want, okay?" Zoey asked, as Bree walked through the hallway with her on one side and Michael on the other.
Michael had a therapy session at the same time in a room down the hall from her.
Bree nodded, nervous butterflies in her stomach.
"And he may give you medicine, and if he does, you should take it, because it'll help you get better." Zoey continued talking.
They stopped in front of the room Bree was going to have her first therapy session in, and Bree paused, looking at her bright haired friend for comfort.
"I'll be waiting on the bench outside here when you're done, okay?" He asked softly. "And you can leave whenever you want, despite what he says, just remember that. And when you're done, we're gonna go meet everyone in the rec room and hang out. I promise you'll be okay."
Bree nodded, took a deep breath, and followed Zoey into the room. Bill sat at his desk, writing something, but when the two walked into the room, he looked up, a fake smile on his face.
"Aubree! Hello!" He said in the tone that she hated.
"Bree." She automatically corrected.
"Okay, Bree, I'm going back to my office if you need me, okay?" Zoey asked.
Bree nodded and watched the older woman walk out the door before sitting down in front of her new therapist.
"So, Aubree!" He said, clapping his hands. "First thing first, okay?"
He reached into a drawer of his desk and pulled out a bottle of pills.
"Zoey told me that you and that Luke kid haven't been sleeping, so this is important for you to take for that, okay?"
Bree sighed, wanting nothing more than to already leave. But, the girl nodded and took the bottle of pills. At least they may help Luke.
"So, Aubree, tell me about yourself." Bill started, putting his hands behind his head and his feet up on the desk.
"What do you want to know?" The girl asked softly.
"Well, your parents didn't come in to drop you off here. Why is that?"
Bree swallowed the lump in her throat at the question.
"I uhm don't want to talk about that." The girl played nervously with her fingers.
"Does the topic of your parents make you nervous, Aubree?" He asked in his stupid tone of voice.
Bree tried to remain calm.
"Yeah it does. And I'd rather not talk about it." The girl said through clenched teeth. "Also, my name is Bree."
"Well then, Bree, do you think your parents are disappointed in you for your diseases?"
Bree's mouth gaped open at the question. Had he really just called them diseases like that? in that tone? Had he really just asked her that? She couldn't breathe.
"I uhm... excuse me?" She spluttered.
"You heard my question." The therapist said, a smug smile on his face.
"I'm going to go." Bree said, grabbing her bottle of medicine and standing up.
"Where are you going? We have another half hour." The therapist stood up.
Bree tried to quell the panic rising in her chest.
"Zoey told me I could leave whenever I wanted, and I feel a panic attack coming on, and I want to go see my friends." Bree explained evenly.
"Why are you panicking?" The older man asked.
"You." Bree replied, before turning on her heel and walking out the door.
She spotted Michael sitting on the bench on his phone, but he got one look at her face and put the phone away, opening his arms.
Bree scrambled to sit in his arms, needing the comfort as she tried to breathe.
Michael held the smaller girl in his arms for a few minutes, stroking a hand up and down her back, rocking back and forth.
"What happened, Bree Bear?" He asked softly once she calmed down a little.
Bree smiled softly at the nickname, biting her lip.
"He just... I don't like him." The girl said.
"Okay." Michael said. "Then we'll figure it out, yeah? We'll get him changed. You need to be comfortable."
"Promise?" Bree asked.
"Promise." He replied. "What are the pills for?"
"The insomnia. He wanted me to share them with Luke." She said softly.
"Alright. Well, we're gonna go downstairs and meet our friends and get some food in your stomach so you can take them and get some rest."
Michael made a move to move the girl off him, but she shook her head. Michael sighed, resisting the urge to coo at the small girl.
"Want me to carry you?"
Bree nodded, and he stood up with her in his arms, carrying her towards the elevator. They went downstairs to the rec room and Michael spotted their friends at a table.
He walked over, and instantly, all four of their friends were on alert, seeing the girl in his arms.
"What happened?" Sasha asked, standing up to put a hand on Bree's back.
Bree whined, burying her face further in Michael's neck, embarrassed that she couldn't even make it through one day of therapy.
"Bree Bear's new therapist is a dick." Michael mumbled.
"I knew it." Ashton growled.
"We all did." Michael replied. "But we're gonna deal with that tomorrow. For right now, she needs to get food in her stomach and sleep."
"How is she gonna-" Luke started, but was cut off when Michael waved the bottle of pills.
"They're for you too, Luke, okay?"
Luke nodded.
"Alright, Bree Bear, what do you want to eat?" Michael asked.
He was met by silence and he sighed.
"Bree-"
"I-I'll get her a sandwich." Calum volunteered.
Everyone's heads turned toward the brown haired boy.
"Will you? That'd be great." Michael said, shooting him a smile.
"Yeah, I'll get it and bring it up to you. Take her to the apartment to rest."
Michael sighed and hitched the purple haired girl up in his arms, making her comfortable for the journey to the 3rd floor.
When they got up there, Zoey was waiting outside the apartment door.
"What happened?" She asked softly.
"We'll talk tomorrow." Michael said sharply.
"Michael-"
"Zoey." Michael said in a warning tone to the older woman.
She sighed, putting her hands up in surrender, murmuring tomorrow over her shoulder before disappearing.
Michael unlocked the door, kicking the bottom 3 times before opening it and carrying Bree over to the couch, laying her down.
"Mikey?" The girl called softly.
"What's up Bree Bear?"
"Thank you."
Michael had a therapy session at the same time in a room down the hall from her.
Bree nodded, nervous butterflies in her stomach.
"And he may give you medicine, and if he does, you should take it, because it'll help you get better." Zoey continued talking.
They stopped in front of the room Bree was going to have her first therapy session in, and Bree paused, looking at her bright haired friend for comfort.
"I'll be waiting on the bench outside here when you're done, okay?" He asked softly. "And you can leave whenever you want, despite what he says, just remember that. And when you're done, we're gonna go meet everyone in the rec room and hang out. I promise you'll be okay."
Bree nodded, took a deep breath, and followed Zoey into the room. Bill sat at his desk, writing something, but when the two walked into the room, he looked up, a fake smile on his face.
"Aubree! Hello!" He said in the tone that she hated.
"Bree." She automatically corrected.
"Okay, Bree, I'm going back to my office if you need me, okay?" Zoey asked.
Bree nodded and watched the older woman walk out the door before sitting down in front of her new therapist.
"So, Aubree!" He said, clapping his hands. "First thing first, okay?"
He reached into a drawer of his desk and pulled out a bottle of pills.
"Zoey told me that you and that Luke kid haven't been sleeping, so this is important for you to take for that, okay?"
Bree sighed, wanting nothing more than to already leave. But, the girl nodded and took the bottle of pills. At least they may help Luke.
"So, Aubree, tell me about yourself." Bill started, putting his hands behind his head and his feet up on the desk.
"What do you want to know?" The girl asked softly.
"Well, your parents didn't come in to drop you off here. Why is that?"
Bree swallowed the lump in her throat at the question.
"I uhm don't want to talk about that." The girl played nervously with her fingers.
"Does the topic of your parents make you nervous, Aubree?" He asked in his stupid tone of voice.
Bree tried to remain calm.
"Yeah it does. And I'd rather not talk about it." The girl said through clenched teeth. "Also, my name is Bree."
"Well then, Bree, do you think your parents are disappointed in you for your diseases?"
Bree's mouth gaped open at the question. Had he really just called them diseases like that? in that tone? Had he really just asked her that? She couldn't breathe.
"I uhm... excuse me?" She spluttered.
"You heard my question." The therapist said, a smug smile on his face.
"I'm going to go." Bree said, grabbing her bottle of medicine and standing up.
"Where are you going? We have another half hour." The therapist stood up.
Bree tried to quell the panic rising in her chest.
"Zoey told me I could leave whenever I wanted, and I feel a panic attack coming on, and I want to go see my friends." Bree explained evenly.
"Why are you panicking?" The older man asked.
"You." Bree replied, before turning on her heel and walking out the door.
She spotted Michael sitting on the bench on his phone, but he got one look at her face and put the phone away, opening his arms.
Bree scrambled to sit in his arms, needing the comfort as she tried to breathe.
Michael held the smaller girl in his arms for a few minutes, stroking a hand up and down her back, rocking back and forth.
"What happened, Bree Bear?" He asked softly once she calmed down a little.
Bree smiled softly at the nickname, biting her lip.
"He just... I don't like him." The girl said.
"Okay." Michael said. "Then we'll figure it out, yeah? We'll get him changed. You need to be comfortable."
"Promise?" Bree asked.
"Promise." He replied. "What are the pills for?"
"The insomnia. He wanted me to share them with Luke." She said softly.
"Alright. Well, we're gonna go downstairs and meet our friends and get some food in your stomach so you can take them and get some rest."
Michael made a move to move the girl off him, but she shook her head. Michael sighed, resisting the urge to coo at the small girl.
"Want me to carry you?"
Bree nodded, and he stood up with her in his arms, carrying her towards the elevator. They went downstairs to the rec room and Michael spotted their friends at a table.
He walked over, and instantly, all four of their friends were on alert, seeing the girl in his arms.
"What happened?" Sasha asked, standing up to put a hand on Bree's back.
Bree whined, burying her face further in Michael's neck, embarrassed that she couldn't even make it through one day of therapy.
"Bree Bear's new therapist is a dick." Michael mumbled.
"I knew it." Ashton growled.
"We all did." Michael replied. "But we're gonna deal with that tomorrow. For right now, she needs to get food in her stomach and sleep."
"How is she gonna-" Luke started, but was cut off when Michael waved the bottle of pills.
"They're for you too, Luke, okay?"
Luke nodded.
"Alright, Bree Bear, what do you want to eat?" Michael asked.
He was met by silence and he sighed.
"Bree-"
"I-I'll get her a sandwich." Calum volunteered.
Everyone's heads turned toward the brown haired boy.
"Will you? That'd be great." Michael said, shooting him a smile.
"Yeah, I'll get it and bring it up to you. Take her to the apartment to rest."
Michael sighed and hitched the purple haired girl up in his arms, making her comfortable for the journey to the 3rd floor.
When they got up there, Zoey was waiting outside the apartment door.
"What happened?" She asked softly.
"We'll talk tomorrow." Michael said sharply.
"Michael-"
"Zoey." Michael said in a warning tone to the older woman.
She sighed, putting her hands up in surrender, murmuring tomorrow over her shoulder before disappearing.
Michael unlocked the door, kicking the bottom 3 times before opening it and carrying Bree over to the couch, laying her down.
"Mikey?" The girl called softly.
"What's up Bree Bear?"
"Thank you."