Picked up the remnants of this story again. Can't promise an update past this soon, but I definitely will post more someday! (Whenever I have an idea.)
A midnight shriek echoed through the Sanctuary. Helen sat straight up in bed. She would know that voice anywhere. Even in her sleep. Ashley. She slipped quietly out of bed and unlocked her bedroom door hurriedly. She carelessly let it bang as she practically ran two doors down the hall into the room Ashley and Henry shared.
Ashley was thrashing on the bed and Henry was balled up under the covers, clearly shaking in fear. Helen went over to her daughter's bed. Just another nightmare. She felt like breathing a sigh of relief. She had been convinced one of the abnormals had gotten loose or John had finally found them.
Helen smoothed Ashley's hair as the little girl's body curled toward hers, seeking warmth and comfort. Henry slowly peeked out from under the covers.
"Another nightmare, darling?" Helen asked gently.
Ashley nodded yes, still too terrified to speak. The door creaked open and the Big Guy stepped inside, carrying an armful of firewood. He placed it in the fireplace that was seldom ever used in this room, and soon had a cheery fire burning brightly, spreading its light and warmth throughout the room. Henry had visibly relaxed when her old friend had walked into the room, and, with a semi-comforting slap on Henry's head, the Big Guy left the room.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Helen asked. She didn't know how Drew and the others didn't wake up when Ashley screamed. Maybe they were just used to strange noises in the night... They didn't have her motherly instincts.
"You were leaving me, Mommy, and then you were eaten by a big slug thing with three eyes!" Ashley whimpered.
"I'm all right, darling, see? Not...eaten," Helen reassured her daughter.
**~~o0o~~**
She's only six! Helen exclaimed to herself. I was haunted by nightmares of John when I was fifty! She shouldn't be having them at all, definitely not so soon!
Deep down, another feeling jarred her even more: guilt. She knew she had chosen to stay in this environment to raise her child. She knew the risks…but she never dreamed of the effect it would have on the child at such a tender age. It was all her fault. Maybe if she didn't live a floor above abnormals. Maybe if Helen was around more. Maybe if she spent more time with her daughter...
All this and more ran rampant through Helen's head as she drove. She didn't notice the speedometer slowly increasing.
That was it. I'm taking her to a psychiatrist. The best. Dr. Brown. He still owed her one and he was very skilled in his field.
She recklessly spun the car around without bothering to slow down, leaving behind only a puff of exhaust from her engine, skid tracks, and a long screech.
Ashley did not frown, but merely looked puzzled as her mother greeted her outside her classroom. "I thought the Big Guy was going to pick me up…" she told her mother. Even at six, Ashley was very intuitive and could tell something was…amiss. Her mother wasn't here to spend more time with her. It was something else. Something was…wrong.
"Where are we going, Mommy?" Ashley asked as soon as she had fastened her seatbelt and Helen had gone past the usual street to get home.
"Somewhere special. There's someone I want you to meet," Helen answered, glancing into the mirror to look at her daughter.
"Why?" Ashley wanted to know.
"I think he may be able up help stop your nightmares," Helen replied.
"But why can't you stop them?" Ashley asked sweetly, "Aren't you a doctor? The best in the world?"
"Now, who told you that?" Helen laughed. There was no way she would ever tell her child that. Especially since it wasn't true.
"Charlene," Ashley replied, looking out the window at the trees whizzing by, "After I asked you why you went away a lot and didn't have a lot of time. And why sometimes you lock us in the library when those loud noises are going off. There are no good books to read in there. And a lot of them smell funny."
"I believe the word you are looking for, dear, is musty," Helen began, "And Charlene is right. I am a very successful doctor. People need me. Abnormals need me. Oh, if I could spend more time with you and Henry, darling, I would!"
"Then Henry and I should sleep during the day and be with you at night. You don't work at night, do you, Mommy?"
"Sometimes," Helen answered. "But then when would I sleep?"
Ashley's brow furrowed. "During the budget meetings. They're boring."
Helen laughed. "Yes, they are, aren't they?"
"Then why do you have them, Mommy?"
"Because they're necessary, Ashley," Helen answered, "And I suppose I like boring Drew to death, too."
Ashley smiled, then frowned as the car turned the corner into a parking lot. "Are we here?"
"Yes," Helen answered, unbuckling her seatbelt.
Once they were out of the car, they walked up the sidewalk and through the large glass double doors. The reception room was neat and organized, and the lady behind the desk was very cheery. Helen took that as a good sign. Dr. Brown hadn't changed in the last, oh, seven years since she'd seen him.
"Hello there, welcome to Brown Psychiatrics. How can I help you?" the receptionist asked.
"My daughter has an appointment today, for three thirty," Helen answered with a smile.
"Last name?" the lady asked, typing into the computer.
"Magnus," Helen replied.
"Okay." There was a pause. "Ashley, right?" she addressed the girl.
"Yes," Ashley replied boldly.
"Dr. Brown will see you now," the receptionist said. "Ms. Magnus, if you'll wait out here?"
"Of course," Helen answered, slightly uncomfortable with leaving Ashley with Dr. Brown by herself.
"Right this way," the receptionist led Ashley into the elevator. The metal doors shut and Helen settled herself down in an armchair. She had half a mind to turn her cell phone off. She wanted to talk with the doctor after, not be whisked away to some pseudo emergency at the Sanctuary. But the last time she had done that, well, the westernmost building of the Sanctuary burned down. If she had but picked up the phone and told her one-day new protégé, Drew, where the fire extinguisher was, there would have been a large, well stocked, emergency armory in the building. Instead there was a pile of ashes long since blown away by the wind.
Helen sat, lost in thought, for the full forty-five minutes of Ashley's session. Finally, Ashley came out holding a cookie in one hand and a diary in another. Helen raised an eyebrow but was immediately called in by Dr. Brown before she could talk to her daughter about what had transpired.
Dr. Brown's office had no windows. No pictures. No artwork. No color, except for the matching mahogany desk and chairs. Nothing to distract you from the conversation.
Dr. Brown smiled. "Hello, Helen," he greeted her. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Indeed it has," Helen said, just as warmly.
"Now, down to business," he said, opening up a thin file folder. It had exactly two sheets of paper in it, one of which Helen recognized as being Ashley's medical records. The other was filled with Dr. Brown's scribbling of notes from their first session. "You said on the phone that Ashley has recently had several episodes of traumatic nightmares?" he asked.
"Yes," she answered.
"You know this is not uncommon for children her age."
"I do," Helen said, "But I wanted to be sure there was nothing irregular." She forced a light laugh. "I guess I just wanted to be sure that I'm a good parent."
"From my discussion with Ashley, she seemed like a perfectly normal child. She does have done odd beliefs, but at her age they are perfectly normal. Some believe in fairies and princesses, others believe in monsters." He glanced down at his notes again. "She also has gotten the idea that you are immortal and doctor strange creatures on many continents of the world. It strays a bit from the usual 'My mom is an undercover spy,' but is, in essence, the sane and nothing to worry about."
"Ah," Helen glanced down at her hands in her lap. She had forgotten that Dr. Brown was uninformed of her real profession, and it hadn't occurred to her that Ashley might give it away. Luckily, the doctor seemed to be perfectly satisfied with his explanation of it.
"I have given her a diary to write in for now," Dr. Brown told her. "It may help organize her thoughts and make her more able to voice her fears with other people—namely, you. We might see if she has made any progress in six months, yes? It is not a short cure."
"No, of course it isn't," smiled Helen. "Of course we'll return in six months. Is there anything I can do for now?"
"Not really, except do what you have to do to make her feel safe. Then you may gradually wean her off of it, encouraging her to face it herself. But don't push Ashley too far, that might have drastic consequences."
"Thank you," Helen said sincerely. "You've been most helpful."
Dr. Brown dipped his head. "Glad I could help."
Helen bade goodbye to the psychiatrist and made her way back to the lobby, where she found her daughter in one of the plush leather arm chairs, banging her heels against the front as she swung her legs restlessly.
"Did I pass, Mommy?" she asked as Helen took her hand to lead her out of the building.
"Pass what?" Helen asked, confused.
"The test." Ashley paused. "I must have. He gave me a cookie."
Thanks for reading! Let me know if you liked it!
