Not sure how I feel about this chapter but the autism idea came to me so I went with it. Hope yall enjoy. Gonna start writing the next chapter tonight.
1 week later
"How's Nelle?" Bobbie asked as she entered Carly's office. "She's ok. She's still not speaking, but Dr. Garcia can talk to her and she listens to her but that's it." She responded. "It'll take some time. What do you think of Dr. Garcia?" "She's wonderful. I see Nelle every day, and if she has a bad dream, I'm the first person she calls. Right now, she's just trying to adjust her meds along with the dosages. They had her so heavily medicated she doesn't even remember Dianne being there." Carly explained and Bobbie stared in complete shock, not saying a word.
"That's insane. What about the staff there?" "Oh, Sonny is on that. As soon as he found out what happened he came right over. Nelle lights up when he comes into the room." Carly explained. "Does she talk to you?" "No. She doesn't say a word or even make a sound, even when she cries. I've never seen anything like it. Even after the rape, she would speak but this..." She said but then stopped, seemingly unable to continue.
"She was taken away from you so suddenly." Bobbie said and she nodded. "Yes and then they wouldn't let me see her. Kevin said she saw me a few times." She revealed before her phone rang. "Hello?" "Carly. It's Anne." "Anne? What's going on?"
"Apparently, how I don't know, but a nurse from Ferncliff named Mary Pat got in to see Nelle and she's understandably upset. She's still not speaking, but when I ask her if she wants you she begins looking around the room." She explained. "Shit. Ok. Keep Mary Pat away from her and call the pcpd. I'll be right there." She said before hanging up the phone. "Feel like taking a ride?"
"Carly. I tried, but the paperwork isn't complete yet so she's still her doctor." Anne said as Bobbie and Carly approached her 20 minutes later. "That may be, but there's no way in hell she's staying with her." She snapped before entering the room without nocking, the other two women right behind her. "Get the hell away from her."She demanded, temper flaring at the sight of Mary Pat trying to inject the girl once again. "Oh, Caroline. How lovely to see you again. I'm just doing my job." She said and Carly just glared at her. Seeing dante approaching however, gave her an idea. "Oh, your job? Is that what you call it, drugging her into a stupor? You do remember, you did the same to me." "She needs it. She's a danger to herself. After all, she shot her father." "Her father made her think she was crazy."
"As I recall, she did the same to you. As was the case then and now, no one found any items the two of you claimed to see." "That's where you're wrong. Now, do as Caroline said and get the hell away from her." Dante said as he finally made his presence known.
"Put your hands on your head and step away from the patient." He demanded as Carly immediately approached the bed. "I'm doing my job." She insisted as he slapped handcuffs on her and lead her out of the room. "You're under arrest. You have the right-" He said, his monologue fading away as he lead her down the hallway. "Nelle. It's ok. You're safe now." Carly whispered as Nelle reached for her. "Shhh. I've got you." She said as she gently took a seat on the edge of the bed before taking the girl into her arms. Frowning in concern upon feeling the frantic heartbeats under her palm she nodded to Bobbie. "Nelle? It's bobbie. Can you take a deep breath for me?" She questioned gently and Anne began preparing a dose of her meds that would calm her down, just incase. "Come on, sweetheart. Take a deep breath." Carly encouraged, taking a trembling hand in hers and squeezing softly.
"Nelle. It's Anne. Can you take a deep breath for us? I promise, she will never hurt you again. I am your doctor now." She explained as Nelle's breathing slowly returned to normal as she looked at Carly.
"Good girl." She said softly, Nelle pointing to a pitcher of water. "Thirsty?" She questioned and the girl nodded, licking her dry lips. "Here, sweetie." She said, helping her to drink from the paper cup. "Nelle. I want you to know that I know you're scared. I do want to do sessions with you, but you don't have to talk until you're ready." Anne explained and Carly smiled.
"Can I sit in with her?" "Of course, and you can as well." She said, motioning to Bobbie. "I'm Dr. Garcia, by the way." "I'm Bobbie Spencer, Carly's mom." She introduced and extended a hand. "It's very nice to meet you. Do you think she will go to prison?" Bobbie questioned and Carly visibly tensed, Nelle beginning to shake and tremble in response. "It's ok, baby. No one is taking you anywhere." Carly whispered, pulling Nelle closer and the girl hid her face in her neck, beginning to cry silently. "I'm not letting that happen. Clearly, he drove her over the edge in an effort to make her believe she was crazy." She said and Nelle lifted her head and looked from Carly to Bobbie and back to Carly, the tears coming faster now and they both new why. "It's alright, Nelle. We both forgive you." Bobbie said, gently taking the girls hand, surprised when she didn't flinch. "Mom's right. I forgive you." Carly added, placing a hand under Nelle's chin and turning her to face her. "I know you feel guilty for what you did, but I need you to forgive yourself." She said as the girl attempted to lower her chin but Carly once again lifted it, forcing her to keep the eye contact. "Don't do that, sweetie. There's no reason to be ashamed.
You've apologized, and things are different between us now." She continued as the girl gently nodded, Carly smiling as she felt a hand on her face. , gently wiping away a stray tear from her eye. "I'm ok." She whispered and Bobbie and anne smiled at the touching scene in front of them.
"Hey, guys." Carly said as Sonny and Nina entered the room 30 minutes later along with Jason. "We wanted to come by and check on you. Nina said softly and Carly smiled. Over the last 2 months she and Nina had finally made peace which Sonny couldn't be happier about. "Thank you. I appreciate everything you've done." Carly said as Nelle tugged on her sleeve. "What, sweetie. What is it?" She asked fondly as Nelle stared intently at her, clearly wanting something.
Carly frowned when the girl once again tugged on her sleeve, a whine escaping her mouth and to the surprise of everyone in the room, Ava entered and seeing the situation she carefully walked over, kneeling down in front of Nelle and Carly. "Nelle. Can you tell Carly what you want?" Ava asked softly, having an idea but not being totally sure.
In response, the girl crawled under the blankets and once again tugged on Carly's sleeve, a fist hitting the mattress and Carly's frown became more prominent. "Hey. Look at me. I'll lay down with you." She said, figuring out what she wanted before taking a deep breath and continuing. "No hitting though. Do you understand? That's not how you get what you want from me and you know that." She said softly but firmly, glancing from Sonny to Bobbie to Jason and Ava and Nina and to Anne who had been silently observing everything. "Carly, if I may." Anne said and she nodded. "She's angry and scared.She wants to talk, but is unable to tell us what she wants." She explained.
"She never hits though." Nina said, the concern for her daughter increasing by the minute. "She's thrown a few things in response to me asking her questions." Anne said andCarly looked at the girl who had curled up in her lap, having not wanted to lay down but just to be held. "Did you throw things?" She questioned and the girl nodded, a fist attempting to once again hit the mattress but Carly stopped her. "Hey. None of that." She said, taking her hand gently in hers but she suddenly began to struggle so Carly let her go. The moment she did however, Nelle began to bite, a hand going into her mouth. "No. Hey, We don't do that." Carly said, wondering if the girl had autism and also wondering, with everything going on, if it was just now making an appearance. "Nelle, I need you to stop biting. You're hurting yourself." Anne said, pulling an extra chew for patients with autism out of her pocket with an idea. Offering it to Carly, Carly gently removed the girls hand from her mouth. "Have this, sweetie." She whispered.
Surprisingly, she didn't waste any time and began chewing on the item and Carly pulled her back into her arms, sighing as she relaxed. "What was that?" Carly said aloud and the others looked at her. "I don't know but I'm thinking she may be autistic and that was a meltdown, although they can get worse depending on where she is on the spectrum." Anne said and Carly nodded deciding to ask questions later. "Carly, how was she when you saw her as a little girl?" Anne questioned and she thought for a minute. "I'm not sure, honestly. She seemed ok to me, but I don't know. When she was staying with me, she had a certain routine she followed." "Try to ask her." Anne encouraged and Carly nodded. "Nelle, honey I have a question. Have you been diagnosed with autism?" She asked and the girl looked at her, the tension leaving her body as she nodded slightly before reaching for a pin and paper and beginning to write.
"Sorry I tried to hit." "It's ok, sweetie. You're overwhelmed." Carly said and the girl nodded, continuing to write. "Overstimulated. To many people touching me." "No one is touching you, baby. It's just me." Carly whispered and the girl shook her head. "At Ferncliff. Masked for a long time. Daddy would tell me quiet hands, but after the rape I couldn't anymore." "Quiet hands?" Carly asked and both Anne and Ava sighed, Ava glaring angrily at this topic. "Basically, she was made to stop stimming or flapping her hands." Anne said and Ava angrily stormed from the room, Sonny following. "That bastard." Carly muttered."What can we do to help?" Jason asked and she reached for the pin once more. "Clothes. I want my own clothes." "You don't like the fabric, do you?" Ava questioned, having re-entered the room after calming down and she shook her head, whining in response and tugging at the shirt she currently wore, a hand also tapping the sheets, just wanting the uncomfortable feeling to go away.
"Ok. I'll go to the house." Carly said as she stood up and Nelle immediately gripped her shirt. "It's ok. I'll be back soon, sweetheart." She whispered as the girl shook her head and she sighed, glancing to the others for help. "Nelle. She will be back." Jason said gently and she looked at him, contemplating his words before nodding and letting go of Carly. "I'll walk you out." Anne said before they left the room.
"So, the autism obviously changes things." Anne said as they made their way towards Carly's Mazda in the parking lot and she nodded. "Right, but I can handle it." She said and the therapist smiled. "I know you can. I don't know anyone better to help her than you, and I have no plans to get in the way of that." "Neither do I. I want to be there for her, but you're the therapist." She said and Anne smiled. "I truly believe I can help her. The autism we will take one day at a time, but since it has just started since she's been here that means she's becoming comfortable with who she is." She said and Carly sighed. "She tried to hit." "That was a minor meltdown." Anne explained and Carly frowned. "A minor meltdown?"
"Yes. They can get more severe than that. She could hit her head, lash out at others around her or go nonverbal." She said and Carly just stared. "My God. Is she that severely autistic?" Carly questioned and Anne shrugged. "I don't know. I want to get her tested." She said and Carly nodded. "Whatever you think is best. I need to know how to help her.
Is that why she wanted her own clothes?" She asked. "Yes. People with autism are particular about textures with food or certain materials with clothing. She may also have sensory overloads, meaning things may be louder or brighter to her than they would be with you. Certain smells can also trigger her." Anne explained and Carly nodded, taking in all the information.
The next day, Carly entered Nelle's room and stopped at the sight in front of her. "Nelle, sweetie. What's wrong?" She questioned as the girl continued pacing, a hand moving toward her head but not hitting which Carly was greatful for. "Did you have a bad dream?" She asked, offering her a pin and notebook to write with and was not all that surprised when she threw it across the room. "Hey! We don't do that." She said softly but firmly, needing to get her attention but not wanting to scare her.
"Baby, what's wrong? You don't seem happy to see me." She questioned once again and the girl immediately stopped pacing, suddenly throwing herself atCarly, the older woman gently cradling her to her chest. "Home." She signed and Carly smiled sadly. "I know, sweetheart. You'll come home with-me soon but not right now." She said and the girl moved away, a hand coming up and hitting her head. "Hey, no. I need you to stop doing that." She said, offering her one of the stim toys Anne had given her but Nelle just continued to hit as she began to cry. "Home." She signed again while pointing atCarly. "Nelle, listen to me. I need you to stop hitting." Carly said as she gently gripped her hand and the girl let out a shriek, her other hand going into her mouth. "Shhh. It's ok. You're alright. Come here. Can I hold you?" She asked, knowing some people with autism were standoffish to touch but apparently Nelle wasn't because she nodded immediately. Once she was in Carly's embrace she attempted to remove her hand, knowing this form of stimming wasn't healthy. "Baby, can you stop biting? You're hurting yourself." She whispered and Nelle slowly removed her hand, Carly replacing it with a chew.
"I know you want to go home, but you can't right now." "You." She signed. "What about me?" "Want to stay with you. Feel safe." "I'm right here." She said in just above a whisper, kissing the top of Nelle's head and just wishing there was something she could do, but also knowing she wouldn't truly be ok until she was home with her. "Changes. To many." "I know. I know it's a lot, but I promise I'm not leaving you." "Nina." "What about her?" "Nina. Mom." "Yeah, baby. She's your mom." "No. Mom died." She signed and Carly sighed. "Nina is your biological mom." "Mom died. Mom died. Mom died." She began repeating.
Suddenly it clicked for Carly and she held the girl a little closer. "You think of your adoptive mom as your mom and you're afraid Nina will try to replace her." She said and the girl nodded. "Mom died. Replace her." "She's not trying to replace her, sweetheart." "She's not trying to replace her. Really?" "Really. She told me. She just wants a chance to get to know you."
"Get to know you. Chance." "She'd like that." Carly said as the door opened and Nina entered the room. "Hey." She said quietly and Carly smiled. "We were just talking about you." She explained as Nina took a seat in one of the chairs. "Good things I hope." "Of course. We were discussing the fact you're her mom." "Mom died." Nelle signed and Carly shot Nina an apologetic look.
"Remember what I told you?" "Get to know you." She signed, glancing at Nina and Carly nodded. "That's right. She just wants a chance to get to know you." She confirmed and Nina nodded. "Carly's right. I'm not trying to replace the woman who raised you." She explained. "They hurt me. I told them no but they still did it. "Carly." "What." She whispered. "Carly. Said she would still hate me." "I don't hate you." "No."
"No?" Nina questioned, not understanding. "Carly. Said she would still hate me." She signed once again and it finally came together for Nina. "The men who hurt you?" "Hurt you. Yes." She said. "They were wrong, and your father had no right to do what he did." Nina said as she exchanged an uneasy look with Carly. "Nelle, you need to try to talk to Anne. I'll even come with you if that's what you want, but you need to try to talk to her." She explained kindly, running a hand through the girl's hair to keep her calm. "I'll come to." Nina added before stopping and glancing at Nelle. "Only if it's ok with you though." "Yes." She !signed and Carly smiled. She knew she had a long way to go, but this was a start.