A/N This is a sequel to Journey Beyond Sodor and is Thomas recovering from his journey. If you're my buddy here or any other Hurt/Comfort fan, this is pure Hurt/Comfort. I'm not British, they are, so I'm doing the best I can with their dialect, but may lapse into my English. Sometimes, I just prefer my English and sometimes it may just happen.

The engines of Sodor and Sir Topham Hatt were all gathered. James had just brought Thomas back from the Mainland, but not okay. His body was fine, but he was broken inside, very scared and unhappy. Sir Topham Hatt was so happy to have his number 1 engine back, but his engine's unhappiness triggered his fatherly feelings. Thomas began to cry, tears falling like rain, so his driver held a cloth to his eyes as he sobbed out his story.

Thomas sniffled as he began telling his story, saying "I woke up early and took my friend James's goods train to the Mainland. I didn't know how to get from Sodor to Bridlington. On the Mainland, I met Beresford and these experimental engines, Merlin, Lexi and Theo. Then, I ran out of coal and found the Steelworks. Frankie and Hurricane were there. Hurricane's a 10 wheeled tank engine and Frankie's a diesel engine. They wouldn't let me leave because, as Frankie claimed, they needed help. So they made me work from them, working with ladle trucks. I got so homesick there, just missed everyone so bad. But I, with James, recruited those experimental engines I met to help them. Here's what happened to cause that. I almost ended up on The Big Railway In The Sky thanks to practically falling into the smelt. Hurricane pushed me away but his wheels melted in the process. Frankie freaked out and that's what led to Merlin, Lexi and Theo joining her. That's my story.". He continued to cry, sobbing and sniffling until he had no more tears to cry. His crew gave him a drink and took him to his shed. His driver stayed with him as he was able the rest of the day, and when his driver was unable to be there, an engine friend was, like at night.

The following morning, Thomas woke up in tears from a nightmare about the Steelworks. His driver found him like that, his face wet with tears and comforted him.

"What's wrong?' Thomas's driver asked. "There, there. Whatever it is, it's okay to feel how you do." and gently dried his tears with a cloth.

Thomas sniffled, and said in a quivering voice, "Driver, I had a nightmare about the Steelworks.", as he cried more.

"It's okay, little Thomas", he said, as he continued to wipe the tears away, "You're here, in your shed. Can you work?"

"Give me coal and water. It'd be a distraction to pull Annie and Clarabel or do some shunting", Thomas said, as he stopped crying and fear subsided.

Thomas was readied and then pulled Annie and Clarabel to Knapford. They gave him words of comfort and cheer because they knew he was unhappy and broken and wanted to love him.

"Thomas, we're so glad to have you here to pull us again." and such was what they said. Thomas's coaches gave him as much kindness and empathy as they could.

Thomas was left on a siding in Knapford to rest after pulling his train. Lady Hatt was there, as she was helping with a special event being held there that day and had come with her husbad. Thomas tried to think positive thoughts, but his fear bubbled up and he panicked.

Lady Hatt asked, "Are you all right, Thomas?"

"I'll be fine", he said, trying to brush it off.

She replied, "My husband told me what you've been through, Thomas. Just let it all out."

"I'm scared", he whimpered and began to cry.

"Go ahead and cry as much as you need to", she said. "It's okay to cry." She pulled out her handkerchief and softly dapped his tears away. "There, there. You're safe here".

Thomas sniffled, crying too hard to speak.

She said, as she continued to wipe his tears away, "I know it was hard, but everyone's here for you. We shall all love your hurting places until your brokenness is healed." She rubbed his cheeks and wiped his eyes dry of tears. His expression showed her words had touched his heart. Slowly, his tears subsided in response to her comfort.

Thomas saw his crew come back and he told them, "I'm thirsty" and said he cried.

Lady Hatt said, "I calmed him down when he was scared. He panicked, I got him to admit he was scared and comforted him.".

Thomas's crew gave him a drink and they went to see Edward. The older engine was Thomas's counselor, as he was one of the kindest engines on the island.

Thomas poured out his heart to Edward, tears flowing from his eyes and he said, "Driver, can you dry my tears?".

Thomas's driver walked to his engine's face and gently dabbed his tears with a cloth. "Go ahead and cry", he said. "Let those tears out. It's okay to cry. It shall help you feel better".

Thomas said tearfully, "It was awful there. I missed everyone and everything here. All I wanted was to get back to this place, where I could do the work I like, at least part of the time." He continued to cry, not holding back, just letting himself go.

His driver said, "Thomas, don't worry about crying too much.", as he continued to wipe the tears away. "It's understandable after what you've been through, to be unhappy.".

Thomas's crew gave him a drink and took him to shunt the Troublesome Trucks. Thomas liked shunting and had said it would take his mind off his trauma for a time.

Thomas was fine while shunting, but got scared again afterwards. Percy and Toby were with him in that moment and did what they could to comfort him, which was words and buffer presses, the engine form of a hug. His driver comforted him, too.

"There, there, Thomas", his driver said, drying his tears with a cloth. "You're safe here. I know the memories scare you, so don't be afraid to cry."

Thomas said in a sob-filled voice, as fresh tears fell from his eyes, "Why did I have to go through such a ghastly experience? I just want to shake off that dreadful place and all the beastly scary memories."

His driver said, as he continued to wipe the tears away, "It takes time to get over trauma, but we're all here for you to comfort you and love you in your brokenness. He wiped his engine's cheeks and eyes.

Thomas was able to calm back down and go on with the rest of his day. However, when night came, he had flashbacks, visions of the trauma of the Steelworks and woke his friends up with his screaming and wailing in terror. They did what they could to comfort him and calm him down and then they went back to sleep.

In the days that followed, Thomas's friends, human and engine, gave him all the love, comfort, cheering up and in Edward's case, counseling and he recovered. His friends' love and care for him made him happy again and he barely remembered the pain anymore.

A/N Frankie looks like a diesel and is said to be a diesel shunter. My buddy said Thomas's personality type tends to distract themselves and his way involves feeling scared off and on, trying to brush it off and that she could see him panicking, having nightmares and visions related to his trauma and that's why I made him react how he did here. There's influence of a quote about how to love someone broken, which plays a role in how he's comforted. Thomas's reaction to having his tears wiped follows how someone would respond in reality, so I read. No flames, as this hurt me to write.