33 Dougie's POV
She could help, oh thank God Natasha could help. We needed all the help we could possibly get, we needed her to make Tom whole again. we couldn't do it alone, none of us knew where to even start, but Natasha could. Natasha had helped him before, and the people here could help any problem, I knew that from my own experiences. These people were good, they could help. I had faith in that.
"Will, will you make Tom stay here?" I asked, I wanted him to come home with us, but maybe a stay would help. To get him away from the memories of the house, all the photos to remind him of his wife and her teachings. It could help him focus.
But if he did, what about Buzz? Would he be able to keep him? Would that be possible? I hadn't seen any children when I was here, not unless they were visiting. We couldn't separate Tom and Buzz like that, could we?
"No, not currently. I don't think that will do him any good, taking him out of his routine, the things he finds comfort in, will distress him more than it will help. Tom needs stability, and things he can rely on, staying in his house will allow that for him." Natasha explained, "The only reason why we bring people in to stay, is because they are a danger to themselves, or others." Harry winced at the implication of that, his arm wrapping protectively around me. I squeezed his hand in turn, reminding him that I was still with him.
"Good, that's good... How do we move on then? What can we do to help you?" Harry changed the subject, his thumb stroking my hand.
"Okay, well in therapy, I will probably start out talking to Tom like I'm helping him build parenting skills, asking him what his wife has told him he does wrong, and help him to see how he's doing things right. This will start to break down the association in his brain between what he does and being wrong, and I'll use that as a way to get to the main problem. Hopefully, I'll use this as a basis to make him realise that his wife has abused him emotionally, and start to change his way of thinking, and help him to come to terms with what has happened to him. As for what you can do to help, all I need is for you to support Tom. If he wants to talk, let him, if it's too difficult to help him, then get him on the phone to me as soon as possible. He's going to emotional, and very confused, and probably very fragile, so he's going to need support." Natasha explained.
"We can support him, we've done lots of support in the past." Danny nodded enthusiastically.
"I don't doubt that you can. But one thing we want to avoid is smothering him, or making him transfer his dependence on his wife, to you. When I say you need to support him, I mean that you need to give him emotional support when he needs it, encourage him to play with his son, to do things he enjoys, without pushing too far. Whatever he needs support with, give it to him. But you can't mollycoddle him, or treat him like he can't do anything. Treat him like a friend, like he's capable of anything he wishes, try to joke with him, get him to do things he enjoys, without pressuring him too far." Natasha warned, "It's a very hard balance, but if you have any questions about it, please don't hesitate to call me either. I'm not just here for Tom, I'm here for you all. And this will be hard on you all, but I promise to do whatever I can to get you all through this."
"We're all so close, can we... are we allowed to hug him? Or let him share a bed, if he wants the support? We used to all the time, so it would be treating him like normal." Danny asked, his nails chewed to the quick.
"You can certainly hug Tom, especially when he needs it, which he will do eventually. As for sharing a bed, that's a bit trickier. I understand that you're all incredibly close, and share a bond unlike anything I've seen before. You used to bed share, and do all sorts of things like that when you were younger, and I'd say to do it sparingly. Sharing a bed creates a bond between people, and it is possible that by sharing a bed with Tom regularly will transfer his need from his wife to you, which isn't healthy. He needs to learn to stand by himself, without relying on others. If he wants it, then consider the situation before agreeing." Natasha answered, I didn't know if I'd be able to tell him no. I didn't want to say no to him ever again, or deny him anything. Tom had had so much taken from him, nothing else could be taken.
"What about Buzz? Is Buzz allowed to stay with him? And what should we do with him too?" Harry asked, reaching out and taking Danny's hands from his mouth, holding them in his own instead.
"In that case, Buzz is an exception, as he is a baby. I'd only say to monitor it, and keep me informed in that regard. As for what you should do, treat Buzz like you would any other child. Play with him, make a fuss, and most importantly, keep an eye on how Tom treats him. If anything seems wrong, tell me straight away." Natasha made it sound so serious, but what could Tom do to Buzz? And what harm could we do by being close to Tom?