73 Harry's POV
"I understand that things have been tough, for all of you, these past few weeks." Natasha started, letting us sit on the sofa for our talk. It was weird, sitting on this sofa, knowing that just minutes before Tom had been sat on the same thing, possibly revealing more of what his wife did to him, or anything to do with the situation. It felt like I shouldn't be sat here, that I didn't need to sit here. Nothing had happened to me, I had no problems, at least none as huge as Tom's, or any of Natasha's other patients.
"Yeah, it's, it's not been easy." I admitted, "The main problem is Buzz. Not that Buzz is a burden, or anything like that. We love him dearly, and love spending time with him. it's just... It's hard, when Tom's not feeling well." I didn't know how to explain it, but I had to get it out somehow. We needed Natasha more than anything right now, so she needed to know what I was saying.
"Can you give an example?" Natasha asked, example, yes, that would be useful, yes...
"Yesterday." Dougie spoke up for the first time in a while, I could tell he was unnerved to be back on the therapist sofa again, if not just by the way he was inching towards me. I took hold of his hand, squeezing gently, letting him know that I was there.
"Yeah, yesterday. It was... well, you know what happened with Tom," we had explained that over the phone, "But Buzz, he knew what was going on. Or at least heard Tom crying, and he wanted to go over to him, but we couldn't let him. He's seen enough of his dad in distress, we can't give him more."
"He gets really scared though, when they're apart, and starts getting really upset, and we can't calm him down. There's only one of us with him when Tom's not well, so it's really hard to deal with." Danny added in.
"And then he clings to Tom afterwards, but Tom isn't reacting to him much because he's not feeling that good." Dougie continued, fiddling with a chunk of hair.
"Right, and what about the rest of the time, when Tom's reasonably alright? Do they spend time together then, or are staying apart?" Natasha asked, a calculating look on her face.
"They don't spend much time together. Tom... he's stuck in his routine, and can't stop himself from cleaning. He's... sort of in a bubble, I guess you could say. He's in a bubble, and he doesn't hear much of what's going on around him, or anything really." I didn't like admitting it, I felt like it made it sound like Tom was an inattentive father. He wasn't, really, he wasn't. He just... He just had been forced into this way of thinking, and he wasn't really able to break that.
"Tom does feed him though, and does the whole night time routine himself!" Danny pointed out, like he was on the same wavelength as me.
"And he stays for a while in Buzz's room after he goes to sleep." Dougie joined in, sitting up straighter as he said it.
"I see. So he's still obsessively cleaning, and seems to be in his own little world in regards to what Buzz is doing for most of the day, but is doing some fatherly things. But you're all worried about the effects of Buzz hearing Tom cry so often, and not being able to be with him." Natasha summarised, we nodded, "Okay... sounds like a bit of a problem, one I'm not sure how to fix. Obviously, you can't subject a child to a distressed parent on a regular basis, but you also can't keep them apart for long spaces of time..." she seemed to think for a few moments.
"Currently, my only suggestion is that you try and get them to spend time together during the day, to get Tom away from his routines, even if it's just for a few minutes, and get them together. Or possibly somehow getting Buzz to join in with what Tom's doing. It'll do Buzz a lot of good to see his dad in a more stable mood, and Tom some good to be away from the house and all its issues." Natasha suggested.
"But how are we supposed to do that? Tom won't let us stop him, and when we try, yesterday happens!" how we were supposed to do any of that when Tom wouldn't let us?! It would only cause more trouble if we tried!
"I'd suggest not springing it suddenly on him. Instead, try discussing a play activity for later on in the day, or in the week. Give him some sort of time and an activity, so he knows what he's doing and when. It'll give him time to process what you're asking of him, and let him adjust. If he says no, well... gently nudge him towards saying yes, or come up with an activity he has to be a part of, or at least would traditionally be a part of, as the father of the child." Natasha explained, I didn't know, it sounded a bit risky.
"He could very well still say no, and if he does, I will think of something else for you to try. But for now, just try it out. There's no harm in trying, and it's a good start to him getting back his freedom again." Natasha at least sounded sympathetic.
But could we do it? I didn't think we could. Tom was stubborn, and so set in his daily tasks, he refused to let them go. Just yesterday, trying to get him away from it all had freaked him out, what would he do this time when we tried again?