Note: References to Tyroth Darkstorms fic 'Ancient Legacy' and my fanfic 'A Dangerous Captive' appear in this chapte.
Chapter Seventeen
Don't Hold it in
Pandora stared at the Gecko in silence.
Sephie looked back at the hybrid, and she could see just how much anger and sadness was within her, and the fact Pandora didn't look like she wanted to talk, but the gecko knew better than to force someone to do something they didn't want to do.
"You don't have to speak if you don't want to." Sephie repeated "But I just want you to know I'm here alright?"
Pandora nodded.
Sephie gave a small smile then leaned back on the chair relaxing a little to put the hybrid at ease.
Pandora turned to face Sephie properly yet still stayed lying on the bed.
Sephie glanced around the room, taking in the many heavy metal, horror film and video game posters that adorned the walls, the fairylights that lit up the area, and the ornaments that sat in their places.
"Nice to be in your own space to reflect hmmm?" she asked.
Pandora sighed.
"I guess, but it's not like my room back home!" she replied.
Sephie chewed her lip as she remembered that when she, Tyroth and the Knights had saved her and her family, all they had was the clothes on their backs, and the items they carried.
Thankfully Tania had managed to find some clothes and had made some for Pandora and Kemeko and for Monalisa when she woke up.
Also, the Geckolings and Sonia had kindly lent their cousins some books, magazines, kindles, CDs and some soft toys.
Yet Sephie knew it wasn't the same as the possessions the Hybrid and her cousin/honoured sister had back in New York.
"I miss my room!" Pandora lamented as she curled up on the bed, "I miss my room, mine and Kem's playroom, and the sewers we call home!"
Sephie sighed.
"I understand you're homesick." She comforted.
"And we left our home, not knowing it would be the last time we saw it!" Pandora said.
"But not forever!" Sephie said "When you're all better, you can go back, not that you're not welcome here, you're all welcome to stay here as long as you wish!"
"Thanks Aunt Sephie." Pandora smiled weakly.
"Trust me Geisha!" Sephie said "You will get to go home soon, but you're all here to be nurtured and looked after, James and Dahlia are the best medics we have, and I'm going to help Kemeko as well."
"That means a lot to me Aunt Sephie." Pandora said, "So much."
She curled up tighter on her bed and hugged the Pokémon Charizard soft toy the Geckolings had given her.
"How are you feeling now Pandora?" Sephie asked standing up and walking over to sit next to Pandora on the bed.
"Right now?" Pandora asked "Angry! Sad, and heartbroken!"
It didn't take a genius, and Sephie could see every emotion the hybrid was giving off and she started to wonder if talking to her was really going to help.
"Because of what happened to you in the Foot Headquarters, to you, and your family?" Sephie asked.
Pandora looked up at the Geckoling but didn't say anything, except she hugged the Pokémon plushie close to her, tears forming in her eyes.
"Pandora?" Sephie asked, yet the hybrid closed her eyes and didn't say a word.
"Geisha?" Sephie said again squeezing Pandora's shoulder.
But once again the Hybrid didn't speak, but she just hugged the toy and tears flowed from her eyes.
Sephie wondered if she was going to get anything from Pandora, of course she couldn't force her to speak, so she just sat there and stroked her shoulder and hair.
After five minutes, Sephie spoke again.
"Look Pandora." She said, "If don't want to speak, that's okay, but just promise me something?"
Pandora opened her eyes.
"What?" she asked.
Sephie took a breath.
"Don't hold in your emotions." She said, "It's not good for you!"
Pandora looked up.
"Holding in emotions is like keeping your finger over a running tap, or shaking a can of soda so much it needs to burst, you can only keep the lid on for so long until it's ready to explode like a nuclear bomb, or a magma filled volcano." Sephie advised "If you keep holding it in, one day it will explode, and you will regret the aftermath when it does."
Pandora said nothing but she nodded at the gecko.
"Just advising you." Sephie said giving a sympathetic smile stroking Pandora's hair to which the hybrid smiled back.
"If you don't want to talk now, that's okay." Sephie said "But when you wish to, we shall, alright?"
Pandora nodded.
"Thanks Aunt Sephie." She said softly.
"Anytime." Sephie smiled and leaned down and kissed Pandora's head before standing up and leaving the room.
Pandora watched her aunt leave the room, then she sat up.
"Not hold anything in?" she mused "That is good advice for sure." She looked towards the mirror, "Yet will words be enough to make me stop feeling this way?"
She sat up and looked at her reflection.
She could still see the same look she had earlier, the dark rings and bloodshot eyes, along with her tangled hair, yet tears now adorned her face.
"You think a few shrink sessions will help me?" she asked "No! Might work for some…but will it work for me? I doubt it! If I could wish for anything to help me cope…it would be more physical." She clawed her fingers "More…violent…." She looked at the mirror as her eyes flashed and she bared her teeth.
Meanwhile, Sephie walked away from the residential quarters and towards the sickbay, she had planned to speak to Kemeko as well.
She felt sad as well as a little disappointed she couldn't talk to Pandora about her feelings, but she reminded herself that sometimes some didn't want to open up right away about their problems and she had to be patient.
After all, it was up to the patient to decide when they felt the time was right.
As she arrived at the medical bay, Sephie heard crying and as she entered, she saw Kemeko sitting up in bed hugging Leonardo and April was next to them trying to help calm Kemeko down.
The Gecko instantly walked over.
"What's happened?" she asked anxiously.
Leonardo looked up, his face pale and his eyes filled with tears.
"Kemeko had another nightmare, flashback if you will." He explained as he rocked Kemeko gently "Shhh Shhh Lotus, I'm here! I promise!"
Sephie looked at Kemeko who was sobbing and clawing at Leonardo's chest.
"Why weren't you there, Daddy?" she wept "I was screaming! You didn't come! You didn't come!"
Sephie swallowed hard as she realised what the problem was.
April also confirmed the truth as she faced the gecko.
"I was by Kemeko's side whilst Leonardo was meeting with Tyroth." She reported "For a while she seemed fine, but then she started to stir, then she started screaming from violent nightmares."
The red headed human lowered her head.
"I stayed close and tried to comfort her, but she didn't calm down until she awoke and started screaming for Leonardo, and it was then he arrived, and ran to her side."
"How long ago was that?" Sephie asked.
April was quiet for a second.
"From when she awoke to when Leo arrived, about five minutes, I think, I'm not sure, I wasn't exactly watching the time!"
"I see." Sephie said then looked at Kemeko who still sobbed and cried into Leonardo's chest.
Kemeko clawed at Leonardo's plastron.
"Why didn't you come?" she screamed "Why? Why? Why!? I was screaming for you!"
"Lotus!" Leonardo said as he continued to hold his adopted daughter.
"I needed you!" Kemeko shouted as she continued to claw at Leonardo's chest "I Needed you! I couldn't escape! He's still there! He's in my mind!"
"Lotus!" Leonardo continued to hold Kemeko close "It's alright! It was just a dream! It was a dream!"
"No! No Daddy!" Kemeko wept "He's real! Shredder is there! He's tormenting me! He won't leave me!"
"No! No sweetheart!" Leonardo tried to comfort his daughter but to no avail, Kemeko kept crying and sobbing.
Sephie felt tears in her own eyes she listened, and she remembered how she had suffered nightmares of her own, maybe not as intense of Kemeko's, but they were scary enough, and after Tyroth's experiences with the Foot as well as other events including the demons that invaded Mutopia, and many others she didn't wish to think of.
Gathering her courage, the Gecko walked over and placed a hand on Kemeko's shoulder.
"Lotus?" she asked "Turtle Child?"
Kemeko stopped crying for a moment, and she looked over at Sephie.
Leonardo also looked up.
"Leonardo." She said "May I have five minutes with Kemeko? Alone?" she added quietly.
Leonardo blinked, and he looked down at Kemeko.
"Lotus?" he said "Your auntie Sephie wants a talk with you? Alone? If that's alright?"
Kemeko's eyes widened.
"Daddy? Are you going?" she asked.
"No! No! No! No way!" Leonardo reassured her as he stroked her cheeks and hair "Auntie April and I are just going to go outside the room to let you both talk alone for a little bit, but if you need us, we will come!"
He kissed Kemeko's forehead.
"I promise." He spoke.
Kemeko sniffled then she nodded.
"Okay…" she said, clasping Leonardo's hands and kissing them, Leonardo did the same and stepped back so Sephie could sit down in the chair next to Kemeko's bed.
The gecko made herself comfortable and took Kemeko's hand.
At the same time, Leonardo and April stood back, Leonardo was reluctant, but he knew he had to let Sephie work so she was able to get through his traumatised daughter.
"Please help her Sephie…" he prayed, clasping his hands together and leaning his forehead into his knuckles.
"Sephie…Ancient One…. Yoshi…Tan Shen…Karai…Chaplin, please help my daughter heal!"
So Sephie has decided to use her skills to help Pandora and Kemeko, so far Pandora has not spoken to her about her deep anger and fears, but will the gecko have better luck with Kemeko?