A/N Because of Jessica's accident, she's actually had more days since she started therapy than sessions, due to the time it took to fix her.
Jessica woke up in tears from a nightmare of her abuse as a baby engine. Wailing sobs came out of her mouth and her face was wet with tears dripping and pouring from her eyes as she sniffled, long and loud. Her crew were notified.
Jessica's driver arrived with her fireman, so the former climbed on her buffer beam and pulled out a cloth to softly dry her tears. "There, there, Jessica," he said. "You're going to be fine. It was just a nightmare. However, I know it's dreadfully distressing, so let it all out. I wish I could wipe your unhappiness, so I shall wipe your eyes. I'm here for you, with your cotton waffle hanky. I want you to cry, because you shall be calmer and clearer thinking.". He gently rubbed her sodden cheeks and wiped her tear-wet eyes, listening attentively to pick up on her values and cues, and trying to understand how she felt.
Jessica's fireman said, "It hurts me to see you overwhelmed with emotion all the time. If your regular driver can't drive you while I'm your fireman, I shall be the relief driver, because I can handle your emotions and wipe your pain away. Emotions aren't scary or uncomfortable to me, because my own emotions give me empathy and patience and I know you care and feel as deeply as I do. I love to wipe your eyes, because I care about you.".
Thomas gave his friend a buffer press and smiled sympathetically at her.
Jessica's bawling sobs went on. She sniffled again, hard, coughed as she choked on her sobs and hiccupped. She gasped and gulped, shaking as huge water droplets poured from her eyes, not once stopping as her driver offered his comfort.
He said, as he continued to wipe her tears away, "I care about you and want only to be supportive and understanding, but without being pushy about it, just empathic and compassionate. I'm here for you, just to dry your eyes." He pressed the cloth to her weeping eyes and wiped all her tears away as best he could, trying to be reassuring without being overbearing and over intrusive, just patiently listening and supporting her in her pain.
Jessica wept non-stop until she had no more tears to shed. Her driver dried her last tears away, wiping her cheeks and eyes dry of tears, then went to the cab with the sodden cloth. Her face was red and her eyes were flame-red and swollen from her crying spell. Poor Jessica, he thought. Anything that arouses your emotions and you just wail and cry inconsolably. Thomas shunted his friend to the water column and her crew gave her a drink.
Jessica said, sadly, "I'm a very sad engine, but I've got a really soft cotton waffle hanky, when my driver's with me or if I've got a relief driver who cares. Not sure about my fireman, as he's got these softest cotton rags. My heritage railway fireman said, "These 2 rags are the softest cotton in the world."
The friends went their ways, Thomas to his branch line and Jessica to pull the Express. Jessica made it to the last station and then, her emotions overwhelmed her.
"Scrap me, just scrap me. I'm a worthless waste of steam, so I've got no reason to live," she said, because she almost ran a red signal while pulling her train and began to cry, wailing as loud and hard as ever she could. Her face was covered in thick tears and she sniffled, long and loud.
Jessica's driver climbed onto her running board to offer his comfort. "There, there, Jessica. Go ahead and let it all out. Remember what I said before.", as he dried her tears with a cloth. He rubbed her cheeks and wiped her tear-filled eyes, doing what he could for her.
Sarah pressed her buffers against Jessica's and cried with her friend, gulping, heartfelt sobs as her driver comforted her. She said, every word another huge sob, "I-I h-hurt i-inside. I-It b-breaks m-my h-heart t-to s-see y-you cr-cry l-like th-this."
Jessica cried some more. She was sniffling hard, coughing, choking on her tears and hiccupping. She gasped and gulped, shaking with wailing sobs as she wept non-stop, huge tears pouring from her eyes as her driver offered his comfort.
He said, as he continued to wipe her tears away, "I know it hurts, so just cry. I'm here for you. I wish I could wipe your unhappiness, so I shall wipe your eyes.". He held the cloth to her eyes, for her to sob into and wiped all her tears away as best he could, patiently listening and supporting her through her pain.
Jessica wailed her heart out, huge tears coming out of her eyes, not once stopping until she ran out of them. Her driver dried her last tears away, patting any stray ones from her cheeks and dapping tears in her eyes away until they were dry, then went back to the cab with the sodden cloth. Her face was bright red and her sore and swollen eyes were flame-red from crying so hard. Her crew gave her a drink. Poor Jessica, her driver thought. You've got a sopping wet handkerchief, but at least you're calmer and thinking more clearly now.
Jessica had her session with Dr. Tom later.
"Jessica, how is everything?" he asked.
"I'm dreadfully sad and hopeless today", Jessica said. "I had a nightmare about the most horrible abuse of my life, so today's not a good day for me." And she began to cry, wailing loudly. Her face was covered in thick tears and she sniffled, long and loud.
"You've got sadness falling down your face, Jessica," Dr. Tom said. "Cry it out."
Jessica's driver said, "Go ahead and cry. This is your time to let it all out," as he softly dried her tears with a cloth. He rubbed her sodden cheeks and wiped her streaming eyes.
After Jessica finished her cry, her driver dried her last tears away, dabbing her face and eyes dry. Her face was all red and her eyes were flame-red and puffy. Then, her session went on.
At the end of her session, she said, "There's nothing like a soft hanky when I need someone to wipe my sad eyes dry."
Dr. Tom said, "I think you've reached a breakthrough in today's session.". Then, they went on with their respective day, Jessica and her crew, along with Dr. Tom.
Jessica had a drink, then went on with the rest of her day, then in her shed asked, "Can you dry my tears, Driver?" and then wailed herself to sleep with her driver's comfort. Thomas gave her a buffer press as this went on. When Jessica stopped crying and went to sleep,
Thomas went to his berth in the shed to sleep as well.
A/N In my book I base Jessica's depression and therapy on, somewhat, Maggie, the depressed character, reached a breakthrough.