A/N To the one who made the Rowena request, I'm wrapping up Janie and Charity, along with Rowena the Soft-Hearted Engine next week, so I can focus my creativity used in those threads of this fic on February's fic, All But One. ABO's not a thread of this anthology, but it will be emotional for me.
Jessica's day began and she was feeling as blue inside as she was outside. Today, she had the Express, as Pip and Emma were sleeping in due to a night train they had.
Thomas saw how sad Jessica looked and gave her a buffer press. "I wish I could help you feel better", he told his friend. "However, if you've got to cry, go ahead and let it all out. I care about you, so I'm here for you. Feel how you feel. I feel deeply, so I don't judge someone's emotions. I just don't like you being so sad." He smiled cheekily, in a cheer up a friend way.
Jessica began to cry, wailing loudly as huge water droplets poured from her eyes. She sniffled, long and loud, her face covered in thick tears.
Jessica's driver climbed on her buffers to comfort her. "There, there, Jessica. Let it all out. I wish I could wipe your unhappiness, so I shall wipe your eyes," he said, pulling a cloth from his pocket and drying her tears. He rubbed her sodden cheeks and wiped her teary eyes. Poor Jessica, he thought, Crying as hard as you can. He listened attentively, to pick up on her cues and understand how she felt.
"Cry-engine!" an unpleasant engine said. "You're the biggest cry-engine on Sodor!"
Jessica wailed her heart out some more, her tears coming as hard and fast as ever they could. She sniffled again, hard, coughed as she choked on her wailing sobs and hiccupped. She gasped and gulped, shaking as her tears poured from her eyes, not once stopping as her driver comforted her.
He said, as he continued to wipe her tears away, "You've got my support and understanding. Feel how you feel. I'm here for you, with your cotton waffle hanky to dry your eyes.". He held the cloth to her eyes, for her to cry into and wiped all her tears away as best he could, reassuring her in a not overbearing way as much as he could, patiently listening and supporting her, looking at her with empathy and compassion without being pushy or intrusive, just giving his attentive, practical comfort.
Jessica's wailing sobs went on endlessly as she wept non-stop until she had no more tears left. Her driver dried her last tears away, patting any stray drops from her cheeks and dapping tears from her eyes until they were dry. Her face was all red and her eyes were flame-red and puffy as he went back to the cab with sodden cloth. Jessica, he thought, You've got a drenched hanky, just dripping wet from your tears. Thomas shunted her to the water column, so her crew could give her a drink.
Jessica had her drink and then pulled the Express. She reached the last station and said, "Just scrap me. I've got no reason to live. I'm a worthless waste of steam, the most Really Useless Engine ever built. If Gordon and Rebecca weren't dead, they'd do so much better. I made a mistake, which Pip and Emma would never do. Scrap me. It's my fault I make mistakes. If I was a better engine, I wouldn't have been abused as a baby engine". She burst into tears, crying in heartfelt, wailing sobs. Her face was wet with tears and she sniffled.
Jessica's driver went to comfort her. "There, there Jessica," he said, pulling out a cloth from his pocket to softly dry her tears. "Let it all out. Remember what I said before.". He gently rubbed her sodden cheeks and wiped her tear-wet eyes.
Jesssica's wails kept on. She sniffled again, hard, coughed as she choked on her tears and hiccupped. She gasped and gulped, shaking with sobs as she wept non-stop and let her driver comfort her.
He said, as he continued to wipe her tears away, "Feel how you feel. Go ahead and just cry. I'm here for you, to wipe the tears from your eyes until you finish your cry". He held the cloth to her eyes, comforting her in his way and wiped all her tears away as best he could.
Jessica wept and wailed until she could cry no more. Her driver dried her last tears away, wiping her cheeks and eyes dry of tears, then went back to the cab with the sodden cloth. Her face was red and her sore and swollen eyes were flame-red. Engines don't get a runny nose from crying, he thought. But I'd help her blow her nose or wipe it for her, if I had to. Her friend Sarah shunted Jessica to the water column so she could have a drink.
Dr. Tom came that afternoon and asked, "How are you today, Jessica?"
Jessica said, "I'm the most useless engine ever. Why don't they just scrap me? If I was a better engine, I'd have been treated better as a baby engine!" and began to cry, wailing sobs and her tears wet her face. She kept sniffling.
Dr. Tom said, "I love your crying in therapy. Let the sadness fall from your eyes. Wail your heart out.", as pulled out a handkerchief and softly dried her tears, because her crew were on break. He gently rubbed her cheeks and wiped her streaming eyes.
Jessica wept some more, fresh tears welling up in her eyes. She sniffled again, hard, coughed as she choked on her tears and hiccupped. She gasped and gulped, shaking with sobs as her kind and gentle therapist wiped her face and eyes. Her tears were non-stop until she had no more to shed.
"Splendid," Dr. Tom said, after she finished her cry. "A five-hanky session. I love to wipe your eyes. You cry from deep in your heart and that's brilliant."
Jessica asked, "They've got depression medication for engines?". Her face was all red and her eyes were red and puffy.
Dr. Tom said, "I don't recommend it for you, because you cry. It's for more severe cases, where they don't cry or feel much. Maybe even those who truly want to die, because the only ones who cry when suicidal are those who can't find a reason to live. Engine meds are dissolved in your water.
Their session went on and when it was over, Dr. Tom and Jessica each went on with their respective day. Jessica's crew gave her a drink when they finished with their break.
"Dr. Tom wiped all my tears away as best he could, because you weren't there for my therapy and I bawled. I'm a tear machine, just a big tear factory," Jessica said.
Jessica's fireman said, "Dr. Tom's so kind and gentle to wipe your pain away like that."
Her driver said, "He's very supportive. I can tell he's got great empathy."
After her drink, Jessica and her crew went on with the rest of the day.
That night, Jessica wailed herself to sleep in the shed. Thomas gave her a buffer press and her driver dried her tears with a cloth.
A/N This is a bad day for Jessica, as shown by her can't find a reason to live talk. I read in a James Herriott book about a depressed person who was "tense and dreadfully unhappy on a good day and on a bad, "terror-stricken, utterly despairing." Jessica on a good day just feels so sad and hopeless, with crying spells. Jessica on a bad day can't find a reason to live.