A/N Just more of Jessica's fight with her depression.
Jessica woke up sobbing her heart out over a nightmare of the dreadful abuse she endured when she was a baby engine. She sniffled, long and loud, her face wet with thick tears. Her crew were notified so they could be ready to comfort her.
Jessica's fireman arrived first and climbed on her buffers with his cotton rags to dry her tears. "There, there, Jessica. Let it all out. It was just a nightmare, but let the pain in your heart rain from your eyes. You've got the right to feel how you feel, so I'm here for you, to wipe your pain away," he said, as he rubbed her sodden cheeks and wiped her wet eyes, listening attentively and trying to be present with her as he imagined how she must feel.
Jessica went on sobbing, a great many tears pouring from her eyes. She was sniffling hard, coughing, choking on her tears and hiccupping. She gasped and gulped, shaking with heartfelt sobs as the tears poured from her eyes, not once stopping and let her fireman comfort her.
He said, as he continued to wipe her tears away, "I feel awful that you have so many nightmares of the horrible way you were treated. Just cry it out. I'm not rushing your healing with a positive spin, because I'm not into platitudes or empty promises. Your emotion's valid, so you've got my empathy." He held the rag to her eyes for her to sob into and wiped all her tears away as best he could, thinking of context and any available inspiration for her. After a while, he had to get his second rag.
Jessica's driver came and took over comforting her, as her fireman said, "These rags are soaked with her waterfall of tears and she's still got huge water droplets coming in torrents.", then went to her cab as the driver took his place.
A mean engine said, "Jessica, my class is the reason your not preserved siblings were scrapped. Don't be such a cry-engine as you've got nothing to cry about. You're preserved and safe here, you've got the Express to pull when Pip and Emma can't, so you've got it all. If you were about to be scrapped, then your depression would be justified."
Thomas gave his depressed friend Jessica a buffer press.
Her driver said, pulling out a cotton waffle cloth from his pocket, "I wish I could wipe your sadness, so I shall wipe your eyes. You've got me here with your cotton waffle hanky, so just sob away." and comforted her in his way as she sobbed and sobbed endlessly.
Jessica wept non-stop, constantly sobbing and sniffling until she had no more tears to cry. Her driver dried her last tears away, wiping her cheeks and eyes dry of tears, then went to the cab with the sodden cloth and her fireman gave her the inspiration he thought of. Thomas shunted her to the water column and her crew gave her a drink, so she could pull the Express. Her face was red and her eyes were flame-red and puffy from crying, but she smiled a bit, feeling better.
Jessica pulled the train, then said, "Can you dry my tears, Driver?" and began to cry at the last station, sobbing, not loud, but shedding a great many tears and she kept sniffling. She had seen 'Arry and Bert, the Smelter's Yard engines at Killdane Station with a long train of scrap. Seeing them with their train made her think of the old steam engines scrapped there, so she had tears held in her eyes until the end of journey. Her face was wet with tears as her driver went to comfort her.
Jessica's driver climbed out of the cab to comfort her. "There, there, Jessica," he said, pulling a cloth from his pocket to softly dry her tears. "Let it all out. I know you're sad, so I want you to cry and find the comfort of sobbing. I've got your cotton waffle hanky, so have a good cry into it." He gently rubbed her sodden cheeks and wiped her streaming eyes, listening attentively and trying to understand how she felt.
Jessica cried some more, letting out another sob as fresh tears welled up in her eyes. She sniffled again, hard, coughed as she choked on her sobs and hiccupped. She gasped and gulped, shaking with sob as she wept non-stop and let her driver offer his comfort.
He said, as he continued to wipe her tears away, "I've known you only since you were overhauled here, but I care so much about you. I love to wipe your eyes, because I'm a loving sort. My emotions are deep and powerful, so they help me be supportive and understanding, because of how powerful they are and overwhelm me. I'm here for you, just to dry your eyes.". He pressed the cloth to her eyes and wiped all her tears away as best he could, reassuring her without being too overbearing, just patiently listening and supporting her in her pain, offering his empathy and compassion without being pushy or intrusive.
Jessica sobbed and sobbed, huge water droplets pouring out of her eyes until she could cry no more. Her driver dried her last tears away, wiping her cheeks and eyes until they were dry, then went back to the cab with the sodden cloth. Her crew gave her a drink from a mobile water tank as she smiled, feeling better after cry, though her face was bright red and her sore and swollen eyes were flame-red. But her sadness quickly took over again.
Jessica's driver thought, I've never met such a sad engine. I know she's depressed, but as an extremely sensitive soul, I hate seeing her with red, puffy eyes all the time.
Jessica's therapy with Dr. Tom came when her crew were on break.
"How are you now, Jessica?" Dr. Tom asked.
"Sad, except for when I've had a good cry. I love the relief, calmness and clarity my sobs can bring. Like when I've had a horrible nightmare about when I was a baby engine suffering dreadful abuse," she said. She began to cry, bursting into small sobs and sniffling, long and loud.
Dr. Tom said, "I love how you cry so deeply, Jessica. You've been brilliant in my therapy, just my most splendid patient. I've got my hankies, because I'm always ready for sadness falling down your face. Do you still consent to me wiping away your tears when it's just us?" He then went to dry Jessica's tears, as she gave no indication of revoking her consent, rubbing her cheeks and wiping her eyes dry. After her sobs subsided and she had no more tears to cry, he put the sodden handkerchiefs away and their session went on. Her face was all red and her eyes were flame-red and puffy, but she smiled for a bit, feeling better after crying.
The session ended, then Jessica's crew came back and she had a drink, then they went on with the rest of the day. Jessica cried herself to sleep, sobbing as her driver comforted her and Thomas gave her a buffer press.
A/N Next Jessica chapter will be the end and the mean engines punished.