A/N Autumn's not well in this chapter, but I set up the future chapters where she comforts miniature engines, as she goes to their railway. I remember at her age, 8, crying about something when I was sick. She has RSV and the way she presents is because she's not a baby and autism's not something that makes it severe at her age.

One winter day, Autumn woke up sick. She had a stuffy, runny nose, a cough, mild fever, sore throat, sneezing and a headache when she went downstairs.

"I don't feel well at all," Autumn, sniffling, told her mother. "I think I've got a dreadful cold or something.". The girl sobbed miserably.

Autumn's mother offered her lap and tissues. "I know you're sick and miserable, so I'll hold you while you cry. Cry it out, even though it's not the best for your nose."

The little girl blew her nose loudly, burbling into her tissues and dabbed at her tear-streaked face and moist eyes. Once she was calmer, her mother gave her some medicine. Autumn then went back to her room with the tissue box, blowing her nose.

In her bedroom, Autumn sat on her bed. Her Thomas toy was beside her, tissues on her lap. She blew her nose, then looked dreamily at her toy and floated away to Sodor.

Autumn arrived on Sodor, sneezing and blowing her nose. "I'm not crying," she said to her friend, hugging his face, as Thomas seemed upset about something, after she finished blowing. "I'm ill, like a bad cold, so I've got boogers in my nose. My head's full of snot. What happened to you?" She then coughed.

Thomas said, "I get stuffed up with ashes and if I've got ashes, I need my smokebox cleaned out or I sneeze and spray them all over. I'm just resting before my next train. To answer your question, I'm having a hard time, though."

Autumn said, "I'm going on my rounds now.". She left, blowing her nose. I think I'll go see the miniature engines, she thought. She had a sense they were there.

Autumn arrived at Arlesdale. "I don't feel so good," she told the miniature engines, as she blew her nose. "I'm Autumn and I visit this island."

"There goes the foghorn," one of them said.

Her reply was, "When I've got a nose full of snot, I can't blow quietly and have it be worth it." She sneezed and coughed during her interaction with Bert, Mike and Rex, the Arlesdale Railway engines.

Autumn moved on and then went back to Thomas after her rounds of the island. She saw his driver comfort him and asked "What's wrong?", then blew her nose.

Thomas's driver said, as he pressed a cloth to his engine's eyes, "He was just held hostage in the Steelworks."

Autumn said, "I saw he looked like he'd been crying earlier.", as she was blowing her nose. "I don't feel so well. I've got a very stuffed nose. Poor Thomas." Her brown eyes filled with empathy for her friend.

His driver said, "He's only had one night back on Sodor, so he's very unhappy and frightened off and on.", as he continued to wipe Thomas's tears away. "He sobs when his fear and panic are on, like this. Though he can't speak, because of his sobbing, I still comfort him, doing my best to wipe all his tears away."

Autumn said, "I can't quite reach his eyes yet, but I can reach his face.". Blowing her nose, she said, "Good-bye, Thomas. I love you and want you to feel better, so let tears fall like rain.". During this last interaction with any of her Sodor friends, she coughed and sneezed. She heard him whistle as she left. The engine equivalent of waving good-bye, she thought. That's what I get for watching Journey Beyond Sodor last night.

Autumn left her reverie, threw her soggy tissues in the wastebasket and went on with her day. She needed a fresh tissues box every two hours because of how runny and stuffy her nose was. At the end of her day, she had her bedtime routine and fell asleep hugging her stuffed Thomas toy.

A/N For new readers, Autumn's reason to blow her nose so much is she has sensory issues leading her to do so or else it's just because of the way she's sick she has to blow almost constantly. I know the latter can be possible with something respiratory that affects the nose. People touch engine faces on the show, which I follow because it's unrealistic for them to have faces. Autumn may be a child, but she believes in the power of a good cry because she know crying, especially sobbing, can be comfort if you're not ashamed or embarrassed by it.