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Author's Chapter Notes:

This is a Brian chapter.

~~~

 

A woman sat alone in a small cubicle. Directly in front of her was a thick transparent screen, and to her left was a phone. This was a prison phone booth, and she was about to have an important meeting with a criminal. Due to the circumstances regarding this particular criminal, the other phone booths were all unoccupied. There was one guard on the woman’s side of the room, and two on the other side. Her breathing was slightly labored as she waited with great anticipation for the criminal to arrive.


Suddenly, a harsh buzzing sound rang out across the room, causing the woman to flinch. On the side of the room behind the screen, a door opened. The guards in the room stiffened, and soon a figure came through the door, roughly pushed by another guard behind him. This figure shambled over to the cubicle, and flopped down on the chair.


The woman took in his features. He was moderately tall, and somewhat skinny. His long arms clung to his sides, his prison jumpsuit showcasing their lack of definition. He was rather pale, and his face was hiding a layer of frantic energy behind a mask of neutral indifference. He had messy black hair, and striking green eyes. This man was Brian Bentley, age 18, and the woman he was meeting with was his mother, Laura Bentley.


They stared at each other for a minute. Brian’s face slightly relaxed in the presence of a familiar face, and his eyes softened. His mother, on the other hand, simply looked at him with cold eyes, her expression troubled and unchanging. After a moment, they both picked up the telephone on either side of the screen. Brian spoke first.


“…Hi, Mom,” he said softly, his voice neither high nor low pitched. His mother flinched at the sound of his slightly fuzzy voice through the telephone, a wave of emotions washing over her. This was the first time they had spoken in two days. 


“Hi, Brian,” she replied. Her voice was soft, yet tired, showcasing both her age and the tremendous amount of stress she had been under.

“Are you… eating okay?” she asked. Brian’s eyes slightly lit up at the mild concern she was showcasing for his well-being. He took that as a good sign.

“Not really,” he said with a soft chuckle, “everything they have is pretty gross.”


Suddenly, a stern voice cut in from behind him.

“Be grateful you get anything at all,” said a guard. Brian closed his eyes in frustration.

“Don’t provoke them, Brian,” Laura said firmly. 

Brian looked at her, his eyes saying “are you serious?” but he decided not to press it.

“Anyway,” he started, “they’re keeping me alive. Reluctantly, but still.” Laura softly nodded in response. At that, Brian decided it was time to move on.


“So… did you watch my trial?” he asked sadly. Indeed, his trial for the murder of Timmy Osment had concluded earlier that day. To his great surprise, his mother shook her head.

“Y-You didn’t…?” he asked, his eyes narrowing in confusion. “Why not?”

“It wasn’t televised, Brian,” she replied. “The news reported on what happened after the fact. So no, I didn’t watch it, but I do know that you were sentenced to life in prison after only two minutes of deliberation.”


Brian’s head was pulled in multiple directions. Confusion and shock from the apparent fact that nobody actually saw his trial, and hurt from his mother’s cold declaration.

“W-What? Why didn’t… but… I thought…?” he stammered, trying to form the words. He took a deep breath.

“Mom, the trial was a joke. That must be why they didn’t televise it. It was insane, the jury wasn’t even paying attention,” he said, his temper rising at the memory.


Laura sighed, putting one hand to her forehead.

“Brian, please…” she started. “It wasn’t televised to protect the privacy of the families. That includes me, so maybe try being a little sympathetic.”

“No, no, no, Mom. I knew that people would understand the truth if they saw how nonsensical that trial was. I thought that’s why you came to see me. Didn’t you, like… get a new lawyer, or something? To help prove it?”


Laura narrowed her eyes at Brian.

“Prove what, Brian?” she asked slowly. 

“What…? Prove that I didn’t do it!” he exclaimed incredulously. The guards in the room all prickled in anger, while his mother deflated in disappointment.

“I was hoping they were lying when they told me you were claiming to be innocent,” she said sadly.


Brian’s heart quickened as a sense of dread began to wash over him. His understanding of the situation was changing rapidly.

“No, no…? You don’t believe me? I thought… isn’t that why you’re here? All the evidence from my trial was supposed to be released, right? I thought people would realize!” he said, his voice becoming strained as he began to panic.


Laura shook her head once more.

“I came to say goodbye, Brian. Nobody is going to visit you once you're permanently moved. Hell, I was the only one who even wanted to come today. I’m not here to help you.”

“No… no!” Brian exclaimed. “W-What about… what about the evidence?”

“What evidence?” his mother asked exasperatedly.


“You know… like, my testimony? The autopsy report? That fucking officer’s body cam footage?”

“No, Brian, none of the evidence related to your case was released to the public.”

Brian’s eyes widened.

“What? Fucking what?!” he shouted.

“Settle down, boy,” cut in one of the guards. Brian regained himself, his heart still pounding.


“What about that transparency law for high profile cases? Shouldn’t have all the records been released because of that?” he asked, trying to control the shakiness of his voice.

“Timmy Osment’s legal team requested an exception due to the graphic nature of the crime,” Laura said plainly, “they did it partly to mitigate the outrage that your sister and I have been facing. They did us a favor.”


Brian stared at her in disbelief.

“But… that evidence would have shown…” he said weakly.

“What?” his mother asked frustratedly, her temper rising. “What exactly would it have shown?”


“It would have shown that I didn’t fucking do it! I testified that I tried to help him, he was already dying when I found him! T-The autopsy would have shown the gashes in his neck! They say I s-strangled him, but that’s not true! The autopsy would have shown it! He died from the neck wounds, a-and I didn’t have a weapon! The body cam footage would have shown that, too! It would have proved that I didn’t do it!” he exclaimed, trying and failing to keep his emotions in check.


Laura simply stared at him, her face growing angrier and angrier.

“Brian, that’s enough. You know damn well that none of that is true, or else they wouldn’t have convicted you after two fucking minutes. Can’t you at least take responsibility? Is it not already bad enough?!” she said angrily. Brian put his head in his hands for a moment.


“That’s why the trial wasn’t televised! Literally nobody cared when the evidence was presented! They just wanted to convict me no matter what! Don’t you understand?!” he said frustratedly.

“Listen to what you’re saying, Brian. You’re saying that dozens, hell maybe hundreds of people all worked together to convict you for this. You’re talking like there’s some crazy conspiracy going on. Do you realize how pathetic you sound right now?” she said.


“Mom! It’s true! You seriously think I could k… you seriously think I could do that?” he asked.

“I don’t know what to think anymore, Brian,” she said sadly.

Brian put one hand on the screen. He started to tear up.


“Mom…” he whispered fearfully, “please… please believe me. I didn’t… I didn’t do this.”

His voice became strained as he begged with all his might.

“Please… help me…!”


At that, his mother exploded.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” she shouted. “You seriously want me to help you after what you did? Do you not realize how bad it is for me already?!

“Mom, what-”

“The whole fucking country is outraged right now, Brian. You think they’re satisfied going after just you?! Do you know what your sister and I have had to deal with?! I got fired yesterday, Brian. Your sister is being bullied, and we’re all receiving death threats. Do you have any idea how much worse it would get if I publicly decided to help you?!”


“Doesn’t that mean you want to find out the truth, then?!” Brian asked angrily. “If you prove my innocence, then the harassment will stop!”

Laura closed her eyes, trying to steady her breath.

“The truth is already out there, Brian,” she started. “The truth is that you murdered a child, and now you’re being punished for it.”


Brian flinched.

“Don’t say that, Mom,” he begged quietly, “don’t tell me that I did that. It’s not true. Please don’t say that.”

“Brian, look at you!” his mother spat in anger. Brian teared up once more.

“You’re disgusting. You murdered a child. A defenseless child,” she continued coldly. Brian shut his eyes, he looked like he had just been stabbed.


“No, stop saying that. Please. Stop saying those words!” he pleaded, tears now running down his face. “How can you not believe me?! I’m your son!”

Laura shook her head.

“No, you’re not. You stopped being my son the day you decided to murder a child. Frankly, you deserve the Shrink Penalty,” she said angrily, the floodgates of her rage having been opened.


Brian recoiled in shock.

“What…?” he asked.

“You heard me. You deserve to be fucking squished like a bug for what you did. Age requirement be damned, I would even do it myself.”

Brian saw red.


“How could you say that?!” he screamed, jumping to his feet and slamming the transparent screen. The guards immediately began storming towards him. Laura rose from her seat.

“Goodbye, Brian,” she declared coldly, before making her way towards the exit. Brian slammed the screen again.


“Fucking stop! I didn’t do it! Don’t leave! You have to believe me!”

His mother did not turn back, and the guards surrounded him and began to drag him away. Brian continued to scream and flail about.

“Stop! Get the fuck off me! I fuck- I fucking didn’t do it! Get away from me! Get off! I tried to help him! I tried to fucking help him! I didn’t kill him! I didn’t do it! I DIDN’T FUCKING DO IT!”


Brian continued to scream at the top of his lungs, desperately begging his mother to believe him. She did not turn back, though, and the last he saw of her for three years was her back as the door closed behind her. Soon, the guards forced him through the door they came from, and it slammed shut as he was dragged away screaming. Silence overtook the room. 


Brian Bentley was convicted for the murder of Timmy Osment when he was 18 years old. After the meeting with his mother, he resigned himself to the fact that nobody would ever believe in his innocence. He accepted the apparent reality that he would have to carry the pain of his conviction completely, and devastatingly alone. His striking green eyes slowly became swirling pits of darkness, and the charming young man named Brian that had existed for 18 years was replaced with the infamous robot child murderer named Brian Bentley. Three years later, he was re-sentenced to death via the Shrink Penalty. The world celebrated.


~~~


Allison opened the door to her bedroom, emotionally preparing herself for whatever mental state Brian was in as a result of the session. She decided to take the initiative.


“Brian, listen to me. So much happened to you today that was completely my fault. I can’t imagine how upset you are right now, but I promise to do whatever it-”

She abruptly stopped a few feet away from her nightstand. As she looked upon Brian, what she saw shocked her into silence.

He was fine.

While she expected him to be rocking back and forth, his eyes completely empty, what she found instead was him calmly tying a piece of cloth around his waist with some string. He looked up at Allison, a slightly tired but calm expression in his eyes. He gave her a gentle smile.


“Allie, I’m fine,” he said softly. “I’m not hurt, angry, or upset.”

Allison’s brain short-circuited.

“You’re… you… what?” she stammered. “But… you got tortured!”

Brian chuckled.

“Hardly. Your conditions really neutered her. Plus, you made sure to stop her when it went too far, and you pretended to hurt me worse than you did. All things considered, I think that went pretty well,” he said.


“Pretty well?!” Allison exclaimed. “You got pulled in opposite directions! You screamed!”

“Allie, Allie, please,” Brian soothed, “that scream wasn’t real. Like you said, screaming was an indication that I was reaching the limit. I figured that faking a scream would stop her before it got actually bad. Which it did.”

“B-But…” Allison said, “you had to go kiss her… kiss my…”


“Allie, please listen to me,” Brian said gently. “We don’t have to go through a play-by-play of what happened. I was never in any serious pain, and we just did what we had to do so we could get her out of here. I could tell you were always looking out for me. Also, you were lying about how much time had passed, right?”

Allison nodded, still shell-shocked. Brian smirked.

“Nice one. How long did the session actually last?” he asked.

“Seven minutes…” she said, as if in a trance.


“Ha!” Brian chuckled, “that’s brilliant. She was too drunk to notice. What was that about a cab that I heard?”

“Well… I, uh, secretly ordered a cab before the session started,” she said.

“Really? How did you convince her to get in it?” he asked. Allison fidgeted.

“I, er, well what I did… I convinced her that she asked for the cab but forgot since she was so drunk,” she said. Her face turned red in embarrassment, and Brian laughed out loud.

“Allie!” he exclaimed jovially, “when did you get so devious?”

Allison put her head in her hands. Brian could practically see the steam rising off her head. After a moment, though, she raised her head. Despite herself, she was smiling. She trotted over to the bed and sat down.


“Don’t you talk to me about devious, Brian,” she said slyly. “Which one of us came up with an elaborate lie about me kidnapping and torturing you?”

Brian looked over his shoulders a few times, before pointing to himself in mock surprise. Allison giggled, Brian’s playful attitude slowly soothing her troubled heart.

“Hey, that isn’t all on me, sister,” he replied, “you were pretty quick to pick up that role convincingly. Are you sure you’re not secretly sadistic? Is this something I need to be concerned about?”


“Shut it!” Allison said playfully, before reaching forward and lightly poking his chest. She poked with a little too much force, however, and he stumbled back a few steps. Allison quickly retreated her hand with a small gasp, before drawing it to her mouth. At this display of his fragility, all the guilt came crashing back down on her, and tears started to run down her face.


“Brian… Brian, I’m so sorry…” she choked out, trying not to break down. Brian’s face twisted in concern, but he couldn’t get Allison to stop.

“I… I was so stupid… I never should have let her in, or given her alcohol, or left my door open, or told her where the bathroom was, or agreed to t-torture you, I fucked up everything,” she cried, closing her eyes as her shoulders started to shake. “Now she knows, and she’s going to want to do it again. I f-failed you… I don’t know what to do!”


Once again, Brian was lamenting the limitations of his size. It was physically impossible for him to calm Allison down, so all he could do was wait as he watched his giant protector break down. After only a few moments, though, Allison abruptly regained herself, sitting up straight and wiping her eyes.

“No,” she declared resolutely, “this isn’t about me. This isn’t the right time. I need to make sure that you’re okay.” At that, she put on a brave face and looked back at Brian. He sympathetically sighed.


“Allie, I’m really okay. We worked together, and it went a lot better than it could have. I don’t blame you for anything. It was an honest mistake, and I know that we can figure out what to do together,” he said. Allison’s eyes softened.

“I’m going to say this once, okay? This is going to cover every apology you’re carrying in your heart right now, and I mean it with everything that I have. You ready?” he asked. Allison nodded.

“I forgive you,” he said. Allison’s eyes briefly teared up again, but she pushed it back.

“Thank you, Brian,” she said softly. They both let out a huge sigh.


Allison moved off the bed and sat down on the space between the bed and the nightstand. Her face was roughly at Brian’s level. She wanted to hold him, but she was still slightly scared to touch him, so she didn’t ask. Despite Brian’s statement of forgiveness, there was still one aspect of the session that she needed to ask about.


“I know you say you’re okay, Brian,” she started, “but what about when Cathy forced me to say that you… you know, did that thing? You seemed genuinely upset, and… well, you had a scary look in your eye. It was like when we first met, you looked completely empty. What happened?” she asked gently, hoping not to upset him again. Brian sighed once again, and sat down on the edge of the nightstand, his legs dangling over the edge. He looked resolutely into Allison’s giant brown eyes as they radiated concern.


“I could tell I really scared you with that one. I’m sorry. Honestly, though, that was another fake,” he said.

“A fake?” Allison replied incredulously. “It seemed so real, though…”

“I take that as a compliment,” he said with a grin.

“But… why that particular issue?” she asked.


“Well, think about it. If I showed her a ‘weak point,’ then she would divert all her attention to that. If I made it a mental weak point, then she would stop tormenting me physically. From there I just chose something that seemed realistic to get upset about. It almost worked, since she ended up choking me, but it at least distracted her for a bit, right?” he explained.


Allison leaned against the wall.

“Wow…” she said quietly. “I was wondering why you would get so upset about a crime you didn’t commit. That’s super genius Brian for you.”

“I think we both qualify as super geniuses after what just happened, Allie. We should join an improv group,” he replied. Allison grinned, before her face became serious.

“So… you’re really, really okay, Brian? You promise?” she asked.

“Don’t worry about it. Nothing I can’t handle,” he answered. Allison smiled.


“I am exhausted, though,” Brian admitted.

“Yeah, I bet,” Allison replied. “Anything I can do for you? Fair to say that you deserve to be spoiled rotten for the next week at least.”

“Well, I’ll be sure to look forward to that. For now, though, do you think I could just lie down in the dark for a while? I need to rest my eyes,” he asked.

“Really?” Allison said, “you don’t want some company?”


“Just for a little while, like maybe an hour?” he replied.

“But… are you sure you’re okay to be alone? I want to be there for you, you know.” she said. Brian’s eyes softened at her kind statement.

“Allie,” he said softly and earnestly, “I just really need to lie down for an hour. Please.”

Allison looked at him concernedly for a moment, before sighing.

“Yes, of course. Your phone is in the carrier, so just let me know if you need anything. I’ll come back in an hour, and then maybe we can order some food?” she asked.

“Sounds good. Thanks,” Brian replied.


At that, Allison gently pinched Brian between her fingers and transferred him to the inside of the pet carrier. He landed on the shirt-and-towel combo with a small thud, and Allison made her way to the door before turning off the light.

“Brian?” she asked. He made a questioning noise from the carrier.

“I’m really glad you’re okay,” she said, before leaving and shutting the door. Soon, Brian was completely alone, the room illuminated only by a small blue nightlight in the corner.


~


Brian took a deep breath. Once Allison was out of sight, his face was overcome by an eerily neutral expression. Slowly, as if all the energy in his body had evaporated, he shambled over to a corner of the carrier, before sitting down with his back to the corner. He drew his knees to his chest, before wrapping his arms around them. Putting his head on his knees, he began to tremble.


“Why… why did she have to say those words?” he whispered, his voice strained. Despite himself, he felt an ever growing heaviness behind his eyes, and his heart rate began to increase. Suddenly, his mind was assaulted by the memory of the session.


“You’re disgusting. You murdered a child. A defenseless child.”


“She didn’t mean it, she didn’t mean it…” he said, trying to reassure himself.


Another memory pierced him, causing him to flinch. It was a memory that had long been repressed, one from two days after the death of Timmy Osment. He could hear the voice of his mother, as if she was standing right next to him.


“You’re disgusting. You murdered a child. A defenseless child.”


“Why did she have to say those words?” he repeated, his voice breaking as the heaviness behind his eyes turned into tears.

“Those exact words, why those exact words?” he continued, the first tear streaking down his face.


 “The truth is that you murdered a child, and now you’re being punished for it.”


“Stop it,” he whispered. Allison’s words had triggered his most painful memory, and he couldn’t stop it from flooding his mind and drowning out every other thought.


“You stopped being my son the day you decided to murder a child.”


“Stop crying.”


“You deserve to be fucking squished like a bug for what you did.”


“Stop remembering!” he said frustratedly, gritting his teeth. 


“Age requirement be damned, I would even do it myself.”


“Shut up!” he cried, before covering his mouth with his hands.

If I let Allie hear this, she’ll only blame herself, he thought. She’s already close to breaking down, I shouldn’t make it worse.


He took a deep, shaky breath.

Stop crying. Stop crying. Stop crying. Stop crying. Stop crying.

Despite his repeated instruction to himself, the tears continued to fall with ever increasing intensity. His mother’s cruel words began to intertwine with Allison’s as they endlessly repeated inside his head.


“You’re disgusting. You murdered a child. A defenseless child.”

“You killed an innocent child for no reason.”

“You stopped being my son the day you decided to murder a child.”

“I mean, come on, he’s a child murderer, right?”

“You’re really the worst of the worst, you know that?” 

“I was hoping they were lying when they told me you were claiming to be innocent.”

“I’m not here to help you.”


Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, Brian desperately thought to himself.

Allie didn’t mean it, she didn’t mean it, she believes me.

Brian couldn’t stop himself, and he let out a sobbing gasp. He instantly put both hands over his mouth and gripped tight. As he had done hundreds of times before, he continued to cry while making absolutely no noise. He curled into an even tighter formation as his shoulders began to shake with increasing intensity. He shut his eyes tight, frantically willing his mind to stop remembering the meeting with his mother.


Stop remembering, he thought.

The words echoed once again.

Stop crying, he begged.

He continued to cry soundlessly.


“You seriously want me to help you after what you did?” the voice echoed.


I didn’t do it!


At this declaration, his mind shut down. The words continued to assault his consciousness, a flood of repressed trauma drowning him, triggered by the stress of the previous day. Hearing the one person he was coming to completely trust call him a child murderer, even facetiously, was too much for his already stressed mind to bear.


No longer able to form thoughts louder than the sound of his mother and Allison’s words, he gave himself over to the darkness. The sobbing was now frantic and violent, although somehow still completely silent. Brian simply sat there, broken and one-inch tall, as he felt the happiness that had grown during his time with Allison begin to fade away. Unable to call for help, he resigned himself to the fact that nobody would ever believe in his innocence. He accepted the apparent reality that he would have to carry the pain of his conviction completely, and devastatingly alone.


~


However…


The bedroom door flew open, the light turned on, and Allison came storming into the room.


“Brian, I’m sorry but I can’t let you be alone right now. There’s no fucking way you’re actually fine after what happened, and I want to-”

She stopped with a soft gasp once she realized what was going on inside of the carrier, and her heart immediately shattered as her mind went into overdrive.


There, huddled in a corner, was Brian. He was violently sobbing. He was shaking so much that he practically looked like he was having a seizure, and his face was a mess of redness and tears. Strangely enough though, he was making absolutely no noise. His hands were clasped over his mouth in a dead man’s embrace, and his whole body was so tense it looked as if it would break should someone touch it wrong. Allison realized that it was exactly like when they had first met, after she had almost executed him.


Brian recognized the sound of her voice, and he opened his eyes in shock. He saw his friend, his guardian, his savior, Allison. He looked like a deer in headlights, his hands breaking away from his face as he stared at her in terror. He felt like he had been caught committing a crime.


“Oh, no, Brian…” Allison whispered, her voice breaking in pure concern.


Hearing her voice, Brian couldn’t take it anymore, and for the first time in three years he began to cry out loud. It was a primal expression of pure, overwhelming sadness, and it overwhelmed Allison’s instincts. She sprinted towards the carrier, practically teleporting, and frantically took Brian in her palms- knocking the carrier to the floor in her haste.


She dropped to her knees, and desperately tried to comfort the sobbing man in her grasp. 

“Brian! Brian, it’s okay, it’s okay!” she cried.

She moved one thumb towards his chest, and he wrapped both arms around it and held tight. He clung to it as if it was his last lifeline, and he refused to let go lest he fall into darkness. With her other hand, Allison tried to wipe the tears from his face while stroking the back of his head. She had no idea what to do, so she simply provided some verbal and physical reassurance.


Brian buried his face in the skin of Allison’s thumb and began to scream. Allison could feel the vibration from his voice, and she began to panic. She didn’t know what was going on, and she worried about what would happen if she couldn’t calm him down from his apparent panic attack.


“Brian, please calm down! Please! I… I don’t know how to help you!”

Brian removed his face from her thumb, still clinging to it with his arms. He tried to take deep breaths, but each one was overtaken by another sobbing gasp. Allison couldn’t contain her own tears at the sight, and she began to softly cry as her mind was overtaken with confusion, stress, and concern. After a moment, she began to make out some words.


“I-I d-didn’t do it!” Brian shouted. “I didn’t fucking do it! Why does everyone say that I did it?! I didn’t fucking do it! I tried to h-help him! Why won’t people stop saying those words?!”

At that, Allison suddenly had a rough understanding of what was going on. 

He was actually bothered when I said those things, she thought as her mind raced. It must have triggered something. But… what the fuck am I supposed to do?!


Brian continued.

“My own m-mother! She said I deserved to die! She d-didn’t believe me! Why won’t anybody fucking believe me?!” he screamed.

“Brian, I believe you!” Allison cried, trying to sound as reassuring as possible through her own sadness. “I’ve always believed you! I promise I didn’t mean what I said- I was pretending!”

“I don't deserve this! I tried to fucking help him! I don't deserve to lose my family! I don’t deserve the entire world hating me! I don’t deserve to be small! I don’t deserve to die! I didn’t fucking do it! I DIDN’T FUCKING DO IT!”

“I know, Brian, I know! You didn’t do anything wrong! I believe you… please listen to me!” she continued, frantically trying to reach him.


Brian could barely make out the words through his panic, but Allison continued relentlessly. Without stopping her physical attempts at soothing him, she endlessly repeated that she believed in his innocence. She was determined to say it as many times as needed until it got through to him. She held him close to her chest, protectively surrounding him with her fingers. She lifted him to her face, and tried to comfort him with small kisses. Through it all, Brian continued to cry.


He cried for his mother.

He cried for his sister.

He cried for Allison.

He cried for himself.


At some point, Allison had moved to the bed, lying on her side as she continued to hold him. She drew her hands to her stomach and raised her knees as she curled into a ball. Soon, Brian was completely surrounded by her warmth, her concerned face gazing down at him.


“Brian. Brian, it’s okay…” she soothed. “Everything’s going to be okay. You’re safe with me. I believe you. I believe you…”

They continued like this. Allison wasn’t sure if it lasted for ten minutes or five hours. Ever so slowly, though, Brian began to calm down. His sobbing became less violent, and he stopped convulsing with as much intensity. Having lost his voice long prior, he stopped shouting, soon only making small, gasping, raspy noises.


Allison found that his tears were slowing down, and his face would stay clean for longer periods of time after she wiped it before a new stream of tears would stain it once more.

Soon, Allison no longer needed to raise her voice to get through to him. He was now only lightly crying, slowly coaxed to restfulness by his enormous friend’s reassuring voice and gentle touch. Once Brian was able to form coherent thoughts again, he began to whisper in a winded raspy tone.


“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” he repeated endlessly.

“Shhh… everything is going to be okay, Brian, I promise. I’m here for you. I'll never abandon you. I'll keep you safe. Forever and for always,” she replied softly. 

Her words wrapped around him like a warm blanket, and his death grip on her thumb began to loosen. His apologetic whisperings became quieter and quieter, until his mouth was moving but no words were escaping. He lay completely limp in Allison’s soft, warm hand, and she could practically see the energy leave his body as he succumbed to pure exhaustion. She refused to stop softly speaking to him for a single moment, even as her own voice became laced with raspiness. Then, Brian became entirely limp, his face completely still. Allison had finally calmed him down, and he was in a deep sleep.


Allison let out a colossal sigh, closing her eyes as the last of her own tears streamed down her face. She covered the hand holding Brian with her other, leaving only his head exposed as he fell into his much-needed rest.

“I’m so sorry, Brian…” she whispered. She knew he was carrying pain, but not to that extent. “Why weren’t you just honest with me…”


She felt herself succumbing to her own exhaustion, but she was determined to stay awake for Brian. Extremely careful not to jostle him around, she slowly raised herself from her prone position. She sat on the bed with her back to the wall, and held Brian close to her heart. A million things were running through her mind.


How can I stop this from happening ever again?

How can I stop future sessions with Cathy? She’ll torture him again.

How am I supposed to help him?

What do we do from here?

What do I do tomorrow? I can’t take another day off of work.

What am I supposed to do?


Allison shook her head, clearing these thoughts and questions from her mind.

No. I only need to do one thing right now. I need to be here when he wakes up. Like he said, we can figure it out together.

 

She nodded to herself, having made a decision. So, she waited. Keeping her eyes on Brian, afraid to look away for even a moment, she simply waited for him to wake up. Once he did, they would decide what to do as a team. The silence continued. Only this time, the silence was peaceful.

 

 

 

Chapter End Notes:

I'm pretty sure the next chapter will be the last one. What do you think will happen? Let me know. This story is not over!

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