Missing Pieces

She didn't even look up at Darren when she shook her head no. A shaking of the head was all he got as an answer. She didn't feel like speaking at the time, nor could she bring her eyes to look at him. She didn't even feel like moving.

Ash felt as if she didn't even get any sleep. She would've had the same result just staying up. She might have gotten an hour or two without nightmares bombarding her dreams. That was the bright side at least.

She wondered what the appointment was for, but didn't bother asking. She thought he mentioned something about it yesterday, but whatever. It didn't matter.

A small yawn came from Ashlyn's pink lips as she stretched on the couch, then went back to watching TV, still laying down how she was before. She blinked slowly, her body longing sleep- good sleep - while she sighed heavily. It could easily be heard, but it wasn't overly loud or anything. Just a heavy sigh. The sibling forgot Darren was in the room for a moment, assuming he walked away when she said no.

She was spaced out. Mainly from lack of sleeping hours, but also because she was just... out of it. She wasn't really thinking of anything but small things, but other than that her mind was blank. You could tell by her face if you looked hard enough. It would be a good idea for her to go back to sleep, but then again, would it even do anything?
 
Darren

The older brother and doctor frowned considerably. It was unhealthy for a child her age to skip a meal, and often upset the balance of her diet, but he couldn't force her to eat much like he couldn't magically make things all better. It wouldn't kill to ask again though.

"You sure, Ashlyn? I can make the best waffles in the whole entire universe! Even the neighbors and aliens visit for a slice! Plus they have chocolate chips in them!"

Maybe it was silly to act as he was, but if it would cheer up his little sister, then why not? Little fibs here and there wouldn't scar her for the rest of her life, and the prospect of aliens wasn't that scary. Neighbors though, they could be pretty darn scary in comparison to extraterrestrial visitors that come from another galaxy or Mars.

His hopes in attempting to cheer her up dead quickly though for the small child appeared oh so empty. Her eyes were blank, and she wasn't focusing on him or the TV. Just staring emptily into space. If anything, it would have been extremely creepy, but then again it was his little sister who sat on the couch and not some orphan child who wanted to kill him.

It was obvious the lack of sleep and the loss was getting to his brain.
 
(Lol, your comparisons made me laugh!)

Darren's offer sounded tempting, just a little though. Usually it would make her jump and down with excitement. But not now, in this point in time.

She reeeally didn't feel like eating right now though... hm...
Maybe just a little.

"Can I have a little bit?" She mumbled quietly. She still avoided eye contact as she spoke. As in a little bit, she imagined in her head maybe one fourth of a waffle.

She closed her eyes, only half listening for an answer, and went silent again, her head already begging to spin into sleep.
 
(Darren isn't the only one tired beyond belief. z.z)

Darren

The older Thompson smiled slightly and nodded his head. It took him a considerable amount of moments for him to audibly respond for it had not occurred to him that little Ashlyn had shut her eyes. He spluttered a mumbled "yes" before turning around and slipping back into the kitchen.

He had a premade bottle of his homemade waffle mix for the rare occasions he actually decided on eating breakfast. Heating up the waffle maker took more or less five minutes before it was decently hot enough to cook the gooey mess. He poured the batter into the hot iron plates, added some chocolate chips, and then shut the thing closed and laid it to the side. It would take thirty seconds more or less before he had to flip it to the other side so he grabbed a mug. Before he knew it, the thing beeped quite loudly, and he hurried over and flipped it.

Darren, despite being a doctor and being highly aware of the caffeine crash coffee oh so happily provided someone, made himself a giant mug of the hyped up hot drink. It was straight black, mainly because he was hoping the bitter taster would knock some sense into him lest he fall asleep driving or something. He removed the waffle from the waffle maker like a pro.

He announced, "Ashlyn, waffles!"
 
The sound of the timer going off itself jolted Ash awake from her light, sleep, then Darren calling out to her woke her up more. She was just starting to get some sleep too.

She laid with her tired eyes open in a squint, staring at nothing in particular but not spaced out. She was just tired. Really tired. The sister didn't move, assuming he would bring the food to her; but then again, if he were to, why would he announce that the food was done?

Ashlyn slowly got up and walked with heavy feet and dizzy steps to the kitchen, using the center counter to help her pull herself up into a chair. Weren't little kids supposed to have a lot of energy? She placed her right elbow on the counter and her cheek on her hand, her injured one on her lap. Her eyes slowly closed again, her body wanting to fall asleep right there.
 
Darren frowned at the fact that Ashlyn seemed so drained, and she was just a little girl so the prospect would be mind boggling if he was unaware of the fact that his baby sister had just lost her parents. They were his parents as well, but that was besides the fact.

The older Thompson took a large drink of his coffee, breathing in deeply before releasing the air in one swell swoop. His eyes fluttered shut, the sleepiness of the lack of sleep the many nights before finally catching up with him. He swayed on his feet, something that was a tell tale sign that he could very easy fall asleep standing. The mere thought had him jolting up straight and focusing terribly.

"Do you want milk or water or something, Ash?" The offer was logical enough, and he reached to get the syrup for her. Keeping himself moving would help him stave off the sleepiness of the nights before.
 
There was a subtle shake of the head, and that was all. She was drifting too. It seemed they both needed a day or two off to just sleep all day.

As she began to become lightly unconscious with sleep, her bad dream started to creep its way in. Only being half asleep, her awake side was able to wake herself up so she wouldn't be stuck in such a nightmare. Her body jolted as Darren's did, but she still was too sleepy to focus. Her eyes opened a bit with waking while she sat up in a slouched manner and put her hands in her lap. It made her left hand hurt a little, but she didn't really mind it; she wouldn't feel it if she didn't think about it.
 
Darren gently repeated the question in a concerned tone, "Do you want milk, water, or something, Ash?"

He was afraid that the small girl was not taking the loss well, although he wasn't quite sure one could take such a thing easily. He felt very useless as a doctor for he did not have the answers to solve his sister's suffering. Ending the pains of others was his motivation to become a doctor. But he was so focused on the physical ailments of the world that he was unaware of the mental ones as well.

Time was ticking by, and their appointment neared by every second. Soon enough, most likely after she was done eating and got ready, they would have to go see the therapist. Both of them, for Darren was not exactly mentally stable enough for properly taking care of a child by himself.
 
She heard the question again. Again, she raised her eyebrows a little and shook her head once more, her sleepy eyes staring at the counter. Maybe he didn't see her the first time.

Ash continued to stare at the counter for a few more seconds, her eyelids getting heavier by the minute. But soon she got the strength to eat, tearing one fourth of the waffle into small pieces, then eating one or two. After that, she sat with her right elbow on the counter again and her cheek on her hand.

"I'm done." Her voice spoke in a subdued way.
 
Darren shook himself a bit in attempts to wake up. The coffee wasn't working properly, and he was still clearly out of it. His mind was spinning which made him question if he would be safe at driving. He was a prideful doctor though, and he was expected to know his own limitations at the least. Arrogance lead people to making stupid decisions, and the young man considered just calling a taxi for the safety of both himself and Ashlyn.

Would it even be okay to take Ashlyn into the same sort of deathtrap that had killed their parents? He wasn't quite sure how her mental health would be able to cope with such a thing, but she did decently well on the way back home. Then again she could have just been too numb and out of it to even notice.

"Okay," he uttered.

Although he was concerned about the lack of food his little sister consumed, he was not going to hound her on it. It was his job now, but he would grab her something to snack on later if she was feeling hungry during the appointments. If the therapist had anything to say about food in the office, he/she was just going to have to shove it. While Darren was usually quite polite, he was tired and hurt. He was allowed his occasional fit just like any other person.

He picked up her plate and threw what was left of the mostly intact waffle away. He rinsed it, then placed it in the dishwasher with relative ease, but his vision was still slightly blurry. As he glanced at the clock that was ticking away, he realized that he had blanked out for a bit after putting away the dirty dish and sipping at his coffee.
 
Ashlyn had noticed also, but decided to ask questions later, still not feeling up to talking at that time.

She assumed they were leaving soon for the appointment, so she slowly hopped off her chair and walked out and around the corner to the stairs, proceeding to slowly walk up. She held a tight grip on the handrail with her right hand, feeling pretty dizzy. The lack of sleep has made her body drained of energy, and getting up from the chair then immediately walking after stirred her up a bit.
 
((I'm so so so SO sorry for the late response. I don't think I got an alert.))

Darren also rushed off to prepare himself for their appointment. He wasn't quite sure what would occur, but he knew that he would be questioned too. Maybe he would request a rescheduling for himself for the sake of not allowing poor Ash to listen to his own worries. The whole prospect was frightening to him for it would most definitely add to her own stresses in life, and she really could do without them at the moment.

After making himself decent enough to leave the house, he stopped in front of the door and called for Ashlyn. It had taken him a bit to wake up properly, but he had gotten up enough to be considerably aware of what was going on, and therefore he was safe enough to drive. He was dressed fairly casually, not bothering with anything too fanciful. He didn't have it in him to dress up for something as minor as an appointment with a therapist in which he would most likely cry his eyes out.
 
(It's okay!! :) No need to apologize.)

As for the little sister, she dressed up in black shorts and a pink tee shirt with a picture of a beach on it, and pink flip flops to match. She wasn't sure what was going to happen, much less what the appointment was actually for and about, so that should do.

She slowly made her way down the stairs, holding the handrail tightly with her right and uninjured hand. After getting ready, she was awakened more too, but it still didn't keep her body from feeling weak, as if her legs would collapse at any moment.

As she reached the bottom, her stomach growled quietly, but Ashlyn put a hand over it and ignored it. Her hair hung over her shoulders, neatly combed. Her eyes stayed down, not wanting to make eye contact, and her right thumb subconsciously went to her mouth.
 
Darren had found himself in a pair of worn jeans and a white t-shirt. It was too blank and empty for the appointment planned, and it almost felt as though he were walking around in a plastic bag, but it was too late to even consider changing. He found himself waiting at the front door for Ashlyn to follow him to the car.

"Ash, we gotta go soon," he softly uttered to his small sibling.

His eyesight wasn't nearly as blurry as before, and he almost felt more confident with driving. While he was apprehensive on how Ashlyn would react around the car, worrying would only provide to add more stress into his life. Stress he didn't need at the moment because he was supposed to be a good supporting figure to his baby sister.

As she neared the door, he ushered her out and locked the house door behind him. His keys, wallet, and phone were all stashed in his pocket and he fished his keys out to unlock his car door. It was a hassle to find them at first for whatever reason it was, most likely him fighting the tiredness at every step of the way.
 
She only asked one thing, nothing more or less. The question had been itching at her brain since she first thought of it.

"What's the appointment for?" She asked quietly, her voice barely audible. She continued walking slowly to the car.

(Sorry for the late and bad post!)
 
(You're good. No worries.)

Honesty was the best policy, or that was what was said. Then again he broke that policy last night, and he wasn't quite sure if it would be bad to break it again. But despite his worries on her knowing exactly what would be going on, she would have to participate nonetheless, so he decided the truth would indeed be the best considering the situation.

"Therapist," he tried to reply almost casually.

For the most part, his voice remained in a neutral tone. As he stepped closer and closer to the car, he held her door open like he had been taught to when he was younger. Darren was made to be chivalrous, and he had grown up trying to be a respectable person. He believed he somehow managed that, but his attempt to be a good person clearly meant nothing to whatever higher beings out there for they stole his parents and places upon him a heavy burden to carry. It wasn't that Ash seemed like a burden on him, if anything she was a blessing in this time of sorrow, but still his mind felt as though it were carrying a load too heavy and hard to handle on his lonesome.
 
She got in the car silently, thinking over his word. She thought she knew what that was. She'd seen them in TV. It's the people that sit in a chair and listen to your problems right?

She waited until he started the car to speak again. She still didn't feel like talking, but maybe if she said something, she wouldn't have to go. "I don't need a therapist." Her voice was barely audible as she spoke. She had her elbow on the base of the window, and looked out into the world.

(Sorry for yet another sucky post lol >.< (/ \) )
 
(I'm not doing much better)

Darren, despite not wanting to force Ashlyn into something she didn't want, was still in the position of being the responsible adult. Knowing that she would have someone to talk to other than his emotionally unstable self would ease his worries up enough. He was not capable of supplying the full mental support that she most likely needed, and he was not going to let her mild disapproval stop him for getting her to a better state.

"I'm sorry, Ash," he muttered, and he meant it. But there was still the fact that her reluctance would not deter his determination to do the 'right' thing.

It was slightly concerning to him that his denial of her wants would damage their relationship, but he knew that it had to be done anyways. Even if that meant he would have to suffer the position of the bad guy. Most people would do anything for the ones they love, and Darren was no exception. He would cater to her wants as much as possible, but her needs always came first. Right now though, Darren felt as though she really needed someone to talk to other than himself, who was too awkward and emotionally upset to be that knowledgeable and kind figure to her.
 
(Please :P )

She assumed his apology meant he might change his mind on the way there, so she kept silent for most of the way.

She sighed softly as Darren drove, watching the world pass by so quickly. It reminded her of the crash... Ashlyn made a small sound of pain mixed a whimper unknowingly as she thought about it. The memory of the car flipping over snapped her out of her daze, making her flinch subtly and shift in her seat. Her right hand immediately flew to her mouth as she began biting her nails. Usually she would only do it when she was nervous, but this time it was a mixture of nerves and upset.
 
Last edited:
Darren, being so preoccupied with driving, did not notice the tension that his little sister withheld. Though it was a minor worry in his mind before, it had gone out the door with other thoughts that flitted through his mind. The process of driving allowing him to drop everything else in the world, and just focus on one main thing. It was a blessing and a curse at the moment.

The drive would not be all too long, maybe twenty minutes at the very most in case there was traffic, and the off chance they also hit every light. The small office room that served as a therapy room was not very far away, and if they wanted to walk, they could have. It was just that Darren did not feel the unnatural urge to drag his sister along on some walk around all these other people.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back