Silvershore

Chapter Eighteen

Stormjay had been alone in his den for about ten minutes, trying his best to calm down. Why did he have to have panic attacks every five minutes? Every time he had even a minor inconvenience, he panicked. He used to be so calm in these kinds of situations, why'd he have to suddenly panic at everything thrown at him?

"Stormjay?" Stormjay suddenly heard a very deep, familiar voice from outside of his den. During these panic attacks, he tended to have a hard time detecting voices other than Bright Moon's and his mother's. But, right now, he knew exactly who this was.

"Stormjay, may I come in?" Wood asked. Even while calling inside his den, Wood's voice was still so gentle.

"C-Come in..." Stormjay sniffled. Wood walked in Stormjay's den with a concerned, yet still relaxed look on his face. His eye bags were quite noticeable, but he didn't seem as tired as he usually did.

"Are you okay?" Wood asked Stormjay, who was laying down on the ground of his den with tears in his eyes.

"I-I..." Stormjay couldn't form coherent words at the moment.

"Ah...I see." Wood seemed to realize realize the state Stormjay was in. "I'm sorry. Would you like to be left alone, or would you like me here?"

"...I-I want you here..." Stormjay choked out, slowly sitting up to face Wood. "I-Is that okay..?"

"Of course." Wood nodded. "I'll be here as long as you need me to."

"T-Thank you..." Stormjay whimpered. "...D-Do you...d-do you already know why..?" Wood's presence alone was beginning to calm him.

"Yes, I do. Sky told me." Wood sighed. "Do you want to repeat the process we did last time you had a panic attack? It calmed you down last time."

Stormjay nodded through a couple sniffles.

"Okay, let's begin with the breathing. I'll do this along with you again. Try matching your breathing to mine." He gave Stormjay a slight smile.

God, was Stormjay thankful for Wood. He really wanted to thank Wood for taking time out of his day like this just for Stormjay's well-being, but he didn't have the words to express it right now.

Wood audibly breathed in deeply for about six seconds, as Stormjay shakily joined him. Wood wouldn't break eye contact. This much eye contact would be awkward with anyone else, but Stormjay felt safe with him. As Wood exhaled through his mouth, followed by Stormjay, he was already starting to calm down a bit.

Stormjay had memories of him being a bit scared and intimidated by Wood for quite a long time. Although he always respected him, he thought Wood was very cold and didn't have any interest in him. But, ever since Stormjay found out he had DID, and when Wood helped him calm down from a panic attack for the first time, he realized how caring Wood really was. He was an amazing therapist.

"Are you feeling better?" Wood asked.

"I-I think so..." Stormjay smiled as he felt another tear run down his cheek.

"Here..." Wood mumbled as he wiped away Stormjay's tear gently.

"Thank you, dad...you're...you're the best..."

"Heh heh...it's nothing." Wood smiled, his eyes closed for a moment. "Now that you've calmed down...I'll tell you the same thing I told your sister." He paused for a moment and opened his eyes to look into Stormjay's. "True, I am not your biological father...but this does not change the way I see you and Sky at all. I love you both like my children, and that will never, ever change, and I'm so proud of you both for how far you've come, no matter what life throws at you."