Talk to Me

(2) Chapter 9

    It's been a few months of the same routine. There were a couple exciting things but overall it was pretty usual. Margo and Ian got married and Forest was even one of Ian's best men. There were a few new people that joined the cast.

    The new cast was a little intimidating at first, but Forest got along with them immediately. There was a new guy named Milo that was actually Anthony's little brother. Him and Forest got along immediately since their humor was so similar.

    There was a new girl named Astrid too. She was absolutely stunning and Forest and her quickly developed a similar relationship to Court and Forest. Astrid always hyped Forest up and vice versa.

    Forest has always had high anxiety, she's been diagnosed but sometimes the meds simply don't help. She's gotten used to the panic attacks that come with her job of being on camera all day and she's learned to deal with them.

     After a long day of filming she felt her heart start beating faster and her breathing became more shallow. She quickly excused herself and found an empty quiet place to go. Little did she know Damien saw her and wanted to know what was wrong with his friend.

    Damien sat there for about 5 minutes trying to decide whether to go in and check on her. It wasn't unusual for Forest to find a quiet spot after filming but something just felt off this time.

   He clenches his teeth slightly. He's had no problem sitting with her before but there's something different this time. He finally bites the bullet and softly knocks on the door. He starts to slowly open the door "Hey forest? you alright?" he asks with a calm voice.

   He hears no response so he decides to walk the rest of the way.  As he walks fully in he sees Forest with her head to their knees in a corner. He immediately recognized she was having a panic attack and closed the door behind him wanting to give her as much privacy as possible.

    He debated quickly on whether or not to leave but he wants to be there for her. He slowly walked up to Forest, staying a few feet away before speaking as calm as possible "hey it's ok you're safe" he says crouching down to reach her level.

    Forest looks up at him with tears in her eyes. She tries to tell him to leave but her tics interrupted too much and she gave up. She hung her head in defeat letting him decide for himself

    "Hey I'm here for you. I'm not leaving ok?" Damien says calmly as if he could read her mind. He wanted to confirm for her that he was not going anywhere. No matter what she was going to have someone by her side.

    Forest simply nods in response, not being able to talk at this point, but accepting his help. She's usually not the type to accept help in times like these, but Damien has always been able to calm her down so why not let him try now. Damien sits down to face her wanting to give her some form of comfort.

    "Is it ok if I touch you?" Damien asks not wanting to over step or cross a boundary especially in her vunerable time.

   Forest nods which honestly surprised her. Forest never lets people touch her during panic attacks, but she wants nothing more than Damien's comfort. Damien gently grabs her hands softly rubbing his thumbs over the back of her hands. The touch feels like he doesn't want to be too harsh in fear of her breaking like glass.
  
     Every now and again Forest's tics would fight against his hands but he kept his grip. He didn't hold hard enough to hurt her in any way, but enough to let Forest know he wasn't going anywhere. He was here through the happy and the tough times. He was here no matter what happened. He decided to try something that always helped him through his panic attacks.
"Forest, can you look at me?"

    Forest looks up, meeting his eyes which haven't left her since he walked in. Just looking in his eyes calmed her slightly.

    "I need you to do me a favor ok?" Damien continues now that he's got Forest's attention. He keeps Forest's eyes locked on his as he sits holding her hands.

    Forest nods a bit confused at what he could possibly need when she was literally having a panic attack. For some reason she trusted him and would do whatever he asked her at this moment.

    "Name 5 things you can see" Damien says in the most calming voice he can muster trying to start the grounding method to bring Forest back to reality.

    The thought that immediately goes through Forest head is 'Oh God this never works' but she decides to try it anyway. Maybe just talking to Damien will calm her either way.

    Damien and Forest continue to go through the grounding method. Naming things she can observe with her senses. Throughout the whole process Damien never released his gaze from her eyes. He keeps her hands in his the whole time. Throughout every step Damien reassures Forest and tells her that she's doing amazing.

    As Forest looks at Damien she realizes it worked. She can breathe again and her body has calmed down. This method has never worked for her before. Why now? Then she looks down, seeing Damien's hands on her own before looking back up into his eyes, his beautiful brown eyes, with his soft smile and his blue hair falling slightly in his face, and his.... holy shit.