Saved by the stars

Chapter seven - support system x

Leah's pov
It was the next morning and although it was only six o'clock I could tell today was going to be rocky, I woke up to the sounds of screams from Sammy who was clearly having a nightmare and when I tried to wake her up she backed in a corner and refused the usual physical touch that calms her down. Today we are going to work on a coping kit and start on the sensory room which I've told Sammy about so she can help me pick out more decorations.
I told Sam to get ready and we went to the shops, I let her pick a bag and some storage containers while I picked up more stuff that we needed.

Sam's pov
After shopping Leah explained that we would be making a bag with all my stuff that I might need if i start to struggle and asked me to think of any coping mechanisms or things I needed help with. I got to pick out a bag and went with a deep purple one, my favourite colour! When we got home Leah said 'so let's make a list of what you struggle with and what helps with each thing'
I knew this was her way of trying to make it less overwhelming which I greatly appreciated.
The list went as such:
Too bright -sunglasses
Too loud -headphones
Texture - spare clothes
Panic attacks - fidget toys and headphones
Sh - bobble, red food dye and ice pack
Flashbacks - stuff to ground me (e.g weighted stuff or textured stuff)

Leah's pov
Once we wrote out what we were going to put in sammys emergency bag I explained 'we can change what's in here whenever and you can use it in and out the house'
I think that calmed her nerves as, despite not wanting to admit it, she definitely had issues with overthinking. So we got to work picking sammys favourite headphones (very noise cancelling), a mix of fidget toys from repetitive movements to keep her still or focused to textured ones for grounding or sensory seeking, we decided to pack her sunglasses later as right now she clearly needed them and we finally packed a weighted jumper that I had spotted in the shop.

Sammys pov
Once we packed my emergency kit, Leah asked if I wanted to set up my sensory room which I was very excited for! We chose a pastel purple paint for one wall and decided the rest should be grey.
We had an Alexa so I could play sound or music if I needed and we even bought bean bags!
When it was painted we unpacked all the stuff to go inside: a lava lamp, star projector, fidget toys, blackout blinds and even bubble tubes! I knew this would be a great escape when I needed it but I was starting to get hungry so Leah said I can make myself a ham sandwich for lunch while she carries on building.

Leah's pov
While Sam was making a sandwich I received a call from Sarina.
'Hey Leah I was just wondering if you were able to come to the training camp In Spain in two weeks?'
I simply responded 'I would love to but I can't because I have custody of my sister now and she comes first I'm afraid'
Sarina said 'ahhh thats who she is, well like I said before we don't push people away because of personal life so ill get you a meeting with dawn, our family coordinator'
'Woah I didn't realise we had one of them, that would be great thank you!'
And before I knew it Sammy was ups stairs asking if we can go outside, my clue she needed either grounding or sensory experiences. I took this as the perfect time to tell her about the Spain camp.
'Hey bug, you know how I do football for england?'
'Mhm'
'Well I've been asked to go to the next training camp'
Then I saw it a glint of fear in her eyes followed by 'no you promised you wouldn't leave me le! Please, no!'
'Hey let's use our bag and get a fidget toy out, I'm not going to leave you, we are going to speak to a staff member who works with families and we are going to make sure you can go and it will be ok for you, yeah?'
'When do we meet her?'
'We can go today or tomorrow?'
'Today, I want to chill out tomorrow'
'Ok sounds like a plan, let me ring her and let her know'
So we got in the car and started driving the 40 minutes it was to dawns office

Sam's pov
As we walked into dawns office the waiting room reminded me of my sensory room at home with the lights down low and beanbags, it was very chill. After about five minutes of waiting, dawn came out and said we could talk here as no one else was coming today and it was more calm where we were. She started of by asking me questions like my name and my age but then progressed to ask if I had any concerns or struggles so I looked at Leah for guidance, she simply stated 'she has autism and ptsd'
Dawn decided to ask me 'how does that affect you and what can we do to help?'
'I struggle with stuff being too overwhelming a lot easier than other people and sometimes if I get worked up I struggle to speak properly'
Leah continued 'she gets flashbacks and nightmares quite often due to the ptsd and often needs time to process change as well'
'That's absolutely fine, you mentioned struggling to talk, have you tried communication cards'
'No'
'I'll get you a set of them is there anything else you need, the hotel has a sensory room as per some of the girls request'
Leah popped in an idea about joint rooms and letting me bring an extra case with stuff I might need, to which she agreed.
She finished off by saying 'I'm only here to make camp easier and I'll be in the office next to Sarina if you need me'
It was getting very hot and I was starting to struggle so Leah quickly replied 'thank you so much' and said we could go.

Leah's pov
It was getting to hot for me in there and I noticed Sammy getting fidgety so I got dawns email and left. When we got to the car I passed Sammy her bag and she got out her headphones and sunglasses. We decided that we would stop for lunch while we were out so we could talk about camp so we picked up a McDonald's and went home.

Sam's pov
When we got home we ate our McDonald's and spoke about what we could do if anything happened on camp, luckily this was just a training camp so there were no games, however one thing I had been avoiding talking about was the aeroplane to Spain. Leah said it was only three hours but I have never flown before so I'm struggling with not knowing.
I decide I'm not going to get answers without asking, so I ask Leah 'camp sounds fine but what about getting there'
'We will get picked up by a car that Sarina sends, we go to the airport and there will be a lot of people, I'm not gonna lie bug. But I'm going to get us fast track security so you aren't overwhelmed and we can meet the girls at the other side of security'
'What about the flying?' I ask scared as to this new idea
'We will wait at the gate, we will skip the shops and we will get called to our plane. We walk on and at first we sit for a bit but then we hear a loud buzzing and we drive. Just like in a car, and before you know it we lift off!'
'Ok'
That was a lot of information to take in but I think we can manage.

Leah's pov
I see Sammy getting nervous and decide we can make a visual timetable for camp, so I open up word and get to work, luckily I have my timetable and I've worked out what's happening when. I soon finish and send it to print before handing it to Sammy.

A/n - bit of a longer one but I need everything to be ready in time for camp xx
As always let me know if you prefer the longer or shorter chapters or any plot ideas you have x