mute

chapter 16

Chapter: The Day After

The next day, Billie was finally discharged from the hospital. Her arm was secured in a proper cast, and the doctors had given her strict instructions to rest and avoid any strenuous activity. Billie felt both relief and exhaustion as she left the hospital, but there was an undercurrent of anxiety simmering beneath the surface. The bright lights, the loud noises, the endless poking and prodding—it had all been too much.

As soon as Billie walked through the front door of her home, she could feel the tension building inside her. Her arm throbbed painfully, her body felt heavy with fatigue, and her head was still buzzing from the sensory overload of the hospital. She wanted to feel better, but instead, the world felt like it was closing in on her.

It didn’t take long for the meltdown to begin. It started with a few frustrated grunts, her vocal tics beginning to escalate. “Eh! Eh! Tsk!” Her body jerked, her head whipping to the side as she let out a series of loud, sharp vocal tics. The frustration bubbled over, and before Billie could stop herself, she began hitting her head against the wall.

Thud. Thud.

Each hit sent shockwaves of pain through her skull, but it was almost as if her body had taken control, and she couldn’t stop. Her hands flew to her hair, yanking at it in desperation. “Hm-hm! Eh!” The tics came faster, her body trembling with the force of the meltdown. She wanted to scream, but all that came out were more tics—short, involuntary bursts of sound.

Maggie and Patrick rushed to her side, trying to gently guide her away from the wall, but Billie was too deep in the meltdown to respond. She thrashed, her arms flailing, her legs kicking out as she continued to pull at her hair, tears of frustration streaming down her face. Her head banged against the wall again, and Maggie’s heart sank.

Patrick carefully placed a pillow between Billie and the wall to soften the blows, but they both knew they couldn’t do much else except wait for the storm to pass. Meltdowns like this had to run their course.

Meanwhile, Odessa had come over to visit, knowing Billie had just come home from the hospital. When she arrived at the house, Maggie met her at the door.

“Billie’s in the middle of a meltdown right now,” Maggie explained softly, her voice full of concern. “It’s pretty intense. You may have to wait a bit before you can see her.”

Odessa nodded in understanding. She had seen Billie in a meltdown before, and she knew it was best to give her space until she calmed down. Maggie led Odessa to the living room, where she sat patiently, waiting for the meltdown to subside. It was hard, knowing that Billie was struggling in the other room, but Odessa understood that Billie needed time to come down from the overwhelming sensory overload.

For nearly an hour, Odessa sat quietly, listening to the distant sounds of Billie’s vocal tics and the muffled thuds of her head hitting the pillow. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the noises began to die down. Billie’s cries softened, her tics slowed, and the frantic pulling at her hair stopped. The tension in the air seemed to lift, and Odessa knew it was time.

She slowly made her way to Billie’s room, careful not to startle her. Billie was sitting on the floor, her back against the bed, her body slumped in exhaustion. Her face was flushed, her eyes puffy from crying, and her hands were trembling slightly, but the worst of the meltdown had passed.

As soon as Billie noticed Odessa standing in the doorway, her entire expression changed. The exhaustion was still there, but a small spark of joy lit up her eyes. She quickly sat up straighter, a wide grin spreading across her face. Her body reacted immediately, her hands flapping excitedly as she let out a string of happy vocal tics. “Hm-hm! Tsk! Eh!”

Odessa smiled warmly, stepping closer. “Hey, Billie,” she signed, keeping her movements slow and gentle.

Billie’s stimming intensified as she rocked back and forth, her hands flapping faster. “Eh! Tsk! Hm-hm!” She couldn’t help it—seeing Odessa made her so happy that her body couldn’t contain the excitement. The tension from the meltdown faded into the background as she focused on the joy of having her friend with her.

Odessa sat down beside Billie, giving her a comforting pat on the leg before signing, “I’m glad you’re okay.”

Billie nodded enthusiastically, her head jerking to the side in a quick tic. “Eh! Eh! Tsk!” She rocked in place, her fingers tapping against her knees in rapid succession. The happiness was bubbling up inside her, and she couldn’t stop the joyful stimming that followed.

“Do you want to do something?” Odessa signed, watching as Billie’s tics continued to dance through her body.

Billie nodded again, her smile never fading. She bounced on her knees, her hands flapping even more as she let out another round of vocal tics. “Hm-hm! Tsk! Eh!”

Odessa chuckled softly. She was used to Billie’s stims by now, and she knew that this was Billie’s way of expressing her excitement and joy. It made her happy to see Billie like this, especially after such a difficult day.

As they sat together, Billie’s stimming gradually slowed, the intense flapping easing into gentle tapping on her legs. Her vocal tics became softer, more sporadic, but they were still there—small bursts of “Eh!” and “Tsk!” that punctuated her contentment.

For a while, they just sat in comfortable silence, with Billie continuing to stim happily, her body swaying gently back and forth. Eventually, Billie reached for a notebook on her desk and began scribbling down words, her way of communicating when the tics were too much for speech.

She wrote one word, over and over: Odessa.

When Odessa saw her name on the page, she smiled warmly, giving Billie a soft pat on the arm. “I’m here, Billie. Always,” she signed, her fingers moving gently through the air.

And Billie, with her heart full of love and gratitude, stilled her hands just long enough to sign back, “Thank you.”