Just us- SBI adoption story (Just me and him book 2)

Chapter 91: back to normal?

Wilbur's POV:

We sat there, silently on Techno's bed, trying to hear as much as we could of the conversation downstairs. Techno had left the door open and was currently peering round it, trying to hear it all clearer. Anytime I went to speak, Techno would tell me to shut up and would stick his ear closer to the staircase.

Tubbo had looked ill for most of the day. Techno and I didn't feel too great, you know, anxiety and all of that, but Tubbo looked physically ill. Techno had carried him up the stairs just before Grian and the other important social worker person got here. Mum and Dad wanted us all together but not downstairs because it would be too close to it all. Tubbo wasn't feeling well enough to get up the stairs by himself (like with the crutches, he could have crawled but he's not keen to do that) so Techno offered to carry him.

Now he was just flopped against the pillow, tucked up with a blanket. He'd closed his eyes, but I knew he wasn't asleep.

I knew how big this decision would be. It could change the rest of our lives. No matter what, it was going to have an impact on Tommy. Everything that had already happened had changed our lives.

Mum had been on high alert with all of us. Constantly checking on Tubbo but getting nothing back. Asking me if I needed to talk about anything. Making sure Techno had eaten and drunk.

Dad was out of it. He blamed himself. I didn't know what to say in reply. He'd been the one who pushed it to far. Then again, he didn't know that Tommy was going to get hit by a car though.

The front door had only been unlocked because no one had locked it earlier. When Mum got back to work, she'd just come in and closed it. The way our front door works, you can't open it from the outside unless you have a key. But on the inside it's just like a bathroom door lock, you don't need a key to open it. It's still not exactly easy to open, taking a bit of power and precise movement to get the door opened. Tommy wouldn't even push a completely unlocked door, open. Like literally, if he was stood in front of one, like at school, he'd still wait for James, or whoever was with him, to open it. I don't know whether he couldn't be bothered or whether he actually couldn't. All we knew was that he never did it.

I felt myself starting to get worked up. I hadn't had a panic attack since way before my chest infection. I guess I did kind of have one when I had the chest infection but I don't remember a lot from that and I don't like thinking about what I can remember. Still, the panic attacks had been a part of my life for so many years and there had been way too many therapist sessions focussed on recognising emotions and reacting appropriately to them.

My first step was to excuse myself to the bathroom. It was the last thing Tubbo needed around him right now and if I could get myself calmed down, I didn't want to be worrying Techno about it either. I locked the door, turned on the tap and splashed my face with water. After turning the tap off again, I leaned over the sink and took some deep breaths. I studied the shape of the sink intensely and eventually sat down on the closed toilet seat, continuing the deep breaths. Grabbing some toilet paper, I began ripping it apart into tiny shreds, allowing the anxious energy to flow out of me.

And then, before I knew it, I felt better. Everything had actually worked for once. I was capable of calming myself down from a panic attack. Catching it early did work. But that was the issue: I normally wasn't in a situation where I had that ability to recognise my panic before it got too overwhelming.

I went back to Techno's bedroom where he was now sat at his desk, on his laptop.

"He's coming home." He said, completely monotone, as per usual.

"Tommy?"

"Yep. They've agreed. I reckon all Mum and Dad have to do is change the locks."

"So when can he come home?"