Trauma At Its Finest (Lip Gallagher X Male Reader)

Ch 51. The Older Brother And The Younger Brother

It's been a month since therapy started. Although he still feels bad, Lip can say he's doing better. Yeah, the nightmares still bother him, and he still feels on edge, but at least he feels like he has it under control. Spending more time at home than away, he feels like he's in a safe place. Y/N is home most of the time too, which helps whenever Lip needs someone to talk to. And being with his kids makes him feel like he has a purpose—an extra motivation to finish college after years of struggling.

Even though he doesn't like it much, he's back in therapy. Eventually, he decided to go alone instead of with Y/N, thinking he could handle it. Still, his boyfriend waits in the lobby, wanting to make sure Lip is safe and sound.

"Lip, over the last few sessions, we've talked a lot about the stress you've been under." Mrs. Owens begins, guiding him through his problems. "I want to ask you some specific questions today to get a clearer understanding of what you're going through, especially regarding your anxiety. Is that alright?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you need to know." Lip replies flatly.

"Let's start with the basics. How often do you feel anxious or worried, and how long do those feelings usually last?"

"It's... almost every day." Lip thinks carefully before answering. "It's like I'm always on edge, even if nothing's wrong... I'll be feeding the kids or working on my internship, and suddenly I'm thinking about something bad happening, like everything's about to fall apart..."

"You mentioned 'almost every day.' How long has this been going on?"

"Ever since Y/N got shot... maybe even longer than that." Lip answers shortly, not knowing what else to say.

"What about your sleep? Do you keep having nightmares? Are you also having trouble falling or staying asleep?"

"Nowadays, I can sleep a bit better... though weeks ago, it was hard to fall asleep with everything going on... and knowing I'd have nightmares. Even when I did, I just woke up." Lip nervously rubs his hands, wishing he had something to hold. "Sometimes, I'd get up to grab something to drink. Other times, I'd just lie there staring at the ceiling. Sometimes I'd fall back asleep... sometimes I wouldn't."

Mrs. Owens hums as she continues taking notes. "And during the day, how's your concentration? Do you find it hard to focus on tasks or decisions?"

"Yeah, I'm all over the place." Lip admits. He takes a sip of water, trying to clear his dry throat. "At work, I zone out and just try to stay awake. At home, I'd sometimes snap at little things because I'm so tired. My head's just... foggy, all the time."

"It sounds exhausting. These worries—are they usually about specific things, like work or the kids, or do you find yourself worrying about everything, even small things?"

"Yeah, everything, I guess. Sometimes it's big stuff, like whether I'm good enough as a dad, or if I'll mess up the internship."

Mrs. Owens nods. "And when these worries build up, do you experience physical symptoms, like headaches, muscle tension, restlessness?"

"Yeah... I just always feel tired. Sometimes I just pass out. Nowadays I feel a little better, but... I still feel sluggish."

Mrs. Owens has a good idea of what Lip is struggling with. "Lip, from what you're describing, it sounds like you're dealing with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. It's a condition where anxiety becomes chronic and persistent, affecting almost every aspect of life. It's not just about occasional worry; it's this constant state of tension and fear, even when there's no immediate threat."

Lip sighs, feeling like she's hit the nail on the head. "I guess that makes sense... feeling constantly on edge and all."

"The good news is, there's help available." Mrs. Owens continues. "Therapy is one part of it, where we can work together on strategies to manage this anxiety—like grounding techniques and changing the thought patterns that fuel it. But for something as severe as what you're experiencing, medication might also be necessary to help balance things out."