Gone Mental

Chapter 9 : Bad day

Chapter 9

A few days later...        

Ericka POV

Apparently Riker's one on one therapy session didn't go so well. He came in, and he seemed really scared.

"Riker, come here. What's wrong?"

He just sort of whimpered a little, and curled up next to me.

"Riker, what happened?"

"I hate it! I want to hide!" He said, jumping up.

"Riker no! You can fight this!" I said, grabbing his arm.

"You said I was allowed to have bad days and hide! I want to hide! Please, Ericka!"

"Riker. If you can fight through this, I want you to do that instead of hiding under the bed. Please can you at least just try?"

Riker laid down on my bed and started crying into his hands.

"Riker, it's ok. I just want you to get better."

"I know, but it's so hard!" Riker cried.

"I'm sorry."

He curled up next to me. I pulled the covers over him, trying to make him feel safer.

He cried for a while. He got quieter and quieter until he was silent. And I realized he fell asleep. He had this frustrated look on his face though. And I was worried he was having a bad dream.

I decided to wake him up.

"Riker."

I started shaking his shoulder.

"Riker, come on. Wake up."

He sat straight up and screamed.

"Hey. Calm down. You're ok."

He was breathing really quickly.

"Come on. Deep breaths. You're fine."

"I h-had a bad d-dream."

"What happened?"

"T-they got m-me!"

"Who?"

"The people from jail!"

"Riker, they can't get you. They're still locked away at jail. You're safe. I promise."

He layed down in my lap. I rubbed his back slowly.

"I want to go hide," Riker said, softly.

"I know. But you can't. You have to be brave and be strong. You're doing good, Riker."

"Then why do I feel so awful inside!?"

"Your brain is just a little screwed up. You'll get better."

He covered his face with his hands.

"You can do this, Riker. I know you can. You just really have to try hard."

He sighed, and curled up even more.

Later...

Ericka POV

Riker was on edge literally all day. He kept looking around the room, and he stayed glued to me. I knew he really wanted to go under the bed. He kept looking under there. But I was trying really hard to make him stay next to me.

"Ericka," Riker whined.

"What?"

"I really want to go under there."

"Riker, you can't. Nothing bad has happened to you. You're fine."

"Yeah, so far! What if the people from jail come to hurt me!? I don't want to get hurt!"

"Riker, I promise you, they're not coming. You're safe."

"I would feel better if I was under the bed."

"Riker, you need to learn how to cope without hiding."

"No! I can't! I need to go!"

He jumped up, but I grabbed his arm.

"Riker, no! You need to be strong!"

"I just want to hide!"

"No. Fight it, Riker."

I pulled him back onto the bed with me. He whimpered a little, and pulled the blankets over himself. He crawled all the way down to the bottom of the bed, and just stayed all curled up.

"Riker, what are you doing?"

"Hiding."

"Come here. Come sit next to me. Please?"

He crawled back over to me, and sat up.

"You'll be ok. You won't get hurt. I promise."

"I hate this," he whispered.

"Riker, think about it this way. The sooner you get better, the sooner you can go back home. I know you miss home. You just need to be brave and get better."

"When can I go home?"

"When you're better. Hasn't Matt told you?"

"What?"

"You need to be better, and you need to spend a certain number of days in a row not hiding under the bed. And then you can leave."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"So I just have to not go under there for a certain number of days, and then I can go home?"

"Yeah."

Riker sighed.

"You can do it, Riker."

He laid down flat on his back.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I just have to stay here. And I'll be ok, right?"

"Yeah."

He sighed again. I took his hand in mine. He held my hand tightly. But I could tell he relaxed a little bit more.

He closed his eyes tightly, and it seemed like he was holding his breath.

"Riker...?"

"I have to fight it."

"You're doing good."

"Help me."

"How?"

"I don't know..."