~Sweet Home~ || Kidge AU || DISCONTINUED

Misheard

A/N: Hello again! Just a quick note: this part is after the discussion between Pidge and Keith.

I hope you guys liked the last chapter that took me another week to write. (It was also around 3000 words again) Like holy banana fizzle, that was hard. I was struggling with emotions and grammar at the time cause my brain's weird, but I think I'm up at 'em now! In any future therapy sessions, I'll try not to take as long.

This song is Chase Eagleson's acoustic cover of "The Scientist," by Coldplay. It really fits this section's vibe so I hope you all are satisfied :) (I'm running out of ways to say, "I hope you guys enjoy")

Pidge waved goodbye to Keith as he walked away with Shyla. They shyly smiled at each other as they grew more distant. The clock was ticking. In a blink of an eye, the client and his aid were gone.

Keith left feeling better. He had gotten many things off his chest and got to talk to someone about his personal problems. He was (emotionally) light as a feather was blushing by the time he got to his room. He was relieved and calmer now. It was as if he was a brightly lit candle.

Pidge was almost the opposite since he knew what was coming for him.

Romelle walked up to him, "Well that was... unexpected."

He frowned, "It was indeed. I didn't see that coming."

"I didn't either." She saw how worried he looked and smiled, "You handled the situation pretty well. It was sudden, so don't be so hard on yourself. You're not that used to cases like these. Although, you should've dealt with it more rationally. I understand that it was tough and troubling, but there was obviously a better way to treat it."

He stuttered, "I-I couldn't though..."

"Why not?" She sadly questioned.

He didn't say a word. He just started to aggressively scratch his neck just like before.

She put her palms up and said, "Stop."

So he did. When their faces met, his eyes were deep and had a look of isolation in them. He put his hand down and timidly crossed his arms. His mouth was shut. He was hesitant to speak.

"How about we talk inside?" The boss suggested. She opened the door and held it open.

He looked at her with his lips pressed. He then nodded, and slowly made his way inside. She entered the room with him and closed the entrance behind her. They quietly sat in two chairs. Pidge was sitting in the chair Keith would usually sit on while Romelle sat in the place of the counselor.

"So how come you couldn't treat the situation sensibly?" She asked.

At first, he was silent. But then, he started to rock back and forth, "Cause... you see... Keith's different than the others."

"Different?" She was surprised to hear such a thing from the man. "Mr. Holt, every patient in this hospital is equal to each other. You and I both know that." She tried not to show sass.

"I-I get that, I really do. But what I heard in there... was tragic and distressing." He started to tear up.

"It must've been shocking to listen to that..."

"It was!" He breathed in slowly. "A-And when I figured out that I couldn't do anything... it broke my heart..!"

"But you could've done something and you did do something!" She spoke firmly. "You did good and that's what counts."

"But it was different this time!" He fidgeted with the collar of his coat.

"But how? You have had clients that have dealt with this stuff in the past! Why is this time any different than the others?"

Tears started to fall, "Because he's been keeping these feelings from everyone! He didn't feel like he could to talk to anyone about these matters! So he kept it... he literally kept it in his brain and suffered!" His voice and his body were now shaky, "That got to me! When I told him that it was okay to cry, he smiled and sobbed like there was no t-tomorrow! This kid has been feeling trapped and suicidal!" He massaged the sides of his head in frustration. "I can't even imagine how pain much he had to go through for months, for months! It feels like before, I was just treating him as if he was a robot! I'm so ashamed..."

Romelle leaned forward, grabbed then held his hand, and gently rubbed. She nodded every few seconds as a sign of reassurance. She tried to comfort him but with silence. Her muted voice was applied and her caring eyes were put on. She wanted to make him stop crying, but wanted to show him that she cared. As the boss, it was her duty to take care of each individual who walked into the clinic, even if someone was in a situation like this.

Pidge sniffed, "I know... I-I know that there was a much better way I could've handled the situation." He stopped, "But... considering his thoughts and his h-hallucinations, I think... I think I did a decent job." He gulped, "Please don't fire me..."

"Woah! Woah! Katie!" The girl was defensive.

He looked up at her with a sad look in his eyes.

"Pidge, right," she corrected herself. "Look, hun, I'm not gonna fire you! Don't be silly! And you did do a decent job! There's no need to worry about a minor mistake."

"Are you sure..?"

"Yes of course! You just have to be more cautious next time, that's all."

The male lifted up his glasses and wiped his eyes. "I see..." he put them back into place, "I'll try to stop worrying then."

"How about a different question? Are you going to prescribe medicine to Keith for his depression?

He sighed, "If I could I would. I can't give my patients any medication I want. The least I could do is ask their doctors if they could find any sort of alternatives. Their doctors provide it to them."

"Oh, right, I forgot about that part. Wait, so unless Keith opens up to Nadia about his deadly thoughts..."

"He won't be able to take the materialized treatment he needs for this specific issue," he continued. 

"I see." She acknowledged, "That is definitely an inconvenience."

"But..." he paused, "I will always be there for him whenever he feels lost, anxious, sad, angry, and any other emotion. Whatever the circumstances are,  I'll listen to him speak, let him cry for however long he needs to do so, and offer him support. I'm sure that'll help him with some of his problems." He looked down at the floor, "I'm his therapist and if he wants me to be, or if I'm even allowed to consider this an option, I'm also his friend. It's my goal to bring happiness to every person who walks into my life." He reassured the woman, "I promise... that I'll try my best to take care of him while watching the type of words I'll use towards him."

Romelle smiled, "Good. I'm glad you're not heavily dwelling on your error as much as before. You know, there's a reason why I promoted you to taking care of more patients with extremer complications."

Pidge shrugged, "I don't these kids have 'extremer complications'... I just think that some of them are misheard."