Teenage Nightmare (Jalex)

I Miss You

(Song - I Miss You - Blink 182)

(TW: panic attack)

(November 26th. Thanksgiving.)

The entire family was there. Isobel, Peter, Alex, Jack, Joyce, Elise. Jack's dad would be there too, but he was in Maine on a special case assisting an OBGYN on a very complicated delivery. He's a retired doctor himself, but he's always taking cases to assist on things for other doctors as well as traveling and talking to new medical interns and residents. He was out of town more than he was in town. 

The day itself was great, until it came to dessert after dinner.
Alex had been feeling anxious, and he told Jack, but he kept it well hidden from the rest. His hands were shaking under the dinner table though, and he couldn't stop bouncing his knee. He was trying so hard to keep it together.
"I miss my brother" Alex whispered. He always missed his brother on the important holidays.
He and Jack were sat on the couch, Joyce sitting in the armchair near them.
Jack put his arm around Alex, "Do you need to take a break?" He whispered in Alex's ear.
Isobel was cutting the pie she and Alex baked earlier in the day and Peter was playing with Elise in the dining room.
Alex curled into Jack as close as he could, his face pressed against Jack's chest. He didn't know what he needed. 
He thought about one of the last Thanksgivings he spent with his brother and probably his favorite one. In the UK they didn't do it, but since Alex had been here in Maryland since he was seven years old and his school did all sorts of things for it, he wanted to experience it, so his family did it just for him. Tom always got so into it for Alex's sake. 
 
*Flashback*

"Tommy! Help me mix it!" Alex demanded, his voice laced with anxiety. He was eight years old here and just barely hanging onto his old British accent. Some words were becoming more American-English sounding, while others were straight out of Essex itself. He was trying to make a pumpkin pie but he kept spilling some filling out of the bowl.
Tom laughed, joined him at the counter and took the bowl and spoon, "Hey, don't panic, you're okay and you're doing a great job. You're just stirring it too fast. Go slow like this." He showed Alex. Alex stared, watching his brother, his idol, intently. 
"Ohhhh...I always see them on TV mixing it fast." He frowned a little, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He sounded a bit like Christopher Robin when he spoke with his soft voice.
Tom kissed the top of his head, picked his baby brother up because he was such a light and short kid and hugged him close, "That's because they're big, professional chefs. Maybe one day you can be too. I think you'd be a good cook. You do make the best peanut butter and jelly sandwiches I've ever eaten. Exquisite." He put Alex back down, then he did a chef's kiss.
Alex laughed, "You're so silly." He took the bowl and spoon back and kept mixing, feeling much better now.
"Is it done?" He asked, looking at Tom who was watching and ready to help.
"Is it smooth?" His big brother asked.
Alex stared at it, then moved the spoon around to look for any lumps, then looked at Tom excitedly, "It's smooth!" He grinned, so proud of himself. 
Tom grinned right back at him, then helped Alex pour it into the crust and put it in the oven.
Alex set the timer on the stove and stared intently at it.
Tom laughed, "It's not going to bake fast, why don't we go have some fun? It's cold out, so put on your coat and boots." He took Alex into the living room where the both of them put their coat and boots on. He took Alex out to the backyard, grabbed a football and started throwing it around with him, laughing when Alex fell over trying to catch the ball. Alex pouted, "Ow!" He whined.
Tom jogged over to him, "Aw, what happened?" He kneeled down next to Alex who was clutching his knee.
"It hurts." Alex sniffled a little. He'd always been such a sensitive little boy. Almost anything could make him cry. 
Tom pulled Alex onto his lap and hugged him, "I'm sure it's alright. Should we go inside and look at it?" He held Alex tightly as the boy started to shake. 
"I can't even play right..." Alex said quietly, his voice going shaky. A little panic attack.
"Hey...You look at me right now," Tom waited for Alex to look at him, "You play just fine. I threw the ball too hard. You did so good getting it though. You fell, but did you notice that you caught the ball?" He was going to talk his brother through it like he always did.
Alex nodded, hiding his face in Tom's warm coat.
Tom rubbed his back, "And you went for it full force! You could be on an NFL team if you keep playing like that. You did so good. Don't be upset just because you fell. Everyone falls, and then we get back up and we keep going." He smiled.
Alex looked at him and smiled back, "Can we go inside now?" He asked, not wanting to be outside anymore.
Tom took him back inside and once they got their coats and boots off, he put Alex up on the counter, rolling up his pant legs.
Alex looked wide eyed at the scrape on his knee, it was bleeding and he panicked all over again.
"Oh no! I need help! It needs to get cleaned or I'll get an infection and I can't get an infection, they'll have to chop it!" He screamed. He believed in things like that. Such a sensitive little boy. So easily persuaded to believe things even if they weren't true.
Tom tried to not laugh, so he just smirked a little instead and covered his laugh as a cough.
"Okay, well let's clean it then okay?" He left the room for a moment to get the first aid kit. He brought it back and got the bactine, neosporin and bandages out. "This might hurt a tiny bit okay?" Tom asked as he cleaned the scrape with water first, then sprayed the bactine on.
"OW!" Alex yelled. It didn't hurt that bad, but he was dramatic.
Tom smiled, "That's all." He got the neosporin on his finger and rubbed it over Alex's scrape while Alex stared intently at what his brother was doing. Tom put a bandage over it, then hugged Alex close.
"See? All better." He said as Alex hid his face against his shoulder. 

*Flashback over*