Thread: Therapy of the Mind (Closed for Crystalia)

Charlie was not able to say much before the nurse entered. It was a combination of the vast amounts of things that he wanted to tell Kari, that things would get better, that she was okay, and everything would be alright. But the harder part that prevented him from getting even a third of the information from his brain and out his lips was how horrible he felt all of a sudden, how useless all of his training and abilities seemed at this moment. The addition of how weak and helpless his baby sister was at this moment didn't help either he just wanted to hold her tightly and rock her to sleep like he used to do when she was a baby, toddler, and even for a few years when she was just a kid and her older brother was better than any blankie. The welling emotions brought a glassiness to his eyes that thankfully Kari did not seem to pick up, and it was a few moments after that when his throat stopped constricting and he felt able to speak in his normally calm and controlled manner. Don't worry about your helmet, He said with a soft chuckle as he brushed his hand along her arm, avoiding the test leads with care. You are going to be alright, but it's going to take some time. It was a bad, bad concussion but luckily there was no bleeding in your brain, just a bit of swelling. It was then that the nurse entered, and unfortunately it seemed to worry Kari even further that she was going to remain overnight. Surprisingly with all her athletics she had never even broken a bone bad enough to require spending the night, everything up until this point had been outpatient procedures. Like the rest of his family, Charlie knew all of their medical records backwards and forwards, but thankfully the hospital was on it's game when it came to paperwork and had all of the most recent visits documented well and his knowledge was not required during the last few tense hours. He nodded when the nurse looked towards him pleadingly, but waited until she left in order to speak again. It was just after Kari's final gut-wrenching question that combined with tears to send a hot poker twisting in his guts, a deep breath and a few moments of cautious petting finally got Charlie's own emotions under control. It's okay Kari, I'll be with you through the whole thing. Mom Dad too, they just went out for some food, they'll be back soon. He paused then, and waited for some of the nervousness bleed from his sisters body and through his own. Finally he spoke in a measured cadence that was full of confidence that was only beginning to return to his own psyche, It's going to be a long road Kari, and it's not going to be easy, but I'm going to make it as easy as it can be. Your head is going to hurt all the time, and for the first few weeks I'm not going to let you do hardly anything for yourself. No reading, TV, music, or even talking too much. You are just going to sleep, rest, and sleep as much as you can. The brain is really resilient, but also really delicate, if anything happens that could make it worse it might just get worse. So we're going to be extra, extra careful. All of a sudden Charlie realized that he said he was going to be the one to take care of her, and for a second he nearly corrected himself until the thought came to him, why not him? Sure they could hire anyone with their parents insurance, it was very good, but Monday started his new job and injuries like Kari's would be one of the things he would be doing. It would be a little strange for him to start off on a case like this by himself, but he had already done all of the training and gotten all of the certificates. Maybe the office would require a more experienced therapist for the first week, just to make sure things were going smoothly, but why not him? He would definitely speak to Dr. Lasker about it the moment he had a second. If the man agreed, he could even bring Kari to his apartment to make things easier on everyone. He knew that their parents could get some time off, but if this was his job wouldn't it be easier for everyone? He was sure Kari would not mind, so all that was left was to ask. Deciding he would, he told Kari gently. I'm going to make sure I'm the one taking care of you Kari, I promise. Leaning over, he kissed her gently on the lips. It was not something he had done in a long time, since about the time he stopped being Kari's blankie and she had heard about the boys and bees, but it felt called for at this point and time. It was just a quick kiss of course, but he let his head hover just above hers so that she could make out the warm smile that slowly spread through his features.