When they arrived at the park, John and Milly were already there sitting at a picnic table. John had made sure to pick one that was as far away from people as possible.
When they arrived at the park, John and Milly were already there sitting at a picnic table. John had made sure to pick one that was as far away from people as possible.
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Maeva smiled when she saw John and waved at him, walking over. Milly was leaning forward on the table on her elbows, absentmindedly swinging her feet back and forth. She did not look okay.
John sat next to Milly, making sure to not touch her even though he really wanted to hold her to comfort her. When he saw Maeva, he looked relieved to see her. He stood up. "Thank you for doing this." He said. He looked at Milly. "We're doing our best but she's... I don't know. Just around lunchtime, she really took a turn for the worse."
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Maeva offered him an empathetic smile and nodded. "I can tell... No need to thank me, really, it's the least I can do. Is there anything else I should know?"
John looked at his daughter. "We can't touch her now. She gets... Overwhelmed I guess. I was able to hold he yesterday but since lunchtime. She got distant and I don't know. She's not really responding to much." He looked on the verge of tears. He felt helpless and wanted nothing more than to help his daughter but nothing he did worked. On top of that, he's been trying to suppress his own emotions because everytime he lets them overwhelm him, Milly gets worse.
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Maeva bit her lips and gently pulled John into a hug. "You're doing great, John. I promise. You're doing everything you can, and I'm sure she knows how much you care." She pulled away again and looked at him. "I'll go have a talk with her. You catch up with Roger and David, all right?"
John hugged Maeva tightly. He still was trying to choke back tears but he appreciated her kind words none the less. Once she let go of him, he stepped back and walked over to where Roger and David were waiting.
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Maeva nodded at him and then looked at Milly. She could almost see a cloud hanging over the little girl. With a deep breath, she sat down next to her.
"Hi, Milly... I'm really glad you came out here today." Milly glanced at her, looking uncertain and a little scared.
John couldn't help but to watch Milly. Roger placed his hand in his friend's shoulder to try and comfort him a little.
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Milly felt her father's eyes on her and glanced at him. Maeva followed her gaze and smiled slightly before nodding at John to let him know he could let her be. She turned her attention back to Milly and gently laid a hand on her shoulder, but the girl moved away from her. She pulled her hand back and just placed it on the table.
"Did you sleep okay last night?" Maeva asked her, trying to catch her eye but Milly just stared at her own hands in her lap and shrugged. "Did you dream about your brother?" This seemed to startle Milly a little, and she looked up at Maeva.
"I... I was in the classroom," she said softly.
"Was that you or Harry?"
"...I think it was Harry," she said, tearing up. Maeva nodded and opened up her hand, this time waiting for Milly to take it if she needed to.
"Good. That's all right. Thank you for telling me, Milly. Can I tell you what I think is happening?" Milly looked at her cautiously but then nodded slowly and carefully took her hand. Maeva nodded again and gently folded her hand around Milly's. "Milly, I think you have a really strong bond with your brother. And I think last night, when he touched your hand, made that bond even stronger. I think you can feel what he feels, and that he can feel what you feel. Does that sound right?"
"...Maybe."
"Your daddy told me you started feeling sad around lunch time." Milly looked at her hands again and nodded. "Can you tell me why?"
"...I just missed him more," she said softly.
"Do you think Harry was sad around lunch time?" Milly shook her head.
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