Family Counselling

Posted on Sun Apr 3rd, 2022 @ 7:30am by Captain George Charles [Reece] & Hendor Charles [Reece] & Lieutenant Tate Sullivan Ph.D. & Staff Sergeant Leilani Charles {Kelea-Salik}

Mission: Season 5: Interlude: Darkness Abounds
Location: USS Elysium, Tate's office
Timeline: MD 01 / 1430 hours
Tags: l
2330 words - 4.7 OF Standard Post Measure

George, Leilani and Hendor made their way down to the counseling offices together. After everything that their son has been through, to include the recent fight at school, George and Leilani had decided that it was best to have Hendor start seeing a counselor.

"Mama?" Hendor asked quietly as he clung to her side as they walked. "What's going to happen?" He seemed a bit unsure about what was going on. Not that he didn't completely trust his parents, because he did. It was just, this was something new to him.

Leilani paused to crouch down in-front of her son, “Nothing bad is going to happen Sweetheart, Tate is a lovely lady who's just going to talk to you. She’ll just ask you questions, all you need to do is answer honestly.” She smiled warmly. “It’s not a test, there’s no right or wrong answer. It’s just to help you.”

Hendor reached out and hugged Leilani, moving like he wanted her to pick him up. "Will you and Papa be there with me?"

Leilani gently lifted Hendor up. “Of course we will sweetheart.” She gave him a gentle hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Hendor smiled happily and put his head on Leilani's shoulder.

George stepped closer and gently rubbed their son's back. "We will always be here for you, son." He leaned in a kissed the top of Hendor's head. "Now, shall we go in?"

After a beat, Hendor nodded. "Okay, Papa."

George smiled, then turned and reached forward to press the door chime.

"Come in," Tate called out, her office stores automatically hissing open, recognizing her visitors as her next appointment. It had been a little while since she had seen any children aboard for counseling, though with the way the ship's population had been expanding of late, she expected that might become more the norm for all of them. In any case, she was pleased the entire ship's complement felt the counselors board could meet their needs.

George stood to the side and allowed Leilani and Hendor to enter first. He then followed behind them, the door closing behind them.

“Hello Tate” Leilani smiled warmly at the Assistant Chief Counsellor. “I’d like to introduce you to Hendor.” She motioned to Hendor who was doing his best to hide behind her.

"Hello to you all," Tate replied with a warm smile. She didn't come any closer to her shy young visitor, but she knelt down to address him from where he stood, offering softly, "Hello, Hendor. I am so glad to meet you." Sullivan gestured to some smaller shelves across from her reception area which contained toys of various types, including puzzles and various mini hover vehicles. "Would you like to play for a bit while all of us talk together? I know we don't know each other well, but I'm hoping you will like some of the toys I have. I also have some art supplies if you would prefer to draw?"

Having been lowered to his feet after they arrived, Hendor kept the artificial side of his unfinished face hidden. When the pretty woman, Mama had called her Tate, spoke to him, he nodded and replied quietly, "Hello, Ma'am." His eye moved to the toys she indicated, then back to her. "I like to draw, Ma'am."

The formality from such a young boy was unexpected and only piqued Tate's curiosity. Still, she was encouraged he had taken an interest in something she offered. "Feel free to create whatever drawings you would like as the four of us talk and get to know each other," Tate offered. "Feel free to speak up or ask questions whenever you want. If you don't feel like talking, that's OK too. Just know that you can say anything you want here. No one will get upset or think badly of you."

Leilani nodded, letting Hendor know he was free to do whatever he wanted to do, or say whatever was on his mind.

After seeing that his parents were both comfortable here, Hendor smiled softly. "Okay." He then moved off to grab a drawing pad and some crayons. Moving back to the group, hecknealt in front of his parents, who had sat down together on yhe couch, and used the low coffee table on which to draw.

"Thank you for fitting us in, Tate," George spoke up, giving the other woman a friendly grin.

"You're most welcome," Sullivan replied sincerely. "I always enjoy talking to families, especially families with such polite kids. How can I help?"

Leilani looked towards George then at Tate. “Well we thought, given everything Hendor has been through lately, that some counselling may be of benefit. He’s a wonderful little man, and he’s accepted us as his family.” She looked at George.

Tate knew what Leilani shared was somewhat of an understatement. Hendor had not only been abandoned at birth before finding a home of sorts within New Canaan, or as much of a home as could be provided, but he had also undergone medical procedures to correct deformities. It was a lot of change to absorb on its own, and Sullivan knew no matter how loving his newest family, there was bound to be some growing pains.

She saw Leilani look to George, so Tate waited politely to see what he would have to offer before she spoke again.

George was watching their son, as Leilano spoke to Tate, a soft, slightly sad look on his face. When he realized that both women were looking at him, he blinked himself back to the present. "Sorry," he said softly. "I was just remembering how I found him, on New Canaan." He chuckled softly as he continued.

"I know it's only been couple months since, but, he has grown and blossomed so much in that time. He...he was so small back when I saved him from those animals." He looked up at Tate, a protective fire starting to glow in his eyes. "I will never refer to them as men. Men don't do what they did. Only animals behave that way."

Leilani offered her husband a supportive nod and smile. "No one will ever hurt him again George, he's with us now."

George smiled, reaching over and lovingly squeezed Leilani's hand.

Between the three adults, Hendor was in his own little eorld, drawing several different pictures in various crayon colors.

Tate cast a glance toward Hendor to see if he might be overtly listening. He didn't appear to be, but that didn't mean he wasn't still hearing every word. Just in case, she would choose her words carefully so as not to expose him to anything upsetting or not age appropriate. Still, she was also mindful that George and Leilani would need support and guidance too.

"Trauma in children doesn't always manifest as quickly or in the same ways it tends to in adults. They often don't have the words or maturity to fully understand what it was they survived, so the impact shows up indirectly, in mood swings, wet beds, or in nightmares for example. I'm glad you brought him in, as I can give him space to just express himself through art and play, just to see what needs to be processed. The best thing the two of you can do is just to listen and not expect all is behind him too quickly just because he's here now. Sometimes it takes months for things to fully manifest after appearing completely normal."

Leilani nodded. “Of course. My other concern is that I’m pregnant. I don’t want Hendor to feel that he’s any less special to us once he has a sibling.”

"That's understandable," Tate replied with a nod. "It's a lot for him to adjust to, and from what I understand, probably familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. On the one hand, I expect he's much more mature than a typical child and used to being one of many people that needs caring for, but on the other, he may not be quite used to just being a kid without having to think about adult responsibilities. I'd like to get to know him a bit, but off the top of my head, I'm thinking you might ask him if he would like to help take care of a younger sibling without forcing it. It could be good for his self-esteem. At the same time, I'd make it clear that while you welcome his help for certain things, at certain times, you just want him to be a kid."

Leilani nodded. "I'll do that" she looked towards Hendor offering a smile. "Hendor knows how much he means to me, at least I hope he does. He's a very special boy."

Hearing Leilani say his name, Hendor stopped coloring long enough to look up at her and smiled the smile a little boy gives only to his mother.

George was silent through it all, absorbing all that Tate had said, as he watched his son. So much of his childhood trauma still affected him, even today. He would do everything in his power to ensure that Hendor, and every other child he and Leilani ended up having, would know only love and tenderness.

As his mind worked over the past, present and future, his eyes misted over and a single tear fell from the inside corner of his left eye.

Leilani was feeling the emotion coming from George, not just via her senses but through the bond they shared. She gently turned to him, reaching out a gentle hand she wiped away the tear. "Our children will know how loved they are, no one and nothing will ever harm them."

He smiled warmly at his wife, reaching up to take her hand a softly kissed the inside of her palm.

Having spoken to George before about his own history of trauma, Tate knew his anger wasn't just that of a typical adoptive father speaking passionately about his son. She made a mental note to inquire about how all of this was affecting The two of them later, but for now, her focus was on a little boy currently coloring in her vicinity. "All children know pain at some point in their lives. It's how they learn to handle it that matters. Have you noticed any changes in Hendor's behavior since he's been aboard?"

“He’s a very confident boy” Leilani smiled, “but being bullied at school has had a knock on blow to his confidence. He worries about running into the boys who picked on him.” She offered Hendor a reassuring smile.

Though he didn't say anything to indicate that he had heard his mother, Hendor started to color harder and more aggressively.

Leilani looked towards her son, feeling a change from Hendor’s direction. She motioned to George that something had changed.

George nodded and quietly moved to kneel down next to their son. "Hey, Bubba," he said in a soft, supportive voice. "What's going on?"

A few tears started to fall from his right eye as he stopped coloring. "Papa," Hendor replied in a small voice. "The bad boys hurt Sky. They said mean things to her!"

George gently pulled Hendor into his arms, turning him and holding him chest to chest. "I know, Bubba, I know." He started to slowly rock his son in his arms as the pain he was feeling from Hendor started to show up on his own face. "But she's safe now," he said with a soft sniffle. "You protected her, just like she protected you. No one will ever treat you like that again, son. I promise you that." George started to feel a storm beginning to brew in his core.

Tate looked at the two other adults in the room, questions clearly marked on her face. She wasn't aware of what the young boy was talking about and wasn't confident she had his trust to simply ask him directly. "I can see how much what happened upset you, Hendor. Would it be OK if your mom and dad explained what happened or are you OK with telling me about it?"

In response, Hendor buried his face in his father's neck a bit more, as if trying to hide from the pain. George did what he could try and calm him, looking over to Leilani, nodding slightly, signaling for her to tell Tate everything

Leilani looked towards Tate. "There are some boys at school that have been picking on Hendor and his friend Skylah. When they were being mean to Hendor, Skylah leapt to his defence. In return Hendor defended Skylah. They've become quite the inseperable pair." she smiled. "It's made Hendor very worried about being anywhere these boys might be."

Tate silently mouthed thank you to Leilani and she approached George, who was still hugging the distraught boy. She was careful not to get too close without being invited, but she wanted to close the gap between them so her soft tone would still be heard. "You've had to be brave for a long time, haven't you, Hendor?"

Turning slightly in his father's protective embrace, Hendor looked over at Tate very shyly. After a few beats, he nodded his head slowly.

Tate nodded in return. "Being brave is important sometimes, but it's not something anyone can be all the time. Sometimes, we just need time to be sad, or angry, or even afraid, and to tell people how we're feeling. Many times, we need people to help us when we're feeling sad, angry, or afraid. Do you think you might need a little help?"

Hendor thought about it for a few seconds, as his young mind worked through what Tate had just said. Finally, he looked her in the eye and nodded slowly. "I just want to protect Sky. She's my best friend! I wanna be a good, strong boy for Mama and Papa too!"

~TBC~