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“Jeremy!”
The Squip doesn’t often take control of Jeremy’s body, only in dire circumstances. When Jeremy gives him explicit permission, he’ll do so, but without that permission? There’s not much he can do. The only exception is when Jeremy is in danger, and unknowingly walking in front of a car after school certainly counts.
The Squip takes a hold of all of Jeremy’s motor functions and pulls him to a stark stop. The car whizzes by with a honk, barely inches away from Jeremy’s face.
“Jeremy! How many times have I told you that you shouldn’t go towards the parking lot with your earbuds in? It’s unsafe!”
The shock leaves Jeremy’s face, and his eyes fill with tears as a result, leaving the Squip with a very, very little boy.
The Squip deactivates Jeremy’s tear ducts as quickly as he can, but he already knows it’s no use. Jeremy whimpers, a sure sign that he’s about to fall into a panic attack.
He needs to get Jeremy someplace safe, someplace quiet, but all hopes of doing so go out the window. Jeremy’s faculties are already out of control. His heart is racing and no matter how he tries to breathe, he isn’t able to control himself. Worse yet, a crowd has started to gather.
The most the Squip can do is make sure Jeremy doesn’t hurt himself, so he resignedly forces Jeremy to black out before he can start wailing.
The Squip reactivates in the nurse’s office, just as Jeremy begins to stir. The nurse is hovering nearby, which is a new hurdle to jump. Not only will the Squip have to calm Jeremy down, but he’ll also have to get the nurse away without rousing her suspicions.
Easier said than done. The second he’s fully awake, Jeremy starts to cry.
The Squip jumps into action. “Jeremy, it’s okay. The mean car is gone. Take a deep breath, okay?”
The words are enough to keep him from sobbing, but he still has tears running down his cheeks. At least it’s enough to keep the nurse away.
She checks his vitals, going through the steps of checking for a concussion, which the Squip does more than a little to help Jeremy through. Jeremy does not have a concussion, he just feels small and scared and disconnected from his brain.
After she deems him fine, the Squip takes control of Jeremy’s body just long enough to make him seem in control of his faculties. “Can I have a minute?” he asks. “I’m fine. I just need somewhere quiet for a bit.”
The nurse nods. “Do you need me to call someone?”
The Squip tries not to scoff. As if Jeremy’s father would be any help. “No. Thank you.”
The nurse leaves, and the second the Squip looses control on Jeremy, he begins to fall apart all over again. He lets out a low, keening whine, more tears leaking out of the corners of his eyes, and his heart rate speeds back up.
“Jeremy?” The Squip simulates a feeling of warmth up Jeremy’s left side, but Jeremy doesn’t seem to notice. “It’s okay. Do you want to tell me how you’re feeling?”
Jeremy has devolved into sniffles, and tremors are running up and down his body. Though he’s not normally a vocal kid, he usually says more nothing.
This could be worse than the Squip first suspected. He usually doesn’t tap into Jeremy’s mind when he’s small, especially since Jeremy has a bad habit of voicing his thoughts aloud, but now it may be a better idea.
WANTMYBLANKETWANTMICHAELWANTSOMEONETOHUG
The Squip flinches. Jeremy’s thoughts are so loud. Then again, he supposes it’s better for him to be around than any of the others. He can’t imagine someone like Brooke or Jenna dealing with the absolutely inconsolable mess Jeremy is right now.
Still, the Squip isn’t qualified to deal with such a deep level of human emotion. He’s been doing better, and he’s downloaded enough on childcare that he knows the basics, but how is one supposed to care for a child who was almost hit by a car?
“It’s okay, Jeremy.” His programming keeps looping back to the same phrase, as if it would be more effective the second or third time. Jeremy doesn’t even seem to hear him.
The Squip pulls out all the stops—quiet music, images of puppies, warm hugs, and the smell of pumpkin pie—but it still doesn’t have any effect.
The Squip flips frantically through his memory databases, trying to find something about calming kids down, but nothing matches this scenario. He can’t exactly give Jeremy a coloring book to help him calm down when he’s steadily working himself into a panic attack.
“Jer?” Michael rushes in, slipping off his headphones. “I heard you almost got hit by a car! Are you okay?”
Jeremy’s head snaps up. “Micha?” He looks an absolute mess, with a red, blotchy face and a runny nose.
“Oh, Jer.” Michael clears the space between them and pulls Jeremy into a tight hug.
The Squip balks at how quickly the tension eases out of Jeremy’s body, like all he needed was an actual hug.
“You wanna talk about it?”
Jeremy shakes his head.
“That’s okay.” Michael cradles Jeremy’s head against his shoulder and tightens his hold. “Just let it out. You’re safe.”
Jeremy dissolves into another set of sobs, looking all to relieved as he throws his arms around Michael’s neck and clings like he never wants to let go.
The Squip takes all this in, adding a new line of code to his comforting protocols.
Sometimes big brave kids just need to cry.