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Finn stood fearfully in front of Dr. Firn’s office. It was located at the other side of the Resistance. It was tucked away so nicely that the not many members of the Resistance even knew where it was. The only reason that Finn knew where it he was located was because of Poe. Dr. Firn had specifically requested that his office be away from everyone else to give his patients that extra layer of privacy. After all, many of them didn’t want the rest of the Resistance to know that they needed to seek out someone like Dr. Firn to help.
The former Stormtrooper shuffled his feet from under himself as he let out a heavy breath. He finally managed to lift his hand and knock his fist against the door. He paused for a moment until the door opened to reveal Dr. Firn. “Ah, Finn. I’ve been expecting you. Come in, come in.”
He stepped aside to allow Finn the room. Finn headed in with a small nod of appreciation. “Thank you. I really appreciate you letting me come on such short notice. I just wasn’t sure who else I could turn to,” Finn confessed as he slightly played with his hands in front of him.
Dr. Firn closed the door before coming around behind him. “You never need to thank me for meeting with you. I appreciate how much you do for Poe and how much you want to help him. I know that not all of my patients are that lucky to have supportive family and friends, so the fact that you’ve stuck by Poe through all of this is extremely commendable.” He waved Finn toward one of the smaller rooms that he often used for private counseling and one-on-one sessions.
Finn strode into the room with Dr. Firn following. He shut the door behind them as he took his place in one of the chairs while Finn sat on the loveseat across from him. Finn shifted a little uncomfortably just at the thought of being there without Poe and then speaking about Poe. He hadn’t told Poe where he was going for fear that he would be hurt or angry. It was best that he just lived in ignorance for the time being.
“So, what seems to be the concern, Finn,” questioned Dr. Firn as he grabbed the notes that he usually wrote in about Poe.
Finn sighed as he looked up. “I don’t know. It’s just been pretty difficult as of late. Poe is having nightmares almost constantly. It used to be one every few days, but now we can’t sleep through the night at all. His flashbacks are getting worse and I’m having trouble keeping them all straight. It’s also getting harder and harder to talk him down from them. I want to help. I just don’t know how.”
Dr. Firn nodded patiently as he let it all sink it. It took a moment before he answered. “This disorder is definitely challenging not only for those that have it, but those that are around it. No one is saying that it’s easy. However, the fact that you’re willing to come in and ask for help says a lot. Does Poe know that you’re here?”
Finn shook his head madly as his hand dropped down to grasp at the edge of the couch. “Not at all. I have no idea how he would react if he found out.”
“I see.” Dr. Firn set the notebook down as he leaned forward with his hands clasped together. “I’m not sure that I would keep this from him. Poe’s state is fragile and going behind his back isn’t going to help. Despite this, I won’t tell him. That is something between you and Poe.”
Finn let out a breath that he didn’t know he had been holding. “Thank you. Just, thank you.”
“Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about what you can do for Poe and for yourself,” Dr. Firn continued.
Finn raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me? Myself? I don’t need anything for me. I need to know how to help Poe,” he argued.
“You can’t help Poe if you don’t take care of yourself. You need to make sure that you’re spending time for you. Poe relies on you a lot, but make sure that you’re doing things that bring you joy. If you need someone to just check in on him, there are plenty of people here that would be more willing. There’s anyone from the group, me, or those two pilots that Poe is always talking about.” He snapped his fingers. “What are their names?”
Finn smiled. “Riviera and Spark.”
“Yes! Those two. Either way, you can always have others help out. Don’t hesitate to reach out,” Dr. Firn told him firmly.
Finn nodded slowly. “I’ll have to remember that. It’s just hard to leave him.”
“Hmmm. It must be done. Now, let’s talk on more what you can do for Poe. You said that he’s been having even more flashbacks and nightmares. Do you have any idea what could be triggering it,” Dr. Firn continued.
Finn set his jaw. He suddenly wished that he had paid more attention to what had led up to the increase in panic from Poe. “I-I don’t,” he stammered. “I mean, I don’t think that anything changed. People still give him shit, but what else is new. They should treat him with respect being our leader and everything, and they don’t.”
“Have you noticed that anyone has said anything to him,” Dr. Firn asked.
Finn shook his head. “Not that I know of.” Finn tried to rack his brain to remember if anything had changed. Anything slight could set Poe off. That much he knew.
“It could be anything. Something as simple as changing the times of things, people that he comes into contact with, anniversaries of painful memories,” Dr. Firn explained.
Finn’s head suddenly snapped up in alarm. “Anniversaries you said? Damnit! How could I forget? It’s around the time of the anniversary of his mother’s death. Maybe that’s what is setting him off?”
“That certainly could be a possibility. Now, not only could it effect him now, but it could also continue to do so later. That being said, there are things that we can do and try. We can try numerous different approaches and if you continue to come back once a week, we can talk about what work and what doesn’t,” Dr. Firn suggested.
Just hearing Dr. Firn speaking to him with his ideas and calming nature was enough to make Finn relax. He just hoped this worked out. “What can I do when he’s in a flashback and I’m trying to bring him out of it?”
“I want you to start repeating the same phrase over and over again. His mind will start to latch onto that and it should help. Remind Poe of who you are, how safe he is, where he is, and that he’s okay. Don’t overwhelm him with too much information, but give him something to grab onto when everything else is fading from him,” Dr. Firn explained with an earnest expression on his face.
Finn took everything in. Relief washed over him as he nodded firmly. “I think that I can do that. Anything to get him out of him nightmares.”
“It’s one strategy we can try. Report back to me next week and we tweak it if we need to or try something else in another area. Does that sound good,” questioned Dr. Firn.
Finn nodded in agreement. He rose to his feet and stretched out his hand out to Dr. Firn. The older man stretched out his hand and shook Finn’s before resting his other hand on top of their clasped hand. “Stay strong and don’t hesitate to reach out. You are what Poe needs, but don’t work yourself to the bone to prove it.”
The wisdom that Dr. Firn held was enough to cause a small smile to appear at the corner of Finn’s mouth. He gave a firm nod. “Thank you, Dr. Firn, thank you.”
“Of course. I’m not quite sure if this will help, but I remember my wife saying this to me all the time. May the Force be with you.”
Finn couldn’t help but smile back. “And with you.”