Parent's Day Thread

[MDIZZLE]

Located in Group Therapy Room
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[adrian g. harlos]

Adrian couldn’t understand why he was being forced against his will to the group therapy session on parent’s day. His parents weren’t even here and as far as he was concerned that was fine. He didn’t want to see them and they didn’t want to see him either. As far as his parent’s were concerned he was no child of theirs and you know what? He didn’t want to be.

As he dragged himself into the therapy room he didn’t bother to look at anyone before plopping himself down in an armchair. At least the seat was comfortable, right? He sighed and started to people watch. Not many people were in the room yet, but enough for him to be amused with for now. There weren’t many parents either. Only about two couples in the room with their children. He wondered what level their children were.

[austin]

Now, Austin wasn't really for 'group' things, but he thought attending this parent's day thing might be interesting. He quickly got dressed in something simple and easy; jeans and a long sleeved gray shirt. The higher up staff wasn't fond of him flailing around his tattoos everywhere around the patients, so he figured it would be a good idea to cover up most of them for the parents. Now, Austin liked to look on the brighter side of the situation, even with his own past, so he was expecting a ton of parents to be here in support of their child. If he had a kid that had to come here, then he would totally come. He would talk to his or her doctors and ask how they were holding up and what hid kid had been up to.

However, when he walked in the group therapy room, he saw a bunch of patients, but only a few parents. Okay, maybe not even that many. Like, two or three couples. His face dropped and he put his hands in his pockets. He let out a groan and wondered around the room, trying to find a person, or people, to talk to. After the parents began asking his name, he gladly told them, and then they asked what he was here for and how long he'd been here. He told them that he was apart of the staff as an orderly and they didn't believe him. Seriously? He had a name tag, a name tag. He sighed and then went to find a spot to sit down at. He saw an opening next to one of the patients. Since he had only been here for a few months, he wasn't yet acquanted with all the patients yet. "This seat taken?" he asked and kind of sat down anyways.

[veronica c. laccy]

Veronica didn’t want to be here. Even more than not wanting to be here, she didn’t want to be here with her parents. That was just making matters worse. If she had to listen to her mother complain about something one more time she was going to go completely crazy. All her mother cared about was Veronica getting out of here soon, while her father tried to ignore everything. Really, he didn’t seem like he was even in the same world as them anymore.

They entered the group therapy room and Veronica just wanted to crawl under something and hide. This was completely terrifying to her. She bit down on her bottom lip hard, and flinched at the pain. Maybe she bit a little too hard. Her hands were wrapped around her stomach, but feeling disgusted by herself she moved them to another part of her body and then settled on just resting them at her sides. She passed a longhaired boy and a bitter looking one. She watched as the one asked if the seat was taken and the Adrian replied, “Now it is,” a bit dryly. Veronica made a note to not get on his bad side anytime soon.

Her parents sat down somewhat near the boys though and she ended up sitting right next to the dark haired boy. Her eyes flickered to him for just a moment before she looked away. She looked down at the floor at her feet, ignoring the rest of the room. There were at least ten places that she would have rather been right now. Honestly, anywhere but this room with her parents. Where they’d learn how messed up she really was, and that she was a failure, and couldn’t eat how she wanted. There were so many things. Hopefully it wouldn’t be starting soon.

[lucas r. abel]

Tori was running a tad late. She was clad in a pantsuit and a pressed doctor's jacket. It was stuffy but work-appropriate. On the right side of her chest, she wore a name tag that simply read 'Doctor Carmichael.' Her sugar boost had crashed, and she had dozed off then subsequently lost track of time. It didn't take her long to find a seat and sit down, crossing one leg over the other. She watched the goings on, just curious as to how parents interacted with their children and vice versa.

Her shock of red hair was pulled back into a ponytail and curls hung on either side of her porcelain-like face. "Did I miss anything?" She queried innocently, turning to her boyfriend with a tilt of her head. Just to make sure, she double-checked her wrist watch before shifting in her seat, attempting to get more comfortable. To her, it seemed like people were still arriving, or she could be entirely off but either way, she was there. Pale eyes scanned the room with a burning curiosity. She wanted to know such things so she could better-assist her patients.

After all, if she couldn't do her job properly, she really had no business doing it at all. She patted Austin's hand reassuringly, having the distinct impression that he hardly felt comfortable. If it was any consolation to him, not that she brought it up, she didn't feel much better about it. Group therapy sessions weren't one of her stronger points and though she put on a good show, even she was occasionally uncertain. Memories flickered and flashed in the back of her mind, bringing up sensations that she had thought were long-forgotten. Well, not long-forgotten, per say. Certainly, coming home to find your best friend passed out because of a drug overdose wasn't something you could simply shake off after such a brief period.

[PERIDOT L. FAULKENER]

One pinstriped leg jiggled in an unmistakably excited manner, resting overtop its companion. Peridot's fingers danced restlessly on his forearms while a smile bloomed on his lips. Wordlessly, he observed the slow accumulation of patients and their parents from one of the many chairs making up the large circle.

While some patients came alone (sometimes it just seemed a little cruel in those cases for mandatory attendance), others had anxious caregivers gripping to them tightly. It was sad to see someone so seemingly convinced that the moment they let go, they wouldn't have a child anymore. But the best Peri could hope to do was to remind himself that the intentions behind the situation were positive in nature.

Still, after a glance at the more nervous body postures of some, the psychiatrist came to the reasonable conclusion that yeah, he'd probably be taking the lead on this one.

A short exchange took place between Tori Carmichael and Austin King, and Peri let a politely amused smile curl at the corners of his mouth. His being aware of a relationship between the coworkers didn't mean he was such a gossip as to bring attention to it, even if it wasn't technically breaking any rules. He knew how to be discreet, even most of the people Peri knew would deny it.

After a few more moments of the small crowd settling down, Peridot checked his watch and stood from his seat with ease, clapping both hands together jovially. Summoning his most charismatic (and he'll admit, lawyer-esque) grin at the many upturned faces, he cleared his throat.

"So, to start things off, I'm glad you folks could make it," the brunette nodded to several parents, "and to those of you who came by yourselves too. My name's Dr. Faulkener, and I'm a psychiatrist here at White Springs." Peri spread his arms to either side, letting another winning-smile flash his audience.

"Now even though your children haven't stayed here long, any amount of time discussing and coming to terms with a problem is time well spent." The psychiatrist tilted his head to one side and glanced at Tori, catching her gaze and offering an encouraging smile before stretching one arm in her direction, addressing the room.

"This is Dr. Carmichael, my coworker. She and I spend both group and individual time with your kids on a daily basis, getting to know just who they are to the world, to their family, and to themselves. Now," Peri brought his hands together decisively, "Dr. Carmichael, care to offer your input?"

Peridot held a very kind opinion of Tori, recognizing that, though she might not be the most confident woman, her life's philosophy was to be of help to others. This was something he could easily empathize with and, as such, he had confidence that she could help him handle this session.

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[lily e. shaw]

lily crept into the group therapy room, gritting her teeth as she saw that parent's day had already started. so much for that fascinating book back in her room. (then again, it's kind of a funny story was doing wonders for her mental health in this place already. perfect book.) so after a quick scan, she noticed her mother was sitting as close to the door as possible. greaaaat. lily scowled and hurried around to sit as far away from her mother as she could, her face burning. she was late, and therefore she was attracting more attention to herself.

self-consciously she stuffed her hands in the pocket of her red coat and sat down beside the window. favorite past-times: staring out of the window while other people chattered. how nice. lily had only been here for a couple days - enough that her mother lingered in the area for this day while she got "settled in". pfft. she cast a glare at her mother, who thankfully wasn't looking at her at the time: she was staring at the doctor speaking. lily couldn't remember his name, though she'd seen him when she was forced out of her room.

with a small sigh she returned her attention to the doctor. may as well get this over with quickly.

[antonio d. rosati]

Tony wasn't particularly excited with this night. The last time he had attended this social catastrophe, he had come seconds away from smashing his father's face into the nearest wall. He hadn't entered the room yet. No, he was waiting for his mother, his saving grace. He heard a familiar voice call his name and automatically, his head turned to face the direction where the sound had originated from. He watched his mother's finger point toward a door, the one that led to freedom, t0 his daughter. His eyes widened slightly as he saw a tired-looking Arianna.

When the girl spotted her father, her face lit up like a Christmas tree. His stomach twisted in knots as he heard his daughter call for him. "Daddy!" She giggled and waved, trying to rush forward before being stopped by Tony's aunt, Luisa. He couldn't embrace his own child, not with the state he was in. The clinic staff had already warned him about that setback. His palm rested flat against the wall as he flashed her a smile and lifted a hand in a limp wave, trying to seem like everything was hunky dory. It was anything but.

Finally, his aunt ended his inner torment and picked the crying child up, carrying her away. When his daughter was out of sight, he shot his mother a thankful smile, albeit a tad weak. He heard voices talking from within the room and had to resist the urge to cringe. He was late. He had made his mother late by begging her to bring along his daughter, just so he could see a little more than a photograph, even if he couldn't touch her. "Go on, Tony, you can do it, sweetie." His mother encouraged softly and reluctantly, the young man entered the room with his mother by his side.

Together, they found a seat and sat down, simply waiting. How hadn't Tony realized sooner that his mother was the stable environment he needed? If he had realized it, he would be spending time with his daughter, instead of being back in this hellhole, listening to boring psychiatrists. Still, to give her the life she deserved, he knew that this travesty had to be done. It was the road to recovery or some, stupid bullshit like that. Crossing his arms over his chest, he hunkered down for the long haul, really not giving a damn, even though he probably should have. He didn't see how having a parent's day, whatever the fuck that was, helped any, especially when one of your parents was a good-for-nothing prick that deserved a shallow grave.

[adrian g. harlos]

Some guy asked him a stupid question and he barely paid him any attention. If it weren’t for the nametag he would have thought he was a patient too. The guy looked young enough. He couldn’t have been much older than Adrian was actually. Subtly his eyes scanned over the other guy. “Now it is,” he replied dryly as the guy sat in the seat without any hesitation. Why bother asking if you were just going to sit in it? What if it was taken too? Then he would have just looked like an asshole. He groaned and leaned back in his chair. Why the hell was he here with these people? This group therapy was stupid and his parents weren’t even here so he didn’t see the point, though he was excited to see some fighting. That was bound to happen with people’s parents around.

Truthfully he was a bit excited and since he was forced to be here he guessed it was going to be somewhat interesting. Might as well look on the brighter side of it. He was sort of trying to get better. The last thing he wanted was to be in this hellhole for all that much longer. So, like a good boy he say up a bit in his chair and tried to pay attention as to what was going on around him. So far there was a decent amount of staff in the room. He watched as both patients and staff entered the room. A snort came from his nose at the scowl on one of the girl’s faces. This one doctor was way too happy to be here too. Obviously he worked at White Springs. Where else would he work? Adrian rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair. That was enough of that. He couldn’t pay attention any longer. This was entirely too boring. He didn’t have to speak or anything yet either, so he was thankful for that. His eyes flickered to another guy that came into the room with his mother. Was he honestly the only one whose parents despised him enough not to even show up? He snorted air through his nose again and shook his head slightly. This was such shit.

[Nathan W. Smith]

Parent's Day. Nate absolutely had to attend, and he would have preferred if his father hadn't come along. He didn't understand Nate, not why he was so shaken by Matt. Well not that he didn't understand, but wasn't entirely sure why he displayed his emotions the way he did. It was unmanly according to him. The taller man lead the way with a map in hand, dark black hair and light blue eyes. It was obvious that Nate wasn't his biological son, it was almost clear that he thought the same. It was like a mutual understanding for the two of them. Nate didn't question it, or try to fix it, he just accepted it. His father let out a grunt of confusion, causing Nate to sigh. "Problem, Nathaniel?" The use of his full name caused him to grit his teeth and send a mildly irritated glare towards his father. The man who was staring at him with slightly narrowed eyes.

"Problem? Why couldn't be that I'm in a mental institution because you and my therapist seemed to think that I was unmanageable for society. But other than that, it's that you can't find the room. So follow me." Nate didn't wait around for his father to protest. Since he was the typical, I'm not accepting help from anyone. At least in that aspect, even if not his biological son, Nate took that characteristic pretty well. He didn't ask for help if he didn't think he needed it. Hell, he didn't ask for help when he thought he needed it. Nate could already hear his father grumbling as they turned down another hallway. Seeing a few other parents filter into a room, and patients as well his father soon took the lead. Nate didn't mind now anyway.

His father entered the room followed by Nathaniel quite closely. Taking a seat, completely ignoring the psychiatrist talking. Well at least until he sat down. Nate took a seat on the arm of the chair that his father was on. He was probably the one sitting the most unusually in the room now. A few people here that he didn't recognize. Just the Orderly and the other staff. He didn't care too much though. Nate's father was sitting in the chair with an mildly aggressive look, he didn't want to be here anymore than Nate did. Nate was sitting on his feet, knees tucked up into his chest as he listened casually to the extremely upbeat psychiatrist. His father gave him a disapproving look, keeping his voice low. "Can't you sit like a normal person, and not a freak?