The Freaks | Sally Face

Chapter 76: Therapy Session 3

River's POV:-
Dear Diary,
It's been officially 3 weeks since writing in this journal. Mitchell said it would be a great way to help me vent my emotions out rather than bottling it all up inside. At first, I was apprehensive about it but actually it does seem to calm me down when I need it. Sal's been back for 2 weeks now, settling back into his somewhat regular life but that's not been without it's challenges. I've noticed some real changes in him, some of them not for the better. He's become a little short tempered, irritable and overall very depressive. I mean, I completely understand with everything that happened, but sometimes the frustrations of his adaption can be taken out on Larry and I.

That first night when he got back was when I first started noticing it. All three of us had finished our hugging session and wheeled Sal back up into his apartment. We all laughed and joked as if nothing had happened and everything felt somehow strangely normal. When we all entered his bedroom, Sal was completely gobsmacked to see his little self care boxes and endless film/book supplies that Larry and I had previously set up. I could tell it meant a lot to him and his face just proved it all.

As Sal went to leave his wheelchair and get onto his bed, he fell down hard due to the weakness in his body. Immediately, Larry and I ran to his aid, picking him up with one arm each and gently holding him afloat. I heard a soft sigh come from Sal's lips as he truly realised how weak he had become due to his accident. When we put him down, he didn't really speak much for the rest of the day. Larry and I put it down to exhaustion but really it was the first sign of frustration.

The following week continued to go downhill. I had offered to stay with Sal every night in case he needed something to drink or help with anything else - if you catch my drift, and at first he was really appreciative of my offer. After about 4 days, it became a routine. I would get up, followed by Sal, get out of bed, help Sal get out of bed, into the wheelchair and straight to the bathroom to find his new medication. After sorting all of that out, I'd run him a shallow bath in his combo and give him some privacy to get himself clean. When he called me back, I'd take him back to the bedroom and blow dry his hair for him and help him get into his clothes if he needed me. We'd spend the day together watching movies, eating his snacks and I'd try and cram for some of my last assignments of the semester. I could feel his eyes piercing into the side of my head whenever I got out my books to study. I could tell he was upset that I was caring for him instead of focusing on my studies. The truth was, I didn't care, all I cared about was having Sal back.

Around Day 10 Sal became more agitated. Whenever I'd ask him if he needed help he would just say "no", at first in his soft and husky voice but by the end of the day it was sharp and blunt. I noticed Henry taking notes of Sal's behaviour too but I didn't mention anything in case it was something surrounding Sal's past or if it was something the doctor asked him to do. Larry came around in the evening to try and get Sal to play a classic game of Mario Kart but even that was met with a "No" and left Larry feeling a bit deflated too. The three of us for the rest of the evening just sat watching a movie, no talk just silence. I continually tried to budge Sal to get his attention but not once was I met with his gaze. When Larry left, that's when I asked the stupid question.

"Sal what's wrong? Is everything ok?"

That opened a new can of worms that I wasn't expecting. Immediately, as if he had been bottling everything up that past week, came blurting out. A few things I clearly remember were;

"Do you think I'm alright! I'm even more useless than before. I have to get my girlfriend to move me around, I can't walk properly because I'm so fucking weak, this fucking chair is driving me insane and all I want to do is just turn everything off! This is so hard, I'm never going to be like I was before, we may as well call it quits! I'm useless!"