AJR-Panic Attacks

Jack- 10 (Shay)

Ryans POV

Normal quarantine afternoon at the house we're renting for the summer. Jack and Alba playing in the backyard with Shay, me producing a song with Cat sitting next to me on the couch in the front room, Adam probably working on his PhD, and Dad having a nap. I hear the buzz of my phone vibrating on the table, and I look up to see who it was. I see Jack texted our family group chat with a frantic message saying,
"Shay ran away, we need help." I look up at Cat and see she read the same message.

"What are the odds Jack is freaking out right now?" I question. Cat shrugs and we both stand up, racing towards the back door. Adam meets us at the door, all of us running out to find Jack standing by the entrance to a trail that leads to a beach, Alba not far into the forest, them both calling Shay's name repeatedly. Cat and Adam run into the forest, attempting to get Shay back. I notice Jack starting to shake, so I pull him back to sit in the grass of the backyard.

"Wh-what if we d-don't get her b-back!?" Jack cries as he starts to hyperventilate.

"We will Jack, it's ok." I crouch in front of him with my left hand resting on his shoulder. Jack has his knees in his chest, rocking back and forth, looking around with wide eyes. He looks so scared. He covers his face with his hands and starts to cry.

"Jack, hey, it's ok."

"I c-can't breathe!" Jack cries.

"Jack, you're ok."

"Wh-what if she d-doesn't come b-back!!"

"Jack, hey, you need to settle down. Shay will come back, I promise. Everyone's out looking for her, she will come back. You need to focus on calming down. Slow your breathing, ok?" Jack won't stop shaking or hyperventilating. His legs start jittering, bouncing up and down as he continues rocking back and forth. I move to sit beside him, rubbing his back slowly and gently, trying to relax him.

"Jack, hey, listen to me." Jack's focus shifts to my voice, his eyes meeting mine for a split second, before hiding his face again in his hands.

"You've gotta settle down. Just take a deep breath for me, ok?" Jack shakes his head, not being able to calm down. Jack falls into my chest, grasping onto my shirt. I wrap my arms around him gently, trying to create some calm space for him to actually relax.

"Shhhh, Jack, settle down, you're ok." I mutter, quieting myself to relax him. "I've got you bud, you're ok."

"The girls found her!" Adam calls back from the entrance to the forest. Once he sees Jack in his panicking state, and me trying to calm him down, he rushes over to us, crouching in front of me.

"What's wrong?" Adam asks.

"Jack's having a panic attack because he's scared Shay won't come back."

"Jack! The girls found Shay!" Adam repeats. "They just have to catch her, and she'll be back, ok?"

"He hasn't been breathing very well, do you mind going to grab him some water?" I ask Adam.

"Yeah absolutely. I'll be right back." Adam stands up and runs into the house.

"See Jack, the girls found Shay Bear. I need you to get your breathing back now, ok? Adam's going to get you some water, but you need to settle down. Breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth."

"I-I can't!!" Jack cries.

"Jack, can you focus on me?" I ask. Jack goes silent, so I hope he's focusing.

"Close your eyes and focus on your feet on the ground, ok?" Adam comes back with the water, sitting down on a chair beside us.

"Now, breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth." I say again.

"There she is!!" Adam exclaims. Shay starts running towards us, dragging Alba on the leash, Cat just behind. Shay jumps towards Jack, licking his face, snapping him out of his panic attack.

"What happened?" Alba asks.

"Jack had a panic attack." I explain. Alba comes over and sits down beside Jack, rubbing his back softly.

"Here Jack, drink some water." Adam urges, handing the water to Alba to give to Jack. Jack continues petting Shay, relaxing more with each motion.

"Jack, drink something please." Alba repeats, handing Jack the water.

"Thank you." Jack mutters, taking the water finally.

"You feeling better yet?" I ask. Jack nods in response.

"C-can you guys leave for a bit?" Jack mutters so quietly, only Alba picks it up. Based on the rest of our questioning faces, Alba repeats what Jack said.

"Do you guys mind leaving us for a bit?"

"Yeah absolutely!" I reply. "We'll give you some time and space to calm down. See you guys in a bit." I stand up from the ground, meeting with Cat and Adam and we walk back inside. We each go back to our respective areas, Adam back to the living room, Cat and I back to the front room, sitting back on the couch with a heavy sigh from me.

"You ok?" Cat asks gently.

"Yeah." I sigh.

"No you're not, don't lie." She knows me too well.

"It's just scary when your brother isn't breathing for like 10 minutes and you can't calm him down." I mumble.

"Hey, Ry, you did the best you could. Jack is calm now, Shay is back, and everything is ok."

"I guess." I lean my head on the back of the couch. Cat takes the opportunity to lay her head on my chest. I subconsciously reach my hand up and play with her hair, in turn calming me down.

"I love you Ry." She smiles.

"Love you too." She sits up off my chest and gives me a kiss, before laying back down on top of me. I hear a subtle knock at the door, me responding with,

"Come in."

"Hey." It's Jack. "Thank you for calming me down. I know it didn't seem like it, but you actually calmed me down a lot, so thank you."

"Of course Jack! Are you feeling better now?" I ask.

"Yeah. I'm glad Shay's back now." He responds.

"Me too."

"Well, c-can I have a hug?" Jack mutters quietly.

"Of course Jack!" I stand up, retracting my arm from behind Cat, before standing up and giving Jack a brotherly bear hug.

"Thanks." He says against my shoulder.

"Anytime Jack. You should go decompress a little with Shay and Alba. Have a nap or something to relax, ok?" Jack nods and pulls away, walking out the door. I sit back down beside Cat, wrapping my arm around her back once again. She lays back down on my chest, pulling a blanket from beside me to on top of us. I relax a lot with Cat beside and on top of me, us both falling asleep shortly after.

A/N- thank you to @k_does_words for the inspiration for this story!
And thank you @twoocat for inspiration with many other stories!