Mountains and Oceans

Chapter 36

Bailey pulled her knees up to her chest and tightened her grip around her sleeves then bit her knees as she barely rocked and continued looking out the window.

"Doll?" Axel asked as he watched her for a minute. She didn't acknowledge him so he asked again while walking over to her, "Doll?" She still didn't acknowledge him, "Bailey?" he asked as he sat across from her on the window seat. He tried to unclasp her hands around her knees and she flinched. "Sorry, Doll. What's wrong? Talk to me, please?"

"Too much," She whispered after she pulled her teeth off her knee.

"What do you mean too much?" he asked confused.

"Too much," she repeated as she rocked, "too much."

"Hey Guys," Spencer said as he came into the house. "I had a few days off."

"Hey," everyone called out from what they were doing.

"Oh Bailey, what's wrong?" Spencer asked spotting her all tight and tense.

"All she is saying is too much," Axel shook his head. "I'm trying to figure out what she means."

"I got it," Spencer nodded opening his bag. He pulled out some headphones and slipped them over her ears then unzipped the hoodie and carefully removed it from her. He snapped in front of her eyes and when she looked at him, he mouthed, 'Let's get out of here.'

She flinched as he picked her up and carried her outside. Everyone stopped what they were doing and followed. "Too much," she mumbled as she scratched at her hands.

"I know," Spencer nodded as he sat her on the dock and removed her shoes and socks. She stuck her feet in the water and he held her hands in his. The team watched as they just sat there and after a couple of minutes Spencer removed the headphones then went back to just sitting next to her in silence. After a few more minutes she tapped his hand three times and he nodded then got up and headed back towards them.

"She was having sensory overload," he explained.

"What?" Brandon asked confused.

"It may sound confusing but at times Bailey can have all of her senses be overloaded at the same time and it affects her physically. She was trying to keep it together and at the same time she was shutting down because it was too much for her, yet she still has a hard time accepting that she wouldn't be a problem if she told you about it," Spencer explained.

"What was too much?" Sean asked.

"She wanted to be near you but at the same time she didn't because, according to her," Spencer sighed, "there were three TVs going on at the same time, four different songs playing, the washing machine was beeping, her hoodie was scratching her, the blankets were everywhere, you were trying to talk over one another and the noise so it was too loud, the dishes needed to be rinsed and loaded, clothes needed to be folded, pens were everywhere, her skin was too tight and tingling, the carpet was rough, and the air freshner was too flowerly."

"Wow," Gabe shook his head.

"All of her senses were triggered at once," Axel nodded.

"See? Fucking told you it was the wrong freshner to get," Gabe shook his head. "Should have got the other one, fucking told you."

"So I was actually hurting her when I touched her hand earlier to get her attention?" Axel asked and Spencer nodded.

"Her skin hurts her right now," he explained. "She feels like it is stretched too tight. When she can process everything and relax, she will need lotion on her skin. Right now, though she just needs silence as she tries to decompress."

"I'll go get rid of the freshner and clean up a bit," Gabe muttered as he headed back inside.

"I'll go help," Corey and Marc said at the same time as they followed.

"I'll look more into this," Sean mumbled as he headed insides as well.

"I'll go sit with her some more," Spencer nodded.

"Yes," Owen nodded, "she will enjoy that."

Thirty minutes later they came back in and they noticed that she had her headphones back on. She had ahold of his hand and led him over to the reading nook in the library. Spencer sat down in the rocking chair and she sat in his lap. He pulled Dracula out of his bag and opened the book. She hummed along to the music playing while she read. They noticed she would tap his hand when she was ready for him to turn the page for her.

"Do you or her need anything?" Marc asked and Spencer shook his head.

"No, thank you," he whispered. "This is enough."