My Saving Grace (book 2)

October, 2025

A/N
Last chapter y'all! I hope you guys enjoyed, I know I enjoyed writing it. Thank you for all your support and patience with me. I love y'all somaj!! Thanks for reading!

Scott's P.O.V.

The next few weeks began to go by slowly. We were seemingly climbing that mountain that we had climbed so many years ago. The scenery was the same but our baggage was different. This time instead of just ourselves we had two children trailing along behind us. I had forgotten just how hard it was to pick up your life after it had all fallen apart.

Toby had nightmares every night, without fail. There was nothing we could do to stop them. We tried everything under the sun to make him sleep better. Looking up different techniques didn't seem to be working though. It got to the point where we decided that he should see a professional. We knew how much she helped me so we went to see Lisa.

I took him in on the first day while Alex took Jessica out for ice cream. I walked down the corridor and into the waiting room that had been recently redecorated. It was now a light beige instead of a lavender colour. Though it still had the same layout of chairs and bookshelf and the receptionist still sat in the same place.

She smiled at me as I walked in, Toby by my side. "Scott, hi. How are you?" She greeted. I nodded.

"I'm good. I'm just here for Toby." I explained and her eyes wandered to where Toby stood by my side. She smiled and nodded and typed something into the computer. She then told us to take a seat and that Lisa would be out in ten minutes.

"Is she going to hurt me, dad?" Toby asked. I looked down at him sat on the chair next to me. He swung his legs and looked down at his lap. It was almost as though he was ashamed.

"Of course she isn't. She's a very nice woman and she's just going to talk to you about your nightmares." I reassured him. He looked up at me and I could see the large dark rings under his eyes. I couldn't understand how he hadn't slept through the nightmares by now. From complete and utter exhaustion. He looked more worn than any eight year old should ever.

I watched as the door opened to Lisa's office and she walked out with an older man, maybe in his forties. He didn't seem to be doing so good, his face pale and gaunt. He quietly thanked Lisa and then walked out and her eyes landed on me. "Scott, hello." She greeted as I stood and gave her hug. "And why am I honoured with your presence today then?" She asked, leading Toby and I to her room.

"Um, well... It's not for me it's for Toby." I told her. She nodded closing the door and then directing her gaze to Toby.

"Hello young man. I'm Lisa. I've heard a lot about you." She said, shaking his hand. "Would you like to pick a chair and then we can chat?" She asked him. I watched as he turned and looked between the bean bags and the two chairs. He then slowly walked over to the exact chair that I sat in on my first day and sat down.

Lisa smiled, sitting down across from him, as I sat down next to him. "So tell me, how are you?" She asked. Toby looked up at me and then back at Lisa.

"I'm.... tired." Toby whispered as quietly as he could. Lisa nodded.

"Why's that then?" She asked.

"I keep having nightmares. I don't like sleeping because they scare me too much." Toby explained. I watched as Lisa began to talk to him and ask him questions. He answered back politely.

She then said to come back next week and that's what we did. But Alex went instead of me and I took Jessica out. She had explained to Alex and I that she felt angry all the time. She explained how she wanted to scream. She also told us about the boy she had punched after school the other day.