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"Efe! Where is he?" Cora, his foster mother calls out as she makes her way in.
Herself looking distressed and slightly worried.
Neteyam sees her running towards him, before he silently points his hand out to Efe's room, his eyes wandering around to look for Aneysa.
But she was nowhere to be seen.
"Efe!" Cora shouts, startling the child from his daydream, as he looks towards Cora.
"How did you end up here? Like this?" Cora tries to hold onto him, but Efe flinches away.
"Please" Neteyam calls out, making Cora look at him, "do not touch him. You are causing him more pain."
"But.. I mean.. how?" Cora asks.
"I don't know. He is a child, who was meant to be under your care. You should know" Neteyam says to her.
"I have been working. He was being looked after by our nanny. How he ended up here, like this? I have no idea" Cora says.
Neteyam squinted his eyes at her and looked confused, wondering how someone could be worried but have no idea, at the same time. It made no sense.
He turns his head to see his mother walking in, towards him.
"Mom?" He looks at her confused, walking towards her.
"Aneysa told me about the little boy. Where is he?" Neytiri asks.
"Mom.."
"Are you going to let me do my job?" Neytiri asks him.
"Yes but, his problem is physical. Not psychological" Neteyam says.
"Yes but if there's someone who can help him to communicate, that would be me. Now move" Neytiri walks past her son and makes her way inside.
Her self becoming soft, when she sees a small boy. His blonde hair, messy. His big brown eyes, not glowing like they should be, but instead, hurt.
She could clearly see the child in distress.
She clears her throat, and then looks to Cora, "hi. I'm Dr.Sully. A therapist."
"But I thought-?" Cora points to Neteyam.
"That is my son, Neteyam Sully. I'm his mother" Neytiri clears the confusion.
Cora nods.
"I'm going to have to ask you to leave" Neytiri says to her, as calmly as she could.
"What? No! That is my child, I can't just leave!" Cora shouts.
Putting Efe into more distress.
"I'm going to ask that you keep your voice down. You're putting my patient in distress" Neytiri replies, "as a mother, I'd advise you to listen. And to leave."
"He is not your patient" Cora looks down at Neytiri's name tag, "you are a shrink. My son is not suffering psychologically."
"Your son is at no age to tell you if he is suffering psychologically or not. Please, step out the way and let me do my job, unless you wish to be forcefully escorted out" Neytiri replies.
She could not believe it, as a mother, to see another mother not understanding the situation. It baffled her, really.
And if anything, she'd pull this woman's hair out, and drag her across the floor. But she stayed professional and calm.
It was part of her job.
Cora walks out, looking back at Efe, "don't be scared, Efe. I'm right outside."
Efe looks at her blankly, not giving any sign of emotion.
Neytiri looks up at Neteyam, "whatever you've done with Aneysa, you better sort it out."
She gives her son a glare before closing the door in his face.
-
Aneysa stayed sat in the car, by herself.
Too afraid to go back, knowing she'd break down. She wasn't professional enough, to keep herself together, they way everyone else does.
Aneysa felt herself sinking into her seat, as she thinks about what Neteyam had said to her.
Being married for two years, they had argued here and there. Let words slip out, that they regretted immediately.
No marriage was perfect. And neither was there's.
But, for the first time since they had been married, she had never felt this hurt.
It was no doubt that her infertility caused her to have an even more soft spot for children, whether she knew them or not.
Every time they had a patient who was a child. Injured. Hurt.
It hurt her a lot to see this, knowing that if she had her own child, she would never let them get in harms way.
But it also helped her empathise with the parents and be there for them.
And all at the same time, it frustrated her that she became this way.
Why was it any of her business? What right did she have, to try and be there for a family that is not hers?
A family she could never have.
She hears the car door open, knowing straight away, that it was Neteyam.
Aneysa turns her head the other way, looking outside the window.
Hearing him close the car door.
Neteyam turns his head around to look at her. No words needed to be said, to know how badly he had fucked up.
The way she didn't even wish to look at him, with her body against the other side of the car, away from him.
But her left hand was out, in his reach.
He takes her hand, holding onto it.
His arm going over, both their hands resting on her thigh.
She looked down at his hand, before looking back towards the window.
"I'm sorry" he apologises.
She stays quiet, not giving him a response.
"Aneysa" he calls out to her.
She rolls her eyes back, controlling her tears from falling out and turns around to look at him.
"Don't be. You were just doing your job" she let go of his hand.
He looks at the palm of his hand, before holding her hand back again.
This time, Aneysa tried to resist, but Neteyam brings her hand to his lap, and places another hand over it.
"Neteyam, stop it" she tries to make him let go, but he doesn't budge.
She looks up at him, meeting his eyes.
Clearly seeing, that he was sorry.
"I shouldn't have spoken to you the way I did. In that moment I was stressed out, and put under a situation I have never been put under before. I took it out on you, and I shouldn't have. But there was no truth to my words, Aneysa" Neteyam assures her.
She doesn't respond, not knowing what to say or do.
"If anything, you'd be the best mother that you could ever be" Neteyam says to her.
"I don't want to talk about this anymore" Aneysa says.
"I don't want you to be mad at me anymore" Neteyam responds.
"You just never think before you speak" Aneysa says.
"I don't, which is why I say the most stupidest thing a man could say, to his wife. I'm an idiot, Aneysa. But i mean it when I say that I love you. I didn't mean to hurt you" Neteyam replies.
"Fine, whatever" Aneysa shrugs it off.
"No, you can't say that" Neteyam replies, "we're married. We can't leave it at whatever."
"Fine, I forgive you" She replies sarcastically.
"Aneysa.."
"Why can't you let me stay mad at you?" She asks him.
"Because, I love you too much to let that happen" Neteyam responds, with hopeful eyes.
Aneysa pulls his hand away, "well tough. Work harder, if you really want to prove to me you didn't mean what you said."
She walks out the car, before Neteyam sighs, resting his head on the back of the car seat.
"For fuck sake Neteyam" he says to himself.
-
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they're not breaking up. the girl can't even stay mad at him, hello???😭