AJR-Panic Attacks

Jack- 2 (Tour Bus)

"Jack, relax."

"I-I-I c-c-c-can't!"

"Jack. It's ok, breathe."

"N-n-no! I-I-I can't!" Ryan was sitting beside jack weirdly on the couch in the back lounge of the tour bus, with jack closer to the back of the couch, and Ryan in front of jack but facing him. Jacks knees were up closeish to his chest, but Ryan had his hand on Jacks chest, in between jacks red hoodie strings, trying to calm him down. Ryan could feel jacks heart beating out of his chest, and his chest was going in and out like crazy.

"Ok, Jack, lay down."

"N-n-no I c-c-can't!"

"Lay down or I will for you."

"But I-I can't b-b-b-breathe!"

"It's ok jack, laying down will help you, ok?" Jack nods back, still hyperventilating.

"Want me to do it then?" Jack nods again. Ryan gently forces jack down onto the couch by pushing his chest down. Jack grabs Ryan's wrist out of panic and falls back onto the couch.

"There ya go. Settle down jack." Jack closes his eyes and Ryan moves his fingertips in circles around Jacks chest, trying to calm Jack down.

"Jack, it's ok bud, breathe. Settle down."

"I-I-I-I-"

"It's ok jack, just stop talking for now, I've got you, you're ok." Jack was still holding Ryan's wrist, and Ryan still moves his fingertips around Jacks chest. Jack still had his knees up, and he was shaking a lot.

"Ok, Jack, all I'm going to get you to do is breathe. In through your nose, out through your mouth, ok? Just take one breath." Jack takes a slower breath, but it wasn't slow enough.

"Good job jack, take one more ok?"

Jack slows down a bit, but then goes back to hyperventilating. They continued like this for 10 minutes, and Ryan finally gets him to calm down.

"Ok, Jack, you're ok, I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere. I need you to take a deep breath, ok? Here I'll do it with you. I know it's scary, but you need to do it, ok? You can do it Jack; I know you can. Ok, breathe in, come on, breathe in." Jack finally takes a shaky deep breath in but breathes out too quickly.

"Good job jack, one more. I'll do it with you. Follow my breathing. Ok, breathe in, wait, good job, ok breathe out. Good job jack, you're doing great. One more time, ok? Breathe in, wait, breathe out. Good job Jack." Jack keeps breathing with Ryan for a bit until Jack was starting to calm down.

"Ok jack, tell me what's wrong." Jack was silent for a second, and then explained.

"I-I-I don't k-know. I-I think it's just b-being homesick, s-stressed, and working to much."

"Is that everything?" Ryan asks again, sensing that there's more.

"Well, I-I totally messed up today and I have a headache a-and I haven't talked to a-alba in a while a-and I miss shay."

"Okay. So it's an emotional build up. Alright. Well, I can fix at least three of those things. I'll go get you some medicine, I can phone alba for you, and we can get you pictures of shay, ok?" Jack nods, and releases his grip a bit from Ryan's wrist, but doesn't move his hands away. Then they hear doors being opened in the bus and Adam comes into the back lounge. Jack immediately turns to his side, facing away from Adam, embarrassed.

"What's going on?" Adam asked, sitting beside jack on the footstool that's was in the back lounge, rubbing his side. Ryan kept his hand on jack's chest as he turned away, and replied,

"Jack had an emotional buildup and had a panic attack."

"Oh no! Jack.. How can I help?"

"Well I was gonna get him some medicine cause he has a headache, and phone alba cause he misses her."

"Ok. I'll go get him some medicine."

"Sounds good. Thanks Adam" Adam goes and gets some medicine and brings it back, and tries to make jack sit up, but he doesn't move.

"Jack, come on bud, sit up and take some medicine." Ryan says. Jack shakes his head.

"What's wrong jack?" Ryan asks. Adam goes back to rubbing his side.

"I'm sorry" Jack says and starts crying.

"Jack! It's ok." Ryan says.

"Jack, why are you crying? You're ok." Adam adds.

"I-I don't know, I'm *sniff* sorry. I'm sorry I'm such a p-pain."

"Jack, you are not a pain. We love you. We like helping you." Adam says

"Why do you think you're a pain jack?" Ryan says.

"I don't know. I hate being so vulnerable and having people needing to help me."

"But we like helping you jack." Adam says.

"I know. I-I just feel like such a pain asking for help."

"Don't feel bad please jack. We just want you to feel better."

"O-ok." Jack says, wiping off his tears with his hoodie sleeve.

"Wanna sit up jack? Take some medicine?" Adam asks. Jack nods and slowly sits up, laying his head on Ryan's shoulder. Ryan wrapped his arm around jack and Adam hands jack the medicine and a water bottle. Jack holds them in his hands for a bit until they ask him again.

"Jack, take the medicine and go to sleep ok? We'll call alba in the morning and I'll get the dog sitter to send me pictures of shay, ok?" Ryan says. Jack nods and pauses, then finally takes the medicine and lays back on Ryan's shoulder. Adam comes and sits beside jack, facing him, rubbing his side, Ryan resting his other hand on jack's chest.

"Ok jack, good job. Now go to sleep, ok?"

Jack nods and falls asleep on Ryan's shoulder in minutes.