On top of Tim lies a grumpy blonde lady in what you might call a guiding-optimized outfit. She looks somewhere on the young end of young adult, and keeps making sad little whining noises and then frustratedly stifling them.

"Hey, hey.  You're okay.  It's just stupid backlash.  You're alright.  Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable, or do you just have to power through it?"

"I think this is a 'just power through it' situation. And, again, you are already miles better than spending a solid week crying on Sean." Her voice wavers a little when she adds, "A-appreciate the effort, though."

"I also appreciate April not having to spend a solid week crying on me," Sean volunteers. "No offense."

"None taken."

"Can't blame you.  Uh, are you hungry still, April?"  Maybe he's meddling a little bit but he's antsy and doesn't have anything to fidget with.  He's qualified to use a phone while buffed, but it's a bad idea to set a Bad Examples for the other patients.

"Oh... food... that's smart... I should eat food. Where's food?"

Sean perks up slightly, in the manner of a PA sensing an impending instruction.

"Sean, d'you think you could scrounge something up for her?  She needs it for the glowup.  And uh, after the last few days.  I can hold down the fort while you're gone."  Tim playfully tightens his grip on April a little.

She starts giggling softly, but then the giggles turn to hiccupping sobs and she plonks her face onto his chest with a long-suffering groan.

"Sure thing, sure thing. Any idea where to start looking or should I just head out there and see what I can find?"

"Uh, I think there's food crates about two-thirds of the way to the other side, should be marked with a food symbol.  Y'know that horn thingy with the fruit coming out of it?"  She's squeezed into his chest and petted.  "And uh.  Maybe you can find some napkins, tissues, something like that?"  He gestures towards the mess his chest currently is, courtesy of a very upset baby esper.

"Yeah, I got you. I'll take a look."

And he's off.

"Sorry," April mumbles. "Fuck this shit..."

"April.  I want you to look at all the people on inside of this circle.  All of them are getting healed as much as they are, because of you, personally.  You're being silly.  And like, it's your backlash, maybe I shouldn't be as hard on you as I am, right?  But when you're done with this in a few days, I want you to remember the espers who'll be in the field tomorrow because of you, personally."

"Aw fuck," she sniffles. "Sincerity, my only weakness. That's a fucking lie, I have so many weaknesses right now."

"If you have anything other than a weakness right now, let me know."  Little grin?  She seems stable enough right now?

She snorts a little, and manages to smile back without immediately breaking into tears. Call that a win.

Hmmm.  It had been a while since he'd been forcibly relaxed like had been last night.  Maybe the technique works on others.  Does April respond positively to scalp scratches?

...well she gets sniffly, and she gets kind of grumpy about being sniffly, but she also relaxes into a boneless puddle with a strong note of contentment in her grumbly noises, so, results are mixed? More testing needed.

Man, it's such a good thing that he's been inured to bodily fluids.  Thanks, Carol.  And Sara.  Great trick, with the headscratching.  "So, uh.  I've gotta know - I mean, you don't have to tell me.  But...he set a teacher on fire?"

"...ah fuck yeah I did mention that huh."

She considers.

"Our philosophy teacher was a smoker, and also just generally a weirdo, and he kept a lighter with him all the time, he'd flip it on and off when he was bored. And Sean forgot his homework one day, and—Sean has a thing where he gets really touchy about—not being believed when he's telling the truth? And Mr. Jacobs did not believe him about the homework, which, I mean, the last six times he didn't do the homework he just admitted it, so I don't know why he would've lied that time, but I'm not Mr. Jacobs. Anyway they were yelling back and forth and Sean grabbed the lighter. Didn't really do much more than scorch the end of his sleeve, but Mr. Jacobs had to stop bringing his lighter to class and Sean's parents had to bribe the school not to expel him."

And uh.  Okay.  I may have made mistakes.

"Uh.  I mentioned the PA thing because, you kind of.  I'm not - an expert.  But you really really seem like you're gonna need one.  But it doesn't have to be him.  If you don't want.  I can ask Bill to find someone local if - that's something you'd prefer?  Uh, my agent.  Bill Moore."

"I mean, okay. The setting a teacher on fire thing was definitely a low point in... the whole... Sean. But on the other hand—I don't know, do you want our whole drama after all? I guess the short version is, neither of us knew I was awakening when he spent three days at my house making sure I had food and water and clothes and slept in a bed and went to the bathroom in the bathroom while I was crying literally constantly and couldn't take care of myself. He just did that because he cares about me. I don't know if that's the thing a PA should be but it's the thing Sean is and I sure as hell appreciate it."