Caregiver Baran Al-Hashimi & Littles! Samira Mohan and Mel King
- Baran found out that they both regressed when all three of them used to work together at the VA.
- She wasn't going to leave it be when she found out that two of her best doctors were regressing alone, and she realized she could give both of them the safety neither of them seemed to have otherwise. Especially since her house was empty most of the time anyway, with her son being with his dad most of the time due to her busy schedule. Therefore, the most practical solution was to let Mel and Samira come over, relieve their stress, and Baran would get to care for her doctors as well as fill her house with love and laughter again.
- Baran first found out about Samira after Samira had an absolutely brutal shift at the VA. Two patients died. Another, she couldn’t help because insurance delays had tied everyone’s hands.
Samira had kept it together all night purely out of stubbornness and adrenaline. So the second she was alone, she broke. Baran went looking for her after noticing she never came back from the locker room. She expected crying, maybe anger. Instead, she found Samira curled up in the corner between the benches, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe, and emotionally, she looked so impossibly small.
“Samira?” Baran said softly, crouching down in front of her. “Hey, honey, what’s wrong?”
Samira flinched like she’d been caught doing something shameful. “’m sorry,” she cried in a tiny voice completely unlike her usual composed self. “I tried really hard.”
Baran’s expression softened instantly. “Oh, sweetheart.”
“I couldn’t fix them.”
Baran sat down on the floor beside her without hesitation. “Come here.”
After only a second of hesitation, Samira practically collapsed into her lap. That was when Baran realized this wasn’t just a breakdown. The way Samira clung to her hoodie sleeve with trembling hands and the slurred speech. Baran had seen trauma responses like this before during psych rotations back when she was a resident. So, in true Baran fashion, she adapted immediately.
“You do not have to apologize for hurting,” Baran murmured, rubbing circles into her back. “You had a horrible night.”
“Patients s’posed to get better,” Samira whispered miserably.
“I know.”
“I’m bad at this.” That one nearly broke Baran’s heart because Samira was one of the best residents she’d ever worked with. Brilliant, compassionate, endlessly hardworking.
“No,” Baran said gently, tipping Samira’s chin up enough to meet her eyes. “You cared and fought for them. Sometimes medicine still loses anyway, and that's very sad.”
Samira’s lip wobbled. After a long silence, she asked quietly, “Can you stay?”
Baran immediately squeezed her hand. “Yeah, azizam. I’ll stay.”
So she did. She sat on the locker room floor holding Samira while she cried herself out, occasionally mumbling sleepy apologies into Baran’s shoulder. Later, once she’d calmed down a little, Baran asked softly, “Does this happen a lot?”
Samira looked mortified but gave a tiny nod. “Sometimes when things get bad,” she admitted quietly. “It helps.”
Baran just squeezed her hand again.“Okay,” she said simply.
- Baran would find out about Mel a month or two later.
Mel had the day off and wasn’t answering her phone, which normally wouldn’t have been strange, except Baran needed to speak with her about a shared patient before the next morning. Nothing catastrophic, but important enough that Baran decided to swing by her apartment on the way home.
She knocked lightly on the door. “Dr. King? It’s me, Dr. Al-Hashimi.”
She was met with silence. Baran frowned faintly. Mel was usually quick to answer, if not the door, then at least a muffled “one second!” from somewhere inside.
She knocked again. “Mel?”
Still, no response or sign of life. Now mildly concerned, Baran tried the handle and realized the door was unlocked.
“Dr. King?” she called carefully as she stepped inside. “I’m coming in.”
The apartment was cozy and dimly lit. It had been one of those rainy afternoons where the world felt soft around the edges. There was a cartoon playing quietly on the TV, the smell of microwave mac and cheese lingering in the air, and craft supplies absolutely everywhere. And in the middle of the living room floor sat Mel. She was sitting cross-legged in fuzzy socks, surrounded by stuffed animals and half-finished bracelets, completely absorbed in coloring.
Mel looked up at the sound of Baran’s voice and then froze. The expression of horror that crossed her face was immediate. Baran stopped too, suddenly realizing several things at once. It was very clear that Mel was not in her normal state of mind. Her massive hoodie engulfing her hands, her posture smaller and softer, and her chewelry dangling from her neck.
“Oh,” Baran said quietly before she could stop herself.
Mel immediately scrambled to sit up straighter, face burning red. “I-I can explain—”
“You don’t have to,” Baran interrupted gently.
That only seemed to make Mel more embarrassed somehow. “I wasn’t doing anything weird,” she rushed out. “I just— sometimes on my days off I—”
“Mel.” Baran’s voice stayed calm and warm. “You are allowed to relax in your own apartment.”
Mel stared at her, clearly expecting confusion at best and judgment at worst. Instead, Baran just glanced down at the friendship bracelet supplies scattered across the carpet.
“…Are those frog beads?” she asked. Mel blinked hard, completely thrown by the question.
“...Yeah.”
“They’re very cute.”
That finally earned a tiny, startled laugh out of her. Baran sat carefully on the couch while Mel slowly uncurled from her panic on the floor, still visibly mortified but no longer looking seconds away from bolting out a window.
“I’m sorry the apartment’s messy,” Mel mumbled.
“It’s cleaner than most residents’ apartments,” Baran replied dryly, which made Mel snort softly. And, since Baran was observant, she saw the details afterward. The carefully folded weighted blanket was draped across the couch’s arm, and the noise-canceling headphones were plugged in to charge next to the television. Safe foods lay cluttered across the counter.
Baran understood more than Mel probably realized, though unlike Samira, Mel clearly understood herself far better than she let other people see. And thanks to Samira, a month earlier, Baran recognized the signs almost immediately. This wasn’t childishness. It was simply how Mel let herself rest after forcing herself to hold everything together day after day.
So Baran simply discussed the patient with her like normal, accepted the frog bracelet Mel shyly offered her before she left, and never treated her any differently afterward. Which was exactly why Mel trusted her enough to eventually regress around her on purpose.
- The first time Baran introduces Little! Samira to Little! Mel, it's anxiety wrecking for all parties.
"What if she doesn't like me, maman?" Samira would cling to Baran anxiously.
They were waiting for Mel to come over on the day that all three of them had off, and clearly, Samira was already regressed. They’d spent weeks trying to coordinate a day when all three of them were off so the girls could finally meet properly without Baran having to split her time between separate visits.
"Azizam, I'm sure it'll be fine. Mel's a sweet little girl." Baran would coo.
But Baran couldn't lie; she was filled with her own anxieties. She really hoped the two would hit it off.
And then the doorbell rang.
- They, very fortunately, hit it off. So much so that they get very comfortable with the idea of regressing around each other, and more often than not, Baran has two little girls running around. It makes her heart happy.
- After Baran's first day in the Pitt, she suddenly understands why, for the last ten months, Samira has been walking through the door of her house and just regressing immediately. Yes, she'd heard about both Mel and Samira's complaints about Robby. Still, she hadn't really understood until dealing with the man himself and watching him needle Samira all day with insults and passive-aggressive behavior.
- That night, Baran is curled up with her girls on the couch.
"Sami? Sweet girl, Maman is so sorry she didn't realize how hard Dr. Robby was being on you."
She showers her girls with a ton of love and affection that night. She hadn't really understood, and now she does.
- Mel is very naturally the little sister in this scenario. She loves playing with her stuffies and hanging out with Samira because "Mira is the coolest ever!" She always acts like Samira just accomplished advanced neurosurgery, even if it's just Samira showing her how to make toast.
- Samira tends to take on the role of the older sister to Mel's little sister when both of them regress. She's the one doing Mel's hair, making her bracelets, reading her books that Mel doesn't quite understand just yet because "she's just so little, maman!"
- Both of them, when they're little, love to do a ton of crafting. Baran always makes sure she has a million and one craft supplies on hand because her girls always want to draw or make her something. Her fridge is just absolutely covered in stuff they both made.
- Mel has made matching bracelets for all of them. Samira wears hers proudly, both at home and work. Baran wears hers under her jacket sleeve at work but openly at home.
- Both Baran and Samira have gotten used to Mel's stims and sensory needs. They both have headphones on the ready, and they're always willing and able to accommodate where Mel is at. Now, it's not always smooth sailing - they've really been working on trying to help Mel with unmasking and her emotional regulation and needs. A lot of the time, Mel gets overwhelmed and hides and starts chewing on her fingers.
- This has led Baran to start carrying around a chewable necklace just for Mel when those moments happen. They also start getting soft things and weighted blankets for Mel, and they're really good at adapting for when she goes non-verbal. Samira always finds a fun way to play with Mel, even when she doesn't feel like talking.
- They both call Baran "Maman" or "Mama".
- Mel calls Samira "Sami" or "Mira" when she's little.
- Samira calls Mel "Melly" - or when she's feeling silly, "Melly Jelly!"
- Baran will call them all sorts of pet names, her usuals being "azizam", "sweet girl", "honey", "joonam".
- Baran insists on her girls eating healthy - she always makes the yummiest dishes! She also quickly learns how to make Mel's safe foods in a pinch.
- As a consequence, both girls become obsessed with helping Baran cook. The kitchen always ends up a huge mess, with flour and ingredients everywhere. Baran has never been happier to clean up the kitchen, despite usually hating a messy kitchen.
- Both Mel and Samira will follow Baran around like little ducklings following the mama duck - both at home and both at work. Baran finds it absolutely endearing.
- Baran keeps emergency comfort items in her work bag now without even thinking about it. She's got snacks, chewerly, headphones, you name it - she probably has it.
- Baran has color-coordinated water bottles on hand for both of them, because you know they're both absolutely terrible at remembering to drink water both at work and at home.
- Mel becomes overly attached to one of Baran's cardigans. She will ask for it every time she regresses at Baran's. Baran pretends to be annoyed about constantly having her cardigan stolen and having to wash it, but you know she darn well washes it on the delicate cycle with the detergent Mel likes.
- Samira accidentally gets into the habit of falling asleep on Baran. Curled up during cuddles, dozing off in the passenger seat during car rides, leaning against Baran’s shoulder on the couch, if there’s a comfortable surface and Baran nearby, chances are Samira has fallen asleep there at least once.
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