As Sato predicted, Brooklyn's recovery did take a while that followed with a few incidents and involving him hiding from everybody, except Hudson and Bronx.

Once he was well enough to be able to get out of bed, Brook kept hiding in a corner of his room, especially whenever Goliath came, since he was still suffering post trauma. He wouldn't come out at all, and avoiding anybody else that tried to talk to him.

Everybody did their best to take it easy with Brooklyn and tried not to force him into patrols.

Brooklyn leaned against his corner, tears falling down from his eyes as he kept thinking about how Thailog broke his confidence beyond repair.

I'm useless and weak to my clan now... Goliath should just dump me on the streets. Nobody needs me to lead them... Brooklyn thought, the tears hot and wet on his face, while hiding his face in his hands.

Suddenly, there was a knock on his door, making him gasp in fear and jump, hugging his body tightly, shaking. But it was only Broadway with Brooklyn's usual soup and a whole thing of crackers to leave in his room, as well as his usual probiotics, since Sato stated Brooklyn needed to keep taking them in order to maintain a healthy digestive system again.

Broadway did his best to smile. "Uh, hi, Brook. I-I brought your lunch," he said gently, carefully approaching because they all needed to be easy and slow around their suffering brother. Brooklyn looked at him once with scared and saddened eyes, before hiding again. Broadway sighed. This had gone for a whole week with no signs of improvement. He wouldn't even talk about what had happened while being Thailog's prisoner.

"Please, Brook, we all miss you. Can't you come out and talk to us?" he asked softly, setting down his tray and trying to touch Brooklyn. Brooklyn however, pulled away. He wouldn't let anybody but Hudson or Bronx get close, especially after the fake rescue. Not even stone sleep could heal mental scars.

Broadway shook his head, standing up. "I'll just leave this here," he said in a sad voice, leaving Brooklyn by himself and closing the door.

Hudson was sitting in his chair, deep in thought about what Thailog had done to Brooklyn to break him like this. The red gargoyle wasn't the same anymore and had also been quite attached to him and the gar-beast more than anybody else in the clan. But what disturbed him most was how scared Brooklyn was of Goliath now when he shouldn't be.

Broadway suddenly showed and he looked up. "How is he?"

The aqua gargoyle sighed. "Still distressed and pale, Hudson. And he didn't eat, again." Hudson frowned, getting up and headed over to Brooklyn's room. It always went down to him to coax Brooklyn to maintain his diet.

He opened the door slowly to not startle Brooklyn, who was sitting in his corner, eyes red, looking down in depression and not touching his soup. Hudson's heart swelled with pity again for the young one, stepping toward him and sitting down, taking his hand gently.

Brooklyn tensed, but then relaxed when recognizing Hudson, his sore stomach growling and making him flush with guilt and embarrassment. Hudson smiled softly.

"I know yeh still think yur back with him, but nobody here is gonna hurt yeh, Lad, trust me. And yeh still have to eat and take yur medicine."

Brooklyn sniffled softly, still not speaking, then clung onto Hudson tight. Hudson petted his back carefully and comfortingly.

"It's alright, Lad. Yur alright. Just try to eat for me. We want you to be strong again." he said encouragingly. Brook glanced at him before begrudgingly taking the bowl that was still kind of warm, eating slowly, struggling to digest it.

Again like before, he didn't eat it all, but ate as much as he could and with help from Hudson, swallowed his medicine okay, then was guided back to bed to rest. Hudson helped him with his covers and stayed with Brooklyn until he was able to sleep. He didn't want Brooklyn to remain in that corner so much.

....

Later in the night, Goliath was standing out on the balcony, his heart feeling torn at the fact that Brooklyn was scared of him now. It felt too strange to accept it after their patrol together. Elisa was away for the evening so it was just the clan with Xanatos and Fox.

I shouldn't have sent him out by himself. I think this is my fault, Goliath thought in guilt, gripping the balcony edge in anger. Then there was a sudden thunder sound. It looked like rain for most of tonight, and bad rain too with lightning for how big the clouds looked (It was spring so rainstorms were more frequent). Sighing, Goliath decided that they wouldn't patrol tonight, but stay inside with Brooklyn instead.

The whole clan sat there in the living room with the TV on. A comedy was playing, but nobody felt like laughing in this recovery situation they were in.

Lex was sitting crouched down, gazing at the floor, images of the old, happy Brooklyn flashing through his brain, until it turned into the Brooklyn of today. Making him shake with anger, wishing they killed Thailog when they had the chance.

Bronx at the moment was with Brooklyn, who was still asleep, but shifting in his dreams, whimpering.

Angela sat with Broadway on the couch, her eyes watering a bit; missing Brooklyn being able to sit down with them. She jumped when a huge boom of thunder sounded outside, but Broadway hugged her comfortingly.

The boom hadn't just disturbed Angela, though. It rang through Brooklyn's room, and his eyes opened wide from the sound, crying out in fear, sitting up, looking around, memories of his sound test ringing in his ears. It was happening again! They were torturing him with the sounds!

Collapsing out of his bed, Brooklyn made a run for his door, as another boom hit his ear drums, running out of it, his fear racing through his veins and threatening to drown him in it. Bronx woofed as he rushed out after his friend.

He screamed again as another boom rang through the halls, keeping on running. The rest of the clan was startled as Brooklyn suddenly rushed in, eyes widened in maddened fright, running crazily around the living room, crashing into the TV and breaking it while he still kept running, Bronx behind him.

Lex's eyes rounded. "Brooklyn? You should be-oof!" he grunted as Brooklyn bowled him over accidentally while running. He couldn't escape, the noise was everywhere, even the voices of his clan were hurting his ears.

I need to get away... get away! Brook thought in fright and sadness.

Xanatos came in and was shocked in seeing Brooklyn this way, just haring all over the place, calling out in fear, sometimes crouching over and shaking as another boom exploded.

Broadway tried to get him. "It's just a thunderstorm, Brook!" he tried, but that didn't help, as it only made Brooklyn's fright madness worse. He screamed as a flash of lightning gave out in the window.

"What's going on? What's happening with Brooklyn? He could hurt himself!" cried Angela in worry, narrowly avoiding Brooklyn as he ran past her. Hudson couldn't stop him from running either.

Xanatos looked grave. He knew these symptoms all too well, and this wasn't good. "He's suffering from a recently developed phobia, something that can't be talked out of or reasoned with. Brooklyn developed a pathological fear of thunder, probably something that Thailog had done with his torturing," he informed them.

Lexington looked ready to kill, tears flickering in his eyes, watching Brooklyn running around madly, eyes popping out. He remembered one time while with Arthur when they all jumped at the thunder. But he guessed that Thailog's torturing brought out Brooklyn's pathological fear even further.

Goliath approached Brooklyn, grabbing him gently by his arm to try and steady him. "Brooklyn, stop!" he exclaimed as calmly as he could, but instead, Brooklyn winced from his touch, turning around. A flash of lightning struck, changing Goliath's face to Thailog's, whose eyes shone like Satan himself into Brooklyn's very soul.

"Come back with me, little Plaything..." Thailog purred evilly, gripping his talons hard into Brook's skin. Brooklyn screamed overtime from the hallucination, writhing.

"AAHHH! NOOO, GET OFF! STAY AWAY!" he screeched, kicking Goliath in the stomach, winding him greatly and sending him to the floor. Brook spotted an open door to the courtyard and ran for it, tears flying off his face, his clan calling him to come back. He wouldn't come back. He wanted everything to leave him alone.

It was even worse for Brooklyn out here, the rain fell like buckets, soaking through Brooklyn's skin and making him shiver. But he didn't care, he kept running until he spotted a waste bin. Sobbing, Brooklyn went for it, opening the bin and clambering in, hiding among the trash and closing the lid to silence the booms.

He couldn't stop crying, wiping his eyes as the nonstop tears flowed, as well as giving out small sneezes from the water seeping into his skin. After a while, Brooklyn's eyes casted over to a dirty, blue blanket that used to be Alex's before Fox had decided to throw it away and get a new clean one. He took it gingerly, holding it close to his body, feeling a teensy bit of comfort from it, and jumping sometimes from the booms outside and painful jolts in his belly too.

Brooklyn's eyes then closed and he curled up like a puppy with his blanket, deciding to stay here amongst the trash for a while and not burden his clan any further with healing him. He felt this was where he belonged.

....

Hudson helped Goliath up, who coughed. He was startled at how strong Brooklyn was to wind him, given his current condition and being weak muscled.

"I know, it was stupid. I was stupid. I shouldn't have grabbed him like that... It was obvious he wouldn't like it from me especially..." he grunted painfully, as Hudson helped him to the couch.

"It isn't yur fault, lad. It was just protective instincts for Brooklyn. Any of us would've done the same for him," Hudson assured his leader. The others nodded. Lex was more than willing to have done it, too.

Hudson then told Goliath to rest while he went to find Brooklyn and take him back to his room.

He made his way to the courtyard, trying to find the young Second. Brooklyn's scent led him towards a rubbish bin. Straining his hearing, Hudson heard sniffling, and knew he found him.

Taking a breath, Hudson opened up the trash bin lid, revealing a disheveled and filthy Brooklyn among the rubbish, holding an old blanket. Hudson himself felt his own tears at finding Brooklyn just sitting here in the trash bin. Carefully, he reached out and put a hand on his shoulder.

Brooklyn had his eyes closed, hugging the blanket, trying to hide from the sounds and he immediately jumped when Hudson's hand touched him. "AAAUGH! Don't hurt me, please!" he screamed, cowering.

"Brooklyn, it's Hudson. I won't hurt yeh, lad." the old gargoyle said.

The red one looked up and saw Hudson. He tried to calm his frantic breathing.

"What are yeh doing here in the trash?" Hudson asked.

"It's where I deserve to be! I'm not fit to lead anyone!" Brooklyn began sobbing, hiding himself with his blanket.

"That's not true, lad. You don't belong in the trash, ever. Whatever Thailog told yeh, he lied to you. Come. Let's get you out of this heap." Hudson said.

Brooklyn was still nervous, but he took Hudson's hand up. He clutched onto him for dear life as he was led back inside.

The clan kept their distance, especially Goliath who still felt guilty as Hudson led him to a bathroom, but Brooklyn eyed them with worry. He also had the blanket still clutched in his hand too for his comfort.

Once in a bathroom, Hudson found a fresh towel for him and put it around Brooklyn's shoulders so he could get dried and cleaned off because he was also pretty dirty from being in the trash. Brooklyn gave another small sneeze and Hudson got a tissue. He smiled just a little while blowing his nose. That smile warmed Hudson a bit. He really wanted to see Brooklyn smile a lot once more, but he hoped Brooklyn wouldn't have any sickness from this experience.

With his weakened immune system, Brooklyn could catch a cold or get really sick from being out in the rain and being among the filthy/germy garbage. He had already been sick too much for the past many weeks while in Thailog's custody. He didn't need it again.

Thunder boomed again, making Brooklyn jump. Hudson caught him. "It's alright. It's just a storm. It won't get ya here. I'll stay with ya."

"Thanks, I don't want to be alone right now." Brooklyn admitted in his shaky voice. He was glad that he was getting tender loving care now instead of what happened before. Bronx also carefully came in, whining softly and putting a gentle paw on Brooklyn's knee. Brooklyn's sad expression returned but he still petted the gar dog slowly.

His mentality had to improve greatly before he would be allowed to leave the castle again.

The clan still wished they knew what to do to help their Second get better. To at least get him to open up and talk to them. Sure, they wanted to get revenge on Thailog for what he had done to him, but Brooklyn's wellbeing came first.