We were doomed from the Start.(CLOSED)

[DeadnotSleeping]

Nigel nodded, feeling weaker by the minute. He wasn’t sure what to do anymore… he felt like his head was reeling.


“Thank… you…”


Darkness… it wasn’t good…


“Be… cautious… Mitchell… did… did you… check on… yourself? Are you… all right? Not… injured?...” the questions started to heap up in his clouded mind. “You… your back… is hurt… And… did you… did you eat?...”

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

"I did everything" I lie curling up into a corner.


What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him, and my back hadn't given me any trouble today. And that was good news.


I was too tired to get up to eat.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

Nie vaguely felt that something was amiss. He tried to move to look at his son. He wanted to ask when he did it, but then he realized he was missing quite a few minutes, maybe hours, from his memory. He wasn’t sure the boy was lying.


“Still… please… at least… try to rest… on a blanket… or a bed… you… you’ll catch a cold…” he tried to remember exactly where they were. “Are you… sure… it is… safe here?...”


He felt desperate. He couldn’t grab his intangible premonition, and his thoughts were starting to fall apart again.


“Sorry… I’m just… worried about… you…”

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

"I'm a bit hot dad. I'll find something if I wake up cold, but I'm just cooling down, running all over the shop has made me break a sweat, honestly I'm fine."


I scratch behind my ear


"You just worry about you getting better, okay?"

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

“I’m… nagging you… again… am I?” the dentist forced out a light chuckle. “Sorry… I… I will… I promise… so… I can… nag you… later… about… well… everything… you’re… my son… nothing… will change… in this…”


He tried to smile. He really tried. His mind was swimming already, wishes mixing with memories. He remembered how Joy would behave if someone she loved was sick, and…


“Don’t… be angry… for this… at us… your mom… loves you… the same…” he mumbled, dozing off into a peaceful slumber.

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

I was confused by the dentist's last words. I didn't have a mum.... Weird.


But I put it down to disturbance and him going a bit doolally with the medication.


I shrugged and yawned and fell asleep quite quickly with my head resting in a steel cupboard.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

The mayor felt really happy, looking over the fair. It was sizzling with life, and the colourful crowd sounded and looked content, wandering in and out of the tents and establishments.


It was wonderful. Nie loved how it felt, listening on the joyful laughter and the songs. Someone dressed as a minstrel recited the town’s made-up legend to a group of onlookers, while the jongleur on his side played with the knives, her hands moving so fast like the breeze.


“Dad!”


The man turned around, smiling at his son. The boy held his sister on his hip, while the little girl played with a new doll.


“There you are” Mitchell laughed, looking at Nigel, smiling happily. “Mom wants you over the tribunes. She just received a request… and I’ll need to suit up. Lily is yours now…”


The dentist smiled, reaching for his daughter…


…it felt empty. Nie stared dazedly in the air, opening his eyes. He still wanted to reach out for the baby girl, but when he tried to raise his arms, he jerked and gasped from the pain. He remembered then.


It was just a dream. A happy dream… he sighed, somehow saddened, then he realized their situation, and suddenly became scared, trying to move, to search for his son…

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

My dreams were the best dreams I'd had in a while.


I was in the museum were I worked, but I was giving my Dad a tour.


It was the best museum in the world and I knew everything about everything. My father was impressed and I felt good.


He met my brother, who told a mischievous joke with a swear in it and got scolded. Which was funny. I laughed until I was bent over double.


I think I laughed out loud actually.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

Laughter. It was Mitchell’s laughter, a real, honest, heartful laughter. Nie recognized it, and smiled. The boy sounded happy.


It was a good feeling, almost numbing the pain in his body. He tried to breath more evenly, to disperse the pangs. He didn’t want to disturb his son yet… sleeping in was not a big deal. They could afford it. The dentist contemplated to return to their routine, and trying to make breakfast for the kid…


…only, when he moved, he had to choke back a scream. Apparently, he moved around in his sleep… the sheets glued themselves to his back, and now they parted painfully. He managed to muffle the sound into a gasp.


…Okay, so that’s a no for getting up…

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

I woke up from my dream feeling happy and mellow. It was nice feeling like this for once.


I glance over at my father, in the delusion we were at home.


I quickly realise how wrong I was and go to the dentist's side.


"Good morning dad. How are you?. I'm going to work on your infection today. You're going to have to take those antibiotics three times a day, to, I'm afraid"

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

“Good… morning” the dentist smiled, watching the boy’s face. His son looked rested now. Good. Maybe he really had a happy dream. “I’m… okay… but… are you… all right?... You should… have a breakfast…”


He shuddered at the mention of the pills, but he nodded. Sadly, the kid was right.


“Only… if you… remember… to took… your own… vitamins…” he half-joked, somehow still worried. “I think… you need… to regain… your strength… fast… I want… you… to stay… strong… and… you should… eat…”

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

"I'll eat when you take you pills" I say in a half- joked defiance, opening a tin of ham. "It's there. I'll eat it as soon as this pills go down your throat "


I grab the infection book and read it


"Ew it says here I should drain any fluid if there is too much build up. Oh. Oh god. I'm not sure if I ate it'd be kept down"

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

Nie jerked from the thought. Of course. He dreaded it already… he knew how painful it would be. He just nodded, still, looking at his son.


“Regretfully… you’re… right… Let’s… make… let’s make… a deal… You’ll… eat… after this… and… I’ll… take those… pills…” he shuddered. He remembered the school, all right… he just was scared from the idea. “Just… I’m… not sure… if… how to… I… shouldn’t… make you… do this…”

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

"But I have too. I'm just not sure how.... Bursting them with gauze? Iodine... I've just noticed some on the window sill... Hmmmmm Ok ok I'll eat first."


I sat down and picked at the ham. I was beginning to hate the taste.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

“Usually… you use… a scalpel…” Nigel closed his eyes. He really didn’t like the idea… the pain was already too much. But there was nothing else he could think of. “Maybe… if there… is… oh… I… shouldn’t… tell you… about this… while… you’re… eating…”


He hated himself now. He was too weak, and afraid of what was coming. Like a child. But he knew that he really would have to suffer through the treatment… after all, if he didn’t… well.. he could die.


He didn’t want to die. Not yet. There were promises to keep…

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

I grew this morbid fascination. I finished what I wanted from the ham quickly.


"So, I like just pick it out? Wipe it all up, cover in in anti bacterial cream ?"


That seemed easy enough. I open the steel cabinet drawers and find lots of neatly organised medical equipment. Gauzes bandages scissors, And a scalpel.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

Nie sighed, watching as his son prepared.


“Kind of… you’ll… have to… disinfect those… first… fire… alcohol… then… open a cut… to drain…” he felt a bit nauseated. Talking about this was morbid… “If… there’s… blackened… dead… dead parts… you… cut it… out… clean it… iodine… sterile… gauze… maybe…”


It was horrifying, to think about it. His head was already swimming from weakness. Now talking about how to drain an infected wound made him queasy… no matter how many times he did that before.


He closed his eyes, trying to gather himself again.


This was not going to be easy…

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

I grab the alcohol that was in the drawer and light my lighter in my pocket. Dousing the scalpel in the alcohol and then setting it alight. It burnt for a bit. But looked shiny afterwards. I rubbed som more alcohol on it.


"This should do the trick." I get everything prepared on the bed's over table. Then get to work

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

The dentist had to restrain himself from crying out when the boy helped him to lay down on his stomach. On the painful burns. It was necessarily, but Nie still wanted to shriek and sob like a child. He was in way too much pain, and he realized how much uglier might the wounds on his back look, if his son judged them more urgent.


The thought was disturbing. Nie wanted to pray, closing his eyes as his son peeled away the bandages from his back. He wanted to scream.


He did, when Mitchell made the first cut on a painful, hot spot on his back, and jerked. The motion was enough to cause more friction on the injuries on his abdomen, and then the pain rose too high…


This time, the dentist gave himself to the darkness almost voluntarily.

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

He'd passed out. I could tell. But I left him too it as I carried on. Draining fluid and patching up the wounds after they had been doused in iodine


It was a mess. Thick yellow, and sometimes green stuff shot out with pressure. I was sick with the smell. My breakfast going down the sink. Soon his back was looking red and bloody. This was an ok sign.


I turned him on his back and did the same on his front. It was disgusting


I should have covered the bed sheets...

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

He was back at the torture chamber again, strapped to the racker, screaming in pain. The sheriff and her men were standing around him, using the red-hot branding irons for scorching his sins into his body.


“We are declaring you a murderer, sinner in the deepest crime possible” said the woman, pressing the iron to his back. “This sign is no longer M for Manor. This is M for Murderer… and you’re going to get one for every single family you destroyed. This one… this one is for mine…”


“This one is for mine…”


All of them did it. They didn’t care anymore, just heated up the branding irons again and again, pressing them deep, burning their judgement into Nie, and he screamed and cried with every single one…

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

Once I was done I tried to wake my father up quietly and tried to move him so I could take the soiled sheets off the bed.


It had soaked through. Great. The bed was a weird vinyl material. Not very wipe clean able.


"Dad," I whisper to the sleeping man. "It's all done, but we're going to have to move you to a new bed."


I took off the breaks on the bed and wheeled it out of the room, taking the books, backpack, meds and equipment for a ride at the foot. I manoeuvred the bed around the corridors to a fresh bed I found earlier . Before putting him in I plumped up the pillows then slowly and carefully lifted him onto the bed. I propped him on his side.


I pushed the old bed out into the corridor.


It was best the man slept for a while so I tidied up. Picking up everything that littered the floor. I organised the medicine and equipment on the counter and made sure everything was clean before stacking my books neatly on the shelf and tidying my backpack to the corner. I opened the curtains to let in some light.


I sat in the visitor's hair and waited for my father to wake up


The place looked cozy

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

There was light. That was the first thing to break through the walls risen from pain and madness. There was a tiny, bright beam of light, which lit up the world.


The dentist slowly opened his eyes. He felt confused… he was laying on a fresh bed, in a tidy room… a hospital? A real one… it really looked like…


…like the End never happened…


Nie tried to move, but even the tiny jerk made him see the stars, although it was broad daylight. He was so unsure where he was, what happened… he almost found his way back to the halfway-dream. Especially when he saw Mitchell sitting next to him.


“Mi… Mitchell? Where…” he couldn’t finish the question, as he realized he had something more important to say. The dentist smiled. “Thank… you… son…”

 

[CharlieBoyyy]

"I had to move our rooms" I say with a grimace "the other one stunk after I'd finished I've had a tiny bit of a tidy up in here, might make you more comfortable. Oh, but stay on your side. I've done both front and back. It wasn't pretty. But I'll check again in the morning."


I remember his antibiotics


"Did you take a pill this morning? Also you need to eat. I might make you soup."


I crack open the backpack

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

Nie blinked. He had a bit of difficulty in following his son’s words, somehow, but he understood it in the end. He nodded, trying to smile. Frankly, he was ashamed, even if he had no say in the matter.


“Sorry… I’ve… forced you… to do this…” he swallowed. It was kind of hard to speak, but this was almost funny. “I was… supposed to… be the one… taking care… but… look at us… you’re… doing… a fine job… thank… thank you…”


He managed that smile after all. Even if the pain was still there, throbbing hotly in his body and thoughts. The question made him think.


“…No…” he admitted in the end, realizing that he didn’t take it. “Sorry… and… eating… sounds… dreadful… I’m… not hungry…”