Welcome to Underland

Meetings

The drive from the restaurant feels like it's taking forever, the pain racing through my body making me regret not bringing my pain meds with me to the meeting. We finally pull up outside my building and I sigh before turning to thank Ren who isn't in his seat anymore. I turn and find him in the backseat putting my chair together before opening my door.

"Are you able to transfer yourself?" he asks me looking at my sweaty mess of a body. "I should be ok," I mutter before transferring myself into the chair a bit messily but successfully anyways.

"Elliot!" I hear two voices from behind me before Don and Nox appear in front of me. "What are you doing out and about? I thought you said you'd stay in and recover a bit," Don says looking over me worried energy flooding me.

"Had to go to a work thing, I'm sorry. I didn't miss my feed though," I say kind of proud that despite the change in my plans I successfully did my feed while out. "That's great Elli," Nox says as he crouches down to look at me. "You should be wearing some braces," he mutters at me, a bit of disapproval running through his voice.

"I was in a rush, unfortunately," I answer before looking at Ren who is staring at the other two confused. "Oh I'm sorry Ren is my boss this is Nox and Don my....." I pause for a second to think of what they are to me. "We're his friends but theres no need to introduce us. We are actually good friends with Ren we have a mutual interest," Don says smiling at Ren.

"Thanks for bringing him home Ren, we'll let you head back to work and we'll make sure he gets into his place safe and sound," Nox says to him. "Oh no I insist on escorting him inside it is my jobs fault he isn't doing great now, the place we were in wasn't wheelchair accessible so he exhausted himself because of my company so I want to make sure he is in his place safe and sound," Ren explains looking me over worry shining in his eyes.

"Why don't you all come in for a cup of tea?" I suggest knowing neither will back down and allow the other to 'escort me in'.

"Good idea," Don appears behind me and pushes my chair towards the building. "Nox show Ren where to park his car," he yells behind him, "thanks for getting them to stop" he whispers into my ear making me laugh.

We get into my apartment and I instantly roll to where I moved the clubwear yesterday and shove it into a drawer, thankful Nox didn't find it, before heading into the kitchen and grabbing a pain killer and swallowing it dry. I look up at my counters and sigh at their height, I may have to move soon, I think to myself as I pull myself into a standing position and grab cups and tea from the cupboards before dropping back into my chair. I curse myself as the world spins aggressively fast, dropping my head into my hands waiting out the gut-churning spinning.

Once the world calms down I reach up for the kettle before filling it and switching it on. Rolling out of the kitchen I find Don looking at my book collection and Nox and Ren coming in the front door.

"Nice place," Ren says politely as he takes a seat on the couch with Nox. "Thanks, I think I may need to find another place soon though so gonna have to start looking soon," they all whip their heads towards me.

"You're not moving out of the area, are you?" Don says, Nox nodding along. "That's not the plan but I need a place more, wheelchair accessible so I need to look for a place that fills those requirements," I explain before hearing the kettle clicking and heading into pour the hot water into the cups. I pull out a tray from the press and sit it on the armrests of my chair before putting the cups of hot water on it with the tea bags.

Turning the chair towards the other room I lose focus when I see Nox kiss Don and hit the tray into the corner.

It happens almost in slow motion, the others turn their heads at the sound, the tray moves and dislodges itself, the cups go sliding before flipping and pouring the boiling water all over my chest and legs. A whine of pain comes out of me as it makes contact with my skin my hands shove the cups and tray off me and onto the floor where they shatter, some of the shards hitting my legs.

"Oh Elliot," Don rushes towards me. "Can I lift you onto the couch?" he asks me, I nod silently in answer, afraid that if I answer verbally only pained sounds will come out. He gently lifts me from the chair and lifts me onto the couch where Ren is waiting, Nox has disappeared, however.

"I'm going to have to remove your trousers Elliot is that ok," I nod and grab Rens hand the pain making my brain fuzzy. Don removes my trousers slowly the pain rushing through my body making me jerk with every movement of the trousers. I look down and instantly recognise that I will have to go to the hospital, my boxer are ruined too.

"Elliot is it ok that I remove your boxers, Nox will be here in a moment with cold wrappings and I'll cover you instantly," he asks me. "Wait till Nox has wrappings," the words come out as gasps. "Ren call an ambulance and tell them that they need to be here fast its basically third-degree burns," Don instructs before taking my top off me leaving me just in my socks, shoes and boxers.

Nox arrives moments later with the cold wrap and I nod at Don allowing him to take my boxers off, immediately covering all the burns with the cold wrap Nox brought. I hear Ren in the background on the phone to the ambulance but the world is spinning.

"They'll be here in two minutes," he says as he comes and holds my hand again. I try to keep my consciousness but its not long before I pass out.

I wake up to a beeping sounds, groaning I reach my hand up to my face and rub my eyes before going to sit up. Once I sit up I look around the room and find Ren in the corner on his laptop. I frown before my brain registers what had happened and where I was. My eyes widen instantly and I lift the sheets on my bed looking underneath. My legs from my knee to my crotch are covered in dressings wrapped all professionally with a diaper covering my private areas and frown when I see a tube coming out.

"You didn't burn your private parts don't worry, you did burn all around them though and instead of leaving you're private parts just out we put on a catheter for you peeing and then also a diaper to keep the area covered. The diaper is actually one of my own invention that is actually for burns," a man in a labcoat must have walked in while I was checking myself. "I'm Doctor Smyke, I am a burn specialist, you really are lucky you didn't get third-degree burns somehow but you did burn yourself badly, you will need to stay in until tomorrow morning so we can change your dressings but then you can leave once you change your dressings every day, and the diaper every time you use the bathroom. You will need the dressings for about a week or so, then go to your doctor who will decide whether you need them for longer or not," he explains to me. "I don't have to actually use this diaper do I?" I ask quietly. "Oh no don't use it under any circumstance the bowel discharge could infect your wounds, you do need to make sure you clean up after yourself properly though," he explains before checking I've any other questions and leaving. I glance at my phone and see it is still Saturday just almost 11pm.

"Thank you for coming in with me Ren," I say to Ren as he walks towards me. "I'm glad I was there to help," he says to me looking me over before sighing. "I do have to head to work though, someone messed something up. You don't need to work next week, you need to heal. I got your number from Nox, I will text you," he says before waving and leaving.

I sink deeper into the bed and think for a moment, I am due to meet Master Raine tomorrow but I won't be able to play with these burns, I sigh but shrug, I'll still go but wear loose trousers. Nox and Don walk in minutes later.

"We just wanted to check and see how you are," Nox says as he sits on the edge of the bed. "I'm ok, I am just going to go to sleep to be honest I'm very tired. Thank you for helping me though," I smile at the two of them.

"We'll pick you up tomorrow. Sleep well," they both say before leaving. I lay still for a moment before closing my eyes and allowing the sweet call of sleep to take me.