Hollow | BxBxBxB

-15- Increase Plan

Connor awoke in the same way he'd began to become a custom too at Golden Eagle, a loud knocking on his door. Sighing he slowly raised himself out of bed, sweat covered his body and it felt like his clothes were sticking to his skin because of it.

"I'll be a minute" Connor mumbled trying to raise his voice but not really succeeding. However the person outside his door seemed to have heard him as the loud, disruptive knocking ceased.

Connor quickly got changed into different clothes feeling much more refreshed. He was now in a pair of khaki shorts and a white t-shirt. It was too hot to wear anything else, the blistering heat from the night before hadn't ceased whatsoever.

Hurriedly opening his door the sight he had expected was confirmed, Doctor Mercury was stood patiently by the door waiting for him to emerge.

"Monring Connor, we need to have a quick chat in my office before breakfast if that's okay?" The Doctor told him, Connor nodded following Doctor Mercury down to his dinky little office.

Inside they took their usual seats, Doctor Mercury had a bunch of files in front of him and was now clutching a pen in his hand.

"So there a few things I want to raise with you, the first is I want to say well done on how you've been doing with breakfast, you've made a lot of progress on that front and should be very proud of yourself for that" He said with a small smile on his face.

Connor stayed silent glancing at his feet nervously. Someone starting off with a positive only meant there was negatives to come. "However" the doctor started, yep. As predicted. Here came the negatives.

"Your weight is still dangerously low. It isn't enough only completing half portions of one meal. We need to start an increase plan" Doctor Mercury informed him stonily.

Connor could've felt his heart drop out of his chest then and there, what he was having was already too much, yet Doctor Mercury wanted him to increase?

"I- no, I can't" Connor whispered his voice barely audible as fear filled his brain. He was beginning to hyperventilate already at even the thought of increasing his current intake, let alone actually doing it.

"Connor breathe, I know it sounds scary, and I'm not saying it's going to be easy in any way, but we need to get you to a stable bmi before we can look at ways to treat you further either here or as an outpatient, okay?" Doctor Mercury reasoned staring intently into Connors eyes.

Connor silently nodded unable to even choke out any words in response, he was shaking from head to toe completely terrified of what was to come.

"So, let's start with two things, item 1: breakfast seems to be the meal you're finding the easiest, so let's start with that. From today we will increase breakfast to a full portion" Doctor Mercury decided jotting down notes on a scrappy piece of paper. Connor swallowed nervously, the fact that was only the first they were going to do was very overwhelming.

"And item 2: you need to start completing your half portions, if you don't I'll have to put measures such as an IV or a feeding tube in place and that wouldn't be pleasant for either of us really" Doctor Mercury told him sternly.

Connor leant back feeling his anxiety soar like a bird in the sky, he began hyperventilating struggling to even catch a breath.

"Absolutely not, no, Connor breathe, you're not gonna have a panic attack right now okay? You're safe, breathe" Doctor Mercury said firmly with a kind edge to his words as he reached across the table taking Connor's hand and allowing the raven haired boy to squeeze his palm as a grounding technique.

Tears streamed down Connor's cheeks as he tried to calm himself down. "I-I'm sorry" Connor spluttered out barely able to even form those 2 words.

"Nothing to be sorry for Connor, just breathe. In... 1... 2... 3... and out... 1... 2... 3... then again" The doctor instructed patiently keeping a firm grasp on Connor, eventually Connor's breathing slowed with the help of the doctors instructions and he composed himself sheepishly. He always felt so ashamed every time he had a panic attack, and here it happened on such a frequent basis.