Freedom To Another Cage [BILLFORD]

Chpater 16: Taken

It had been a while since they left him alone to himself, but he could hear the sounds of footsteps approaching his door once more. Soon enough, the sound of a key being put into the lock could be heard, before the door opened. A staff member, specifically the same one as previously, had walked inside his room and smiled at him. "Good morning, Bill."

"Morning." Bill didn't move.

The staff member continued to stand at the doorway for a second in silence, observing his position underneath the blanket before speaking once more, "How are you feeling today?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing? No aches from yesterday, no stomach pain? Nothing at all?"
"Oh..." He changed his answer. "Nauseous, as usual.. Headache..."

A look of understanding flashed across her face as he continued to answer her question. She crossed her arms and observed him once more, before asking another question. "And your emotions? How do you feel emotionally?"
"... Numb."
She nodded again, taking note of that fact as well. After a pause, she then stepped further into his room. "Do you mind telling me how you felt after you took your medication yesterday?"
"Sad."
She took note of that too, before sitting down across from him. She gave him a sympathetic look as she listened. "Why did you feel sad after your medication, Bill?"
"Because I didn't want it."

The staff member nodded again and made another note before responding, "You didn't want to take the medication, I understand that. But... the medications you are taking help you, Bill. They may not feel pleasant at the moment, but the medications will help in the long run."

She tilted her head once more and observed him. This was very different than the usual behavior she was so used to seeing. Normally he was full of energy or anger, but now he was almost lifeless. She sighed and took another note before speaking once more, "Are you hungry? It's time for lunch."
"... I would like something, yeah.."
The staff member smiled in response, glad that he was at least showing a little activity. She stood back up and began walking towards the door. "Alright. I'll go grab your food for you. I'll be back in a moment." With that, she exited the room and closed the door, leaving him alone in the room once again.
Bill kept silent and still, like he had been pretty much the whole time.

The sound of the staff member's footsteps soon became silent, but it didn't take long before the same footsteps could be heard approaching once more. The sound of a key being put in and twisted in the lock, followed by the door opening, could be heard once again. The staff member re-entered, this time holding a tray of food. They smiled once more as they walked up to him, before setting the tray down on the table beside his bed.
Bill sat up, sliding the plate closer to himself before observing it; a basic sandwich with grapes on the side, since they took notice of his liking for them.
"I see you like grapes, huh?"
"... Yeah." He said as he started eating.

She continued to observe him, glad that he was eating something and he seemed a little more alive now. She tilted her head slightly as she spoke. "So I noticed a pretty big behavior change. From yesterday to this morning. You were pretty aggressive and fighting, and now you're much more..." She paused to think for a second. "Numb/apathetic."
He shrugged. It was definitely the meds repressing all forms of anger like intended... but he didn't feel very alive like he should.
The staff member nodded, knowing fully well it was the medication effecting him. "Right, of course. The medication does that. It's designed to suppress the 'negative' emotions: anger, sadness, aggression, etc."
"Yeah."

She took another small note, pausing for a moment before continuing to speak. "You said you felt 'sad'? May I ask why you feel sad after taking the medication? Is it because of how the medication makes you feel?"
"No. I was worried how it'd affect them."
The staff member sat there in slight confusion, furrowing her brows slightly before asking to clarify, "They...? What do you mean by 'they'?"
"I don't know the gender yet."
She raised an eyebrow, tilting her head in curiosity. This wasn't what she was expecting. "You... don't know what gender they are yet? Who...?"
"I tried to tell you, but you clearly don't care."