Splattered Paint - Dan Howell

Nearly There

Phil’s P.O.V

Days passed and Darcy was starting to move more. Her arms had become useable and she was back to eating normal food. I remember the face she made while taking her first bite of a proper cooked meal, she obviously hadn’t eaten anything decent on four years. I didn’t want to bring it up though, she already had to put up with the police’s interview as it was. I learnt more of her kidnapping, in which she had been taken to a tall building in the rougher part of London and held captive in an apartment by a man who treated her like a ragdoll. It made me sick knowing such a monster would damage a girl so precious and so beautiful. Yet she lived and endured until the day she escaped.
“Phil?” I took my eyes away from my book and looked over at Darcy.
“I just moved my toe” I raised an eyebrow.
“Really?” She nodded and grinned at me.
“It felt funny” I giggled and watched as Darcy focused on her feet, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Then I noticed the bed sheet twitch.
“Did you see?” She asked excitedly.
“Yeah! Maybe soon you will be able to move your legs!” She nodded enthusiastically then went back to reading. Since her movements were becoming easier and less painful we could let her do much more like brush her hair, read, change the TV channel, play games on my phone and brush her teeth, and each time we tried something new she was as excited as the last. Every day, whenever she felt she needed to, the nurses would help her into her wheelchair and bathe her, or let her use the facilities. But the most incredible physical activity she spent copious amounts of her time dong was painting. She said her hands got shaky after a while but the things she created were amazing, a definite artist.
“Tell me about your friend Dan...” Darcy had put her book down and was looking over at me. I closed mine too and sat upright.
“Well... He is the laziest person you will ever meet. He has a fringe like mine but brown. He … uh… has brown eyes. Loves food, internet and more food. He is also quite tall, and is actually younger than me, he is only twenty-one and his birthday was a few days ago. He also wears a lot of black, and is generally quite polite and kind” Darcy nodded and I watched her process his description, trying to imagine him in her head.
“When can I meet him?” I sighed, Dan hadn’t seemed to please about this whole situation and I hoped she wouldn’t ask that. On his birthday he got rather upset that I wasn’t going to spent the entire day with him, and I felt terrible but surely he could understand my position and how important it was that I visit Darcy.
“Well he is quite busy with the radio show so I don’t really know, probably when you move in ” She sighed and shrugged, obviously worried Dan did not approve of her.
“Okay”