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Chapter Seven: Imperfection
I've been led to the room that I had been tested in before. The long metal table is the same and around it are five chairs. I'm told to sit in the far end seat and do so, my heart starting to race in my chest at the possibilities of tests I could be doing today.
Will it be physical or mental? Will I be hurt in the process?
Why can't the lads come in and join me?
"Niall, I'm picking up an incline in your heart rate, are you okay?" I look down at the wires that have been attached to my body. I feel like an experiment. There's multiple ones just dangling off my skin. I'm shirtless and the wires taped to my chest must be the ones monitoring my heart rate.
"I'm just feeling a bit claustrophobic," I say out loud, not knowing where my voice is actually being picked up. The room is literally bare of everything. I inspect the ceiling and notice tiny speaker boxes where the doctor's voice must be transmitting out of.
"I know that it's not the most comfortable situation, but you have to trust me, okay? I'm not going to hurt you at all." I find it amusing that the doctor thinks that by assuring me safety, that I'll actually believe him.
"We're all here too, Niall. We won't let him do anything too harsh on you," Louis' voice rings out around me, much louder than the doctor's.
"Tomlinson, how many times do I have to tell you to not touch the microphone?" The doctor says annoyed and there's some scraping noises. I can hear the lads' laughter in the background which makes me feel a lot more confident. If they were overseeing this then it can't really be too terrible. I know that they would never let anything too bad happen to me.
"His heartbeat slowed down. Is that bad?!" Harry exclaims and I chuckle at his concern. The doctor reassures him that it means that I've calmed down a bit. Harry sighs audibly with relief.
"Alright, Niall, you still awake?"
"Donavon, of course he's awake. We can see that clearly!"
"Louis, I need you to step away from the glass, please. And stop being so loud," Doctor Donavon, I'm assuming since Louis said his name, reprimands Louis. There's a bunch more laughter before a loud scratching against the floor. It reminds me of a chair being slid across the ground.
"Okay, now that we're settled on this side of the glass, I'm going to have to ask you if you're settled as well," Doctor Donavon turns his attention back to me.
"Yeah, I'm good," I answer. I really just want to get this over with. I've got a cliff to look out over.
"Great, do you know what you will be doing today?"
"No." How could I when we hadn't discussed it at all?
"I will give you case scenarios for your mind to imagine. You should concentrate on the sound of my voice and allow it to transport you to that other place. The wires attached to your body will show me just how well you handle it. If at any point you become too distressed, I will cut the program. Got it?"
Cut the program? Too distressed? What kind of experiment was he doing on me?! Why is there a possibility of me having to be aborted out of the scenario?
"Heart rate rising."
"Brain waves have increased."
The lads are all relaying information to the doctor. The wires must be picking up a lot on me. I have the urge to rip off all the wires, starting with the ones attached to my head. I'm not a fan of those at all. And why did I need multiple ones in my wrist and chest? Don't they monitor the same thing?
"Heart rate still rising," Liam says concerned.
"Niall, stop over-thinking. I give you my word that this will all be okay. But this is for your own good, Niall. We need to figure out what's going on with you."
I shut my eyes and focus on my breathing. He's right, I know he's right. "This will help me right?" I ask quietly, breathing through my nose only.
"Yes."
Deep breath in. "And you'll make it stop if it becomes too much." Deep breath out.
"Heart rate becoming steady."
"Absolutely," Doctor Donavon's voice brushes over and I take in another breath slowly.
"Heart rate even."
I open my eyes, calmness solidifying over me. "I'm ready," I say.
"Good, now shut your eyes and listen. Let your mind wander." I close my eyes and relax into my chair. "Deep breaths," Doctor Donavon says smoothly, slowly, so slowly. "Good..."
YOU ARE READING
Back to Reality: Niall's Cancer Battle sequel
Fanfiction**This is the sequel to Niall's Cancer Battle.** Not everyone is fortunate enough to live through death. And I guess I didn't technically "die." But what I did experience was enough to really slam me back into reality.
