Blue:
“You left,” I muttered, pushing past Bruno angrily. “You left me to rot here. You made promises you didn’t keep and now you think you can come back.” I watched as he bit into his lower lip, straight white teeth boring into the skin nervously. His pale skin glowed serenely, the thick waves in his dark hair flopping unceremoniously into his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Blue.”
“What happens when sorry isn’t good enough, Bruno?” I snapped, staring up at him. “What word would people use if sorry didn’t exist?”
There was a tightness in my chest, causing my words to come out sputtered and choked, as though someone was twisting a knife tighter and tighter. Breathing became laboured, sore.
“Blue, I’m sorry.”
“Stop saying that.”
“Blue, I’m really sorry…”
“India, are you paying attention?”
I looked up blankly, taking in the doctor in front of me; the squat woman who had my head scan pictures in her hand, staring at me from over the top of her desk. Out of view, my mum nudged my knee with her own, fixing me with a pensive glare.
“Yes. Sorry.”
“We can’t find any lasting damage,” she continued, pointing to the blurred shapes on the picture. “You’ve got a clean bill of health.” With a bitter snort, I leaned back in my seat, gripping tightly onto the arms of the chair. Of course there was a clean bill of health; all of it had just been a ruse to ensure that Bruno went back to the Realm.
“That’s fantastic!” Mum exclaimed. She looked at me, expecting to see her own joy reflected back at her, but all I could muster was a sad smile.
“No more tests then?” I asked hopefully, starting to get to my feet. “As lovely as it is here, I’d rather not come back…”
“We’d like you to see a counsellor, India.”
The doctor looked at me blankly, pen poised over a stack of notes she had in front of her. I stared back, taking in her rather depressing facial expression and her slicked black hair.
“Pardon?”
“Injuries such as the ones you sustained can be traumatising. We’d like for you to see a counsellor to make sure that you can deal with the feelings that come with it.”
“I don’t need a shrink,” I muttered, reaching for the door. “I’m fine. There’s nothing wrong with my head.”
“Your mother mentioned nightmares.”
Never had the urge to strangle the woman who had given birth to me been so strong. Now she was playing the caring parent. Now she had decided to get involved with my life. Never mind the few months when I was running around with the guy who had pretended to be our dog.
“I don’t have nightmares,” I growled through gritted teeth, knuckles turning white as they clenched around the door handle. I needed to get away from here; run away and never return. No more memories, no more Bruno…just nothingness.
“Denial is-”
I didn’t wait around to hear the rest.
Flinging the door open, I tore up the corridor, dodging patients and consultants left, right and centre. My heart hammered at the first form of spontaneity in quite a while, blood rushing to my head as the air hit my lungs in sharp breaths. I burst from the hospital, darting down the stairs as fast as I could. I didn’t know where I was going, I didn’t even care.
YOU ARE READING
He Was A Dog When I Left, I Swear!
Humor"I can't really remember much before I was four," I admitted, shrugging my shoulders. "Four seems to be where I stop." He nodded, digging his teeth into his lower lip as he stepped in front of the window, as if to protect us both from someone lookin...
