Depressed | Phan {EDITING}

twenty seven

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this chapter might be terrible because I wrote it using a keyboard on a moving train... so, yeah. also, how to save a life came on while i was writing this and i genuinely started crying. the man across from me thinks i'm insane but oh well.
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PHIL

Something isn't right.

Dan's been stumbling around the house all day and I'm getting really worried. I asked him about it this morning but he said he was fine... Before tripping over his own feet.

"Dan, seriously. There's something not right, we need to take you to a doctor," I say, bringing him into a hug.

"N-No... Not a d-doctor," he stutters.

"Well what do you want me to do?" I ask, "I don't see any other option."

"Ah, shit!" he suddenly exclaims, stumbling backwards and bringing his hand to his forehead.

"What's wrong?" I say, rushing over and holding him close to me.

"I don't k-know. I..." he starts, but his voice quickly fades away as he leans further into my arms, "I..."

And then he stops. His body completely collapses into me and I start to panic. "D-Dan?" I shout, "Can you hear me? Dan!"

I lay him carefully onto the carpet, before running over to the phone and dialling '999'. It rings a few times and then I hear the voice of a woman, "Metropolitan Police Service, what's your emergency?"

"M-My... My friend he's just c-collapsed. I-I don't know what to do," I cry, completely freaking out.

"Okay, sir, please just stay on the line and try not to panic," she says, "Where are you situated?"

"Uh... B-Brixton. G-Glanville Road," I say, wiping away my tears.

"Okay, we'll be there as soon as we can. In the meantime, could you put your friend into the recovery position? Do you know how to do that?"

"Y-Yeah, I think so..." I stammer.

"Well, you might be in a bit of shock right now, so I'll just run you through it very quickly, okay?" she says, calmly.

I follow all of her instructions, and carry on talking to her, until I hear the door open and the paramedics rush in. They put his body onto a stretcher and run back outside, to the ambulance. Everything happens so quickly and I just can't process anything.

"Sir? We're loading him in now, are you alright?" one of the men asks me, a soft smile on his face.

"Y-Yeah, I... um," I point to the blue flashing lights, "I n-need to go."

I run over to the ambulance and stand at the door, before a woman stops me, "Sorry, family only."

I look over at his limp body and turn back to her, "Please, he's my-" But I sigh and stop myself from saying boyfriend, I don't know what they'd say. "He hasn't got any family left... please," I say to her.

She sighs but helps me up anyway, "Okay then. I don't do this very often but just this once, I'll make an exception, seeing as there's nobody else."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," I repeat, smiling.

They close the doors behind me and I'm forced to look at Dan's body laying down, unmoving, on the stretcher.

"I was just wondering if you could give me some information on the patient, sir?" the doctor, sitting across from me, asks, holding a clipboard and a pen.

"Y-Yeah... I can try," I say, wiping away more tears that seem to be endlessly streaming down my face.

"His name, first of all, please?"

"D-Dan Howell. Uh, Daniel Howell, actually."

"How old is Daniel?"

"Seventeen," I sigh, rubbing my face with my hands.

"So, are you Daniel's brother?" he smiles.

"No! God, no," I exclaim. The man looks at me, expectantly and I sigh, "He's my boyfriend."

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry," he says, writing something down in his clipboard, "And, what's your name?"

"Philip Lester... but Phil is fine, thanks," I say, trying to force a smile.

"Okay then, Phil. Why was Dan at your house?"

"He got... He got kicked out," I sigh.

"I'm sorry. But, you know that he can't be staying with you, right?" the doctor says, "Until he's eighteen, his parents still have custody over him."

"B-But, no! That isn't fair!" I exclaim, getting kind of angry, "He isn't safe there!"

"Until Dan comes forward with some kind of proof, theres nothing we can do. I'm very sorry sir."

"Fine, then. Are there any more questions?" I sigh, leaning back into my seat.

"Is there anything, you know of, that could have caused this to happen?"

"Um... I don't think so. Why? What do you think it is?"

"The most likely cause, for someone like Daniel, is probably malnutrition," the man says, looking at me, meekly.

"I know he doesn't eat much, but I didn't realise it was that bad... I thought he just had a really small appetite."

"He doesn't show any signs of depression, does he?"

"Y-Yeah.. actually," I sigh, "He does."