JEFF

SLEEPERS BETRAYAL

   A few days went on like that. He avoided the faculty like they were the plague as he tried to fight off sleep. In an attempt to avoid sleep, Jeff tried to cut off his eyelids with a stray scalpel he found on a surgical table, however, he was stopped abruptly by a nurse coming in to check on the other patient. The next thing he knew, he was strapped to his bed, unable to move his limbs even an inch. His parents came by a day after the incident. They had Liu with them. Jeff was riddled with mixed emotions about his brother. He didn't know if Liu knew about his 'condition' or if he even knew about him being adopted. The doctor let his limbs free of the straps while they visited him on the request of his brother. Jeff was grateful for that.
  The visit was .... pleasant. Peter kept giving Jeff that accusing look like from before and it annoyed him deeply. Margaret was quiet and kept giving Peter a reminding look not to say anything. Liu didn't comment on how Jeff looked or sounded and told his younger brother of his time in Juvenal Hall which Jeff listened intently to. It was an hour before Evan called Peter and Margaret out into the hall. Jeff felt uneasy that they were out of earshot and with Liu here, he couldn't eavesdrop. As soon as the door closed Liu got his brothers attention with, "How'd that fight go with Keith, Troy and Randy?"
  Jeff looked at his brother with question, "What?"
  "You fought the trio of douches again. I overheard it when mom, dad and an officer were talking about it," Liu explained quickly, "I want to know how it went."
  "Did that month of prison mess up your sense of purity?" Jeff scoffed jokingly. Liu gave him a look. The kind of look that told he wasn't in a joking mood. Jeff was quiet a moment. Internally he was fighting with himself on wether he could trust Liu or not. He wanted to, he really did but a small voice in the back of his head, nagged at him that he shouldn't do it. That he is untrustworthy like his so-called mom and dad. His left hand started to ache and went to rub it. He never realized he had been missing two of his fingers since he awoke at the hospital.
  "They brought guns with them and I got shot twice. One in the shoulder and one blew off my fingers," Jeff said holding up his left hand for his brother to see. Liu's hazel eyes went round as he took Jeff wrapped hand to look more closely, being gentle the entire time. Liu looked back at his younger brother.
  "What about Randy and his lackeys?" He asked, letting go of Jeff's hand. Jeff heard the click in the doorknob and he shook his head before looking toward the door. He was thankful Liu got the hint and joined him in watching his parents walk in with the doctor. He had a nurse with him pushing a metal table. The ones that are used to carry needles, scalpels and other equipment.
  Something wasn't right. Jeffery didn't know if it was the nurse and table that set it off or the gaunt faces Peter and Margaret had. Margaret said something along the lines of leaving for the time being and Liu got up from his place beside Jeff. The boy wasn't paying much attention to his visitors and focused more on the nurse. She had taken up a needle of medium size and a white bottle then filling the syringe half way. Alarm bells were going off in his head.
  "Jeffery, we have noticed for the passed week that you have been fighting off sleep. Now sleep is important to growing minds and body's," Doctor Evan said suddenly, "That's why I have gotten permission from your parents to give you a little sedative to help you sleep."
  The nurse walked toward Jeff's side that was hooked to tubing and machinery. Then he saw the needle and what it meant. Images of dark shadows and creatures of indescribable features flashed across the boys mind. Fear overtook his rational thought and he reacted to the syringe. There was breaking of glass and shrieking as adrenaline pushed Jeff to grab the nurse by the arm and shoved her hard into the wheeled table, knocking over whatever was placed on it. Jeff was on his feet between the doctor and downed nurse when that familiar pain shot lightning down his spine and his vision suddenly whitened.
  Jeff didn't immediately open his eyes, he was too exhausted to do so. The noise had awaken him from the cold dark embrace of unconscious. He wanted more sleep but the whispers were ringing too loudly. He fought to block them out but they seemed to only get louder until he finally cracked open his eye. The voices shrieked before dying out suddenly. A light shined brightly in his eye. He tried to shut it quickly but fingers kept his eyelids apart. It shined in the other eye before it was clicked off. Snapping in his ears came next. Everything came into focus. The doctors face, blurred at first, cleared.
  "Mr. Woods, are you with us?" The doctors voice came loud and thumping in his ears. Jeff gave a growl in response. He went to move but found he couldn't make his arms move. They had him strapped down again. Evan moved to pick something up and put it to his IV.
  "Good you're awake," he said, "You've been unconscious for just about three days now." He then left the boys sight and he heard the door open then close. He was alone and he felt the exhaustion creeping back. The door didn't open again until Jeff was half way asleep. This time his parents and brother accompanied the doctor. Liu was at Jeff side, giving him a pitiful look.
  "Are sure he is completely alright to go home? Nothing open or freshly torn?" Peter asked Evan quietly.
  "Yes. We have double checked his vitals, his healing process, everything. He is completely fine. Right now your son is under a dose of a sleeper drug to pacify him," the doctor explained. The doctor said something else before coming back into Jeff's view again. There was a sound of metal clinking and the strap on Jeff's hand was gone. Then the other one was gone. Jeff automatically sat up. His body was stiff and more sore than it had been in the past two weeks. His shoulder ached and he went to rub it a little, hoping to ebb the pain. He didn't really registered or cared of what as going on around him until doctor Evan got his attention. He told the boy to sit still as he began to remove the bandages from his face.