Fix You ~Completed~

Act Eighty-Eight

"A thousand-and-ten calories. That's pretty good, Clemmy. Try eating just a little bit more today though, okay?"

Eddie was looking in the tiny book my psychologist, Dr. Manuel, had given me to track my food intake inside. It had been in use for about two months by then and I had a little more than a sixth of it full. To put on the weight Dr. Manuel wanted, I needed to eat over three thousand calories a day every day. "You are nearly thirty pounds below what your BMI chart suggests for a male your height," Dr. Manuel had explained after I stepped off the scale. Eddie was beside me in the couch the good doctor had set up, holding my hand and supporting me like he always did. "I say we should set you up to gain at the very least thirty-five pounds. It'd be preferable for you to actually go up forty, even forty-five, but we should take small steps."

I wanted to puke. Small? Thirty-five pounds was not small! That was a decently sized dog! That was bigger than the average cat! In other words, I had to put on the weight of another being!

So far, I'd managed to get up to a consistent thousand calories every day. From what Dr. Manuel figured, before I was lucky to get that in a week. I didn't think he was wrong.

I also had gained three pounds. It wasn't much, nor was it what I should have been at by that time, but it was progress.

When Eddie was finished checking out my book, which was something he insisted upon doing every day, he returned it to me and went to break out the bag of licorice he kept stocked for me. "It's one of the better candies for you," he had informed me. "But it will still help you gain weight."

We settled at the table and I split a deck of cards for us. He had taught me how to play Go Fish (which was a children's game I never got the pleasure of indulging in) and Garbage. Ale had been with us when I learned about Garbage, and he started to snicker, "Wow, Kyla got a card game named after him?"

"So, on a scale of one to ten, how is it today?" Eddie brought up. I was shocked it took him so long to ask. Usually, the question came three or four times a day. Not that I was complaining; it was sweet how much Eddie cared.

"Today was pretty good. I'd say it was a three. It would have been a two on the hurt level if I hadn't made the mistake of ordering by myself," I said gently, dealing him exactly seven cards. I couldn't remember what game he suggested we played, but I knew it needed seven cards. Seven was the magic number.

"Does your medication still make you sleepy?"

I gave him a fraction of a smile. "Ed, I'm always sleepy. I'm a college student and sleep used to be my only hobby. It's hard to go from sleeping thirteen hours a day to only eight."

"The more you eat, the more energy you'll have despite your sleep schedule. Malnutrition can really drain you," he explained, taking a licorice whip and holding it up to my mouth. I took it in between my teeth and yanked it out of his grip, grinning. "They do help though, right?"

"My meds?" I lifted one shoulder. "Yeah. I don't feel so smothered anymore. I suppose that'd be a good way to put it. When I get low, I don't hit rock bottom and keep going. I sort of just dangle there, maybe a foot above the floor."

Eddie gave me another piece of candy, which I accepted even though my stomach was begging me not to. "That's relieving, sweetie," he nodded, allowing his face to soften enough. God, he always looked so worried and I hated it. I preferred to see him relaxed, happy. "Do you need refills yet?"

"Why are you asking about it now, Eddie?" I stared down at my cards. Three diamonds, two clubs, and two spades. Lovely. I didn't even know if that meant anything good.

"Well, I haven't checked in on you about it in about a week. You said you wanted me to stop focusing on it so much, so I let up a little," my boyfriend explained, laying down a spade. "What game are we playing again?"