Disjointed Heart

Chapter Three

Flashback

Covered in sweat again, Chester woke up in the clinic. His breathing was erratic after the other nightmare he had to witness. As usual, he looked at his scarred leg and cringed at the sight of the deformed skin. He hated that with a passion. It was a reminder of that.

He closed his eyes again before sitting up in bed and looking around. His room was overly white as well as the whole facility. He didn't get why these clinics had to be so white. If they want the patients to feel better they should throw some colors around, the whiteness is dull. It's depressing. Not something he or any other patient needed there.

There was a soft knock on the door and right after, it opened. A Korean nurse came in, closing the door again behind him.

"Hey, Chester, how are you feeling today?"

Chester couldn't help but smile at Joe, he was the only person he could trust in this awful place besides Ryan. Every time he got assigned another nurse when Joe was unavailable, Chester only wished his time with them would be over soon. He had become more and more withdrawn from people as his time in the clinic had passed. If he could be alone forever, he wouldn't mind it at all. Unfortunately, there were so many patients in there that he couldn't get away from them, and Mark insisted for them to have group therapy, to eat together, and to do some activities in the recreation room so they could interact with each other. At least, he didn't have to share the room with anyone.

Chester sighed before he stretched and yawned, trying to look as relaxed as possible. "I'm fine, Joe." He lied.

Of course, Joe could see right through it, but he only smiled and nodded. "You know what today is, right?"

The blonde man sighed as he ruffled his hair. Each patient had to do a presentation on something they loved to know each other better... and today was Chester's turn.

If only Ryan could get him out of this one.

"Yes," he mumbled quietly and Joe sighed.

"You don't have to be nervous. No one is gonna judge you, don't worry." He smiled kindly but Chester couldn't return the gesture. He was too nervous and not just because he had to talk in front of everyone, mostly it was because he had to interact with others, something he despised. And Mark would be there.

He shook his head, trying to compose himself and got up slowly.

"I'm going to take a shower before I have to go," he mumbled again to the nurse, who nodded and left with a kind smile.

Chester took some clothes (if he could call them clothes, they always had to wear these pale gray shirts and sweats, it might be comfy, but he missed his own clothes) and got out of his room before walking toward the communal showers, keeping his eyes on the ground to avoid other people's stares.

It actually made him dizzy to do so, but at least, it made him less anxious. By some miracle, he got into the bathroom without anyone talking to him. He discarded his dirty clothes on the bench and walked toward one of the showers stall. They didn't have any doors, and a guard was always standing outside just in case, but since he had come in early, he could have some privacy.

He took his time to shower, at least, he was happy that Mark provided them with hot water. He felt his body starting to relax as he washed himself thoroughly, sighing in bliss when he finally felt clean. He closed the water and took one of the towels that were hanging on the side before he rubbed his hair and dried himself quickly. He hung it around his hips and went to take his clothes when the door opened. Chester froze as his heart started racing and his hands immediately became sweaty. He couldn't deal with anyone right now...