Vikk's P.O.V.
Although I understood why Lachlan had freaked out over the idea of going to the mental hospital, why the forced hold seemed absurd to him, but I knew that from his family's point of view, it was the right decision. He didn't quite understand just how bad it was, how much this illness was effecting him. He didn't remember simple things like his address, he wandered off without realising it. Lachlan was a danger to himself and he needed help.
I don't think my parents even knew that Lachlan had been there, and I wasn't about to tell them. They already had enough to worry about without wondering why there was a boy- a mentally ill, and someone they would probably coin as crazy, boy- I had pulled off the streets sleeping in my bed. I had decided very early on that they didn't need to know about him.
But because I didn't have his number, I couldn't text him. I had given him mine but he hadn't texted me just yet, leaving me with no news and no way to contact him. All I could do was wait and hope he decided to talk to me.
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By the time Lachlan did decide to text me, I was already drunk. I had taken a couple of weeks off work because I was sick of everything- I hadn't had work when I met Lachlan, nor in the week and a half following, so I had some time to get drunk, deal with my hangovers and hopefully not end up in hospital with alcohol poisoning. I honestly thought I wouldn't care but now that I had the memory of the blonde boy in the back of my head I would rather if I didn't.
Two days passed, then three, and then four. Still no contact. I eventually figured that he was probably being held in the psychiatric hospital and wouldn't be able to text me, at least until he got out. He wouldn't want to stay any longer than they made him, which by law could be a maximum of 72 hours unless he posed a danger to others, which he didn't. Lachlan wasn't a danger to others, just maybe a little to himself. I hoped he got the right medications.
I got the first text 6 days after I first found him and brought him home. It was short and simple.
Unknown: Hey Vikk, it's Lachlan.
I was glad that he texted me. Unfortunately I wasn't in any state to be going anywhere as much as I wanted to, because I wanted to meet up with him.
Vikk: Hey Lachy, good to hear that you're okay. Holding up?
Lachlan: Mm, I guess
Lachlan: I don't like this
Lachlan: My family's acting weird
Lachlan: Even Mitch won't talk to me
Vikk: That sounds bad. Want to get out of the house?
Lachlan: Please
Vikk: How 'bout the park? It'll be quiet on a Tuesday afternoon
Vikk: It's meant to be mostly warm too
Lachlan: That sounds good
Lachlan: 4?
Oh thank God he suggested the afternoon, considering I was pretty drunk I would be nursing a hangover the next morning but hopefully by that afternoon it would have cleared up and I would be able to function like a human being.
Vikk: That works
Vikk: I'll see you then
And with that, it was a plan. I would see Lachlan the next morning, and I hoped everything was okay with him. I hoped he was okay.
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I sat at the park bench, swinging my legs. It was a little past four and Lachlan had texted to say that he was about 5 minutes away, and that yes, he was coming. I wasn't worried.
"Hey Vikk." Lachlan said from behind me, and I turned to see the tall boy standing behind me with a backpack slung over one shoulder. He looked tired but he was standing up straight, his eyes weren't blank and he was much more of a person than he had been when I first met him.
"Lachlan!" I cried, jumping up and throwing my arms around him. "How are you? Are you okay?" He sighed quietly, wiping his nose to disguise the fact that he was almost crying.
"It's okay I guess, but home... god I don't know what to think about it. They're acting like I'm not even human anymore, like I might break at any second. I just want to get out of it." I nodded slowly, reaching over to squeeze his hand.
"Have they got you on medication? You're looking a lot better." He nodded this time.
"Yeah, I got a diagnosis finally and they've got me on a couple of different meds." He smiled. "I'm still getting used to it. They don't work perfectly but I haven't had any blank spots just yet."
"That's good, an improvement."
Lachlan tilted his head to the side a little, reminding me of a curious puppy. He smiled a little, but there was pain behind his eyes.
"I don't know whether or not I like this new change."
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The meeting with Lachlan had reassured me, but I still went back to drinking the moment I could. I managed to stay away from it that evening but the next morning, pretty much the moment my parents went to work, I raided the liquor cabinet and dove into my secret stash to find anything that took my fancy. That was a lot of bottles.
By that evening I was belligerent drunk, stumbling if I tried to walk to the bathroom, my vision was slightly impaired, the world was spinning and I knew that if I tried to talk, I would definitely slur my words. But then again it was just like every other day for me and the drinking made me feel okay for once in my life- no pressure, no overbearing brothers, no reality of going to work or having to get my life together. No parents hovering over my shoulder-
"Vikram!" My father practically screamed, startling me out of my thoughts. "What on EARTH ARE YOU DOING!!!"
I rolled over and squinted at him, my drunk state really not helping.
"Oh, hey dad." I mumbled before turning back to face the wall.
"VIK!!!" He yelled, voice so loud shaking the walls. "Your mother and I have put up with this for far too long! You're lazy, you have no education, you make no effort to get a full-time job! You're a disappointment to us!"
I had known that for a long time but to hear it so bluntly was a little shocking.
"You are no longer our son! Get out of our house, and I hope we never see you again!"
I was dazed, confused and scared. I left the house with nothing but my phone and the clothes on my back- heart pounding. I was homeless, nowhere to go, no one to turn to.
Except Lachlan.
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Losing Our Battles- A Vikklan, Merome and Poofless Story
FanfictionEveryone has their battles. Preston was diagnosed with cancer, leukemia, at 17 years old and 7 years later he was still battling it. He's almost never home, spending months upon end in hospital receiving treatment that is working less and less each...
