Remind me to forget

Chapter 05

"Stop touching me!" He trashed, trying to push the nurse away "Get off of me for God's sake!" Jughead trashed in the bed as best as he could with his broken leg and scratched arm.

"Please calm down" That same nurse said for the fifth time within the past minute, trying to grab his arms "I'm just hooking you up to a new IV. Your old one closed up"

"Could you just give me a break??"

"What is going on in here?" Dr. Masters asked, calmly, as he walked in the room. The nurse finally pulled away, holding up her hands in defense. Jughead took a deep breath, sitting up in bed with a wince as he added pressure to his arm.

"I didn't do anything"

"Everything alright in here, Cody?" Dr. Masters asked instead, turning to face the boy.

"Yes- Yes, I'm fine. I just don't like to be touched, as I've said multiple times" He perhaps glared at the nurse while saying the second part.

"I was just trying to get a new IV-"

"I'll take it from here, thank you" Dr. Masters said, smiling softly as he ushered her out.

"Now to you. You need that new IV. Im afraid that I will need to touch you for that. I'll try to be gentle though, okay? And if you need a break, I'll try to do so too. Would that be okay?" Jughead hesitated, looking at him, then nodded. Dr. Masters walked over to him and took the place that the nurse stood in just a few seconds ago.

"I need to detach that one first, okay?" He explained, pointing to the old interjection port of the IV. Jughead nodded slowly, watching him warily.

"Wait!" Jughead called when Dr. Masters had barely touched his armpit "Could I pull off the plaster on my own?"

"Yes, of course, as long as you're careful" Jughead nodded, peeling off the plaster before reaching him his arm. Dr. Master carefully pulled out the port, trying to touch the boy's skin as softly as possible.

"Now I'll quickly disinfect it before we attach a new one, okay?" Dr. Masters explained. Jughead nodded, watching his every move.

"So how are you these days?"

"I'm good... I guess. I miss my family though. When can I get released?"

"That depends on what Mr. Jones says. It is advisable that you stay here though. Your leg needs some time to recover before you can start to practice walking on the crutches. Plus it also gives your arm time to heal more"

"I'm fine. I could leave right now"

"Yes, because you are on some heavy painkillers right now. Without them, you'd be in a lot of pain"

"About how much time are we talking here?"

"A week, at least"

"A week?? I can't just lay in this stupid bed, doing nothing, for another seven days. I have to go. My family is worried sick about me — my twin brother is probably freaking out at the moment"

"I understand that. You can call them every time, Cody, but for your own health you will need to stay here for a few more days" Jughead huffed.