BLUE

Part 7

The Royal London Hospital, London, England

It was very bright when I woke up. The daylight stung my eyes as I edged them open. I have a sudden flashback... The men... The metal... With that reminder, my head started throbbing intrusively. I sat up and groaned in pain. When I went to move my arm, I woke up Dahlia, who had clearly been asleep by my side. That's when I realised- we weren't in our dorm room. My adjusting eyes scanned my surroundings. A hospital. 

"Y/n? Y/N! Thank God you're okay!" Dahlia squealed, before hugging me gently. "How are you feeling?" She finished. 

"I'm not really sure." I began. "I'm a little bit spacey, but I think I am alright..." 

Dahlia rubbed her eyes before sitting up properly. She looked like she had something on her mind.

"What about you?" I said, sparking her attention. "Are YOU alright, Dee?" 

She hesitated; not answering for a moment. "I suppose I'm just feeling a little guilty..." She answered. I jolted my head back in confusion, pulling a face. "What do you mean? You have nothing to be guilty about!" I reassured her.

"Y/n, I left you alone only hours after you had told me someone was after you!" She argued back. "I can't believe I let myself be so stupid!" Wow, she really felt guilty. I reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Listen to me, Dee, I'm alright. You saved me out there! You probably stopped them from finishing the job!" I explained... But she looked confused. 

"When I came out of the shop, they were already gone, y/n..." She said. I stayed silent. "They weren't trying to kill you." She finished. I pondered for a moment. Why would they attack me but not finish the job? What were they doing? The only response I could come up with was a subtle "Oh..." 

We stayed silent for a few more seconds, deep in thought, until I caught a glimpse of the clock. "Jesus!" I exclaimed, startling Dahlia. "It's midday already!" I pulled back my thin hospital duvet and scrambled to my feet. I felt a bit dizzy but I was alright. "Y/N! Get back in bed! You should be resting!" Dahlia argued, trying to push me gently back into bed. I just giggled. 

"I'm fine, Dee, just a bit dizzy," I responded. She reluctantly took away her arms that were blocking me and nodded. I  walked over to my bag and went to grab my medication. "Hey, where are my meds?" I asked. Dahlia rushed over. "Sh*t! I forgot to tell you!" I put my bag down and turned to listen. 

"The people that attacked you took your pills." She responded. I'm pretty sure I turned white at this point. "WHAT? What do you mean? They - they took my pills?!" I was in full panic mode. "Woah, woah, calm down y/n!" Dahlia grabbed my shoulders trying to calm me down.

"No, no, no, Dahlia- you don't understand!" I said frantically, shaking her off. "I need to take those pills every day! I don't know what'll happen if I don't!" I explained. I ran a hand through my hair and began to pace back and forth. Just at that point, a lanky, older woman walked in. "Uhm, Miss l/n?" She began, putting a stop to my pacing. "We need to talk about your medical history." She continued. 

I made my way back over to my bed and sat down awkwardly on it, with Dahlia coming to sit by my side. The doctor... Doctor Wickford... Pulled up a chair and sat down on it, just opposite us. Dahlia and I sat silently, eagerly waiting for her to begin. What was wrong with my medical history? 

"So, I understand you have been on daily doses of this medication," she began, showing me a photo of my all too familiar pill bottle. I couldn't really find any words at this point, so just sheepishly nodded. "Alright. You really don't need to be on them at all- in fact- we don't think you have ever needed to be." I furrowed my eyebrows. 

"What do you mean, doctor?"  I spat. "I've been on these for as long as I can remember!" I continued. I felt angry. Really angry. 

"Miss l/n, these drugs work like anti-depressants and checking up on your medical history, you don't need them. You have actually never been prescribed them and we have no idea how you have managed to be getting them all these years." Doctor Wickford continued. 

"I- I just go to the doctor and they give me a new bottle every month." I explained. Doctor Wickford frowned and showed me some more files. "It says here that your mother filed for them, but was unsuccessful in getting your prescription for them approved. This doctor here said you didn't need them." I read the file the doctor handed me like a deer in the headlights. 

"Then how did she get them for me?"  I quizzed. The doctor shrugged. "That's a mystery, I'm afraid." She replied. I was shocked- why did my mother make me take them? "If she hasn't had to have been taking these, isn't it dangerous, doctor?" Dahlia piped in. 

The doctor shook her head. "No, it wont have affected her physical health at all, but it will have concealed a lot of extreme emotions," Doctor Wickford explained. "It's unlikely that you will have felt deep emotions like extreme rage, loneliness, depression, love or anything over the years you've been taking these." She continued. I couldn't help but think back over the previous years of my life. "No..." I said, almost a whisper. "I really don't think I have, doctor." At this point tears were starting to fight their way out of my eyes. Dahlia noticed this and slid an arm around my shoulder, giving me a comforting hug.

"You'll no longer be taking this prescription drug, Miss l/n." Doctor Wickford spoke. I nodded. "You might feel emotionally unstable over the next couple of days, but afterwards," She began. "Well- you should start to feel much better!" She finished, smiling happily and placing a friendly hand on my knee for support. I smiled meekly back at her before she stood up and made her way out of the room. Before she closed the door she leaned back in and said: "You're also free to leave whenever you're ready, girls." 

Dahlia and I sat in silence for a moment, still dumbfounded. Why had my mother been making me take these pills if I didn't need them? Why would those men take them? Who were they working for? Are they going to come back? 

"Come on, y/n," Dahlia said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Lets go home..." 

I nodded weakly, before rising from the hospital bed to get changed. 'I think I might need some comfort food to get through this...' I thought, before letting out a confused sigh.