After Theo comes out as gay to his best friend, his life becomes a living hell. Ruthlessly bullied, Theo falls deep into his depression, and is ready to give up on life. But then an unlikely ally steps in...
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-Theo-
It took almost an hour for Deon to return. I saw him walking around a corner, talking to a doctor who was following him. They stopped and Deon pointed at me. I waved at them when the doctor turned to look at me. He seemed pleased to see me sitting there and turned his attention back to Deon. When they shook hands and Deon started walking towards me, I noticed how pale he was. I got up from my seat and stepped closer to him. He didn't look well at all.
"Are you all right?" I asked when he stopped to a halt in front of me.
"They took blood..." Deon muttered and wobbled toward the chairs, collapsing on one of them. "I need a moment..."
He looked absolutely awful. He was sweating and shaking, and he seemed really weak. I sat next to him and watched him carefully.
"Do you hate blood?" I asked, and he shook his head.
"Needles..." he said, leaning his head against the wall. "After all this time, I still can't stand them..."
I felt bad for him. I didn't like needles either, but he looked like he was going to pass out soon. I understood perfectly why he needed someone to be there with him: he was in no condition to be left alone.
"Do you need something?" I asked, and he shook his head again.
"This will pass soon..." he assured, closing his eyes.
"You should lie down," I told him. "There's a bench at the other side."
"All right..." he muttered and let me help him get up from his seat.
I followed him closely in case his legs would give up and helped him lay down on the long bench.
"You need to lift your legs up," I told him, remembering the instructions from the first aid class we once had at school.
"How am I supposed to do that?" Deon asked weakly.
"Move your legs," I told him and sat down at the end of the bench, placing his feet on my lap. "Just breathe for now," I added.
Deon chuckled and closed his eyes again, finding a better position on the hard bench.
"You'll be just fine," I said quietly and patted his leg soothingly.
Deon took a couple of deep breaths before speaking, "I will break your neck if you tell anyone about this, and I'm not joking this time."
"I won't tell anyone," I promised.
It was actually adorable how he tried to make his threats while shivering and looking like he was about to vomit. He groaned and hid his face behind the crook of his arm. He really didn't look too well.
"Just keep breathing, and try to relax," I said softly. "Take your time. We can stay here as long as you need."
Deon fell silent again for a moment, but then he muttered, "Thanks."
