Submission to the Mafia [18+]

Chapter 18

James was awoken by a cold chill. He quickly sat up in the hospital bed breathing violently as sweat rolled down his face, his breathing was heavy the monitoring beeping as he tried to catch his breath. A nurse rushed into the room and tried to get James to calm down. This was happening more than James could count, every day and night he would wake up in a cold sweat, nightmares haunting his mind and soul.

After a long few minutes, the nurse got James' heart rate back down, calming him down. He sat leaning against the bed, looking at the grey wall. He had tears running down his cheek, he was tired, so, so tired. James wished for nothing more than to go to sleep and never wake up again. His mind was plagued with memories of those monsters. Of their nights of abuse and rape, his mind and body were altered in a way that James wished it wasn't. After he had gone off the pain medication James became jumpier, and more scared of the smallest sounds, screaming or crying out. It was concerning to the staff. The therapist he has been seeing has told them that all the trauma that James went through was too much for him, everything bubbled up and now it's spilling out. She has prescribed him pills he has to take for his paranoia and anxiety attacks and depression. She has regular checks with him but over the past 4 weeks, James had made no progress what's so ever. She said this takes time but James keeps getting worse and worse by day and night. Just 2 days ago he tried to harm himself, having to be restrained and drugged. He is now being closely monitored by a nurse every day and night, every 2 hours.

James had dried tears on his face as he looked at Nurse Midge. She stroked through his messy brown hair and sighed sitting next to him on the bed. "Another nightmare?" He gave her a small nod, he looked so drained. He looked ill, his face was sunken, and heavy eye bags were under his eyes. The doctors had to feed him food through a tube since he would discard his needs for food and water, he was already skin and bones when he arrived but this was way worse. "What was it about hun?" He blinked a few times, sighing. "I s-saw my f-father, I saw h-how they k-killed my f-father. The d-day it ha-happened." The woman nodded, stroking his hair once again. Anyone and everyone could see that there was no way that James killed his father, there were things not adding up many professionals spoke with James and all came to the conclusion that James did not kill his father, someone else did and that started the cycle of his trauma.

His body is visibly shaken he won't be able to fall asleep anyway. Nurse Midge smiled at the young boy. "Would you like a bath, James? Would that help?" James nodded and gave the woman a small smile back. She helped James moves his body to the edge of the bed and slowly get up, sitting him down in his wheelchair. She made her way to the cabinet and took out a fresh towel and some new clothes for James. She made her way back to James and let him hold his clothes as she wheeled him to his bathroom. She closed the door and moved to the bathtub, plugging it and turning the faucet on. She moved back to James and helped him up as he held onto her, helping him out of his clothes.

James sat back down as Nurse Midge checked the water temperature. She then wheeled him closer to the tub and helped him inside. The water hit James' body and he sighed in relief.

James sat there for a couple of minutes thinking about all of this, everything that happened, everything he went through and let some tears fall. Nurse Midge let James cry, and let him sit as long as he wants. She knew that James thought she will never be able to understand his experience, she can only support James and ensure to support and help him,

It still makes no sense to James. He's still confused as to why this all happened to him. He wants to forget everything, wants to believe it was all just a bad dream but all those nightmares and memories haunt him, humiliate him and show just how weak and powerless he was, how he let them control his life even after out of their grasp. Even after everything he still is haunted by them.