The Art of Love with Professor Joseph Quinn

Chapter 3 - The Nurses Office

TW: eating disorder, mentions of abusive parents

I woke up in an unfamiliar room. I tried to sit up but my headache made me fall back down. I also noticed my uncle was next to me.

"Hi, darling." He said quietly. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. My head is killing me. Where am I?"

"In the nurses office." My uncle said. I was able to open my eyes with the pounding headache.

I noticed professor Quinn was leaning on the door with a plastic bag in his hand. Then the nurse walked in.

"What happened?" I asked her

"You fainted." She said

"What?"

"Your blood sugar was very low. Did you eat or drink anything today."

I shook my head. "I wasn't hungry."

They all looked puzzled.

"Mr. Jacob's. May I speak to you in the hallway please?" Ne walked away from me and left the room the same time professor Quinn walked inside.

"You weren't hungry?" He asked
I shook my head.

"I don't believe that." He said while grabbing some snacks that need in the plastic bang and hanging it to me. I pushed his hand away. He got on the bed and sat next to me.

"You want to tell me what's wrong?"

I kept looking at my hands. He leaves my chin and turned my head to look at him. He wasn't smiling. Now I knew he was being serious.

"ARFID"

"What is that?" He asked me

"Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder."

His face relaxed. "You're starving yourself. Right?"
I stayed silent for a few seconds up until I nodded.

"When did this happen?" Quinn asked

"When my Dad died."

His jaw dropped. "I'm sorry." He said.

"It's fine. My dad wasn't the problem."

"What do you mean?"

"My mom was an alcoholic and an addict. She always body shamed me and always starved me when I was very young. She was also physically abusive to me."

He put his and over his mouth.

"This scar is from when she hit me in the head with a bottle."

He then took his hand away from his mouth and nodded.

"What about your father?" He asked

I felt my eyes starting to water. "He died from gastric cancer."

(A/N: gastric cancer is a tumor in the stomach, or known as stomach cancer, that causes change in appetite, vomiting, feeling heartburn, or nausea.)

He noticed and wiped my tear with his thumb.

"Listen, Rose. You know I'm hear of you need somebody to talk to if you to scared to speak to your uncle. Okay."

I nodded. "But I want to help you get over this eating habit because it's not healthy."

I smiled at him since he's nice enough to help me.

"I do want you take these with you and eat them. You need your energy for the assignment."

"Assignment?"

"You weren't paying attention. Were you?"

I shook my head.