The Unkillable Girl - [ONC 2024]

6. Doubt is a terrible thing

It took a few hours before Darius got to see Amelia. The doctors had wanted to speak to him first to convince him that Amelia needed to be committed.

At first, he had refused. Darius did not want to be responsible for putting his friend through that experience. But eventually, doubt had crept in. The doctor convinced him that it would be best for her to stay in hospital, just long enough for a proper assessment.

Nervously peeking through the doorway of her hospital room, Darius could see Amelia sitting up in bed. But he could instantly tell that there was something wrong in her appearance.

Physically she looked mostly fine, apart from a broken arm and a small cut on her eyebrow. But there was some intangible difference in the way she was sitting in the bed. At first Darius couldn't work out what had changed, but then it hit him, she was sitting completely still.

Usually Amelia was shifting around and bouncing like she had overdosed on caffeine. He had found it slightly annoying and distracting when they had first met, but now he was used to it.

To see her so still and placid was unnerving. The truth was Darius needed her energy and enthusiasm. He fed off of it. That was what gave him the confidence to embrace his sexuality and to be himself.

Darius had never been brave enough to come out to his family before he had moved to California. His religious upbringing had frowned upon homosexuality. That was what had driven him to escape and pursue his dreams of being an actor.

When he had met Amelia, he was overwhelmed by her bubbly enthusiasm and infectious energy. That was what had helped to give him the confidence to finally come out and show the world who he was.

But without that energy it was a different matter. Deep down inside he was still that scared little boy from Arkansas. He needed to wear a mask of self confidence to obscure the deep and overwhelming insecurities that were hidden inside him. It let him become the camp and flamboyant diva he had always imagined becoming.

Taking a deep breath, Darius carefully affixed his mask of confidence and walked theatrically into the room.

"Heyyyy, girl," he said.

Amelia was staring blankly at the wall in front of her, before she slowly turned her head in his direction.

"Hey," she said, flatly.

Her lack of emotion gave Darius pause for thought and almost knocked off his mask.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Just sleepy."

"Yeah, well falling off a roof will do that," he said. "I'm just surprised you didn't get more badly hurt than just your arm."

"My arm?"

"Yeah, you broke your wrist," said Darius. "Did you not realise?"

Amelia looked down at one arm, and then the other with a confused expression. "Oh," she said, eventually.

It was the same hand that she had burnt the previous time. Darius assumed that was why she hadn't realised when the bandage had been replaced with a cast.

"How are you feeling? I mean, apart from the arm."

Amelia frowned for a moment before answering. "Slow."

Drugged perhaps, Darius wondered. It did make sense that the doctors would have sedated her. It was hard to contain Amelia at the best of times, so keeping her in bed would certainly be a lot easier if you gave her some sedatives.

"That's the medicine. You'll feel better soon."

Amelia seemed to be considering this information carefully. "I want to go home."

"Well you can't, not yet," said Darius. "They need to make sure you are okay first."

Amelia's eyes flicked fully open and fixed a stare on Darius. "No! I need to get out. It's my mission from God."

Darius patiently sat down beside her on the bed and gently stroked her shoulder. "I know, babe. But when you say things like that to doctors, they get worried," he said, quietly. "You need to stop or they won't let you out."

Amelia turned away and looked down at her feet.

"I just don't understand where all this has come from," said Darius. "How long have you been thinking like this?"

Amelia frowned again and seemed deep in thought. "It was... when we went to the club. And the morning after."

Darius tried to remember what had happened the last time they had gone out together. He couldn't recall anything different happening. They both had a few drinks, then Amelia had gotten too drunk, so they caught a cab home.

Although, when he thought about it again, Amelia had seemed to get drunk a lot quicker than normal. They had been there less than an hour when she had stumbled into him and slurring her voice. Could it be something had happened to her in the club?

Darius concentrated hard on the memory, trying his best to recall the smallest detail. He tried to recreate it all in his mind, everything she had done, and everyone she had talked to. Then it hit him. Philippe had been at the club that night.

That pretentious prick, with his fake french name, and his even worse accent. Could he have put something in Amelia's drink? Yes, it was exactly the kind of thing he could imagine Philippe would be capable of doing.

It must be what had happened to her, Darius was certain of it. Philippe must have spiked Amelia's drink. That was why she was acting so weird and hallucinated this whole meeting God rubbish. She would just need to wait for the drugs to leave her system, and then hopefully she would be back to normal.

"Babe, I think I know what's wrong with you."

"Yeah?" Amelia said, slowly.

"I reckon you got drugged," he said, excitedly. "But it's okay. It just means you need to wait until the drugs have all left your system, then you'll be back to normal again and they will let you leave."

"Oh, okay," said Amelia. "I need to get out of here."

"Yes, you will," Darius said, patiently. "Just as soon as you stop thinking you are immortal and have been sent by God. When the doctors see that you are back to normal, they will let you come home."

Amelia frowned. Darius could practically see the cogs turning behind her eyes as she processed what he had just told her.

"So... if I just tell them I feel better, do you think they would believe me?" Amelia asked.

"Well, maybe," Darius said, with a shrug. "If I just explain to them what happened, I reckon they'd listen to me."

"Yeah..." Amelia said, with the cogs evidently still spinning. "Could you go talk to them now? I'm feeling a lot better."

Darius wasn't sure he completely trusted her, but it wasn't enough to stop him. With a sigh, he stood up off of her bed and headed over to the door.

"Okay, I'll go and talk to your doctor again," he said, as he left.