Not So Bad

Chapter 6 - Good Afternoon Matthew

I remember waking up to a flock of people standing around my bed, I winced at a shooting pain in my lower rib and I blinked heavily as everyone came into focus.

"Everyone give Mr Lloyd some space!" What looked to be the main doctor ushered people, I assume nurses, out through the door.

I lay on a hospital bed in a hospital gown, I could feel bandages and plasters on my body gently brushing my skin as I stretched.

"Good afternoon Matthew, nice of you to join us again"

I said nothing, I shifted my head up to look at him and he tilted his head, examining my heavily bruised cheek no doubt.

"Okay so we examined you very closely and you have a broken rib, a fractured wrist-"

"A fractured wrist?" I cut across, I was surprised at how hoarse my voice sounded, lack of sleep probably. He gestured to the fabric cast along most of my arm, I gaped.

"Yes, too much pressure was places on your wrist. Anyway where was I?...Oh yes. Your cheek and eye will be healing soon enough oh and you have a few nasty bruises scattered around your body and quite a few cuts pretty much everywhere"

"I bet I look like a bloody mummy" I said in a bitter tone, he surveyed me closely through his glasses and nodded.

"How's Mum, Seb, Jasmine?" I questioned, feeling suddenly on edge and panicky as he grimaced.

"Well your siblings are doing fantastically! Hardly a scratch on either of them, they're with your Grandma who is looking after them next door"

I nodded, feeling slightly relieved as I breathed deeply, I looked up him again as he waited for me to continue.

"And my Mum?"

He sighed and closed his grey eyes, gripping the bridge of his nose which he then rubbed, he looked uncertain, like he didn't quite know how to express the news.

"Matthew-"

"I want the truth. Please just tell me straight" I begged, he nodded and gripped his clipboard to his body.

"Bethany has suffered severe mental and physical damage"

My stomach dropped and I felt the urge to be sick, I clutched my stomach and rubbed my forehead. My eyes began to sting but I blinked heavily and repeatedly as he watched me in concern.

"What does that mean?"

"She'll be going to a special therapy unit in London, there she will have time to heal. She's going to have around the clock physical care to get her back to a healthy state and we will be putting her through a series of councilling sessions and intense therapy"

"What does that mean?" I pressed on.

"It means we are trying to get her back to her old self again"

"And will it work?"

"Hopefully"

I nodded, but I only really felt half-satisfied. I figured I wanted to know about Dad's whereabouts next.

"And Lucas? What is to become of him?" I asked, the doctor blinked.

"He has gone to a cell and an officer will be here to ask, when you're ready of course, to give your side of the story and a list of everything he did so that they can 'put him away' for it"

It turned out to be a very long list and Dad was put away for a very long time and restriction orders were made for all of us.

"We spoke briefly to your Mother, she found it rather relaxing looking through new properties and she has signed the papers to rent out a little flat in Cowes in the Isle of Wight, we've even got you booked into a new school to finish this year and complete next year"

"The Isle of Wight?!" I questioned raising my eyebrows. "We're moving?"

He nodded and I shrugged, settling back on the uncomfortable hospital bed.

Mum wanted to move to an English Isle? Why couldn't we just move to the other side of town? I understood her wanting to leave the house but why so far away?

"Oh and there are going to be counselling sessions for you and Sebastian, we suggest that you  however may need more than him. But your grandma will be looking after you for a while"

I had it in my mind that these counselling sessions were going to be a waste of time. Okay so I was half right on that one. She bleeding retired after asking me one simple question.

But I also had it in my head that I would hate the Isle of Wight and that there was no point in us moving.

Now that's where it gets a little bit more interesting.

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A/N
Hi guys,
So things will be turning up for Matt now I promise, his suffering is pretty much over, it's the recovery that takes time.

But I think you know what that means and who is about to make an appearance...;)

Thank you for the support on this, I've never written stuff like this before and it means a lot, I limited the chapters and graphical content as much as I could so it wasn't  too extreme.

-Lx