Bully // Phan au

25

Dan

A nurse pulls Dan into his wheelchair, being particularly careful with his wrist and knee. Dan runs a hand through his curly hair, hating the waves. They wouldn't let him straighten it though, as they think he is a danger to himself and his is an opportunity for him.

Please, if I was going to harm myself by burning myself wouldn't I have already done it? Dan thinks, but doesn't say aloud. Often, saying his thoughts gave him bruises and cuts.

The nurse pushes him down the long, sterile white halls of the children's and teen's hospital, passing lots of little kids not understanding why they're there, older kids with broken bones & moody teens hopping around on crutches, until they reach his therapists office. Dr Davies.

The nurse knocks on the door and she welcomes them. She opens the door and pushes Dan into the room. A tall women with long red hair and ocean blue eyes is sitting at a desk, a few metres away from a couch.

"Just wheel him to the couch, he can sit on that." She says, with a slight northern accent. The nurse obeys her, and wheels Dan to the couch. She goes to help move Dan, but he has already done it himself. She tuts, but pushes the wheelchair behind the sofa.

"Thank you." Dr Davies says, "You can go now, I'll ring you in advance when you need to come back, but don't forget to knock first."

The nurse leaves, meaning Dan and Dr Davies are left alone. Dan fiddles with the ends of his hair, trying to make it turn straight, while dr Davies records a few notes after turning pages.

"So, Dan, we both know why you're here, and my name is dr Davies, but please call me Jenny." Jenny says, smiling at Dan and sitting down on an armchair.

"H-Hi Jenny." Dan stutters, looking down at the floor.

"So, we'll be spending a lot of time together over the next period of time, so how about we get to know each other?" Jenny offers, and Dan nods hesitantly.

"Okay, so my name is Jenny Davies, I'm 27 years old and I'm a single Pringle who doesn't want to mingle," she rhymes, making Dan chuckle a bit.

"O-okay, so my n-name is Dan, I'm 16 years-s old and I'm-m g-gay." Dan stutters, cringing slightly as he hopes Jenny isn't homophobic.

"Great start, so let's do basic ideas, favourite colours, animals – things like that. Is that okay?" She offers, and Dan smiles slightly and nods his head. Nothing about hating gays, that's new. Everybody, apart from his family, that he had told was extremely homophobic.

"Okay, so, my favourite animal are pandas, and my favourite colour is coral, and... I have three brothers and two sisters. It was quite loud at my house." Jenny says.

"Umm, I like l-llamas, my favourite colour-r is bl-black. I have a s-sister Adriana." Dan stutters.

"Okay, what do you enjoy doing?" Jenny asks, trying to get helpful information.

"Well, r-reading, it-t lets me escape-pe reality." Dan stutters, "And f-films and anime, like H-Harry Potter-r and Death N-Note."

Jenny writes this down.

"I enjoy reading as well, and YouTube is my guilty pleasure." Jenny says, and then looks down at the plate of biscuits on the glass table.

"Do you want a biscuit, Howell?" Jenny offers.

"You d-don't have–"

"Have a biscuit, Potter." Jenny says, imitating Professor Mcgonagall, making Dan chuckle and smile slightly.

Jenny hands him a custard cream, which he takes a bite out of. It suddenly makes him feel much better - he hates hospital food.

"Thanks." He says, not stuttering. Jenny notes this down.

"No problem. Now, what do you hate?"

"My b-bullies, h-homophobes and-d, well, hospital food." He says, whispering and giggling at the last part.

"Okay, personally, I dislike spiders, bullies, as well, and dragon fruit. Well - I'm allergic." Jenny says.

"All my b-bullies are ho-homophobic." Dan says, and Jenny notes that down. "I've n-never even told them I am-m gay. They just- just assumed rightly."

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