#forced medication

“Alright, kiddo, you know the drill.”

I almost don’t hear Pierce as he hands me my nightly pill pot. My fingers stiffly accept it, bringing the pot close to my face.

Don’t take the meds.

The warning is more than clear. Silently, I peer into the pot, taking a mental note of every last tablet — their colour, their shape, even their indication. I know they’ve been playing around with doses and other drugs to ensure there are no negative interactions with the new experimental treatment, but I haven’t questioned it that much.

Until tonight.

Only a nurse or doctor could have left that note. Why? Because they are the only ones with key cards to get into our rooms — fact. I certainly didn’t write that note, so that means...

I bite my lip hesitantly. Doubts begin to fester in my stomach.

But if the meds are meant to make me better…then why do they not want me to take them?

“Everything okay?”

“Y-yeah, just…checking it’s all there.”

Stay calm. Act natural.

My mind is torn. If someone hadn’t left that stupid warning then I wouldn’t even be questioning this right now. I just want to go to bed and Pierce probably just wants to get on with his drug round, but I still don’t know what to do. Even after going back and forth the past hour, I still don’t know.

But I need the meds to get better — fact. That much is definitely fact.

I raise the pot to my lips. The mental battle continues to rage in my head. Otherwise, the ward is quiet. No sound from my neighbour either. My hand hovers awkwardly in front of my face.

No — don’t take them. If someone left that warning, then they must know something. Krissy didn’t trust them either. Neither does Dr Slade. Maybe you shouldn’t either—

“What’s taking so long, Ash?”

Pierce peers at me curiously. His voice carries more concern than annoyance. “Normally you have no problem with them. Is something wrong?”

I don’t answer him, still unsure what to say. “They’re all the same as last night’s. I checked them all myself before I came in here. It’s all on your charts, just like normal.”

“I…”

My throat closes up a little. Licking my lips, I begin to lower my hand.

Pierce is nice. He’ll understand.

 “I-I’m not feeling too good, Pierce. I’m sorry, I just...I feel really queasy all of a sudden.”

The nurse  sends me a sympathetic glance.

“That’s okay. Take some small sips of water and a couple of nice deep breaths. Maybe even try taking one at a time, if that helps?”

Shakily, I reach for the glass of water and take a few sips. Then, I pluck a random pill from the bottom of the pot and hold it to my lips.

Maybe I can make it look like I took it?

I decide to try my luck, even my swallow, whilst shifting the pill in my mouth.

“Open up.”

Reluctantly, I obey his instruction, ignoring the current humiliation.

Don’t see it, don’t see it—

“Lift up your tongue, Ash.”

Oh crap!

I give my head a pleading shake. Pierce just sighs at my refusal. 

“Look, I know you’re hiding it. Just admit it already.”

“Ugh—fine!”

I spit the soggy pill back into the pot, tearing up a bit. “I don’t want to take them — not tonight!”

Pierce’s eyes widen slightly.

“But you have to take them— Kiddo, I don’t know what’s suddenly changed. You’ve been doing really well up until—”

“I’m sorry, Pierce. I just…I-I just can’t take them anymore. They’re making me feel bad.”

“I know side effects suck, but they’re to make you better—”

“Not tonight, Pierce.”

I push the pot back into his hands. “I’ll try again in the morning, just…not tonight.”

My nurse is quiet. He stares back at me with an unreadable expression. “P-please, Pierce?”

“...okay.”

His expression softens, almost into one of understanding. “I get it. You’re having a bad day — and that’s fine. Sometimes we just…need a little extra help.”

I blink back at him as he takes a step forward, still smiling. “So let me help you out, kiddo.”

“Th-thanks, Pierce...thanks so—mmgh?!”

It all happens way too quickly. The hand clamped over my mouth. Sharp pain in my back as I’m shoved into the wall. A second hand pinning me against it. My own pained wheezes. Pierce’s face right in front of me, glaring into my tear-filled eyes.

“...let’s try that again.”

His voice grates harshly as he loosens his hold on me — just enough to grab the pill pot again. Holding it right to my face, he finally lets go of my mouth—

“P-Pierce what are you—aghck!”

The whole pot is emptied down my throat. I gag, choking on the tablets. Pierce covers my mouth again, his grip much tighter.

“There we go,” he responds in a chillingly calm tone, “Just take your meds. Swallow them all down. That’s it.”

I try to shake my head, attempting to spit them out. The hold on my mouth becomes almost painful.

“Nmmgh!”

 I whimper, kicking him in the knee to make him let me go, but he’s much stronger. Every struggle only seems to annoy him even more. 

“I said…swallow.”

Before I can react to his furious hiss, there’s a sudden pressure over my nose. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe—!

No—no—hkk!

The room starts to spin. My nose remains pinched shut. I try to fight it. I try to struggle, but I’m already slipping away. Before I can stop myself, I swallow. Every last one of my meds passes down my throat. Only then does his grip leave my face, allowing me to collapse in a heap on the floor. The ground pulses in front of my eyes. Both of my hands smack uselessly against it. I lean forwards, retching and coughing. Pierce just stands in front of me, watching my whole pathetic display.

“Good boy.”

 I almost see a smirk on his lips. “See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Black spots continue to dance before my eyes. All of my energy begins to leave me. All I can do is splutter helplessly.

“Y-you…wh-wha…wh-why…nngh…”

“I did it for your own good, kiddo,” my  nurse answers simply, all sinister traces now gone from his voice, “You were acting up. That’s not like you at all. You just needed some help, which I gave to you.”

He carefully crouches down to my level. Reaching out a hand, he gives my hair a tiny mocking ruffle. “You’ve been doing so well, you know. Everyone’s been working really hard to help you.”

He smiles at me. “You wouldn’t want to spoil all that hard work by acting up now, would you?”

I wordlessly shake my head. I can’t string a single thought together right now. “Heh, didn’t think so. Just keep on being a good model patient and we’ll have no other problems, right?”

Pierce’s voice starts to fade. The signature enthusiasm returns to his voice. “Have a good night, kiddo! You’ve got another busy day tomorrow~”

That’s the last thing I hear before my head hits the ground.

“Ashley — did you hear — Ashley?”

I return to reality with a jolt. The plastic tubing in my arm reminds me of my ongoing treatment. It flows smoothly through the bag, directly into my bloodstream with a mild  sting. Blinking, I turn my head to the side. It doesn’t take me long to notice Dr Voss’s troubled expression.

“H-huh?”

“...were you actually paying attention to anything I just said?”

“No, I um…I-I’m sorry, I…”

I avert my gaze, ashamed. The past couple days have been…not great. Ever since the incident with Pierce — which was apparently all in my head again — things have just gotten worse. 

“There’s something distracting you, isn’t there?”

“I-I’m fine, really—”

“You know how much I dislike lies, Ashley.”

My doctor moves a little closer, studying me with concern.

Mind. Over. Matter.

“..o-okay,” I finally admit, “you got me.”

“I thought as much.”

He moves to sit on the edge of the treatment couch, peering down at me without any element of judgement. “Whatever it is, you can tell me, my boy.”

I don’t immediately answer, choosing my words carefully.

“I…I-I think I’m getting worse.”

“In what way?”

“Every way — the thoughts, the brainfog, the prickling, the meds—”

“Wait—slow down, Ashley. What about the medication is making you worse?”

His frown deepens. “Are the side effects getting too much for you?”

Do I tell him? Or will he just get mad at me?

I flex my fingers, breaking through the negative thought-stream.

“...I just don’t think they’re helping me anymore,” I admit quietly, “They just mess up my head even more. That’s why I’ve been…well, not really taking them properly, ever since I found that note and—”

“What note?” the doctor interrupts, sitting up a little straighter, “What did it say?”

I wrap my arms around myself for comfort.

“I-I don’t know who wrote it, but it told me to…to not take my meds.”

My breathing quicks. I rest  my chin on top of my knees, hugging myself even tighter. “A-and Pierce — my nurse — when I said no, he forced them down my throat and—”

“Wait—Dean did that?” he repeats, leaning forwards, “That’s…quite a troubling accusation, Ashley.”

“That’s what the head nurse said when I told her. As if I’d just made it up or something.”

“But Ashley—”

“That’s what happened,” I insist, blinking back tears, “I swear I’m not lying, Dr Voss.”

“I know,” he reassures me, “and I know you well enough by now to know you would never simply make up anything of this nature, or severity.”

He clicks his pen thoughtfully. “Have you spoken with Dean since then?” “...only this morning,” I mumble, “It was the first time I’ve seen him since the other night. I…kinda lashed out at him about it and he got pretty upset. Then that—that just made me question it again, like—like I don’t know what’s what anymore or—!”

I gasp a little, my chest tightening with panic.

“Deep breaths, Ashley,” Dr Voss advises me firmly, “Just settle down for a minute, alright?”

I try to follow his instructions, sucking in as deep a breath as I can. “Good boy. First — the note. I have no idea who put it in your room, but its message was clearly a harmful one. The medicines you are on are supposed to help you. It’s very important that you do take them, because if you don’t comply with your treatment, then how can you expect to get better?”

His voice is calm, but I know he must be at least a little disappointed in me. “If anything, the reason you are feeling worse is actually because you are not taking the medication, rather than as a result of it.”

He tilts his head. “If I may ask, how have you been concealing them?”

“... flushing them down the toilet,” I admit quietly, “The weekend nurses weren’t the most thorough in their checks.”

“I see.”

At his semi-understanding response, I try to blink the tears from my eyes. “And then that leads us to the second point — this whole incident with Dean. I do think the fact that you’ve been skipping your medications hasn’t helped her, especially when fact and fiction blur together.”

Dr Voss sends me a sympathetic look. “Of course I will investigate it, but I am sure it was just a misunderstanding, alright? Our nurses are professionally trained by a strict code of conduct. None of them would ever handle a situation like that.”

My stomach twists painfully.

See? All in your head again. Just as they said—

“But I do wish you had told me about this sooner,” he emphasises, “Of course you’re going to be suffering if you’re not complying with your medication.”

He clasps his hands together. “And you’ve been doing so well with your treatment plan up until now — but the only way that you will continue to make progress is to remain compliant with it. We can only do so much for you, Ashley — you have to do your own bit towards your recovery as well.”

“...I know.”

“Then we need to make sure that we change things, don’t we?” he asks, sending me a small smile, “We can make you better — that’s what you still want, isn’t it?”

“M-mhmm…” 

“Of course you do — and we want that too, so let’s all do our bit to help each other out, alright?”

His voice is unwavering with determination. I feel myself tearing up again.

You’re never going to be fixed. You’re unfixable.

“Yes, Dr Voss.”

I fall silent after that. I keep my head pressed against my knees, waiting until I can finally be released. The thoughts continue to rage. The prickles start to spread. I try to ignore all of the signs, deliberately counting each of my breaths.

Mind. Over. Matter — Mind. Over. Matter.

The infusion takes forever to flush through. As soon as it’s finished, they remove the line and call the nurses to take me back to my room. Tats and Pierce arrive to collect me. I still avoid looking at the latter as they escort me back to Poplar Ward. Dr Voss’s last words are muffled and disconnected. I don’t even hear him properly. I just keep my gaze to the ground and keep putting one foot in front of the other until we’re back at my room.

“Here we are,” Tats states, guiding me back inside. “We’ll be back shortly with your meds before lunch time. Anything we can get for you, kiddo?”

“...no. I’m good.”

As the two of them turn away, I suddenly change my mind. “Wait, Pierce, I…”

I pause for a moment, meeting his questioning blue eyes. “I-I’m sorry for lashing out at you earlier about…y-you know.”

“Hey, it’s okay. Just a misunderstanding, right?”

He shoots me a small smile with an unoffended thumbs up. “I’m glad you see that now, kiddo. You know we’d never do anything to hurt you, don’t you?”

“...mhmm.”

Satisfied, both of them leave me alone. Exhausted, I drop down onto my bed. With no other distractions, the thoughts begin to amplify.

Stop being so friggin’ paranoid! You’re only doing this to yourself! It’s your fault, no one else’s.

I clench my teeth. My hands wrap around my arms as I try to focus on my breathing again. Naturally, that doesn’t stop the self-hatred spiral blaring through my head.

And look, they haven’t called — again. No one cares about you. No one loves you. Why would they? You’re just a waste of space. Lashing out at the people trying to help you. That’s the only thing you’re good at.

The faces from my photos — my family and friends — all leer back at me.

“What’s wrong with you?!”

Aunt June’s tearful cry tears through my mind. I feel my breathing picking up. Shame threatens to engulf me.

You were doing so well up until now. Why do you have to ruin everything? You  — stupid — stupid — freak! 

Warmth spills out from under my nails. I rake them down my arms, again and again, as if that will somehow control the volume, or soothe the internal pain—

Why even bother? You’ll never fit in again, no matter what you do.

“Nngh!”

The prickles return. They burn fiercely in my hands

No, no no — not now, not now, go away — go away!

My heart races in panic. Tears spill over my cheeks. I dig my rough nails even deeper into my flesh, trying to make them stop. I’m barely even aware of the superficial sting of air against my exposed skin.

Not real. Not real. Not real. Not real—nngh! 

I curl up into a ball driving my hands against my head in a desperate attempt to block it all out. In my desperation, I remember Dr Voss’s lessons and try to fight back.

“Nngh — I-I’m a good person,” I whisper hurriedly,, “I’m loved. I’m safe. Just — just take the meds. Be good. No tricks. No setbacks. I-I’m going to be fine. Everything will be fine—”

Liar. 

At that terrifying thought, I dissolve into a bawling mess.

I don’t know how long it takes until the thoughts finally go away. All I know is that the meds provide blissful relief. Whatever they had ended up giving me helped quieten them all down, just like that. 

Of course I feel better after my meds. Just like he said I would. He’s always right.

My eyelids are especially heavy. I am mentally and physically drained. Even the room has an odd glaze to it, the lights being especially shiny. I lie flat on my back, holding Nezzy to my chest. My arms still sting slightly from the antiseptic solution, the cuts now dressed in fresh bandaids. Tats helped to clean me up after my…episode. He also made a point of removing anything sharp from my room that I could use to further hurt myself.

Can’t be too careful, I guess.

Exhausted, I stare up at the ceiling. I soon occupy myself with counting the number of coloured flecks I can see, just for something to do whilst I have zero energy. I’ve hit fifty–six by the time my eyes start to drift closed.

Fifty seven — fifty eight — fifty…nine…

Beep

Wha…door?

I peel my eyes open at the unexpected sound, fighting the heavy feeling. The grogginess gradually fades when I realise that I don’t recognise the person in my doorway.

“Wh-who are—”

“Hush.”

The familiar accent makes my eyes widen.

Wait...Dr Slade? What—what is he doing in my—huh?

I watch in complete confusion as my neighbour wordlessly enters my room. Without even looking at me, he strides towards my desk, snatches up the decorative owl plush toy sitting in the corner, randomly tosses it on the ground…and stomps down on its head — several times.

That makes me more alert.

“What the—what are you doing?!” I hiss, very concerned about his behaviour right now.

Definitely not ringing any alarm bells—

“There, cameras all taken care of,” he announces casually, completely ignoring my gaping expression, “We don’t want to leave any evidence behind.”

He kicks the poor thing away, its head now mangled beyond repair. After rolling his shoulders a little, he finally has the decency — after breaking into my room — to meet my bewildered gaze. That’s when it occurs to me that this is technically our first time meeting face-to-face.

So this is my ‘totally sane’ neighbour, huh?

I’m…not quite sure how I was expecting him to look, but overall he looks oddly…normal? His messy waves of dark hair, scraped back bangs and thick slanted eyebrows are the first features that catch my eye. Following that is his long narrow nose and a pair of almond brown eyes that blaze with determination. They particularly stand out amongst his fair complexion, as well as his own oversized white uniform, practically identical to my own. As our eyes meet, I also feel a sense of…something? I’m not sure whether it’s compassion, or care…but it’s definitely something positive.

Not that any of it justifies this current crazy stunt.

“...Dr Slade,” I start slowly, keeping my voice as even as possible, “How did you just get into my room?”

“Oh easily — with this thing.”

He holds a thin object up to the light. Even in my current state, I recognise it instantly.

“That card—you stole that from one of the nurses?!” 

“I prefer to think of it as borrowing,” he replies, tucking it into his pants, “Not that it matters. We need to go, now.”

“Go? What are you—hey, wait!”

I back up against the headrest as he approaches me, staring back at him in disbelief. “What are you talking about?”

“I mean us, lad — we need to leave. I am not staying here another day when my friends are still at Clancy’s mercy and this could be our only chance to—”

“You don’t get it, Dr Slade. I-I’m sorry, but we—we can’t just leave here. Not until we’re well enough. I-I know you’re scared, but…”

I trail off as he stares back at me. Helplessness fills his eyes as he takes in my skinny form.

“...you really don’t have a clue, do you?” he mutters, “They’ve brainwashed you that much…”

He shakes his head. I can only gawp back at him, unnerved. 

What does he mean by—

“I’m sorry lad, but leaving you here isn’t an option. I’m not letting that maniac hurt you again, so you’re coming with me, no matter what.”

His tone suggests I don’t have a choice in the matter. I gulp, suddenly very uneasy.

Annnd there go the alarm bells again—wait, alarm!

My eyes fall on the little red buzzer on my bedside table. Dr Slade catches me looking at exactly the same time. A firm expression sweeps across his face.

“Ash,” he warns, taking a step closer, “Don’t do it.”

I glance at the buzzer, then the desperation blazing in his eyes. I swallow, making up my mind.

Sorry, Dr Slade.

I lunge for the button — except I’m not fast enough. My neighbour beats me to it. 

“Let go!”

We both scrabble for the buzzer. His fingers close around it, victorious, pulling it right out of my hands — which is when I switch to Plan B.

“Help! HELP ME! HEL—mmgh!”

He moves a lot faster than I had expected. My open struggles against him are…completely useless. I’m suddenly a rag-doll, unable to properly aim my frantic kicks. He acts as if he’s barely affected by it, pinning me against his chest with ease. His other hand presses tightly over my mouth as he holds me close. Although tight, his grip isn’t painful.

“Shhh, shhh!” he hisses against my ear, “Just calm down, lad. Keep yer voice down for one—”

“Nmmgh MMGH!”

“Lad, I’m not going to hurt you! I promise! That’s the last thing I want to do, I swear!”

I toss my head about feebly, attempting to pull my wrists free to yank at the hand covering my mouth.

The nurses—where are the nurses?! They should be—

“Ash please!”

My cries fall silent. Maybe it’s the desperation, or the sincerity, or the genuine sense of fear in his voice. Whatever it is…it works. With a stunned gasp, I stop screaming. My limbs flop against my sides. 

What is he—?!

“Thank you — look, I just…I need you not to scream...just for a minute, arite? I want you to listen to me — very carefully.”

Whimpering faintly against his hand, I force my head to nod. His grip on my mouth loosens a little, but I still don’t try to scream.

Ticking off the crazy guy next door is probably not a good idea! 

“I need you…to trust me,” he starts, speaking in a hushed tone, “I know you don’t believe me. I know you’re scared of me—”

You’re not exactly helping right now!

“—but I haven’t told you a single lie since I got here. This place is not what you think it is. You think you’re the problem, but you’re not. He’s the one that has told you that. He’s the one that has made you believe that.”

Dr Slade takes a deep breath. I remain unresisting, listening with wide eyes. “They keep saying you’re safe here — but you’re not. None of us are. That’s why we need to get out now. So we can tell everyone about this place and save all the other innocent people trapped here as well.”

I give my head a small shake. My neighbour sighs. “Ah know. It’s hard to take in — but think about it, lad. Haven’t you noticed anything strange at all, anything that might suggest something bigger is going on here?”

…I know he’s deluded, but I can’t deny that last statement entirely.

The hallucinations. Krissy’s warning. The meds. Pierce’s ‘attack’ — but that’s all just—!

“I don’t have time to go into it all now, but I promise I’ll explain it later, arite? Right now, this is our best chance to make a move. I’ve got the card, which will get us past all of the doors, out of the ward and out of this bloody institute.”

But I’m not ready — I still need the treatment, don’t I?

“I just…I just want what’s best for you, lad.”

His words…surprise me. They’re exactly the same words that Dr Voss had told me. What they had all said — but something feels different about the way Dr Slade says it.

He…means it. As deluded as he is, he really does care about me—

“And if it comes to the worst outcome, then it was all my idea and I took you against your will. All you need to do is follow my lead and we’ll be out of here before you know it, arite?” 

I don’t reply to him immediately. My heart thumps against my ribs as I consider his paranoid words. Somehow, I know he won’t hurt me, but playing into his delusions might do more harm than good.

But what if he has a point? What if all of this has been…a lie?

“Okay. I’m going to take my hand away now. No screaming. No running off. No dangerous risks, arite?”

Logically, I should start screaming for the nurses as soon as we get outside, but something else tells me…maybe I shouldn’t. Something in my gut. This…this feeling. I can’t even describe it — but right now, it’s giving me one clear instruction.

Trust him.

Still heavily conflicted, I reluctantly incline my head. His hand instantly leaves my mouth and I take a grateful gasp of air.

“W-we’re going to get in so much trouble,” I almost whisper, half-hugging myself, “Dr Slade, this is a really bad idea. I don’t want you to—”

“I already told you — don’t worry about me.”

With my ‘cooperation’, he seems to visibly relax. “I’ll give you one minute. Grab only what you can carry. After that, we’re getting out of here.”

He’s not joking around with this…

The clock is ticking. I grab my satchel from my closet and tear a few precious photos from the wall. My book and Nezzy follow, stuffed safely inside the bag before I zip it up. In the meantime, Dr Slade decides to check out the bathroom, for some random reason.

“Come over here when you’re done.”

Best not get on his bad side.

Slinging my satchel across my body, I shuffle over to join him, surprisingly wobbly on my legs. He meets my gaze with a serious frown.

 “One more thing. Did you take your lunchtime meds?” “Y-yeah?” I answer uneasily, “Why?”

“...I’m so sorry for this, lad.”

I don’t notice the item behind his back until it’s too late. The same item — my own toothbrush — is suddenly forced down my throat, instantly triggering my gag reflex with a rush and a roar. Acid burns my tongue. I squeeze my eyes closed, hot tears spilling down my cheeks. The stench only makes me throw up even more.

“Nngh…gnngha…”

“Shhh, that’s it. That’s it. It’s all out. You’re okay.”

He rubs my back almost soothingly. Even as I sit there — arms trembling and still gagging from the wretched taste in my mouth — my surroundings are already starting to feel…different. The fog is lifting. Everything around me is suddenly clearer. My mind feels sharper. I have…energy again.

But...how? I don’t...no way—!

“Here, take some sips of this. It’ll help your throat.”

Part of me wants to slap it out of his hand, but even I can’t deny the sudden improvement in my mental clarity. Accepting the plastic cup, I gratefully swig it off, swill out my mouth and spit it out into the toilet bowl. “I bet you feel better already, don’t you?”

“...actually, yes,” I admit shakily, pulling myself up again, “H-how did you know?”

“Doesn’t matter,” he dismisses, helping me to my feet, “Do you still think I’m making all of this up?”

I can’t bring myself to answer him just yet. If I do, it means questioning everything else that I’ve been told. My head can’t handle that right now. One thing at a time.

“...h-how far do we have to go?”

“Hopefully not too far — but first we need to get off this ward.”

He nudges me towards the door. “Let’s go. You should have a much clearer head now.”

Without a word, I follow after my neighbour. He guides me by the hand out of my room, his other carrying the ID card. Checking left and right, he pulls me after him, out into the corridor.

“Arite, we need to move quickly, but quietly. If someone passes by, we dip out of sight until they’re gone, arite?” “O-okay.”  

“Good lad. Now follow me.”

Against my better judgement, I do. I know I could easily scream for help right now, but the last few minutes have definitely given me a new…perspective on things. Instead,  I stay close to his side, watching warily for any dangers. Our impromptu-stealth mission takes us the longer way around the ward, where we’re less likely to be seen. Dr Slade’s grip on my hand tightens as we almost run into a group of nurses at their assigned posts. We duck behind walls. We’re forced to backtrack more than a few times. Adrenaline seeps through me with every step we take. From my neighbour’s own tense posture, it’s clear I’m not the only one who’s nervous.

“There are so many nurses,” I breathe, “You still think we’ll make it to the doors?”

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” he mutters, “Nice and quiet now. It looks like they’re moving away.”

Sure enough, the nurses begin to filter off in different directions around us. Even after that, we continue to stay low. Cautiously, we begin making our way past the kitchen. I’m as confused as ever, my mind whirring with unanswered questions as we keep pressing towards the ward entrance.

“Wait—get down!”

He pulls me with him to the ground, half-shielding my fall. Thinking fast, both of us scramble behind the thankfully unoccupied front desk as Tats and Pierce enter the ward again.  I cover my mouth to muffle a startled cry, picking out a small piece of their conversation as they pass.

“—the sooner we take him to get prepped for the extraction, the sooner we can go on break.”

“Fine, let’s just get this over with. Hopefully the drugs have kicked in by now. The kid should be too out of it to put up much of a—”

Their conversation fades with them as they disappear down the corridor. I feel my insides twisting uncomfortably at their…particular choice of words.

“Those are your nurses aren’t they?”

“Y-yeah,” I murmur, “uh, what did they mean by…extraction?”

Dr Slade just grits his teeth.

“...let’s not stick around to find out.”

Shuddering, I hurriedly crawl out from under the desk. Unfortunately, there are no more blind spots to hide behind between that and the door — and it isn’t long until Pierce’s distant shouts alert the rest of the ward.

Now they know I’m missing!

“Bloody hell!”

My neighbour hisses, shoving me forwards. “Ash, the doors — get to the doors!”

The panic alarm from my room begins to blare. Footsteps ring out from all directions, now hurried and frantic. My chest tightens, fully aware that soon everyone will be looking specifically for me—

“There!”

The ID card swipes across the scanner’s surface. It registers with a cheerful beep. The doors yawn open. Our way out becomes clear—

“Hey—down here! He’s down here! By the entrance! Hurry!”

I spin around, instantly on edge at the panicked yells. Even more voices holler after us. 

“There! Don’t let them get away! Stop them!”

I knew this was a bad idea—!

“Oh for the love of—run, lad! Run!”

My neighbour drags me through the half-open doors. I sprint as fast as I can to keep up with him, panting. More shouts soon join the chorus behind us.

“Call security! Now!”

“D-Dr Slade, they’re—!”

“Ah know — this way!”

My legs stumble after him. Colours flash before our eyes. The Rec Area whizzes by. So does the canteen. Blurred figures demand us to stop. Hands try to grab us—

“Get out of our way!”

Dr Slade barges past multiple unarmed bystanders, yanking me along with him. 

“Block off the stairs! Cut ‘em off!” I hear him curse under his breath. He never lets go of my hand, not even once.

“Wh-where are we going?!” I demand fearfully.

“Up or down — whichever is easiest to—”

The screeching alarms drown out his words. One by one, the doors around us suddenly swing shut, locking instantly on contact.

What the—?!

“Enhanced security measures,” my companion growls, taking note of every direction, “They’re trying to box us in—we need to hide!”

“But where?!” I cry, daring a glance over my shoulder, “All the doors are—!”

“Anywhere, lad! Just—just follow me! Quickly!”

There’s no time to argue. I get a flash of the uniforms some way behind us. They’ll be on us soon.

Do as he says.

Ignoring the burning in my chest, I hurry alongside my fellow patient. His eyes frantically scan the doors. Growing panic enters his voice.

“No — no — definitely no — ah!”

He slams the ID card on the next available scanner. 

Beep

“Finally — in here!" Both of us squeeze through the gap, forcing ourselves inside the small room. As I sink against the wall breathlessly, Dr Slade slams the door behind us. Breathing heavily, he lowers himself to the ground next to me. The screeching and yelling is at least muffled by the door of our temporary sanctuary.

Thank God—

“Arite. We should be — safe here — for a wee bit.”

He runs a hand through his messy hair, taking a quick glance around. “Looks like we — found a storeroom. We’ll just — stay here for now, until it’s safe to go out again.”

“U-uhuh…”

Closing my eyes, I force myself to try and calm down. 

Deep breath in — hold — and out. In — hold — and out. 

“S-so,” I start, once I can properly talk again, “where do we go from here?”

“If we can make it out of this room, then we have two choices: up to the roof or down towards the lower levels.”

Thankfully we both have the sense to keep our voices hushed. “The latter seems more doable — and if they’re blocking off the stairs, then that just leaves us the elevator.”

“S-sounds risky.”

“It is, but we don’t have a choice — now keep quiet, I can hear them on the other side.”

Silently nodding, I press further back into the wall. Staying as still as a statue, we both listen to the sound of further footsteps and barking orders. The search for us is still very much underway. In an attempt to distract myself, I briefly take in the rows of labelled draws and cabinets around us. They probably hold a wide range of supplies and medical equipment. Sadly, most of them have a keyhole somewhere, no doubt requiring a member of staff to access them. However, I do notice one thing that might give us another option.

“Dr Slade,” I ask, as soon as the noises outside have died down again, “do you think we could reach that air vent?”

He squints for a moment, clearly not overly impressed at my suggestion.

“Nice try, but I don’t think we’ll be getting through that old thing anytime soon.”

“...but it always works for the heroes in the movies?”

“Aye — and we’re not in one lad,” he points out, “Look at it — do you really think that both of us would be able to squeeze through there? The movie air vents are always unrealistically oversized and miraculously soundproofed for plot convenience — and even if we could squeeze through, there’s bound to be all kinds of nasty things in there. That’s the part they never show you.”

Just like that, my hopes are dashed yet again.

“...so basically, don’t believe everything you see in the movies?” I summarise, wincing.

“Exactly, A mouse might be able to pass through just fine, but you and I? We wouldn’t stand a chance.”

So much for that idea—ack!

My hands fly to my neck. Something zaps across my throat. I close my fingers over it with a harsh cry. The skin feels warm, as well as surprisingly sore. Almost like…a burn.

“Gah!”

Dr Slade soon copies me, clutching at the choker around his own neck. I don’t know if it’s my imagination, but I can see literal blue sparks leaping off of one of the parts. 

The chokers—what are they—agh!

Another painful jolt rushes through me. Eyes widening, I grab at my own choker, hooking my fingers between the skin and the metal. Electricity pulses through it, stinging me.

“Nngh—the collars—I forgot all about the bloody—AGH!”

He leans against the wall, clenching his teeth. I notice the subtle jerking of his limbs as the shocks pass through him. Immediately there’s a sudden rush of footsteps towards the storeroom. My face pales.

There is no way they didn’t hear that!

“D-Dr Slade! What’s happening?! How do we get these off of—NNGHA!”

The next shock tears through me. I fall onto my side, unable to control the twitching my own body. It’s enough to almost take my breath away. My own shrieks ring in my ears as I scrabble at the wretched thing, desperate to get it off. 

What is this—why is it—why—?!

“Nngh—lad! Hold on, just — nngh — just hold on!”

I can just about see him, directly across from me. His own grimace doesn’t bode well. Even then — at the sound of my distressed sobs — he still tries to reassure me. “I’m sorry — nngh — I know it hurts but — but we have to get—!”

Beep

Our heads turn towards the door. Dr Slade recovers quicker than me. He valiantly drags himself over to my shaking form, attempting to cover my body.

“Get behind me.”

He bares his teeth at the two figures blocking the open doorway. I feel him tense against me as he addresses them. “Don’t you — nngh — come anywhere near us.”

“Oh we don’t need to.”

With an ugly sneer, the nearest one pulls out a small device from his white coat and taps it against his ear. “This is Tod. Stand down with the shocks. Both patients have been secured. Backup requested to the second floor and inform the doc that—”

“Don’t bother, Tod. I’ll deal with them.”

A familiar face steps forward. Peeking out from behind Dr Slade, I lock eyes with our second captor.

“Dr Simmons?” I stammer hopefully, “Wh-what are you—”

“Hush up, kiddo. Don’t make it worse for yourself.”

His uncharacteristically sharp tone instantly silences me. A choked cry slips free. Sensing my upset, Dr Slade reaches for my hand and squeezes it.

“Oh you’ve got some nerve, lad,” he growls, “and I bloody hope you're proud of yourself!”

“Just doing my job, Slade,” the young man replies, “Sorry, but I really can’t have any of our patients going AWOL behind our backs.”

He turns to his colleague. “Get them up. We won’t be needing any backup.”

The accompanying uniform nods.

“Got it. Hold fire on that backup. We’re okay.”

 Taking a step forward he pulls out something from his belt. It looks…frighteningly like a gun.  “On your feet. Resist and I’ll shoot.”

That’s not a real gun…is it?

Dr Slade reluctantly turns to me. His eyes fill with a helpless expression. The only positive about any of this is that the alarms outside have finally shut up.

“Just do as he says, lad.”

“B-but—”

“I said up!”

I flinch at the guard’s impatient bark. Squeezing my hand again, my former neighbour helps to guide me to my feet. I try to catch Dr Simmons’ eyes, but he seems to be deliberately ignoring us.

“Get them out of here. I’ll update the doc myself when he’s finished downstairs.”

He pauses for a moment. “Oh and Tod, I’m sorry.”

“What for—”

“This.”

Before either of us can blink, the uniform is staggering against the wall, groaning in pain. Seizing the moment, Dr Slade snatches up his fallen weapon, shoving me further behind him. Barely keeping my balance, I stare back at Tod’s reeling form. One hand clutches his side, the other gropes desperately for his fallen communication device — which is now resting in Dr Simmons’ hands.

“Y-you—what—?!”

His bumbling response is silenced by a sharp fist colliding with his jaw. I can only watch, completely stunned, as the uniform’s head jerks to the side. A last strangled gasp leaves him as collapses to the ground.

...what actually just happened?

“Nothing personal, Tod. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll just be taking—”

“Not so fast!”

The younger doctor’s eyes visibly dilate at the weapon suddenly being thrust in his direction. Dr Slade glares down at him, unbothered by his sudden babbling.

“H-hey, wait up a sec! Just let me explain—”

“Then answer me this — who are you and what do you want?”

The young doctor stops rooting through his colleague’s pockets for a moment.  His gaze flickers from my own terrified eyes, to the unwavering frustration on my companion’s face.

“A-alright, alright, I’ll tell you everything—”

“Tod, report. Do you have the patients? Are you sure no backup’s required?”

Voices crackle out from the device in the blonde’s hand. Dr Slade threateningly clicks the trigger as the young man response—

“Dr Simmons speaking. We almost had them but they got away. Send some uniforms up to the third floor. It looked like they were heading up there. I’ll alert Dr Voss.”

Both of us blink back at him, perplexed by his sudden change.

“...got it. Heading up there now. Keep an eye out.”

The doctor’s shoulders visibly relax in relief.

He’s…not going to turn us in?

“Whew! That was a close call...uh, sorry, explanations right?”

He rubs the back of his neck with a sheepish laugh. Dr Slade doesn’t lower the gun, but the former distrust seems to be clearing from his eyes a little.

“...so you’re not going to call Voss?”

“And let that creepy doc keep on with his unethical ‘treatments’?” Dr Simmons answers, making exaggerated air quotation marks over that last word, “Nah, I think he’s had more than enough time to play with his ‘patients’.”

Dr Slade sighs in relief, but doesn’t back down yet.

“What’s your name, lad?”

“Oh, I’m Dex — Dexter Simmons,” he answers, glancing towards me, “I already know Ash pretty well and you’re Slade, right?”

“Dr Douglas Slade-McLaughlann, actually,” he corrects defensively, “I did not go through decades of medical training for my title to be ignored, thank you very much.”

“Aheh, my bad. Apologies, Doc — and I’m sorry about the whole apprentice-schtick as well. I would have acted sooner, but I had to be careful not to blow my cover too—”

“Wait—so you’re not a doctor?” I interrupt, struggling to process.

“Actually I am — three years fresh outta med school. Still got a long way to go.”

He starts rooting through the guard’s pockets again. “But that’s only a part of it, I guess—”

“So you were working undercover this whole time?” the older doctor asks, finally beginning to lower his weapon, “Why?”

Dr Simmons — Dex — lowers his voice.

“I’ve been trying to gather as much inside intel as possible on Pembrooke.”

Pembrooke? What’s—

“There've been a lot of shady stories about their facilities lately, which is where I come in. It’s been one heck of a mission so far, not really helped by the fact I’ve been running solo.”

An awkward smile flickers across his face. “Thinking back, I probably should’ve asked Benji or Eli for a hand since it has been some time since I did actual hero-work of this scale, but—”

“Wait—are you saying you’re a...?” 

Dex hesitates for a moment.

“...sorta. It’s uh, a long story — but anyway, no time for chit-chat, we need to get you out of those—aha!”

He finally pulls back, triumphantly holding what looks like a small computer chip between his thumb and index finger. “Alright, you should have full use of your powers again in just a second so—”

“Wait—what powers?” I interrupt, frowning, “What are you talking about?”

I’ve heard enough of this from Dr Slade, but now Dr Simmons too?!

“...he doesn’t know, does he?”

Dex shares an awkward glance with my former neighbour. He only responds with a small shake of the head.

“Know what?” I ask, nerves spiking in my stomach, “Dr Simmons?”

He doesn’t reply straight away, wincing a little.

“...okay. How do I put this in the least mind-blowing way possible?”

I stare back at him with a raised eyebrow as he continues. “There’s really no easy way to say this. You’re uh…you’re not what you think you are, kiddo.”

What is he getting at?

“Then...what am I?”

Taking a deep breath, Dex looks me straight in the eyes.

“...a super.”

Ending on a wee bit of a cliffhanger ;) Thank you so much for taking the time to come this far to read and support my writing, it really means a lot to me and I'm so grateful for your time. I'm hoping to get back to my weekly update schedule although I am pretty wiped out after starting back at work again so I'll do my best! See you in the next chapter! Things are finally starting to get more juicy now for all you lovers of med-whump out there ;)

Have a wonderful weekend and take care of yourselves! See you soon and sending best wishes! xx

Tag List (by popular demand!)

@whumpsmith @illustriousshadow @melpomenelamusa @only-shadows-dwell-where-we-are

Silas whipped around, instantly disguising his lost expression into a coy smile, “Sydney! I missed you! You never came to visit.”

Silas couldn’t help but smirk, “Yeah well I knew they were taking pretty good care of you there, they held onto you for over a year this time!”

“Did they? Huh, didn’t get to have a calendar in solitary, figured it had only been a couple of weeks.”

“What did you think about in all that time?” Sydney was stalling for back up and Silas knew it once again. Sydney didn’t want to pummel him again like the first time. Something about it had felt… wrong? If that made sense. It was better this way, to outmaneuver him, mitigate the damage.

Silas glanced around himself quickly, almost imperceptibly, scanning for others. He didn’t spot anyone, it wasn’t too late.

“Well I guess I’ll just have to tell you next time we meet won’t I?” Silas wiped some of the blood of his forehead with the back of his sleeve and winced, “Until next time.” He turned to leave.

“SEVEILLER HANDS UP!” The order rang through the smoldering air and caught Silas in his tracks.

They really were faster this time.

Men in tactical suits emerged from different directions, all equipped with rifles trained on Silas. Sydney glanced back at Silas and flashed a grin.

“Silas, No!” Silas realized then what he was going to do.

But the gun had already been pulled out of his back waistband, he was holding it up, trained on Sydney.

“Don’t shoot! Or I’ll take him with me!” Silas yelled.

Did Sydney see a quiver in Silas’s hands? He wouldn’t actually shoot him would he? He had never intentionally killed anyone right?

Sydney didn’t have time to debate this, this had to end, before someone got hurt, or worse, they shot Silas.

“Silas, what would Julie say?” He had recently uncovered it in a file, in an interview someone had mentioned someone named Julie and that she had died. He was grasping at straws but he hoped it might distract him but for some inexplicable reason it felt embarrassing to drag some random woman's name into their standoff, like he shouldn't do it.

But perhaps it was the right thing to do because after a brief moment Silas’s face devolved into horror as he stared at Sydney, he immediately lowered the gun and then dropped it like an afterthought.

"You know about her?" He asked in shock.

The SWAT team members surged in and tackled him to the ground and he didn’t fight it. When they pulled him back up, wasting no time in getting him to a more secure location, his eyes were empty, like he had seen a ghost. He went away with them quietly not looking back up at Sydney again, now lost somewhere else.

Who was Julie? Another victim?

-

The coffee was shit today. Did anyone else agree? Sydney didn’t even feel like making a joke about it though, he was too distracted with his previous night’s dream. Not one to overanalyze the weird shit that his subconscious made a hobby of coming up with, he didn’t normally let his nightmares take over his days but last night’s still tugged at his mind. 

He had had this hair-raising vivid vision of Silas Seveiller in his bedroom... to murder him. But right when Silas raised his knife, he stopped and whispered, This isn’t what I want.

Sydney didn’t understand it but it kept playing on a loop in his head throughout the whole morning. By noon he decided the only way to prove to his subconscious that the maniac hadn’t escaped to murder him was to go see him. Seeing Silas locked up would put him at ease again.

But Silas wasn’t in prison this time. They had finally decided that he wasn’t mentally fit to be kept there... Syd wondered if it’s because the Powers that Be thought the prison guards might actually kill him this time. 

Now Sydney would have to go to a very different place to see his nemesis.. one that he did not look forward to.

-

“Rise and shine Seveiller. You gonna take your meds today?”

The young man squinted to see two men towering above him, instantly making him feel nauseous. One pulled his sheet back while the other pressed a paper cup into his periphery.

“Because of your little meltdown yesterday, this is your only chance.”

“Well I don’t want it,” he croaked with a voice still heavy under the sedation of the previous night’s dose.

And then they were gone. He curled back into a miserable ball not bothering to pull the sheet back up.

A door far away buzzed. The sheet was gone again. The sheet was already gone? There were hands on him. Strong grips pulling him off the bed, he struggled. He even tried to land an elbow but he wasn’t strong enough and they too easily pinned him down. His face was forced into the mattress and his backside suddenly felt colder. Then there was a prick of a needle and he felt the elastic waistband of his pants being pulled back up. Someone was guiding him back onto the bed.

“This is for your own good,” he heard.

--

Time passed... he thought.

“Won’t you eat?”

--

“Time for meds. Are you gonna take them?”

No, he thought.

--

Where was he?

--

“Silas?”

Who was that?

--

“Well he’s been amazinigly uncooperative, worse than most. Most patients start to behave and submit to treatment after a few weeks, once they learn the alternatives if they don’t. But not Mr. Sevieller, however you would probably know that better than anyone since you are the one that caught him.” The doctor spoke over his shoulder as he strode down the blue linoleum hall.

Sydney picked up his pace to keep up, “In what ways? -not cooperating, I mean.”

The doctor looked back at him for a moment, Sydney suddenly felt as if he were another specimen under the microscope before the doctor returned his attention in front of him again.

“Well the boy is very sick. He used to attack the staff often at first when he came into our care. Before we started to learn how to uh- take care of him properly. He’s broken multiple noses and plenty of other bones of the orderlies. He refuses medication, thinks he doesn’t need it. Consistently refuses food out of insubordination, attempts pithy escapes… won’t engage in therapy nor submit himself willingly to any kind of treatment.. The list goes on and on. However, recently, I’d say the rules seem to be breaking through to him.”

Fitz wasn’t surprised, it all sounded like the young man he had worked so hard to bring in. He still wasn’t sure if psychiatric care was what Silas needed but he felt relief every time he had thought of Silas in here rather than out on the streets causing mayhem…. But the one thing that gave him pause was the word attack… Silas could through a punch but normally not unwarranted, he might’ve fought them but he found it hard to believe that Silas himself was the physical instigator…

He pushed down this puzzlement though as they buzzed through yet another door and reached the end of a hallway. The doctor peered through the window in the door first and then moved for Sydney to see for himself.

What he saw was not what he anticipated. There was a young man in there alright but he barely recognized it as Silas, the only indicator being that shock of dark hair. A much thinner version lay curled into himself and lifeless in the thin iron bed fastened to the floor. His pale eyes were open but his gaze didn’t move from where it was trained on the floor. Silas’s unruly hair had been shaven which made the hollows in his cheeks and eye sockets stand out that much more. A fresh looking bruise bloomed over his right eye creating a sickly mirage of yellows and blues. His arms were folded into his chest and his mouth hung slightly open. 

“What the hell happened to him?”

The doctor looked slightly offended for a moment, “Were you listening? He is on heavy sedation while we train him to willingly take his medication. A lot of our patients require …  proper motivation.”

Heavy-handed then. Sydney didn’t try to probe any further nor apologize for his harsh tone, he just turned away from the window.

“His responses will be delayed or he may not respond at all. It’s nothing to be worried about.”

“Well, I’m not worried about him.” Sydney shot back a little too quickly, bordering on defensive, “This is just a visit to ensure that he was still here- no offense. Er just a peace of mind thing. We both know what he is capable of.”

“Yes, sure, well if you have any trouble knock on the window. The orderlies are close by,” The doctor instructed curtly and took his leave.

-

“Silas?” No movement.

Sydney stared a for a moment before suddenly feeling like he shouldn’t be there. He was raising his hand to knock and to be let back out when Silas spoke.

“I don’t want it.”

“...Want what?”

His eyes pressed tightly together, “Please- I don’t want anymore.”

His voice was so small, such a stark contrast to the last time Sydney had seen him. Visions of that grin flashed in his head.

“Silas, it’s Sydney Fitz, do you recognize me?”

His eyes opened and he slowly looked up, his eyes were so red, it looked like he had been crying. Silas... crying?

“Syd? What are you doing here?” There was recognition but it was subtle and it looked as though he was having trouble focusing on him. He tried shifting to sit up but it was a poor effort.

“Here in an official capacity. Sent to make sure you’re still here. I’ve heard about your escape attempts, you forget that we know you too.”

His eyebrows came together but he didn’t say anything at first, then at last he muttered weakly, “Ya, I’m still here.”

“They treating you alright?” Sydney didn’t know what else to say.

Silas shrank back and looked up at the window of the door like he expected someone to be looking through it. He ignored the question though and instead responded with, “Why am I here?”

“You’re sick, Silas. You’ve committed countless crimes that you were convicted for, you need treatment and care.”

“... Do you believe that?”

“I’m not a psychiatrist, but I do know you did what you did and now people are dead.”

Silence.

“Where did you get that bruise?”

He stared back with no response.

Fitz pointed to his own eye in explanation.

After a prolonged moment Silas seemed to comprehend, he reached up to his own and winced when he found it with his fingertips, “.... You know me, I can’t help but fight it.” An attempt at a smile flickered across his lips but his tone lay flat.

Then the lock turned over and two very large men strode in. Silas shrunk back into himself, again. It was the quickest reaction Sydney had seen out of him yet. He pulled his sheet up further, a barrier.

“Please, please no. I don’t need any more.”

“Sorry sir, but he is on a strict medication schedule.” the nurse or orderly was addressing Sydney to apologize for barging in the middle of the visit. 

“Silas, are you going to take it or are we going to have to give you another shot?”

“No- no I won’t. I don’t need it.”

“Alright get up.”

He didn’t move except to flinch when the orderly stepped towards him and pulled him off the bed and in one move deftly pinned him down so his face was pressed up against the hospital linens.

One of the orderlies looked back at Sydney, “Sorry sir.”

Silas was struggling and doing a poor job of it. “No! Please don’t!”. It was almost too easy for the single man to hold him down as the other one uncapped the syringe that had been in his pocket. Then the first pulled down Silas’ thin hospital trousers. The other quickly injected the medication. Silas watched with considerable horror. And before he knew it the pants were back up, Silas was being lifted back on the bed.

He squeezed his eyes shut, cheeks burning with humiliation.

“Consider taking your pills next time.”

Then to Sydney, “Sir, let us know if you need anything.”

“Uh sure, yes”.

Silas looked back up at him with tears welling but he didn’t say anything. Rather he just pulled up his sheet a few centimeters and then trained his eyes down.

Silas stood speechless for a few more moments, unable to reconcile the brute force so deftly performed with a man he considered so impervious.

“...Silas, why don’t you just take it? It would be easier for you.”

He only shook his head, anger just barely visible through the misery.

--

Sydney couldn’t get rid of the feeling in his stomach all week. The fear of that grin had collapsed into images of a small frame in a small bed breaking down into itself, eyelids fluttering. It was sickening.

Against his better judgement, he found himself back at the institution the next week. That pit he was feeling in his stomach, he couldn’t decipher it. At last he decided that it was intuition, that maybe Silas had been faking it, planning another escape of some sort. To visit him again was the only foolproof way to keep an eye on him. 

“We’ve had to start force-feeding him this week, it is not our ideal course of action but while he refuses to eat, it is the only way. Maybe you can knock some sense into him.” The doctor seemed like he couldn’t care less as he was once again briskly leading Sydney down the hall. 

This time Silas was asleep when Sydney was buzzed in. His face was peaceful again, almost innocent if it didn’t have all the bruises.

Unused to approaching sleeping people, he lived alone after all, he cleared his throat first in an attempt to wake him. When it had no affect, Sydney uncomfortably muttered his name.

“Hey, Silas, you there? It’s me again,”

He only stirred slightly, so he tried again. This week, there were no sheets on the bed, instead it was bare and Silas donned only a straight jacket and thin cotton pants.

After the third time, Silas opened his eyes, he looked like he was trying to rouse himself from the grave. What the hell did they have him on?

“Syd?” he whispered as he found Sydney with his dazed eyes.

“Ya it’s me again, I came back.”

If Sydney didn’t know any better he could’ve sworn that tears welled in the corner of Silas’ eyes, after a few more moments he said, “It’s good to see you.”

Sydney scoffed, Silas would never say that without dripping with sarcasm, “Haha, I bet.”

At this moment, Silas seemed to become more aware of himself and remember the straight jacket he wore, he shifted uncomfortably.

Sydney gestured at it, “They’re really giving you the all-exclusive vacation package huh?”

Silas grimaced at first but found a bit of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, “Yeah, they treat me like royalty here. They love me so much they don’t want me to leave.” 

“Now that’s the Silas I know,” Sydney chided back.

Silas shifted himself to sit up on the bed, it took longer than it should have and Sydney could swear there was an almost imperceptible groan at one point. How did struggling create so many bruises? He wondered.

“I heard you’re not eating?” Sydney had meant to interrogate his arch enemy on escape tactics, etc. but now that he was here, for some unexplained reason, he just couldn’t bring himself to. 

Silas wilted a bit, but then breathed in again and responded while cracking another smirk, “The food is shit, worse than what they make over at the prison.” 

“Silas, you never stayed there for more than a week before you escaped every time,” Syd chided back.

His grin curled a little tighter, “Oh ya, almost forgot,”

“Well don’t go killing yourself so soon, otherwise who am I going to fight every goddamn day?”

Silas didn’t respond as quickly, “I don’t know but hopefully the next fella has better aim.”

“Yeah maybe make it a little more interesting,”.

Silas had a coughing fit, it was deep and heavy, it sounded painful. The pallor on skin greyed significantly by the time he finished. 

“...You okay? That sounds nasty.”

He straightened himself up a bit, “It’s nothing, the doctor already saw me, just some bug they said.”

Sydney wasn’t convinced but Silas was getting more drawn by the moment, clearly he was getting tired. His eyelids drooped further.

Sydney inched towards the door, unsure why he was feeling something foreign and uncomfortable in his own chest, “You seem like you’re getting tired so I am going to head out, let you get your rest.”

Silas’s eyes opened fully again, “Are you going to come back?” that small, small voice again.

“Um, yeah, sure, I’ll stop by again soon if you want.”

Silas nodded forward a bit and then slowly lowered back down to the mattress, his eyes were closed before the door had locked behind Silas again.

-

“Um, Silas. I have to ask you something. That day… when I caught you-”

Silas wearily smiled and flicked his eyes up to the man standing above him, “Which one? You’ve got a few lucky breaks under your belt.”

“The day you threatened me with a gun.”

The small quirk of a smile dissolved as his face paled.

“I didn’t know who- it was just a blind attempt to stop them from shooting you… Who is Julie?”

Silas looked back up at Syd revealing glassy eyes with a grief torn expression, “Was- you mean was.”

Sydney watched his... enemy- deflate, his shoulders caved in and head hung low.

He blinked the heavy welling tears out of his eyes, not bothering to wipe them away, “She-” He closed his eyes for a moment, flushed with emotion, “She was my little sister.”

He looked back up to Syd with large dull eyes. 

Something panged deep within Sydney, jesus. All of the blood drained out of him, “Oh god, Silas, I’m-” 

“I -I was supposed to protect her. I was all she had.”

Silas choked on his tears that started to come quickly, “But I couldn’t- I couldn’t- save her.”

Blind grief consumed his face. He had never- Never- spoken about it. Not to anyone.

“She never doubted that I would keep her safe. I was ten and she was seven, we were sent to a new foster family. We were just happy to stay together. The father.. He was a monster. He would lock us in the basement for days at time, beat us. One night he came down and he didn’t want to hurt me like he normally did- he went after her-” Another involuntary sob tore its way out of him, “I tried to fight him off- but you know I was a kid- he was too big. He beat me until I couldn’t stand- She was so small- all it took was one hit in the wrong place. She suffocated slowly- I couldn’t do anything for her, I kept thinking that if I knew how to hold her or how to fix it- I held her down in that basement for all night- He didn’t come back down until the next morning. By then she had-” been dead for hours.

Sydney listened in horror as his arch enemy broke down in front of him. Before it occurred to him what he was doing, he sat down on the bed and pulled the agonized man into his arms. Another sob escaped him but he didn’t fight it, he went limp into the strong hold, sobbing into his chest in anguish.

Then the door buzzed, Silas jerked away from Sydney, a panic and crazed look on his tear soaked face.

Two orderlies and a nurse came stampeding in. Silas bolted to the further corner of the bed holding out an open palm, “Please no-” with a strangled sob.

“Silas, you are overwhelmed. You know how this goes, it’s for your own good.”

The nurse looked at Sydney who had also jumped up, “Sir, please get behind us- he’s unstable- not safe like this.”

Sydney’s confusion fell into anger, “He wasn’t going to hurt me- he-”

Another strangled sobbed escaped Silas as the two men grabbed him, forcing him down onto the bed. A third orderly appeared out of nowhere, he immediately began fastening the five point restraints that were previously tucked under the thin mattress.

Silas struggled like a trapped animal, tears still streaming down his face. When each limb was tethered, the nurse approached with a syringe held aloft as the men held his arm still.

“Shhh- it’s okay Silas, this will make you feel better.”

She administered the syringe quickly and the men stepped away. 

Silas turned his head, “Syd-” his expression crumbled again into raw desperation when his gaze landed on his face. But just as quickly as they had tackled him down, his expression began to soften and his eyes emptied.

Sydney was left standing there feeling like someone had wrenched his heart out of his chest.

-

Sydney found himself back at the gates of the hospital with a lump in his throat the next week.

“Mr. Seveiller requests that he receive no visitors at the moment, unless this is official business?”

By the time he got back into his car he thought he might throw up.

Against his better judgement, he went back the next week and was met with the same response. It became a ritual, showing up only to be denied. If he had really wanted to see Silas he could easily feign some official matter and force his way in to see him…. But Silas didn’t want to see him anymore. And could he fault him for that?

And then those tapes landed on his desk one morning, a few months after that awful day. Sydney hadn’t bothered to stop by the hospital in over a month. It didn’t stop him from thinking about Silas. He felt a pang in his stomach when he read the name on the file.

“Hey, Fitz? The loony bin sent over copies of the reports on Sevieller. You wanna see them?”

“Isn’t there patient doctor confidentiality?”

“Not when the patient is a real threat to national security, no. Although I doubt he’s much of a threat anymore… Someone finally figured out how to put that psycho in their place.”

“I’m surprised he talked to the doctors,” Fitz responded in a trained tone of apathy.

“Yeah, I guess they gave him something to get him going.”

A jab of… was it guilt? hit Sydney. They were drugging him defenseless? Even when dealing with someone as dangerous as Silas… it didn’t seem right.

“Sure. I’ll give them a look.” He sighed and tossed the flash drive on his desk, attempting to seem disinterested still. 

“The bastard’s really a wreck, crying like a baby.” The cop gave one last imperious chuckle and picked his coffee mug back to sidle up to another desk.

Syd’s eyebrows creased slightly as he plugged the flash drive in, nervous about what he would see.

First file was a video.

Two men were guiding a drowsy looking Silas into a small plain room. He stumbled clumsily and they pushed him into chair and cuffed his hands to the table in front of him and his ankles to the floor. It struck Sydney as a bit excessive.

“Mr. Seveiller, are you ready to cooperate with therapy today?” A voice from out of frame addressed Silas.

He resolutely shook his head no once, a fire burning in his eyes. Sydney recognized the smoldering flicker, he had seen it so many times before.

“If you don’t begin to cooperate, it means the medicine is not helping your condition and we will have to up the doses.”

Silas glanced at the camera before responding, “The drugs aren’t doing anything but giving me side effects. You and I both know that’s because I didn’t need them to begin with.”

“We’ve been over this Mr. Sevieller, you are in denial, we are only helping you here. If you can’t begin to see that, then your condition is worse than we  thought.”

“I am not in denial, I am not sick, I am just a very bad person.”

The voice hummed slightly and Syd could hear pen scratching.

“Write as many notes as you want, you won’t figure me out and I won’t bend.”

Silas stared down the anonymous man on the other side of the camera with unreserved confidence. He wouldn’t be tamed quite so easily.

The next tape was dated a week later. The men were guiding him back in but they walked more slowly. This time Silas held out his wrists to be fastened down. Then he regarded the other side of the camera with an annoyed grimace.

“Good morning, Mr. Sevieller. How are you feeling?”

He subtly rolled his eyes but elected to hold his tongue settling for, “Peachy, doc.”

“Have the new levels done anything to change your mindset?”

“Other than sleeping through meals? No. But you know, I enjoyed being showered by two burly men this week. An unexpected new perk,” Silas smiled saccharinely, daring the doctor to press further.

“I am afraid you can’t be trusted in the showers after… Monday’s incident.”

-

Two men were dragging him into a bare room kick and screaming. The wrestled him into a chair and attached his wrists and ankles to it like a goddamn animal.

“Do you want to be a good boy today?”

Silas wearily picked up his gaze to look across the table, a solid “fuck you” written over his expression, but he didn’t speak back.

“Well I have something to help you do that. Lucky you.” For the first time, Sydney could hear amusement in the voice behind the camera.

Silas’ expression wasn’t mirthful and ready to strike back like Syd had come to expect, there was frustration and exhaustion instead. 

Someone else came out from behind the camera, they held a syringe aloft as they approached they tethered patient. 

“No no no, get away from me. Don’t come near me with that-” Silas looked… scared?

“You don’t even know what it does yet,” the voice said from behind the camera, “If we agree not to use it, will you behave and talk with us?”

Silas aimed a look of pure hatred bore through the camera lens and to the person owning the voice. It looked like it took strength to shake his head no, just a millimeter. But it was enough.

A sigh, “Okay, inject him. And remember you had an option.”

Silas began to writhe in his restraints, desperately trying to create space from the syringe bearer. More people came in and attempted to hold him down to the table. Silas violently resisted throwing himself aas far within the restraints as he could, likely seriously injury his wrists and ankles in the struggle. At one point he managed to bite an arm and the headless body jumped out of the shot. Another nurse? Orderly? Slammed his head against the table then, temporarily stunning him.

“Do it! Now!” A voice rang out.

Whatever it was didn’t take long to begin working, Silas stayed limp on the table no longer moving, a stark contrast from the scene moments ago. 

“Okay, rouse him now.”

Someone took smelling salts for fainting victims and cracked them under his nose, a faint flinch was visible from his now still body. A strong set of hands then manhandled him back into sitting, pressing him against his chair again. And then checked his eyes with a pocket light. 

The kid squinted in annoyance but didn’t resist.

“Silas, are you feeling more agreeable now?”

Silas looked back across the table as if just seeing the speaker for the first time. 

“Yes sir?” He answered uncertainly, quietly. Even through the camera the dazed look in his eyes was visible. 

“Will you answer my questions and be a good boy?”

Silas remained locked on him, his eyes wide, “ Yes- yes.” He spilled out with uncertainty, as if part of him still knew he didn’t want to do this.

“We just gave you a special medicine that releases inhibitions, forces you to tell the truth, a truth serum if you will. You’ve been very bad but I think you can behave better now.”

Silas just stared at him.

“I want to start from the beginning. Your history. You had a drunken father and a promiscuous mother who didn’t take care of you, yes?”

“She tried to-”

“Yes?”

Silas nodded with his eyes wide, “Yes, she was out a lot. They both died by the time I was eight though.”

“And that’s how you and your little sister ended up in foster care?”

Silas suddenly looked confused as if he didn’t know how this man knew these things. 

“Do I need to repeat myself?”

“No- yes, the state took our custody. No other family.”

“And that’s how your sister died, in foster care. Did you do it? So angry at the world you had to take it out on someone else?”

Horror made the tenuous expression on Silas’s face drop, “No- no. I didn’t- I couldn’t- I couldn’t protect her-”

“From yourself you mean?”

Tears began to roll down his cheeks but he seemed to not perceive them.

“No, I didn’t- he did it- he-” He was tripping over his words, clearly horrified but mysteriously stuck in a dream where he couldn’t reason, couldn’t fight back and couldn’t stay silent instead of engage.

“You seem to not even understand yourself- sometimes the brain locks away trauma, things it doesn’t want to believe… maybe you need a higher dose next session to get the real truth.”

“He killed her- I didn’t- I didn’t-”

Sydney’s heart clenched so deeply or gut wrenchingly that he didn’t know if he could keep watching. He knew for a fact that he had never discussed with any one else other than him. Now to have it torn out of him… but worse… accused? It was sickening.

“It sounds like it could have been the beginning of your misanthropic reputation, after that you went to the Pelham Boys’ School, where you spent most of your time in solitary confinement for infractions.”

Silas was full on sobbing now, well beyond wondering how a childhood file could be unsealed, beyond the injustice of the forced interrogation they were trying to call psychotherapy… now in a completely detached state of agony.

“Silas, stop it. We are not done. Listen to me-”

But Silas wouldn’t stop, he was completely departed, sobbing and unreachable. 

“Fuck, you dosed him too high for the first time. Fucking waste of time. Take him away, sedate him and let him sleep it off.”

By the time the staff members were around him again, Silas’s tears had stopped but his head was at an odd tilt downwards and his eyes were hauntingly vacant. He didn’t notice when his wrist were unlatched, or his ankles (although Syd could see the angry red welts around each limb) he didn’t even respond when they began to drag him out. 

"Mrs. (l/n) what are you doing at work?" A male voice asks referring to your cough, your red running nose and your reddened eyes. You sight and look up from your computer. On the other side of the desk stands Dr. Stephen Strange looking at you with a raised eyebrow. "I can't stay at home. Besides it's only a cold. So thank you for asking but I'm fine, Sir." You answer with a raspy voice giving him a forced smile. 'God he just won't leave me alone will he...' Nevertheless he doesn't seem to happy with your answer. "I can't let you work like that. You'll leave right now and go see a doctor." He seems a little bit angry but you don't care. You're a grown up person and can decide for yourself rather you can work or not. Maybe he's not even talking about your wellbeing but that of the patients. "Don't worry I'll stay away from the patients I won't even come into contact with one. I'm here in the office all day lo-" He interrupts you with a gesture of his hand and leans forward resting his hands on your desk. "I'm not talking about the patients. I'm concerned about YOUR wellbeing." His gaze rests upon you making you really uncomfortable. "Listen i-it's very nice of you...that you care about my wellbeing but-" You grip the mouse of your computer tight in your hand when he interrupts you once again. "If you don't listen to me then I'll have to-" Now he gets interrupted by a knock on the door and a nurse entering the room.

"Dr. Strange you have a surgery in a few minutes the others are already looking for you." Stephen looks at the nurse and then back at you. He sights and straightens up. "We're going to talk about this later. Because I'm pretty sure you are not going to follow my...let's call it 'advice' for your sake." You look at the nurse for help but she just looks confused back and forth between the two of you. 'If this keeps going on there will be even more gossip going on...' You think while despairing on the inside. Dr. Strange goes for the door and is about to leave but not before giving you one last strict glance. The door closes. You let out a heavy sight and close your eyes. A little growl rumbles in your throat. 'He's so annoying. Why can't he just leave me alone?'

It all just started when you've got your new job in this hospital. First it only was a polite greeting while passing each other on the hall. Then after a while you've always felt his eyes on you even when he couldn't be there. You may be paranoid but you always feel like there's someone following and watching you. Every time he meets you he would try to start a conversation with you, which would end up with you struggling to find an excuse for ending it. You know he had this really bad accident and he was gone for a long time. You truly felt sorry for him. But he eventually startet working again. It still is a mystery to you how he can operate with his hands but you're not all about questioning it. There were rumors about magic or something like that but you can't imagine him being a wizard...or anything like that.

The rest of your shift went by very slowly and the cold is really getting to you. It's already dark outside and you pack your stuff in the backpack ready to go home until you hear a knock on the door. "Come in!" You say and blow your nose. The door opens and Stephen Strange enters the room. Knowing who it is you don't pay him much attention. Not after he talked to you like he did earlier that day. "I'm already leaving Dr. Strange." You tell him without looking in his direction. "Mrs. (l/n) I don't appreciate the way you're treating me." His voice sounds calm but... "Ooooh YOU're not appreciating the way I treat YOU." You snap at him having enough of his bullshit. 'He's so arrogant! How can anybody like a person like him?' Quietly you let out a few coughs while looking at him waiting for his reaction. Your throat is dry and hurting. "Listen (y/n)... " He sights and pinches the bridge of his nose. "...I'm... I'm sorry, okay." You look at him a little surprised with a raised eyebrow. "I just don't want you to push yourself to far. I see how much you work and you even go to work when you're sick." Now you're just confused. "And your point is...?" You ask him. "I just want you to stay at home tomorrow and get some rest. Please don't force me to-" You interrupt him feeling kinda creeped out by his behavior. "What? You want to force me to stay home? Look I may or may not understand that you worry about me but I'm really tired at the moment and I don't want to discuss this topic any longer. You do you and I do me." You say your voice breaking a few times while talking. Without saying another word you quickly grab your stuff and push past Dr. Strange. "Good night, Sir." With these words you leave the room and the doctor stays behind.

'Why? Why isn't she seeing that I care so much about her... Am I doing something wrong? Why can't she see that there's more than just working in the same hospital...more than just friendship...' He has so many questions that he can't seem to find an answer to. The first moment he saw you he knew there was something about you...something special. He can't get you of his mind even though he always tries to keeps a clear head. The only reason he returned to the hospital after becoming the Sorcerer Supreme is to see you and to be with you. But...it can't go on like this forever. He needs you. You are his. Watching you at home just isn't enough anymore. 'I need to confess my love. ... But what if she says no?' In that case...he has to come up with a plan to 'convince' you.

You close the door to your house behind you and lock it. 'What's gotten into him?' You sight leaning against the door. 'He never acted like this in the past... Well he creeped me out a few times before but he never like...threatened me.' The more you think about it the more nervous you get. You shake your head. 'He always acts like that... He's probably not used to people not listening to him. Maybe he even is a little bit of a sociopath...' All these thoughts are driving you crazy and you feel the cold slowly taking its toll. So you decide it would be a good idea to take a hot bath and then go to bed. No sooner thought than done. You just throw everything you brought back from work into your bedroom and make your way to the bath. The steaming hot water feels like heaven and you feel your airways slowly relieving.

After a long relaxing bath your body is aching for sleep. Exhausted you lay down in your bed and pull up the blanket over your shivering body. You put on some warm clothes after your bath but you're still cold and you shake like a leaf. The cold really distresses you and you have trouble falling asleep. But after what seems like hours of tossing and turning in bed you eventually fall asleep. As you doze of into sleep you didn't notice the presence of a person standing next to your resting form.

"Isn't she beautiful?" The dark figure whispers. His cloak slightly touches his cheek in order to tell him something. "Yes yes I know just a little more time. She'll soon be ours." He steps closer and kneels beside your bed. His hand wanders to your cheek were his fingers slightly travel over your skin. He feels the heat coming from your body. Carefully he reaches for your forehead. "She has a fever..." He sighs and shakes his head. "I'll have to think about a plan for tomorrow. I can no longer wait and see." He whispers his cloak waving in excitement.

You wake up to your alarm clock going of. If you haven't felt like shit the day before now you do. You feel like you haven't slept at all. Getting up from your bed your body is aching and you feel kinda dizzy. 'At least I'm not cold anymore...' You think to yourself looking in your closet for something to put on today. After finding something warm to put on you get yourself ready for work. As you were eating your breakfast your phone rings and you pick it up looking at the screen. Your boss is calling you. You gulp. "Hello?" You answer the call. >Oh good morning Mrs. (l/n). I hoped you would answer my call before making your way to work.< The voice of your boss sounds through the phone. "How may I help you, Sir?" You ask having no clue at all. >Well first of Mrs. (l/n) I'm sorry for your loss. I didn't know how much stress you go through at the moment. And that's why I'll give you a few days off.< He sounds worried which confuses you even more. 'What loss is he talking about?' "Pardon me Sir but I don't quite understand." >Dr. Strange told me everything. I had no idea of how your situation at the moment is. Don't tell me otherwise I know it's hard to lose a family member and denial is the first option to come to your mind.< 'That asshole Strange...' "Listen Sir I don't-" >Oh I'm sorry Mrs. (l/n) I have to go. Get some time to work on your grief and your problems. Have a nice day.< "BUT I-" It was to late he'd already hung up. You sit there on your table slowly letting your phone sink starring in disbelief. 'He's really done it...' Letting out a loud sigh you lean back in your chair and repeat the whole conversation in your head. Suddenly you yell out in frustration and pound your fists on the table making the silverware clink. "Why?! Why can't he just mind his own business?!" You growl to yourself. You massage your temples and cough a few times. Now you're getting a headache and you feel even worse than before. Suddenly your doorbell rings. You get up from your chair with a loud sight and make your way to the door.

As you open it and see who's standing in front of it you feel anger and annoyance boiling up in you. "How dare you?!" You spit. The person in front of you is non other than Dr. Stephen Strange. He stares at you with an unreadable expression but you couldn't care less. "Stop interfering in my life! What's wrong with you?! Don't you have your own business to mind?! Just leave me the hell alone! Stop staring at me and SAY SOMETHING!" Your outburst gets Dr. Strange back into reality and focused on you. "Listen (y/n) I'm just doing this because you clearly don't care for yourself." He says in a calm voice. "I don't see how this is your business! Just stop already! Leave me alone!" You beg desperately trying to get him to understand. "(Y/n) why don't you understand that I care a lot about you. I just want to protect you." He explains putting his hands up in a calming manner. You take a step back in your house ready to close the door if he trys something. His behavior is really creeping you out and the worst thing is that you can't seem to understand him. "I-I...Dr. Strange we are colleagues and...I really want to leave it at that. I mean you still have Christine. She cares a lot about you a-and she is the same age as you and I thought you two were-" You try to make it clear that you have no interest in him...because you're not blind and you get the hints he's giving you. 'But maybe he's just trying to be nice...?' "No!" His sharp tone makes you flinch slightly and you are about to slam the door in his face. "I don't care about Christine! I only care about you and I love you (y/n) don't you understand?! I want you to be with me! I need to protect you it's dangerous out there!" Your heart is racing and you feel like screaming right now. "Okay that's enough. Please leave now Dr. Strange!" You try your hardest to sound tough and determined but your voice comes out shaking. He looks at you raising his eyebrows realising what he's just said. "Oh no (y/n) I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sorry. I'm-"

*BOOM*

You slam the door in his face before he can come anywhere near you. "Please (y/n) don't lock me out." The voice of the doctor comes muffled from the other side of the door. "GO AWAY! I ALREADY TOLD YOU I'M NOT-" Suddenly you hear a noise coming from behind you. You spin around in panic and look around behind you. But you can't seem to see anything suspicious. 'Okay (y/n) get it together! I can't even call the police on him otherwise I'm probably going to lose my job...' You feel really bad and weakened because of the cold and the stress. Leaning against the door you try not to cry. "(Y/n) I can feel that you're not well. Let me take care of you. Don't force me to-" "SHUT- up!" You scream your voice breaking in the end. Turning to face the door again you shake out of anger and fear. "If you don't leave immediately I'm going to call the-" Suddenly something grabs you from behind. It feels like some sort of fabric is wrapping itself tightly around you. You try to scream but the same fabric covers your mouth. As it also forces your legs together you are about to fall but it somehow keeps you standing. You struggle against it but it only keeps getting tighter until you can't move anymore. The cold is not helping you  either because of your weakened state you can't keep up the fight for long. You pant heavily and give in to whatever is holding you. The fabric around you losens a little bit as you begin to shake out of fear and exhaustion. You look to your door as suddenly some sort of portal appears in front of you. Out of the portal steps Stephen Strange who was behind your door just a moment ago. Your eyes widen and you want to back up but the fabric won't let you. "I'm sorry I don't wanted to do that but you left me with no choice." He steps towards you until he's only a few centimeters away from you. You wimper in response and fight the tears from coming out. Dr. Strange notices your frightened state and wrapps his arms around you. He presses your shaking form against him and trys to calm you down. "Shhh it's okay. I'll take good care of you. You'll never have to stress yourself with work again. It's not good for you." You weakly start to struggle again and scream against his chest until your throat hurts even more. He just tightens his hold on you and says nothing because he knows you'll get exhausted eventually. As you finally give up and stay still in his arms you start to cry and muffle pleas in the fabric covering your mouth. "You can let go of her now." Dr. Strange says and the thing holding you releases you. It flys behind the doctor and lays itself around his shoulders. "Please let me go I promise I won't tell anyone and we'll just forget about it... You just have to let me-" You plea with what's left of your voice and try to free yourself again with nothing more than a light push. "Hush I don't want to hear this nonsense anymore (y/n). I know it will be hard for you to adjust to your new life believe me I know it to well. But you'll be safe with me in the Sanctum Santorum." You shake your head and still try to escape his grasp. "My family and friends will search for me and they are going to safe me-" You have to pause and start coughing. This was to much for your voice. "That's enough (y/n) you need to rest now!" Stephen pulls something out of his pocket. "What *cough* are you-" You panic but the next moment you feel something piercing your neck. The liquid entering your system imitately makes you feel dizzy. You still try to struggle against him but you can already feel yourself slipping of into sleep. As your consciousness slowly slips away Stephen takes over the weight of your body. "There we go sweetheart that's much better isn't it?" He whisper as your struggles fade and you finally give up the fight against sleep.

You slowly begin to wake up. It's warm and soft around you. The smell of freshly washed bedding fills your nose. You move slowly and open up your eyes a little. Carefully you move your sore limbs and sit up slightly. You are still a bit dizzy and your vision is slightly blurry. As you look around the unfamiliar room you are in it hits you like a lightning bolt kicking you out of your dazed state. He kidnapped you. You feel panic rising up in you and you throw of the bedsheet. But the moment you want to leave the bed you fall face first on the ground. Something was holding your leg and as you turn to look what it is your face goes pale. A chain was attached from the bed to your ankle. "NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!" You shout panicking even more and pulling on the chain. Suddenly you stop as you hear someone opening the door to the room. You quickly look for something to defend yourself with and grab the beside lamp from the nightstand. Stephen enters the room holding a tray with a bowl, cutlery, a glass of water (at least you think it is water) and some bottles which look like they're containing medicine. He also wears rather strange clothes and the oh so familiar cape. The moment he looks at you and sees what you are holding his expression changes in disappointment. "I hope you slept well, sweetheart. Although I really thought you would change your attitude after your nap." He stets the tray aside on a large dresser and turns to face you. You slowly stand up holding the lamp in front of you. The chain on your ankle is forcing you to only fully stand on one leg. "You drugged and kidnapped me and you really think I would 'change my mind'? You are a sick psychopath! You are a mon-" "I AM NOT- a monster! (Y/n) I did this because I love you and I want to protect you. You'll come to understand it sooner or later. Now please put down the lamp you're going to hurt yourself." You don't even think about putting it down on the contrary your grip around the lamp tightens and your hands begin to shake. Stephen sighs and his cape detaches itself from his shoulders and darts towards you. You whimper and try to hit it with the lamp to keep it away from you. But the red fabric is to fast for you and dodges your every swing. It wraps around the lamp and pulls it out of your hand which sends you falling on your butt. "NO!" You yell frustrated. The cape now again wraps around you but not without you biting, pulling and kicking it. "STOP!" You can't keep up the fight for too long and again end up wrapped in a tight embrace. The cape lifts you up and lays you back down in the bed. "Please Stephen...please let me back home. I'm begging you please..." You begin to sob and squirm. Stephen just ignores your pleas and takes the tray he brought in before to the nightstand beside your bed. He sits down on the bed with an unreadable expression.

Stephen takes the bowl with the food he prepared for you while the cape forces you in an upright position. "Stephen please..." Your whole body shakes and tears stream down your cheeks. The doctor looks at you and you could see he was feeling guilty for just a brief moment. "You need to eat now (y/n) and then you're going to take some medicine." His monoton voice scares you. "Please you don't have to do this! Just...Just let us talk about this. I really-" "Quiet!" Immediately you go silent biting your buttom lip. "If you don't behave, I'm going to put you somewhere you really don't want to be." This thread sends a cold shiver down your spine and makes you wonder what he is capable of. "W-What are you?" You dare to ask which softens his expression. "Well I'm nothing to be afraid of as long as you are good." He reaches out for your face and puts his hand on your cheek making you flinch. "I'm not going to tell you, yet. It's already way to much for your little head to take in right now." His thumb strokes your cheek in order to calm you down. You don't dare to speak nor to move. He then takes his hand away to pick up the spoon and feed you the dish he has prepared. It looks like some kind of porridge. "Now you must be hungry. You need to eat something." He scoops up some of the food and directs it to your mouth. You hesitate to open up your mouth. "(Y/n)...please don't make me force feed you." Against anything your brain screams at you, you slowly open your mouth and let Stephen put the food in it. "Good girl." He praises you. You slowly swallow the warm and almost tasteless porridge. It's at least a little bit sweet. Dr. Strange feeds you the rest of the bowl leaving your insides feel warm from the food. He gives you a warm smile. "See it wasn't that bad now was it?" Besides feeling a little bit better after eating you still want to strangle him. He then opens up the medication. "I'm not going to take the medicine from you." You say cold, but feeling scared on the inside. He stops for a moment making you panic you even said something. "Well if that's so I'll need to do it another way." You want to back away but the fabric still holding you won't let you. "I actually hoped you would say that." A dark smile you've never seen before forms on his face. He takes a pill out of the jar and puts it into his mouth. 'He's not going to...' You start to struggle again seeing him taking a mouthful of the water. Stephen then takes your head in his hands forcefully opening your mouth with his fingers. You shake your head and start to cry again. He connects his mouth with yours and infuses the water and the pill into your mouth. For a short moment he stays like this holding your head still. As he pulls away from your shaking form he puts his hand over your mouth for you to not spit it out again. "Shhhh. Just swallow it. You're going to be okay I promise." You whimper trying to spit everything out but only a little bit of water runs down your chin. Finally you decide to swallow the warm water containing the pill. Stephen smiles as he sees you swallow the medication. He takes his hand away and studies your red face. Admittedly he really wants to feel and taste you. As a man who actually is not dirty minded he really needs to hold back when it comes to you. "You need to rest now. The medication will soon have an effect. It'll make you feel a little bit sleepy but the cold should go away very soon." He lays you back down and his cloak lets go of you positioning itself back around Stephens shoulders. You don't dare to move as he places the blanket over you stroking your hair in an effort to calm you. He just sits beside you on the bed admiring you while stroking your hair and face.