Precious and Fragile Things (Cecil)

The clap of dress shoes on polished linoleum echoed through the halls and faded in with the other background noise of an active hospital. The nurses chattering, the ringing of telephones, the clack of computer keys, and the far off sobbing of stricken loved ones all blurred into solid white noise of a sound that was lost on the ears of the pacing psychiatrist. He’d been out there for some time, fingers knotting and unknotting as he could not keep still for more than a second. Max was far too preoccupied to pay any of the other goings on any mind, too worried about the young boy resting in the room just on the other side of the wall. This could have been prevented if only he’d paid more attention. If only he’d listen to his gut instead of letting Dr. Bjorgen influence his decisions. If only he’d upped the medication or perhaps put him on another. So much could have been done differently and there was every chance that they would not be here now. Worried eyes tore their way up from the repetitive pattern in the floor and to the door, stopping just outside it. He breathed a sigh and turned, moving toward it and pushing it open.

In reality, Max knew he was over reacting. This wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. He should be thankful that he was pacing the halls of the hospital and not the morgue. Cecil had broken his hand pretty badly and it required surgery but all went well according to the doctors. His hand would have pins in it for a while and he would need to be on heavy duty painkillers. However, given enough rest and with some physical therapy, Cecil wouldn’t lose function in the hand. It was the best news that he could have received given the circumstances. After speaking with the doctor Max had to make the unfortunate call to Cecil’s parents and inform them of what had happened to their son. These calls were never easy. Most parents immediately blamed Max or the home for their child’s injury even if the fault lied elsewhere. It hadn’t been Max who slammed the hand in the door. And of course the door didn’t slam itself closed…right? Max had to push those thoughts aside. He knew the house was old and drafty with a few…unexplained happenings but that wasn’t possible.

The call had been a pain but it wasn’t the worst he’d ever had to make. All in all, he really shouldn’t be as stressed about the whole situation. He needed to keep it together for Cecil who should be awake, even if he was drugged to the gills. Max had already begun sorting out treatment for the young man when they returned to Highgrove. It would be a bit taxing at first but given Cecil’s self destructive nature and his habit of drifting toward those who would hurt him it was necessary. First and foremost, Cecil would be on painkillers constantly. When the medication would start to wear off he’d be given another set of pills. He was not about to let a masochist walk around with his sort of injury. He could clearly see the boy fucking with his hand to get some release and then he’d be permanently crippled. Since Cecil won’t be able to participate in his stable chores Max would arrange for him to spend that time in the company of another staff member. Class work will be sorted out with the teachers. Perhaps Cecil can type or narrate to another student who could write down his answers. Either way, it’ll be worked out.

But none of that needed to be dealt with right this minute. Max was standing in the doorway of Cecil’s room, eyes scanning the various monitoring machines before settling on the boy in the bed. He wouldn’t need to stay too long but for now the doctors thought he should rest. Max agreed whole heartedly. He crossed the room, grabbing a chair and pulling it so he could sit beside the bed. Cecil would be heavily medicated but perhaps he could use that to his advantage. The boy may be more willing to open up and talk to him about what happened. Then again, he could get complete gibberish from him. It would be worth a try. “Cecil?” Max briefly flashed back to the last time he’d sat beside a hospital bed and tried to talk to the boy. “Can we talk about what happened?”