The Treatment

Chapter 1
Chapter 1

Chapter Description: David has been through a lot. After the loss of his parents and trouble through the foster system his older brother finally steps up to take care of him through his teens. His rough childhood has left him an angry, broken teenager. Now Dr Bellamy offers a new treatment to help him through this tough time. Little does he know that reversing the damage to his mind and body will do more than just erase the trauma. Hopefully his big brother will stick around this time.

David looked out the window with his foot up on the dashboard, it’s not like he didn’t like his weekly trips to the therapist but it was getting a little repetitive. This time however his doctor said that his guardian, his older brother, should accompany him. He didn’t really understand why but she said it was due to the new therapy they wanted to try. He was pretty annoyed. Going a whole two weeks without his medication had left him feeling a little drained, plus he didn’t really see the point. He had his foot propped up on the dashboard, he knew it would bother Aaron but he was in the mood to push his buttons, he could always blame his mood on the medication shift if he thought he was going to get into trouble, not that Aaron ever really punished him for anything.

Aaron glanced at the long haired sixteen year old, he knew he only kept his hair long so he could keep the scar on his cheek from being seen all the time. It was for a similar reason he was wearing a hoodie in the hot summer weather.

“David put your foot down.” Aaron instructed from the driver side of the car as they pulled into the university parking lot. “It’s not safe.” His brother David always was doing something to get on his nerves, he tried to shrug it off but he was more concerned about the security guards telling him off.

“Okay DAD!” David hissed at his older brother. He lifted up his injured leg with his hand and set it carefully down on the car floor.

Aaron just rolled his eyes at his younger brother, he was just trying to annoy him. David always seemed to have something to say to get on his nerves, who could blame him? “Dave, I’m not trying to be your father.” Aaron told him. He knew it was hard for David being under the guardianship of his older brother of ten years, although it’s not like Aaron had made it easy for him.

“Yeah.” David agreed icily and shrugged as they pulled into the parking lot.

Aaron winced. Why did he even say that? He knew it got on his nerves. David glared at him and remembered the day Aaron arrived at the hospital a couple years ago, police officers inside his room asking him all sorts of questions. When David saw Aaron that day the look of terror melted from his face, he wished he was still like that. Happy to see him that is. The truth is he should have been there much earlier.

As they pulled into the space David reached back to collect his cane, it wasn’t anything fancy, just a metal adjustable height cane that he had put a bunch of stickers on after his fall when he was fourteen. When he was first handed it he was just happy to finally be out of a wheelchair but now it was a constant reminder that he wasn’t an average sixteen year old. Still he needed it if he was going to make it across campus to his doctor’s office.

David’s Doctor was assigned to him by the state while he was still their ward, it almost comforted him to know that his brother wouldn’t need to pay for this treatment and one of the reasons he didn’t actually mind meeting with her. One of the caveats though is that she was paid for through a grant and worked out of the University so every week he needed a ride up. His brother wouldn’t allow him to take the bus on his own, he didn’t really blame him but this was one of the few times he had been invited to the meeting.

David limped through the parking lot as Aaron locked up the car, he knew he would catch up. It’s not like he could go very fast. He used his cane with practice elegance, at least he thought so. The appendage had a throbbing pain to it, broken in too many places to ever heal properly. After a few beeps just like clockwork Aaron caught up. “So why does Dr Bellamy need to see me today?” Aaron asked David, even though David had already explained.

“It’s the new treatment I guess.” David explained again and poked the handicap button near the door. One good thing about the cane is that they never needed to park too far away from the building.

Aaron waited for the door to slowly open with David. He had no problem holding it open for him but knew that it would annoy David if he did that, so he allowed him the concession of using the button for both of them. “The old one wasn’t working?” Aaron asked.

“I guess not the way she wanted.” David conceded, which was actually more information then Aaron was usually allowed.

“Okay.” Aaron said and eventually they landed at a nondescript office in the middle of the medical research area of the university, the only thing marking it was the black name placard, ‘DR CLARA BELLAMY’. It wasn’t like a regular doctor’s visit. No waitrooms, receptionists or calling ahead. It reminded Aaron of visiting his own professor’s at his old university.

David knocked on the door loudly, he had been visiting her for almost two years now so was quite used to the dishevelled doctor. The unorganised nature worked well with him, he preferred it to the stuffy hospitals he spent a lot of his pre-teens in and out of.

The door opened to reveal a middle aged woman wearing a brown cardigan with a lanyard around her neck. “Dave and Aaron, thank you for coming.” She enthused and motioned for them to sit. 

David didn’t need to be told twice and collapsed with a sigh on the simple sofa that sat in front of two cosy looking chairs. Aaron opted to sit in one of the free single chairs while the doctor took the free one. “So.” David said practically expecting her to start the meeting. “When do I start the new treatment, a week without my meds is torture.”

“Is it that bad?” Dr Bellamy said, more concerned than surprised.

“Well…” David trailed off and looked at Aaron. “You took me off… Well everything.”

“Has it been difficult?” She asked again, wanting more clarity.

“Like the mood stabilisers too?” Aaron asked, he had let David follow the doctors orders on the amount and when to take his medication.  The question ticked David off.

“Yes.” David hissed at his older brother. Now things began to click why he had been so crabby the last couple weeks. 

Aaron clearly felt bad for some of the comments he had made earlier. It’s not like David couldn’t survive without medication. Everyone had just agreed that after all the stress he had been under the last few years sometimes he needed a little extra help, David included.

Clara nodded and jotted some nodes in a notebook. “How has Aaron been, Dave?” She asked the teenager.

David winced a little, he knew in the last few sessions he had almost made a breakthrough trying to get through his trauma but kept halting everytime his brother came up. This is obviously what prompted this new treatment. He thought for a moment that she just took him off everything to feel vulnerable. “He’s fine.” He grumbled to her.

Dr Bellamy flipped to a previous page in her book. “Can we talk about fall?” She asked again, getting right to the point.

Aaron looked surprised. This didn’t feel like a meeting a guardian needed to be at and felt more like a regular session. “Should I come back?” He asked the two of them. “I could get coffee.”

“Please stay.” The doctor reassured him. David on the other hand just clicked his tongue.

“I guess.” David finally agreed. “You already know everything.”

“I know the details.” Clara agreed. “Your foster Dad pushed you through the railing.” She recounted. Aaron sucked in a deep breath. 

David on the other hand leaned back, grabbed the side of his face and looked out the window. It was sunny out and university students were playing frisbee in the commons. “Yeah.” He agreed with her, it was all in the police report and the court case. It wasn’t exactly a secret to anybody.

“Why did that happen?” Clara asked him.

David shrugged. “I broke… Something…” He said not able to recall the exact decoration in the house. “He was an asshole, an angry one and pushed me. Hard.”

Aaron hadn’t really heard a personal recount of the events since the court case, even then his lawyer barely had the boy speak. It was an open and shut case, and didn't even last a week. “Dave-” Aaron tried to speak but the doctor put up a warning hand, wanting the teenager to continue instead.

David kept thinking about it and sucked in a deep breath, then again. Clearly holding back an emotion. “I wasn’t the easiest kid in the system.” He admitted.

“Are you still mad at Mr Dollin?” Clara asked him.

“Yeah.” David agreed. “Of course I am.” He motioned to his leg. “Wouldn’t you be?”

Clara nodded along sagely. “You told me you’ve been mad for a while in the last session, since before the fall.” She added. This conversation is clearly what prompted Aaron’s invitation and he knew it was coming. Aaron failed David way before he was even in the foster system.

David, seeing right through the doctor, looked at Aaron and scoffed. “It’s not like that.” He told her.

“When we first started seeing each other was right before Aaron took you in.” Clara asked. “You seemed happy at the prospect.”

“I was… I mean. I still am.” David said not liking where this was going.

Clara now turned to Aaron. “Mr Gray.” She started. “Why do you think I asked you to come?”

Aaron gulped like he was being interrogated by a school teacher. “I don’t know…” He said, even though he already knew. “You think I know why Dave is angry.”

“I’M NOT ANGRY!” David yelled, which surprised even him. Aaron was unphased and more than used to his outbursts, the doctor was all professionalism and didn’t react either. David seeing the non reaction got embarrassed and his face flushed. “I’m sorry.” He said much quieter.

Clara took some more notes, always looking for more data. “Why do you think Dave is angry?” She asked him.

“Well… I… Uh…” Aaron stammered and looked at David.

“Just tell her.” David demanded. “She’ll just ask again.”

A small smirk twitched on the doctor’s lip, almost breaking he facade. “Go on.” She also insisted.

“Well I would be angry too.” Aaron said diplomatically. “He got hurt by someone who should have been looking out for him.”

David looked at him, his eyes almost piercing his soul like he was so close to the truth. “Yeah.” David agreed. “That.”

The doctor nodded and took more notes and finally shut her notebook. “Perhaps we should move onto what I think might actually help.” She decided.

“Thank god.” David agreed, not being able to take Aaron’s stares anymore. “I thought you were going to ask him about Mom and Dad.”

Clara and Aaron shot each other a look, the doctor’s hand almost reaching back for the notebook. “Do you want to talk about that?” She asked him.

“No.” David said firmly.

Clara nodded. The two of them had talked at deep length about their late parents and that wasn’t really what today’s session was meant to be about. “I can invite Aaron back another day to discuss if that helps.”

David paused for a long time. “Maybe.” The troubled teen finally admitted.

Aaron was more shocked then David was though. Having lost his parents six years ago at the age of ten David had actually received a fair amount of counselling. From his school, from the foster system and even Clara. David looked at how uncomfortable Aaron looked, he had obviously not had as much support states away at his university.

“So the purpose of the new treatment is to try and erase past trauma.” Dr Bellamy started and took out a small pill bottle. “The goal is to fix the issues, not just cope with them.”

David looked at the new treatment sceptically. “How is a little pill going to fix my leg?” He demanded sarcastically and motioned to it again. “This doesn’t make sense.”

The doctor expected his response and kept explaining. “This isn’t a chemical cocktail, these are an experimental form of nanomedicine that will reverse the damage done to your cells.” She held up the bottle that contained only a few pills. “The research grant that funds this is the same that funds your therapy.”

David’s expression softened from the hardened scowl of the rebellious teenager to that of a curious kid. “Can it like...” He started. “Fix me?”

Aaron sucked in a breath. David had been to so many doctors and surgeons who all seemed to have a miracle treatment to get him back to full use of his leg, none of those seemed to work. “Is it safe?” Aaron asked the doctor.

“It’s been approved.” She said a little deflective. 

David picked up the pill bottle. “So how does it work?” He asked her.

“Well each pill is roughly three years.” She told him. “Restoring your body back to that state.”

“So it’ll fix my leg.” David said with wide eyes.

The doctor nodded but then took the bottle from him. “It will and everything else.”

David already knew where this was going. “What are the side effects?” He asked.

“Initially, dizziness, confusion and tiredness.” She started. “Those are only the temporary ones. The treatment will revert all of your cells to the previous state.”

David nodded along. “How long.”

“We will keep you until you wake up, then you should already see the effects.” Clara explained.

“But is it safe?” Aaron asked again, more concerned.

“It’s been well tested.” Clara said.

“So it’s safe.”

“Mr Gray the treatment is still in an experimental state, you would need to approve it for Dave to use it.” She finally relented, still not answering his questions.

“I don’t know.” Aaron admitted not really wanting to subject his little brother to the doctor’s experimental treatment.

“Aaron!” David yelled at him getting upset. “This could fix everything!” He was scowling now and stood up. He wobbled a bit and stumbled into the coffee table and ultimately on the ground, his crippled leg doing nothing to help him. “FOR FUCKS SAKE.” He screamed.

“Dave!” Aaron exclaimed and hurried over to help him up. He lifted him under his arms and was able to situate the red faced teenager back onto the sofa.

David scowled at Aaron. Aaron sighed. “You really want to do this?” He asked him, knowing after everything David had been through was more than capable of making his own medical decisions.

“Yes.” David decided, clearly placing his trust in his doctor. “I just want to be normal!” He said getting angry again. He was always angry.

“Okay then.” Aaron agreed and looked at the doctor who had taken up the notebook again. “What do you need from us?”

The doctor moved to her desk where she presented a prepared set of paperwork. Authorizations, liabilities and even a few parental waivers that Aaron sat there reading.

“You a lawyer or something now?” David said in a ticked off tone after about half an hour of various legal terms. David knew his brother wasn’t, he was an ‘IT Specialist’. Just a fancy term for someone who spent all his time working on a computer for some huge company.

“Just let me read it.” Aaron said getting annoyed with his brother.

“It’s pretty standard.” The doctor said but didn’t stop the older brother from checking over everything. The paperwork didn’t really divulge anything specific about the process and just absolved the university of any wrongdoing.

Aaron finally put down the pen and the doctor smiled. “Let’s begin.” She announced.

The two of them followed the doctor to a lab, it was only a few doors down. Inside were a couple hospital beds, cameras and other monitoring equipment. Clara patted one of the beds indicating that David should lie down on it. Which he did so, letting his sneakers slap on the ground beside the bed.

“Now this shouldn’t take too long to start.” She told him. “But we added a sedative, it’ll only feel like a short nap.

David nodded and finally the doctor opened the pill bottle and handed him a bottle of water. “Let’s see if it works then.” He told her and expertly took the pill.

It didn’t take long for David to feel light headed, in fact he was fast asleep much faster than Aaron expected.

“Let’s talk in my office while David sleeps.” Dr Bellamy told Aaron.