Prisoner

Chapter 4
No One Likes Needles

Chapter Description: A visit to your doctor may not end nicely.

When the chair stopped, Seth was in a waiting room. He saw a few more people appear in the room. Most he didn’t recognize, but he did see LJ.

“Well if it isn’t the living target!” LJ said. Seth didn’t like the gun-point gesture LJ was giving him.

“First, please,” a nurse said. Seth looked at the floor to see numbers embroidered in the rug. Seth’s read ’2’. LJ got up and went in. A nurse came back for his chair.

After about 10 or 15 minutes, the same nurse came out and said “Next please,” Seth got up and walked with the nurse.

The room was blank white. It had white walls, a white floor, and everything inside was a shade of white.

“Sit here, please.” The nurse motioned to a table with crinkled waxy, paper on it. Seth sat, waiting to see whats next.

“Please wait for the doctor.” The nurse said as she began to walk out of the room.

“Wait! Don’t have to weigh me or measure me or something?” Seth said nervously.

“Already have it,” the nurse said, motioning to a clipboard. She walked out. How can she have all of that information, and expect it to be up-to-date? Seth wondered. He waited in the white room for about five minutes when the doctor came in.

“Well, you must be Seth.” The doctor said, never glancing from his papers. “Before we start, I’m going to ask you some questions and I expect you to answer them truthfully.”

“Alright.”

“First, when did you stop wetting the bed as a child?”

“Wha, that’s a personal question! Why would you need to know that?”

“We are trying to find out what caused you to commit your crime, Mr. Yoles.” The doctor said sternly. “These questions, though they may see odd to someone like yourself, make perfect sense to normal, nonviolent people.

“Oh, I see,” Seth was normal, wasn’t he? Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he deserved this place. Maybe he did commit the crime. “I guess when I was about 4, maybe early 5.”

“Ah, we’ve got a quick learner!” The doctor joked. Seth shifted restlessly in his seat.

“What was your first word?”

“Wha, um, I don’t know. Probably ’mommy’ or ’daddy’. But why would you need to . . .”

“What was your least favorite color, except pink, growing up?”

“Um, I guess I didn’t like brown but I really don’t see . . . “

“”What was your drawing level? Poor, decent, proficient, advanced, or Da Vinci?”

“I guess poor, but . . .”

“What was your favorite toy between the ages of 4 and 10?”

“I dunno? I liked Power Rangers when I was little but . . “

“Did you like your father or your mother more?”

“I guess my mom, but why . . . “

“Do you like my tie?”

“You’re not wearing a tie . . .”

“Good! Good! This raps up my series of questions! Now, excuse me. I need to go fetch something and crunch some numbers. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” And with that, the doctor exited the room.

What was going on here? Those questions were so stupid and pointless. Seth thought. In about five more minutes, the doctor re-appeared, this time with a nurse.

“Ok, son. Now we just need to give you a influenza shot and you’ll be done.”

Oh great, Seth though. He wasn’t good with shots. He passed out right before his last one. The nurse the pulled the needle from a rolling cart she had brought with her. The fluid inside the needle was glowing in a multitude of colors. As soon as one color dominated the ooze, another would quickly begin to replace it. Seth finally understood what an acid trip must have been like. The doctor took the needle,and said, “This should hurt a little.” Then he jabbed the needle into Seth’s arm.

“AHHHHHGH!!” Seth screamed. It felt like the doctor heated the needle first. Seth’s entire arm burned from the inside. Before too long, he blacked out.

“Nurse, please take our patient back to his room. It should be ready for him . . .