More to Fear
Chapter 4
The a few hours after Anastasia awoke she had stopped her crying and was calm enough to talk to me. Though she still seemed a little shaken up and a little upset and she wouldn’t tell me what happened the previous night.
As Annie was sat upon her bed stoking the hair of her doll, I tried talking to her to try to piece together what happened to her.
“If you told me what happened then it might help the Doctor make you better.” I tried to encourage her.
“I can’t.” Annie spoke quietly.
“Why not?”
“I’m afraid.”
I knew that whatever happened to her must have been pretty scary, and not only that, Annie was hurt. So it was no surprise that she was afraid. But there was still just one question.
“What are you afraid of?” I asked her.
“I’m afraid you’ll get hurt.”
“Me?” I was confused.
Annie just nodded without making eye contact.
“No one can hurt me, Annie. Besides, you should be more concerned about yourself.”
“I’m already hurt.”
“I know you are, and I don’t want you to get hurt any more. For your own safety and Emma’s and Benjamin’s, please tell me what happened to you.”
“I can’t.”
“Well, you’ll have to tell me sooner or later.”
I began to realize that I wasn’t going to get anywhere.
“In the meantime, you haven’t eaten since yesterday. Shall I see if Sally can make you something?”
“No, thank you.”
“Are you sure? I know you can’t go for long without eating.”
“I do not want to eat.”
“Well, I suppose you’ve had a tough day. Maybe you’ll feel better tomorrow.”
“I don’t know.”
Her bleakness and quietness was really starting to worry me.
“Annie, look at me.”
She didn’t move.
I held her hand.
“Look at me.”
Annie turned her head in my direction. Her eyes stared. It was as if she wasn’t looking at me, more she was looking through me.
“Annie, I can’t let you continue like this. We’re going to help you all we can. It would be helpful if you told me what happened, then we might be able to find who or what is responsible and stop them. You have to tell me what happened.”
But yet again she replied with the same answer.
“I can’t.”
I just sighed.
“Well, I suppose I could try again later when you’re feeling better.”
I stood up from kneeling beside Annie’s bed.
“I’ll be in the lab with the Doctor if you need me.”
I walked over to the doorway, leaving Anastasia with her hand made doll.
I turned round in the doorway and took on last look at her before heading up to the lab.
I had to unfortunately tell Emma the Doctor that Annie would tell me what happened to her.
“I suppose she’s still a little shocked. We’ll simply have to wait until she’s feeling better.” The Doctor advised me to be patient.
“I just hope she tells one of us soon. I don’t want anything else to happen to her before we can do something about it.” Emma worried.
“Well, why don’t you try to talk to her, Emma? She might listen to you since you’re her best friend.” I suggested.
“I guess I could give it a try.” Emma spoke as she walked to the door. “But really you are Annie’s best friend, she’s never been happier since she met you.”
“I suppose. I just wish she could be as happy as she was yesterday, before…”
“Don’t worry, you two.” The Doctor wheeled over to me. “We’ll get Annie back to her usual self again. Without a doubt.”
“I hope you’re right again, Doctor.” Emma said before she opened the door and left the lab.
The Doctor then wheeled over to the microscope.
“In the meantime, we’ll just have to monitor her progress and hope that her mental state improves. He physical injuries and illnesses should recover on their own, but her mental illness might need our help to recover.”
“So, we should just talk to her and comfort her?”
“Yes. Anything to keep her calm and fear free.”
“DOCTOR!!!” Yelled a panicking voice. That panicking voice came from Emma.
Both myself and the Doctor rushed for the door.
“Doctor, come quick!”
We hurried to Annie’s room where Emma was shouting from.
I could hear thumping and banging getting louder as I got closer to the bedroom.
I ran down the slope and then burst through the bedroom door followed by the Doctor.
As soon as I entered the room, I saw immediately what the trouble was.
Annie was lain on her bed, and thrashing about violently.
“Doctor, what’s happening!?!” Emma yelled.
“She’s having a seizure! Sally! Sally!" But Sally wan't here. "Grr, Jack, hurry with me to the lab and find me a bottle labelled diazepam! I’ll get a sterile syringe. And Emma, remove any sharp and solid objects from four feet of Annie!”
Emma set about moving the bedside table.
I ran to the lab ahead of the Doctor searched among the jars and bottles.
The Doctor soon came in after me and wheeled over to the counter and searched in a draw for a syringe.
I quickly found the right bottle and the Doctor found the right sized syringe.
“Hurry!” Emma called from the bedroom.
We bother rushed back with the things needed.
The Doctor jabbed the needle into the top of the bottle and filled the syringe.
“Both of you, try to hold her still!”
I grabbed hold of Annie’s arm and tried to keep her from jerking and thrashing. Emma held down her other arm.
The Doctor then injected the syringe into Annie’s arm and inserted the liquid inside.
He then safely removed the needle.
“Let go, she should slow down now.”
Me and Emma both did as we were told.
Annie continued to thrash about, but then, her thrashing weakened.
After a few moments, she stopped shaking and laid still on the bed.
“What just happened?” I asked the Doctor.
“She had a seizure.”
“What’s a seizure?”
“A result of rapid, uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain. It causes every muscle in her body to contract and expand just as you just saw.”
“Alright, book-man! So why did that happen!?” Emma seemed to becoming a little stressed.
“I don’t know. I might not have to if she doesn’t have another one.”
“What if she does have another one!?” Emma yelled slightly.
“Just tell me when she wakes up. We can try talking to her again, and try to get her to eat something.”
The Doctor wheeled out of the doorway and up the ramp.
Emma proceeded following him.
I was about to when I looked behind me and gazed one last time at Annie.
She laid still and unconscious.
At that moment, all I hoped was that she would wake up.
In some ways, I am still hoping.
