Chemical Attraction (Student/Teacher Relationship)

Chemical Attraction Chapter 9

Chapter 9

 

Mr Cooper didn’t say another word to me. He stood there awkwardly watching me, hesitant to communicate in the presence of the nurse, but his desperation to know what was wrong was pouring out of his eyes. Eventually, she shooed him away, suggesting that he should return to class and do something useful, rather than getting in her way. He scuttled off pretty quickly after that, after one last worried glance over his shoulder at me.

I groaned internally. However much I appreciated his concern, I couldn’t let him in. The thought of letting someone close to me again was unbearable; it wasn’t worth the pain of losing them. And yet I craved his presence and the source of comfort he offered. Nurse Hutchinson had pointed out talking to someone could help me, but could I really trust him?

I sat cross-legged on the bed, my neutral expression refusing to betray my inner turmoil as I watched the nurse treating the boy. She was thoroughly cleaning the boy’s cut, causing the boy to occasionally wince. Afterwards, she carefully wrapped it in a tight bandage.

“Ok then, Peter. That should be alright. Luckily it was only a shallow cut so you won’t need stitches.” She assured him, laughing as his scared expression switched to relief. “Just try to rest it for a while and come back to me this evening so I can change the dressing.”

Peter quickly nodded and left looking much happier. Suddenly my stomach grumbled, alerting the nurse’s attention.

“I guess you must be hungry, huh?” She commented wryly.

“Famished!” I corrected with a sheepish grin.

“Don’t worry, lunch will be served soon. You slept through pretty much the whole morning. I think you’re probably fit enough to go to the afternoon lessons, but try and get a good sleep tonight.” She instructed me with a stern look.

I grimaced. I couldn’t promise her anything. The nurse sighed softly and sat down next to me on the bed.

“Listen, Phoebe.” She said earnestly. “You can get through these night terrors, I know it. If you tried to confront your problem by talking about it instead of avoiding it, the nightmares might just go away.”

“I can’t talk about it!” I spat out. A wave of sadness engulfed me and I struggled to keep myself from dissolving into tears. “I’m not ready for that yet. I don’t want anyone else to know! Ever! It’s my choice!”

Nurse Hutchinson looked at me sadly. “Yes, Phoebe. It is your choice. But you should think about listening to my advice. I’m here to help you. Facing up to traumatic experiences and learning to accept them may be one of the hardest things you will ever have to do, but I have faith in you. Be brave.”

Her gentle tone calmed me down and I hesitantly gave her a watery smile. “I’ll try,” I whispered, so softly that I couldn’t tell if she heard me or not.

“Goodbye, Phoebe,” she simply said. “And good luck.”