Destruction - The Oasis Project Book 2 (Complete)

Eight - Linkin

My eyes fluttered open and I found myself in the familiar darkness in an overly comfortable bed. Once again, my entire body felt groggy from the drugs which were starting to wear off. It took a fraction of the time to get out of bed, but I still relied on the IV pole to move around.

I didn't have plans of going far after my last excursion, but what I didn't expect was to see Doctor Connor on my couch, flipping through his notes. "Ah, Two, you're awake," he said with a smile as he closed the folder on his lap. "How are you feeling? You don't like wonderful."

Frowning, I glanced down to the clothes he had dressed me in probably days ago. I chewed my dry, cracked lips and looked down. I knew after the small talk was over, the punishment would begin, I wanted to avoid that.

Doctor Connor noticed my change of expression and he leaned forward, "Two, you aren't in trouble." That made even less sense. Slowly, he stood up and strolled over to me. "Come, you do look dreadful. Let's get you some food and water then we'll chat, alright?"

The doctor offered me his hand and I only hesitated for a moment before I reached out to take it. There was a sigh of relief from the doctor as our skin touched. I realized I had been tricked, "Better yet, let's stay here and you can tell me how you just touched my hand and didn't hurt me. You're evolving, aren't you?"

Food was brought into the room on a cart. The options were endless, scrambled eggs, fruit, bacon, sausage, pancakes, french toast, toast with its own array of sides. "Try the eggs first, it may be the easiest on your stomach," Doctor Connor encouraged as he helped me down to the floor so the touch was my backrest and the coffee table was pushed tightly to my chest.

My gaze landed on the eggs and I made a face of disgust. Eggs weren't my favourite on a good day, today was far from good. Even the slight of them was making my stomach churn. "You don't like eggs?" It was the first reasonable question he had asked all day.

Shaking my head, I reached for the toast and glanced at each side. A perfect golden brown. I dropped it and the doctor sighed. "What's wrong with toast?"

"It isn't burnt," the doctor seemed shocked that I spoke, but now that I did, he was excited.

"How about something to drink while I get the cook to... burn the toast," his voice lost some enthusiasm and it turned into a question.

The orange juice burned my entire mouth as I made a face and did my best not to spit it out. I forced it down with a painful gulp and instantly started to choke. "Easy, small sips. You need the nutrients. We're taking you off your IV and NG tube tomorrow. We need to know that you'll be okay without it."

The milk went down easier, it wasn't as insulting to my taste buds either. After a half cup of that, my throat was no longer aching, my mouth no longer as dry as a desert. "Can we talk now?" He asked as I put some mixed berry jam on toast, now burnt. After a nod, he smiled and opened the folder, putting a pen to a blank piece of paper. "How did you manage to touch me, touch Nazem without hurting us? How long has that been going on for?"

I brought the toast to my mouth and took a small bite, chewing it slowly and cringing as I did. My teeth hurt. I hesitantly put it down and swallowed the dry, yet delicious toast. I sighed and gave up on trying to eat or drink, it seemed pointless now. "I don't think you doctors understand that when I touch someone, I regain my feeling. When I was strapped to that chair and... you tortured those people I could feel it all." I didn't look up from the table to see the Doctor's reaction. "After a while, I noticed if I was scared enough, tense enough, I could temporarily disconnect us. I started to use it before you put a bullet in their brains so I wouldn't have to feel what it was like to get shot over and over again."

When I finished talking, I was met only by silence. After a moment, he opened his notes and started to flip through it. "I have it here that you don't have any feeling."

"That's wrong," I said bluntly. It was wrong on a number of levels. I could feel temperatures, pressure, and I totally regained my feeling when I was touching someone.

"Do you feel pain like them when they're touching you?" The doctor slid on a pair of glasses and grabbed a pen, ready to start writing.

I shook my head and glanced at him sadly, "No, I feel normal again..."

The mood changed and he slowly set his glasses back down. "The toast doesn't feel great either, does it?" The topic changed, I wasn't too sure if even he knew what to do with the situation we were in. Shaking my head again, I sighed. I was done talking again. "Why don't we head to the cafeteria and find something more fitting there? It'll be easier than me just guessing for you," he laughed weakly, nervously as he stood up and pulled the coffee table back for me. "Do you need help getting up?"

Doctor Connor offered me both of his hands without thinking. I knew it would be foolish to accept his help, but I did. There was no quick or easy way for me to get off of this floor without him. "Good, soon you'll be able to do that yourself," he smiled and wrapped an arm around me, but still allowed me to use the IV pole for support. "We'll take it slow, we have all the time in the world."