Bart's Friend Diggs

Chapter 5

"Ah," Diggs sighed out as he was rolled by a trolley into the injury ward, "Home away from home."

"This should've never happened," Dr Hibbert said disapprovingly with a shake of his head. Diggs's arm had been recast again, three years after the original first break.

I twisted my fingers around each other nervously as the doctor shone a small light into my eyes, before checking me for any dangerous injuries of my own.

"Don't blame Bart," Diggs said to the doctor, looking over to me with a sound smile, "I was the one who accepted the dare."

"Yes, hmm..." the doctor only hummed, placing his chin on his hand in thought. I felt his dark hands touch my muscles and I don't know why, but I felt molested. The doctor moved away from me moments later, saying, "Yep, he checks out okay."

"Urgh..." The two of us glanced away to the ward's opening, Lisa was coming back to her senses as she sat up on the moving trolley that placed her against Diggs's, "Where- where am I?" She asked half zonked and I laughed awkwardly.

"The emergency ward."

"The what?!"

"Hospital," I told her, this time more direct. Lisa's eyes widened and she peeped in horror.

"The hospital?!" her eyes rolled back a little as she wavered there, before fainting again on her bed.

"She faints easily," Diggs said, smiling at her unconscious face, him adding, "I like that in a girl."

"Heh heh, yeah..." I laughed awkwardly. Diggs suddenly burst into laughter too in response to me and he gazed over to the doctor, pointing at him and laughing even harder in uncontrolled hysterics.

"None of this wouldn't have happened if you had been at the psychiatric ward."

"That's not my home." Diggs suddenly said, his expression and voice going completely serious with no interlude to the dark emotions, "It's a prison."

"You have to stay there for a while, Diggs," Dr Hibbert told him, very frustrated but worried for the boy, "Until your medicine kicks in."

"Medicine?" Diggs asked him, laughing half-heartedly, before hissing, "Medicine is for the weak."

"Diggs..." I said afraid, and came over to him, placing my hand on his forearm, "You haven't been taking your drugs?"

"Well.. not really. You see, I had gotten better."

"BECAUSE of your drugs." Hibbert yelled at him, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his finger and thumb.

"YOU don't know that." Diggs replied in an angry whisper, "I could just be growing out of my psychosis."

"For some people, yes." Hibbert admitted easily, but still looked worried over at Diggs, "But for most schizophrenics, its a life long illness."

"I'M NOT ILL!" Diggs suddenly roared at him, his fists clenching and slamming onto his lap. His eyes were getting veiny as tears swelled around them and he uttered, "I'm just different."

"You have to take your tablets, Diggs." The doctor continued, looking at him concerned, "Or else you just keep going downhill."

"My tablets? MY TABLETS?" Diggs yelled at him and picked up a container of anti-psychotics, grabbing a pile of them in his hand and ramming them into his mouth.

"DIGGS! NO!" I yelled at him, my hand reaching out in terror trying to reach him. The doctor was on it instantly as he pressed a red button and nurses and other medical staff rushed in. They grabbed Diggs' arms, pulling them back as they hiemliched him and his spat the drugs out, drool coming down his chin from the pain of the strategy used. Tears began to fall down his cheeks, he hung his head forward in defeat and mustered up the strength to say.