DOCTOR DEATH

Chapter 17

The doctor stopped and turned towards her. "What did you say?" he asked. Her eyes showed fear. "Nothing, Stephen" "No, no. I want to hear that. What did you say? Just now?" he asked softly. "B-Bastard" She stuttered. He pinned the demoness, locking her hand above her head. "You know how I feel about that word! I told you! How dare you say it, behind my back no less?!" he growled. "I'm sorry!" She yelled. "Forgive me, doctor!" She begged, tears in the corner of her eyes. He released her and she rubbed her wrist. The doctor turned his back on her. "Don't make me set an appointment for you, Nicole" He threatened. She nodded her head. "I'll go prepare that bath now" She grinned nervously. 

The man sighed and took a shot of water. He was not vulgar enough to drink whiskey. He won't stoop to the level of those freaks. He was so much better then them, he should be better. How his parents weep in their graves. 

As the warm water reached his neck, he felt so soothed that his eyes closed, being enveloped in the blackness of sleep.

Flashback

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Children played and screamed as they played. Young Stephen was reading the book Oliver Twist. "Hey, care to play?" asked a young minotaur and couple of his other mystical friends. The boy gave them all a hard look. "No, I'm reading" he responded. "What? How to be lame?" mocked a centaur. He grabbed the book from the young boy. "Hey! Give that back fiend!" he said, trying to retrieve his book. "Yo want the book? You want the book? Go get it, boy" he teased, tossing the book. Stephen chased after as the bullies laughed. Stephen raced down the steep hill, he had to get his book back. Then next thing he knows, he tumbling down the hill, constantly eating the dirt. When he got to the bottom, he was covered in dirt. Still, he got up and went after his book. He stopped, his face is written with horror. 

A group of demon had his book. "Give it back to me" he pleaded. The demons looked at him then one stepped forward and stretch the book out to him, smiling. He sighed and took one stop to take it from him, when the demon pulled back and set the book on fire. "NO!" he screamed as he sank to the ground. The demons tossed the charred remains to him and walked away, laughing. When the fire dies, he hugs the book close to him. "You all shall pay" he said, glaring as the demons.

"Why do we have to tolerate their existence?" he said. His mother placed the burnt book on the table and embraced her son. "Stephen, they are like us, just different. We should treat them with respect" she smiled. "Yes son, but you should fight back when the time comes" spoke his father. "Henry!" said his mother. "Nancy, we can't let others walk over him! He has to toughen up!" Henry said. "Brute strength is not the way! Stephen needs to love those who are different" argued Nancy. "It doesn't matter!" yelled Stephen. His parents looked at him in surprise. "I'm...I'm sorry I'm not good enough!" he cried, tears streaming down his face, He ran off, his parents calling out to him. 

He stopped for a moment to catch his breath. He hated that he was so weak. He hated how he was adopted. He'd wish he wasn't an orphan. He wished that he was never conceived. There was only one way to end his suffering. The rivers couldn't be far. He could make it out as an accident. No one would know. Nearing the waters, he prepared to be immersed in the water. "Help me! Help me!" cried a voice. The young boy looked around. He then saw a young fairy, she was covered in purple boils. "Eww!" he exclaimed. "Wait! Don't run, please! Get a doctor!" she begged, collapsing to the floor.  "What?' he asked confused. "My village's been afflicted with a foul disease for which there is no cure. You have to get help. Please!" she begged him. "A foul disease?" the boy pondered. "Yes! Now get help!" she repeated. He gave the girl a stern look, gazing into her eyes. "Take me with you" he said.

The young fairy lead him to her village. Moans of pain filled the air. It felt akin to the Black Death, the deadliest plague of all time in England history. He was shown into a house, a young boy laid there. His family wept over him as the physician there left.  "My God!" he exclaimed.  He looked at the young fairy. "I'll be back tomorrow. Tell everyone this. A doctor is coming" he promised her. She stepped away from him, not letting him hold her hand. "Hurry!" she wheezed. "And then, she led to me to a village. Everyone was sick" he told his parents. "Wait, this fairy was covered in purple boils?" his father asked. "Yes, father" he replied. "And you brought her here?" he asked.  His son nodded. 

The parents gave concerned looks. In no time, everyone in the village he lived in, was afflicted. His mother and father tried to help those you were afflicted but soon they contracted the illness. "Mother, father. You can't leave me" the boy begged. "Stephen Drake, promise Mother and Father, you will help the supernaturals, no matter what" she said weakly. "I promise' he promised. Nancy smiled at him and took her last. he was now in the care of his butler and his handmaid.  His father had passed a few months prior, leaving her and Stephen. Now she was gone, he was the only ones left. 

Stephen walked among the trees, looking for a cure. He soon identified some berries. "Hmm, raspberry and thyme?" he pondered was this the cure. He mixed the two medicinal plants and applied it to some broth.   "Now to test it..." he said but he didn't know to whom. As he looked for a test subject, he spotted a dog with the same boils and some wounds with gangrene. "Come here, puppy" he coaxed the dog. the dog came closer and he offered it the broth. The dog consumed the broth and began to immediately vomit. As the dog stopped vomiting, the dog's boils vanished, its coat returned to its healthy color. The villagers witnessed the cure, and were astonished. Just then a demoness approached him and fell on her knees. "Young Drake, my son is ill. Please help", She begged. 

The boy went with her where he was face to face with the demon who burned his book, along with the centaur who tossed it. Both were ill and she explained she was their nurse.  "Prepare some broth!" he ordered. The command was followed and he feed the broth to the boys.  Like the dog, they vomited but as that was done, the boys were well. "I'd suggest, they stay inside for a while as they recover. We don't want them to fall sick again" The boy smiled. "Thank you" The demon said. He shook his head. "Anytime" he said. The centaur gave the boy a sad look. "You didn't have to, I'm sorry for your ruined book" he apologized. "Here" spoke the demon. It was a newly bought Oliver Twist book. Stephen took the book and held it close. "I should be the one thanking you" He said with tears in his eyes. 

The boy walked among the trees, armed with something. He returned to the other village, and went to the house of the young fairy. She laid there, sick. "Oh, it's you" she said. "You'd said you come tomorrow. It's been three months" she coughed. "I know. Here, drink this" he said, offering her broth, in a bowl. "That won't help! Food just makes it worst! Get this kid out! Someone get a real doctor!" screamed the fairy's mother. "I am a Doctor!" he yelled at her. "And this will work" he muttered. The girl drank of the broth and suddenly, she felt really sick. She threw up on the floor. "See? I told you! Mother know best!" she said. The girl laid back down and her boils were gone, so was her gangrene skin and she looked well, like she hadn't been sick. "What?" her mother gasped. "It's broth with some raspberry and thyme" He explained. "This disease is Purple Death. A variant of the Black Death. However, this one has a cure. Looks like you doctors didn't tell you everything" he said, glaring at the doctors with some going about their duties, another whistling. "Disperse this among yourselves. I should know, I tested this on my village" he smiled.

Everyone thanked the boy for his help. From that day forward, he was the village's doctor.

End of Flashback

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Stephen got out of his bath and dressed himself.  He wondered where did it all go wrong. No matter, he was going to convince Ann to join his cause. Whether she liked to or not.

AN: Hope you enjoy. You know the drill. :)