Ghost - Elmax

Chapter 7 : Prothesis

- "You're ready?"

Gabrielle lightly knocked at the door before opening it. Lucas was sitting in his wheelchair, watching through the window.

- "You're still not ready!?" stated Gabrielle.

- "For what!? I don't wanna go!" replied Lucas.

- "It's important! It's for you!"

- "But I didn't ask you anything! I don't wanna go, it's my choice, respect it! Why would you want to help me by the way!? I'm just a goddamn burden! Why would you want to live with someone unable to live correctly alone!? Dependent on you!? Leave me alone!"

Lucas grabbed the lamp on his nightstand and threw it to Gabrielle who managed to close the door before it could hit her. She heard the object exploding and didn't dare to open the door again. She stayed a moment behind it, frozen, terrified by her own boyfriend. She felt the tears coming and decided to call someone. Thankfully, this person was free.

- "I'm sorry to bother you in your free day," apologized Gabrielle, while letting the other person entering.

- "You're not bothering me Gab, don't worry," reassured Max. "So, where is the problem?"

- "In his room, we have an appointment for a prosthesis in two hours, but I knew it would be difficult so I began to tell him to get ready an hour ago."

- "And he didn't, obviously. I'll talk to him."

- "Thank you."

Max gave a comforting tap on her shoulder before going straight to his room. She opened the door without knocking and without saying a word.

- "What the fuck!? Why are you here!?" grumbled Lucas.

- "Because you're awful, and your girlfriend is tired!" told sharply Max, behind his wheelchair. "So? You don't wanna wear real clothes!?"

- "What!? Get out of here!"

- "I guess it's a no, so (leans the wheelchair and turns it in direction of the door) let's go!"

- "What!? No! Let me go! LET ME GO!"

- "Yeah, yeah, whatever! Keep screaming, and I handcuff you!"

- "You can't do that!"

- "You think I give a shit!? You really don't know me, dumbass!"

The redhead kept rolling him to the living-room where Gabrielle was waiting. The black-haired woman was surprised and impressed by Max's strength. She managed to contain her laugh and opened her door. Max kept walking with her friend until the elevator, followed by Gabrielle. Once in front of the car, Lucas kept fighting to not go.

- "Come on Lucas, stop acting like a child!" said firmly Max.

- "Shut up! You've nothing to do here! I don't wanna sit in this car!"

- "Oh, maybe you wanna drive!?"

- "Haha, so funny! I've no leg!" stated Lucas.

- "That's exactly why you're going to the hospital! To have another one!"

- "For what!? Nothing will be like before!"

- "Fine! You act like a child, you'll sit at the child place!"

Max opened the back door car and placed her arms under his shoulders, raising him from his wheelchair. Lucas was trying to fight, but Max was stronger than him and forced him to go in the car.

- "FUCK YOU!" yelled Lucas with tears in his eyes.

- "Look, I know this is hard! Losing a leg is certainly one of the worst things that could happen to someone, but this is not our fault, okay? It's not Gabrielle who cut your leg, and it's not me either! We're both trying to help you, but you keep rejecting us! And guess what!? It's not working!"

Max slammed the door and sat in the passenger seat next to Gabrielle. Lucas felt the anger growing inside him. He tried to kick the car door, not to open it but to evacuate his frustration. Once calmed down, the boy began to let drop some tears, while Gabrielle was putting his seat belt. When she faced again the road, she had tears in her eyes. Max noticed and put a comforting hand on hers with a warm smile. The black-haired girl smiled too. She wasn't alone in this, it was reassuring to know that someone could understand what she was living, but who could understand what he was living? She didn't know. She started the car and began to drive.

- "For our next song, our radio proposed you the last controversy sang by Nirvana..."

- "Stop this fucking radio," ordered Lucas with his arms crossed.

Max sighed but turned it off. She didn't want to annoy him more, she already forced him to get out of the apartment, which was a complicated thing for them right now.

- "How is Jane?" asked Gabrielle with her voice down.

The redhead looked behind, checking if Lucas was listening, before facing again the road.

- "Not very good. She let a wound getting infected, and I'm scared that it was on purpose..."

- "Like, a suicide!?"

- "I...I hope not...I'm really worried, letting her alone an entire day is stressing me more than going to work. I'm scared to come back home and..."

- "I understand, more than you think."

Gabrielle gave a quick look in the rear-view mirror to check her boyfriend. He was stressing a lot, looking around like if death was waiting for him, with big drops of sweat flowing on his temple.

- "We're almost there, breath slowly, okay?" told calmly Gabrielle.

But the boy didn't hear her. It was so dark, he couldn't see the others. It was...humid, and cold. Narrow. Too narrow. And her screams...hopeless, asking for help, knowing no one could.

- "Sinclair?"

The boy started and turned his head to his right, seeing Gabrielle next to the car with the door opened. He looked around and noticed they were at the hospital, Max was even waiting with a wheelchair.

- "Are you okay?" asked his girlfriend with a concerned tone.

Lucas looked at her with wide opened eyes and a cold sweat, breathing heavily.

- "I told you I didn't wanna go there!" got angry the boy.

- "You wanna go back!?" intervened Max. "After this long way!? You don't realize how much you just did!? You did the worst part! Now, all you have to do is to let us drive you inside, trying prosthesis, before going back to your home! Giving up now would be a shame, and you'll hate you for this."

- "I already hate me," stated Lucas between his teeth.

- "Then, try to hate you a bit less, and do something that you can be proud of."

- "Proud of what!? Going to hospital!? So fucking proud!"

- "Well, you don't really have the choice, you come with us, or you go back to your home. On foot."

Lucas killed her with his eyes, but the redhead maintained the look, crossing her arms. After a moment, the boy gave in. He took support on his arms to move from the car to the wheelchair. They waited ten minutes before the appointment. Max let them going alone, staying in the waiting room. After around an hour, they finally reappeared. Lucas refused to answer the doctor's questions, to try the prosthetic legs (throwing them through the room), and to fill the papers. They gave him some meds to calm him down, placing some prosthesis on his leg. He finally chose one, and now, he needed to do re-education. Gabrielle didn't know how she was going to pay all of this, she would have to work more. The black-haired girl drove Max to her apartment, thanking her again and again, before going back with her boyfriend. Even if he didn't appreciate it, she was still very proud of him.