don't look too far into this
TW: mentions of eating disorder/anorexia, hospitals, feeding tube, mention of throwing up
Previously...
George brought a hand up to his face, lightly brushing the pads of his fingers over the feeding tube. If his friends came to visit, they would see it... and probably ask questions.
George took a deep breath, wrapping his slender fingers around the tube. He braced himself, giving the feeding tube a pull. Immediately, he let go, feeling like he wanted to throw up. The tube sucked, he couldn't get rid of it on his own. Plus it would make him gain weight... and George really didn't like that idea.
He sighed, pressing the back of his head into the pillow. He shouldn't be here. He was fine! The doctors were wrong. They had to be wrong. There's no way George was anorexic, it just couldn't be true. He was just on a diet.
3rd Person P.O.V.
"Dream. Dream. Wake up." Wilbur shook the blond lightly, waiting for him to wake up.
"Mmm..." He mumbled, rolling over so that he was laying on his back. He opened his eyes, blinking until his world came into focus.
"Wil...?" Dream murmured, squinting in the light.
"Mornin'," Wilbur greeted, eyes scanning over the younger man's face. "Nice to see you."
"Oh. Thanks." Dream sat up, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "What time is it...?"
"7:30," Wilbur answered, chuckling. "Jet lag?" It was a simple question, but the blond understood it, scoffing playfully.
"Yeah."
"Do you want to see George today? If you're too tired, that's fine, but I'm going to go see him," Wilbur explained.
"Yeah. Yeah, I want to see him." Dream stood up, yawning. "I need to know if he's okay."
"He's okay. I wasn't allowed to see him yesterday, but a doctor said he was okay, so..." Wilbur shrugged. "It's weird, though. Nobody was telling me what happened to him in the first place."
"That is weird," Dream agreed. "I wonder why? Is it really bad?"
"I don't know," Wil sighed. "But we should ask him. I'm sure someone at least told George what was going on."
"Right." The blond nodded slowly, glancing at the floor. "Right."
"Yeah." Wilbur sighed, shoulders slumping slightly. "We should have some breakfast before we head over to the hospital. Are eggs okay?"
"Sure. Yeah, whatever, anything is fine."
"Alright. Get ready to go, we can leave after we eat," Wilbur decided. Dream nodded, humming to show that he understood. They went their separate ways, Dream to get ready and Wilbur to the kitchen to make breakfast.
Dream came into the kitchen, dressed casually. He sat down at the counter, yawning as Wilbur pushed a plate of eggs over to him.
"Mm. Sunny side up," the blond observed, digging into the food. He and Wilbur ate in silence, both too focused on their thoughts. They were done rather quickly, and made their way to the hospital where George was staying.
"We're here to see George Davidson?" Wilbur stated, voice inflicting toward the end to make it more of a question. The lady behind the desk– same as yesterday, Wilbur noted– nodded, typing something quickly.
"Room 108. Down the hall and to the left," she directed. Wilbur nodded, smiling politely. He and Dream went down the hall, following the directions the woman had given them. Once outside the door, they hesitated.
"Wil?" Dream murmured, voice soft.
"He's right behind this door," Wilbur mused. "Alive. And okay." Dream nodded, taking a deep breath.
"Do we just... go in?" He wondered. Wilbur shrugged.
"We could knock first," he pointed out. Dream leaned forward, knocking on the door.
"Come in," a voice sounded from inside. It was familiar, and yet unknown. They both knew at once it was George, voice weak and scratchy from whatever had happened to him. Dream swallowed thickly, opening the door.
"Hi there, Georgie," he greeted awkwardly. George looked back at him, eyes wide with shock– or was it fear?– from seeing his American friend.
"Dream?" He rasped, brows furrowed. "What are– what're you doing here?" Dream smiled sadly, taking in the state of his best friend. George was pale– more than usual, and he looked weak. Not in the way where someone wasn't strong, but in the way where he looked beaten down and shaky.
"I'm here to visit you, idiot," he replied. "You had me so worried, what happened? Are you okay?" George frowned, pressing his lips into a thin line.
"I'm fine, Dream. Just tired, that's all."
"But what happened? Why did you faint?" Dream pressed. George bit the inside of his cheek, letting out a forceful breath.
"I don't know."
"What do you mean? Surely you know somethi-"
"Drop it, Dream," George hissed, gritting his teeth. The blond immediately shut his mouth, slightly taken aback from George's behavior.
"Sorry," he mumbled. "I was just so worried..." George's expression dropped, guilt working its way into his expression.
"I'm sorry..." He sighed, looking down. "I wish we didn't have to meet this way."
"You and me both," Dream agreed. The heavy mood had lifted slightly, so Wilbur decided to join in.
"We're just glad to see you. It was scary to see you drop like that; don't ever do that again," Wilbur warned jokingly, trying to lighten the mood. George offered up a half-smile, shrugging awkwardly.
"Sorry," he apologized.
"Oh no, George, it's okay, really," Wilbur backtracked. "It was just a joke. But seriously, please, try to stay healthy." The brunette nodded numbly, gulping.
"Sorry to interrupt, boys, but I really must speak with George," a nurse interrupted, waving awkwardly from the doorway. "If George wants you to stay, then you can, but it's really up to him." All eyes went to George, who shrunk back into the bed slightly.
"Um..." He glanced away, grimacing. "Could I be alone for this...?" Wilbur and Dream looked at each other, then back at George.
"Yeah, if that's what you want," Wilbur agreed. He and Dream went out to the hallway, leaning against the door. Quickly, they realized the door was not soundproof. They didn't try to eavesdrop on purpose... but their curiosity got the better of them.
"Alright, George. I'm here to discuss your plan of recovery with you," the nurse stated.
"Do we have to talk about this?"
"Yes, we do. I'll make it quick, don't worry." She flipped through the pages on her clipboard, humming shortly. "Alright, anorexia recovery... typically we have you stay in the hospital until you gain enough weight, and then we have you return for weekly weight checks. It's not anything too long, just a short appointment where we take your weight and vitals. Just to make sure you aren't moving backwards," she explained.
"Weekly?"
From outside the door, Dream and Wilbur looked at each other, shock clearly painted on both their faces. Anorexia? George had an eating disorder? Sure, it explained a lot, but... well, Dream was surprised. Wilbur, a little less so, but still. They kept listening, too caught up to pull away.
"Yes, weekly. At least for the beginning. After you've made enough progress, we can move to monthly check-ins, and eventually 6-month or yearly checks. We also recommend, but don't require, starting therapy. It's also helpful to have a friend or family member to help out, make sure you eat and drink enough, that sort of thing." She paused, studying George's expression. "After you leave the hospital, it's all preventative. We want to ensure your safety and do our best to make sure you don't end up back here."
"Mhm..."
"Nothing needs to be decided right now. But we want you to start making arrangements as soon as possible, just to help you with your recovery. We just want the best for you."
"...I'll think about it." George grumbled.
"Good. You've been healing well since you arrived, and we have you on track to be discharged in a day or two. Before you leave, we'd like you to eat some solid food as well. It doesn't have to be a lot, since you're on the feeding tube, but we want to make sure you can keep it down."
"I don't make myself throw up," George muttered.
"That may be true, but sometimes, after a long period of not eating, consuming solid foods can have a nasty effect on people. We just want to make sure that doesn't happen to you." The nurse paused, shoes clicking on the floor as she approached the exit. "We're here to help you, remember. We just want you to feel better."
Dream and Wilbur scrambled back from the door, silently exchanging glances. The nurse opened the door moments later, allowing them back in. Before they went into George's room, however, they made a decision.
"We don't tell him we know, agreed?" Dream asked. Wilbur sighed, nodding. They both felt guilty for eavesdropping, sure. Still... they just wanted to help George. Maybe it was the wrong way to do it, but in the moment, it didn't matter.
Dream walked into the room first, followed by Wilbur. George was still sitting there, just with his arms crossed and an aggravated look on his face.
"Hey, you okay?" Dream asked gently. George's expression softened, glancing up at Dream. He sighed, uncrossing his arms and shrugging.
"I dunno," he mumbled. "I'm kinda tired. I just- I think I want to be alone for a little bit. Sorry."
"No, no, that's okay..." Dream looked at Wilbur helplessly, worry in his eyes.
"If you want to be alone, that's fine. Should we go home? Or do you just want us to leave for a little while?" Wilbur questioned.
"Just- um-" George sighed. "You guys can go home. I'll be fine." Dream frowned, opening his mouth in protest.
"George-"
"If that's what you want," Wilbur interrupted. "Then we can go. C'mon, Dream." The blond hesitated, glancing between Wilbur and George, before finally giving in and following Wilbur out.
"Bye..." He murmured, waving half-heartedly at George as he left. Dream sighed, trailing behind Wilbur sluggishly. "Wil... I really don't want to leave him here. What if he-"
"Dream." Wilbur spoke firmly, shutting him up quickly. "George will be fine. He's an adult, and he's in a hospital. There are machines and doctors and nurses monitoring him. He doesn't need to feel any more smothered right now, so let's just do what he wants," Wilbur insisted. "He needs some space. It's perfectly reasonable."
"I guess..."
"C'mon, I'll take you back to my place and we can hang out, relax, watch some TV or something." Wilbur led Dream out of the hospital, turning to look at him with sympathetic eyes. "George will be fine. You can't get too worked up over it, okay? I know it's hard, I'm struggling with this too, but we need to stay strong. For George."
"Right." Dream nodded solemnly. "You're right. For George."
bro it's literally almost 2000 words how did this happen
my chapters are usually around 1000