Chapter Eighteen
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Therapy is about every kid's nightmare when people are telling you to get help but all they really want is a hug.
Hence why the physician has to be experienced in many things; but most assuredly in rubbing. For rubbing can bind a joint that is too loose, and loosen a joint that is too rigid.
Two days had passed since the blonde sat in Victoria's office and exposed more to her than he would of life, yet he couldn't help it because Luke wanted her to know; others did not.
Likewise, Victoria has been working with troubled teens for many decades, therefore, knew how to get inside of them to pry on the secret information they did not want to slip from the tip of their tongue.
It was cruel, the technique and the effects afterwards on the patient after they realise what they had just done were not always pleasant. But it had to be done, information was needed to mend a patient the best they could.
Psychiatric hospitals are similar to the everyday hospitals you'd go to if you broke your arm. They both require information for you to get better. Just in the psychiatric hospital, it took pressure to get it out of one.
Fortunately for Victoria, she got it out of Luke pretty quickly most likely due to the fact he was vulnerable. Vulnerable to society. Vulnerable to himself. Vulnerable to his head.
The women did not tell the anorexic where Alex was and she also deliberately forgot to tell Luke that she was going to take over his sessions. Currently, with his decisions, she was wondering if he'd be able to cope by himself, without the moral support of Alex who was generally always by his side.
She did see Luke, however, walk to the grey haired man's office multiple times each day to see if he was there. Of course, he wasn't, he'd spent the last couple of days in his room learning new things, his patients didn't know that though just carried on as normal with a different therapist. Except for Luke.
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Currently, he could really do with Alex, to give him some useful advice on how to handle the situation which he was about to advance through.
Sitting on a sofa, his legs curled beside him instead on dangling off the edge and touching the carpet. He looked so small, so young. And it's times like this person would ask themselves why people have to suffer.
Adverting his ocean blue eyes around the room the blonde could not help but smile at the few patients which were exchanging conversations and warming hand touches. If only his dad was like that.
Alongside watching others, Luke's eyes kept flickering over to the door awaiting his father's arrival. A part of him wished he'd never turn up yet there was the other part which hoped he'd changed and would act differently.
He didn't want him to act differently because of his mental illness and eating disorder but instead because he's learnt since he had last visited the Hemmings household four years ago when Luke was eleven.
Being a lighting technician meant Mr Hemmings spent the majority of his time on film sets in America.
Luke recalled all the photos he had been showed of his father and partially famous actors and actresses. On top of that, a number of times he's just watched the titles at the end of a film to see him fathers name pass down.
"Deep in thought like always." He was snapped out of his memories by the slightly familiar voice of his father. It wasn't welcoming though, the tone he spoke in had hints of disappointment in.
"Dad," Luke smiled vaguely as he stood up, gaining his balance quicker than he usually would. Just one of the signs of his improvement over the six and a half weeks of being in the psychiatric ward.
The two shared an awkward hug in which Luke's father grimaced like most. "Anorexia, huh?" he laughed with a pitiful expression on his face, whilst sitting on the sofa alongside his son.
"Yeah," the blonde confirmed looking down ashamed. Not bothering to look at his father because he knew that his father would probably be disgusted. That was the type of the man he was, a capitalist.
"I blame your mother. Always allowing you to eat whatever you want," Mr Hemmings rambled on looking straight ahead. "I mean you were overweight by what the age of four and always have been from there. She's too soft, she needs to learn that punishment needs to be used sometimes. A smack or two. And now look, she can't even get you to eat so she had to place you in this place, wasting even more money."
Luke looked at his father in disgrace. "None of this is mums fault. She's the best mother anyone could ever ask for."
The elder scoffed. "You keep telling yourself that."
"At least she was here for us. You never were, you barely ever picked up the phone," the anorexic raged, his breathing becoming heavy.
"Luke," Mr Hemmings snapped, narrowing his grey coloured eyes at his son. There was little resemblance between the son and father. Luke got most of his physical and mental features from his mother. Blonde hair; blue eyes and the ability to give in to others easily.
However, the one trait he most certainly got from his father was the fact he was incredibly stubborn. Luke refused everything almost like his dad. The one thing the grey haired man would not refuse was money and young, hot chicks.
"So, how much do you weigh?"
The blonde's eyes widened at the question. No one here ever asked him that. They knew it was respectable to allow an anorexic patient to keep their weight to them self. Not even someone as close as Ashton or as rude as Kevin would ask that.
But Luke didn't answer his father. As someone who was supposed to care for his son be had the right to know about his health. Plus Luke was certain his mother got an update of his weight anyway. "I'm overdue a weigh in but last week I was one hundred and five pounds," he admitted.
"Christ!" Mr Hemmings exclaimed. His eyes roamed his fifteen-year-old son's body worriedly.
Last time he saw his son, all of his clothes clung to him unattractively. However, now he could tell that there were bones sitting underneath his black baggy clothes. His multiple chins had been replaced by sunken in cheeks.
"You have gained weight since you've been here right?" the man asked concerned.
Nodding Luke revealed proudly. "Nine pounds."
"Is that all? In what a month? You went into cardiac arrest right?"
"Yeah but don't worry my heart is getting stronger and I'm getting better so I can be out of here and back home in no time," the blonde beamed. The words he spoke sounded childish, his hopes were too high. Even his father who knew little about what had happened knew for sure that this was not going to be so simple.
The world was not a nice place, his father knew that. People were not either and this worried him.
"Luke..." Mr Hemmings muttered his voice trailing off.
"Yeah?" Luke responded in a joyful tone, the fifteen-year-old being so innocent.
"Whilst I was away I met someone."
Staring into space Luke tried to take in what he had just heard. But he refused to believe it. "What?"
"I met someone. Whilst I was working on the set of a movie there was a stunt double and... Well, she's perfect; an absolute stunner. I invited her for a coffee and not only did she have incredible physical features but she has an amazing personality. We started to-"
Luke felt sick from the way his father talked about another woman. Leaning forward and placing his head in his hands he muttered.
"How long have you been seeing her?"
"Seven months."
Shaking his head in disgust there was only one thing roaming his mind. His mum. "Does mum know?"
"Yes. I told her yesterday."
"Yesterday!" the blonde spat in disgust. From what Luke saw he knew that his mother adored her husband. He couldn't imagine how she was feeling currently. It was hard enough for her to let her son go.
"How d-did she take it?" the anorexic stuttered. He was upset and he could feel his heart beat clearly through his frail chest and took that as a bad thing.
Sighing, knowing that his youngest son was not happy although took it a lot better than his two older siblings, he decided to ignore telling Luke her reaction; instead admitted. "We're getting a divorce."
Luke gulped. He never wanted to be that child. The one with divorced parents and step mums and dads. He truly believed that he would not be happy neither find happiness with a broken home.
Yet it was funny, even though his dad was basically never gone and they all knew he in an affair with younger women no one ever had a go at him because they thought he loved his wife; their mother. Apparently not.
But if his dad knew that he was truly in love with this women then there was nothing that could be done.
After a couple of minutes, to the elder's surprise, Luke broke the silence. "How do you know you're in love?"
Letting out a deep breath Mr Hemmings simply shrugged. "It's a gut feeling I guess. I mean you look at someone and they instantly make you smile. You get a funny feeling in your stomach and... And you just know."
The blonde thought for a long time. Intently and seriously. He knew that as you got older love was more about what was on the inside than on the outside. But the person he liked had both characteristics.
They were the most beautiful creature to walk the planet and pure perfection, in Luke's eyes. Likewise had the sweetest personality and a heart of gold. Every thing Luke could ever want and ever need.
The anorexic concluded. "I'm in love." There was a huge smile on his face as he nodded and repeated the statement again. "I'm in love."
"Good for you son," Mr Hemmings smiled placing an arm around his malnourished son. "Who's this lucky girl?" he smirked. The father knew currently that Luke was not at his finest. Attitude nor appearance. Yet what he did now that once his son got better he would be handsome and caring.
"Oh-" Luke had forgotten one thing. That no one knew he liked boys. And honestly, he never thought he'd have to tell someone. Because he thought no one would ever like someone as ugly and fat as him.
"Yeah?"
"It's a boy," Luke mumbled quietly looking down, afraid of his father's reaction.
"You mean you are gay?" the question was not put nicely. The disgust dropped from the tone and stung like venom.
"Yeah."
The blonde expected nasty words to be spat at him. A long lecture about how he was just going through a phase.
However, the hand that was on his shoulder was violently yanked away, brushing past Luke's left arm and causing him to wince. His father stood up abruptly before glaring at his son with piercing eyes.
No words were spoken and Luke's father just left. With no explanation.
Staring into space, Luke didn't even bother thinking what he did wrong. He knew this time he'd done nothing wrong.
His eyes watered and tears quickly left his tear ducts. His body shook as sobs escaped his mouth.
Only one thing crossed Luke's mind. Why couldn't he be normal?
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