Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or any of it's characters, places etc.
AN: Sorry for the delay and the short length of this chapter. I've been away a lot recently and when I have written it's been oneshots only. I do plan on finishing this. It'll probably be about 10 chapters long.
Warning: This fic involves somebody suffering depression and it's symptoms including talk of suicide and self-harm. There shouldn't be anything graphic but if you're uncomfortable about that kind of thing then I'd advise you to hit the 'back' button now.
Lithium
Chapter 4She had been sitting in the clinic's waiting room for a little over an hour. It had been surprisingly quiet when she had arrived and now she would be the next to go in.
After about five minutes she heard her name called and went through to the doctor's office. He took a look at the deep wound on her arm and almost flinched at the expression on his face.
"Now Sarah have you been taking the medication I prescribed you?"
She nodded slowly and watched as he poked and prodded at her arm around the wound. The blood began to well up again and she looked away. "Yes, I have been taking it."
"Has it helped at all yet?" He was still looking at her arm, pushing the skin together to see whether it stitching.
"Not really, no," was her quiet reply.
"Well that's not unusual. It generally takes about two weeks for it to have any real effect. Now I'll just have to put a couple of sutures in this so it heals properly. Just lay down on the bed with your arm out beside you," he gestured towards the high thin bed on the other side of the small room and she stood moving over to it and lying down as instructed.
The doctor stood and collected a few items from a cabinet before pulling up a stool to one side of the bed. He moved her arm out onto a metal table that he had wheeled over and switched on the light beside the bed.
She didn't look as he injected the local anesthetic into the wound, wincing as he did. A few moments later the area was numb and he was set about putting in the stitches. This time she did look, watching on with a mixture of disgust and fascination as he sealed the wound. As it began to bleed again the small punctures from the needle trickled blood she felt her stomach roll but still watched. Almost twenty minutes later she finally free to go with five neat black sutures in her arm.
"You'll have to come back in five to seven days to get them taken out, and be sure to keep them dry for at least three days."
He handed her a fresh dressing to be put on in two days time and she quickly left the small office giving him a murmured thanks.
XXX
Later than night she sat on her bed pulling at the gauze stuck to the stitches. Finally she got up and changed into a pair of loose sweat pants and a singlet before getting into bed.
As she did Sarah felt the strangest sensation of being watched. Putting it down to paranoia she soon fell into an uneasy sleep.
XXX
Jareth watched the girl in a crystal. He longed to be with her, to help her. It was driving him mad seeing her in such pain, that she was causing herself so much damage and he could do nothing about it but watch.
When he was sure she was asleep he threw the crystal, shattering the glass. He looked at the mess of glass shards littering the floor and with a wave banished them. Summoning another crystal he set about watching her once more.