Nightmare

He looked up to see a man standing there looming over him with a creepy expression on his face. The next thing he saw was the shiny, sharp piece of metal in his latex gloved hand. He saw it come down and gulped while the fear crept through his veins. He froze and started screaming for him to get away from him or sedate him but he just kept smiling down at him bringing the scalpel closer and closer to his head.

Suddenly he felt it scrapping and cutting at the side of his head and froze stiff in fear. He then started kicking and screaming for him to go away and leave him alone or at least to give him some anaesthetic.

"What fun would that be, Aaron! I want to see the pain etched on your face! I want you to feel every cut!" he said calmly which frightened even more.

Dave jumped up from the chair he'd been dozing off in when he heard Aaron shouting and kicking and screaming. He saw Aaron was tossing and turning and kicking his legs at some invisible foe. He went over to him knowing he was in the middle of a nightmare and he couldn't bear to see his best friend so distressed.

He grabbed Aaron's shoulders gently and he woke up in a cold sweat shaking and looked up at him in absolute terror. As soon as he saw it was the same man who'd come into his hospital room and been nothing but kind to him he started crying so Dave hugged him close to him.

"You're safe, Aaron, you're safe," he answered soothing him. "No-one can hurt you ever again. They're gone. They can never come back."

"Man. Scalpel. Tried to operate on head. No anaesthetic. Said wanted to see pain etched on my face. Said wanted me to feel every cut," he answered vulnerably.

Remembering what the doctor said about the fact they'd tried to perform a lobotomy without anaesthetic that Morgan and JJ had saved him from just in the nick of time he held him close to him. "Oh Aaron, I'm so sorry, you went through that but they didn't succeed. You were saved just in the nick of time..." he answered.

Dave then felt where they'd cut and felt that it was wet. He brought his hand out and saw blood on it so he gently turned Aaron's head while he shook a little. "What is it?" he asked frightened and vulnerably.

When Dave saw what he'd suspected he answered, "I'm sorry, Aaron, for frightening you but you've pulled the stitches in your head. I'm going to have to get the nurse."

"Don't leave," he answered gripping onto his hand so Dave nodded and pressed the emergency button. When the nurse came in he informed her of what had happened and she got out the equipment she'd need to sort out his wound.

When Aaron saw the needle and thread he squeezed Dave's hand tighter so he asked, "Would he be able to have a local anaesthetic?"

She nodded and was about to get out the syringe when he noticed Aaron shaking a little again. "Bad guy insert syringe into me all time. No drugs,no drugs, no drugs," he said so she put it back down.

"Alright, Aaron, no drugs. Do you want to hold my hand instead while they clean up the cut and sew it back up?" Dave asked trying to swallow the lump in his throat. It broke his heart to see his best friend like this. He was like a frightened little kid; not the strong, fearless leader he once was. He'd do everything he possibly could to restore him to the man he once was.

Aaron nodded and clutched Dave's hand firmly looking at him as the nurse cleaned the cut with antiseptic wipes. She then unpicked the stitches while he winced and tightened his grasp on Dave's hand.

"Come on, Aaron, I know you can be brave. You're doing a great job of it," Dave encouraged.

He carried on looking at him trying to keep calm while the nurse picked up the needle and surgical thread then began to sew up his head wound again. While Dave tried to keep his eyes on Aaron's silently encouraging him she sewed it back up. Dave tried to keep the lumps that were forming in his throat when he saw just how deep the scalpel had gone. You could almost see his skull.

Once she had completed the job she closed it off and put a bandage pad over the wound. She then put the equipment away and left them alone.

When she'd gone Aaron looked down then back up again letting go of Dave's hand.

"What is it, Aaron?" Dave asked seeing how nervous he felt.

Feeling a little more confident about trying full sentences thanks to being with a friend he answered, "What happened to me? Why am I in hospital? Why can't I remember anything?"

Dave took his best friend's hand again knowing it was going to be hard to explain to him in this state but he had a right to know why he was in this state and how he'd ended up like this. "Aaron, you were kidnapped and the bad guy hurt you but you're safe now and they're gone. They gave you electroshock therapy but only twice that's why you're having problems with your memory but I promise you we will restore it no matter how it takes."

"I trust you. I don't have any reason not to. You've been nothing but kind to me. What are my injuries?Why did I get electroshock?"

"You've broken your arm and leg. You've also suffered infection to your stomach and your rectum..." Aaron looked at him a little concerned and frightened. "Don't worry, they just believe you were kept in unsanitary conditions and might have had a really bad diarrhoea infection at some point..." He prayed to God that Aaron bought that lie. He'd never let him know he was raped and sodomised. Diarrhoea was a much better option to destroying his best friend. He almost breathed a sigh of relief when he saw he bought it. "Also your muscles are weak and need to be restrengthened."

He nodded grabbing his head a little. "Electroshock?" he asked vulnerably.

"The bad guy wanted to destroy you by making you forget everything you ever knew including your little boy but you will get your memory back. You will remember everything with our help and the doctors I promise you..." Noticing how Aaron kept wincing and holding his head he added, "Now you need to get some more rest. Your head needs to heal as well as the rest of your injuries."

He nodded and began to lay back when something came to him. "Boy. There was a boy. Is he...is he alright?" Aaron asked concerned.

"Apart from a twisted ankle he's fine Aaron," he assured. Aaron nodded and begun to close his eyes but looked a little nervous. "Aaron, it's alright, I'm not going anywhere...I'll be here when you wake up." Aaron nodded again and closed his eyes fully.