"What's there, John?" Dr. Feld scooted closer, nearly crowding not-John.
"The sun." he whispered, starring at the closed curtains.
"It's there, John, I promise." Dr. Feld reassured him.
"Don't call me John."
"What should I call you?"
There was a long pause and several deep breathes before not-John said, "Spike."
Dr. Feld quickly took out a pen and the notepad he kept in his shirt pocket and scribbled down the word 'Spike'. It was an interesting name, but at least it was a name they could call him.
"Alright, Spike, if you let me see your arm I'll tell Nancy to open the blinds. But you can't go away again, do you understand me? If I open the window, you have to talk to me, alright?" he asked, motioning for Nancy to open the blinds once Spike answered.
"Alright." he said simply. Nancy pulled gently on the chain and the blinds popped open. Spike visibly relaxed and let go of his arm, letting it fall down to his side. Dr. Feld noticed deep bruising on the inside of Spike's arm and noted that it was probably due holding it so tight. He reached out and took a gentle hold of the inside of his arm, feeling his pulse. He then felt along the area of the break and noticed a slight knot forming beneath the skin. It wasn't uncommon for the bones to grow calcium deposits at the sight of bad breaks, so he wasn't surprised. However, surgery needed to be performed in order to correct it. Spike was a long way from letting Dr. Feld do anything like that to him. So, instead, Dr. Feld knew his only option was to pump him with drugs so it was less painful for him. With a sigh, he let go of Spike's arm and sat back.
"Thank you for telling me your name, Spike."
"You're welcome." he said feebly. He was starring out through the open blinds as if the sun was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He wasn't really listening to Dr. Feld anymore. He was preoccupied with what was outside. Dr. Feld sighed, clicked his pen and put it back into his pocket. He noticed that Spike didn't return to cradling his arm anymore and, instead, it hung limply in his lap, forgotten.
Realizing that there wasn't much more work that Spike would let him do, he stood to leave. "Spike, does your arm hurt?" he asked as an afterthought. Spike cocked his head and nodded, as if realizing he actually had an arm.
"Yes."
Dr. Feld motioned for Nancy to get him something and she hurried away. Spike finally seemed to notice his arm and gently pressed it into his stomach again.
"It hurts." he said softly, almost talking to it instead of Dr. Feld.
"I know. We'll fix it," he said, walking the few steps back to Spike. Without thinking, he slowly reached out and put a hand against Spike's face, feeling his warm cheek. It was a relief that Spike was responsive now. He had never thought to try the blinds and was thankful that Nancy had, even if he wasn't sure if he should be upset or pleased with her. He decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and settle for a mild sort of displeasure.
When Nancy returned with the syringe, Spike had calmed down considerably. Dr. Feld was running his fingers through his patient's hair and watching his reaction. He was almost like a small child in that he always wanted to be touched, but never asked for it. In fact, it was rare that anyone would get close enough to touch Spike. Maybe that's part of what had been missing, Dr. Feld thought.
Nancy handed him the syringe and he knelt down next to Spike, reaching for his other arm. Spike noticed the needle and jerked away quickly.
"It's alright, Spike. This is to make the pain stop, ok? It's not going to put you to sleep or anything like that." Dr. Feld explained, measuring Spike's wary gaze. He pushed up the sleeve on his shirt and when Spike didn't complain, he found a vein and pushed the needle gently in.
"There. You'll be alright now." Dr. Feld assured him, patting him gently on the arm where he had stuck the needle. Spike gave him a sad little look before fixing his attention back out the window again.
Dr. Feld wondered briefly if Spike ever really would be alright. They hardly knew anything about him and he was such an enigma he'd almost become a staple at the hospital. But something was different about Spike. There was something there that everyone had been missing, but he was sure it would be hard to overlook once he finally found it.
"You'll be alright now, Spike." he repeated softly before turning and walking away. Spike just smiled at the sunlight pouring through his window and started to softly hum as the drugs kicked in.