"Okay Alex. It's time to eat. We're going to start with a low based oatmeal and eventually work our way up to regular eating habits." The nurse entered the room, handing Alex a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of water.
"I'm not hungry…I'm feeling nauseous."
"That's okay. That's probably because you're hungry." The nurse knew Alex was going give her a hard time, but she wasn't going to give up.
"But, I'm not hungry." She rolled her eyes, growing annoyed.
"It doesn't matter. You need to eat."
"No, I don't."
"If you don't eat this right now, we're going to inject the food into you."
"Well…you better get the injection, because I'm not eating it." She pushed the bowl on the nightstand beside her, raising her eyebrows.
The nurse sighed, trying not to lose her patients. "Well then."
Alex watched her leave the room, before hopping out of the bed, with the oatmeal and into the attached bathroom. She quickly poured it into the toilet with the spoon, before dumping half of the water in, as well. It wasn't long before the nurse returned, holding an injection. "I ate all my oatmeal."
She raised her eyebrows, struggling to figure out whether she believed her. She walked by her bed, observing the bowl. She still couldn't figure out if she really ate it. "Well…it doesn't hurt to give you the injection. It'll help anyway."
"No! I ate it! I don't need some stupid injection!" She screamed, her breathing beginning to rapidly shorten.
"It'll still help."
"No!" She screamed one last time, before she was gasping for air.
The nurse ran to the door, opening it to find Dean about to walk in. "Dr. Stevens! Emergency in room 203!"
"What's going on? Is she okay?"
"What wrong?" Dr. Stevens asked, dashing into the room. She grabbed the injection, quickly slipping the needle beneath Alex's pale skin. "Breathe Alex. Breathe."
It was a few minutes, before Alex's breathing became stead and she was injected with two more fluids. "Is she alright?"
"Well…she's okay now. It was pretty much just a panic attack, but it was brought on from starvation and lack of nutrients. I mean we're injecting the nutrients into her, but it's not going to be enough after awhile. And even getting the least bit tense, caused her to not being able to breathe."
"Alex, you have to eat, or you're going to die." Dean gently spoke, feeling more tears well up in his tired eyes.
"No! I can't stop now!"
"Alex, calm down. You're going to have another panic attack." Dean whispered, walking beside her bed. He softly stroked her dark curls, feeling her cold skin. "Alex, I'm confused. Are you starving yourself because you're being abused or because you're fat?"
"I'm not starving myself."
"Let me go see if the psychiatrist is free." Dr. Stevens excused herself from the room, before the nurse followed.
"Alex…do you think you're fat?"
"Yeah…" she huskily whispered, slowly nodding her head.
"Did…Mason…make you think this?"
"No…well…kind of." She once again whispered, before Samantha quietly entered the room.
"Hello."
"Hi." Dean cleared his throat, feeling the tears begin to choke him.
"Is everything okay?"
"No."
"Okay, well…Alex, is there something you'd like to talk about?"
Alex shrugged, avoiding eyes contact with both, Dean and Samantha. Her eyes wandered the room, trying to avoid any questions or thoughts that Dean or Samantha would say.
"Dean, maybe if you could leave for a few minutes?"
Dean nodded, as he stared at his unhealthy girlfriend. "Okay. I'll be right outside in the waiting room, if you need me."
"Okay." Samantha slightly smiled, waiting till he left to speak. "So…let me know everything about Mason."
Alex sighed, wishing she hadn't said that. "What do you want to know?"
"Well you two had gone out before this…right? How was your relationship then?"
"Well…" Alex began, beginning to grow uneasy. "He was so sweet and romantic in the beginning…and then he turned into some monster and got in this fight with my brother and his girlfriend. He left after that and Dean moved back here about three months later. About six months after that, Mason returned and he found me. I told him I had a boyfriend and I didn't like him, and he got angry. He goes to my school and the next day he pulled me into the janitors' closet and began to abuse me. I told him to stop…but…but he didn't listen." Tears trickled down her cheeks, as she began to relive the moment.
"It's okay Alex."
"He did that to me everyday in school and he told me if I told anyone he'd kill me and even if he was in jail he'd find a way."
"Alex, believe me, he's not going to hurt you ever again." Samantha began to comfort, instantly beginning to emphasize with her. "You said you were…sexually abused?"
More tears slipped from her eyes, tracing a path in her cheek. "Yeah. He began that after a few months."
"What kind of assault did he commit?"
"He would…inappropriately…touch me and he attempted to…rape me. He also…took…photo…photos of me." Alex struggled to let the words slip from her mouth.
"Were your clothes off when he took these photos and touched you?"
Alex nodded, tears uncontrollably falling from her eyes. "I tried to stop him, but…he…he…didn't listen. I feel disgusting."
"It's okay Alex. But…is this why you've stopped eating?"
"Kind of." The words surprised both of them. Alex had finally admitted something was wrong.
"Do you think you're fat?"
Alex nodded, wiping her cheeks. "He kind of led me to think that."
"That's completely normal."
"I just…I feel like…I don't even know how to explain it." She continued to sob, trying to calm herself down as her breathing slightly shortened.
"We're going to help you get through this. You're going to be just fine."
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