The next time Ms. Chirp had come, she noticed how excited the boy was. He was giddy, smiling when she walked in with a wave. Susan filled her in on the plan, the therapists agreed quickly at the idea. They told Cameron that he had to be in a wheelchair for it, the boy didn't bother arguing, he nodded his head with the women.
He was set in, led outside of the room he had been trapped in for so long. The bright lights along with the atmosphere of people rustling around made him stiff. He was glad that he was now in the wheelchair, a small blanket over his bare legs to hide the bandages that covered up his injuries. He still felt slightly off with people catching his eye.
He looked down, his hands coming up to cover his arms that were also covered with white bandage. He knew his face looked the same as well, covering up all of his injuries and turning him into some sort of car crash victim. He decided not to think about it, it just made his mind hurt.
The doctor rolled him outside, the bright sun hitting his pale skin that made him let out a heavy sigh. His eyes closed, the warmth soaked up the feeling of it. The tumbling from the rough road continued, the boy didn't bother trying to look around or even where he was going. All he was feeling was the warmth.
It was all he ever wanted.
He was stopped, which allowed him to open his eyes to the scene in front of him. He was on a rocky and gravel path, the path led all the way down to a few trees that had a fence housing it. It had large bushes that held loads of rose bushes along with small little fields of dandelions below them. On the other side, pushed into the trees were garden beds. Some were lined up, while others stayed on the ground. They were decent sizes, stretching far all the way down the path. Cameron noticed how the path branched off in different directions, some led to little river paths with more flower beds, others led to big willow trees that had swings hanging from them.
Susan stopped just at the entrance, turning down to the boy. "Where do you wanna go?"
He looked up to her, seeing both her and Ms. Chirp looking at him. "Can we- pick some raspberries first?"
"Of course," Susan nodded, steering them over to the side where the beds lay into the fence and trees. She stopped right next to the beds, allowing him to look and see the springing red plums of the fruit. He got excited, just seeing them bloom so brightly.
Ms. Chirp came over with a small brown weaved basket in her hands, she knelt down to them, handing them to the boy. Cameron nodded to her, slowly standing up from the chair. Susan was right by his side, holding onto his shoulder so he didn't put so much weight into his legs.
Cameron held back a wince, the pressure stung him ever slightly. The boy leaned up against her, slowly lowering them down to the ground where the beds were. Susan stayed by his side, helping to slowly and gently tear the fruit from the plant and place them into the basket. Ms. Chirp stayed by their side, sometimes writing things down as they did so.
"So Cameron? What do you plan on making after this?" Ms. Chirp asked the boy.
"I was thinking of a smoothie or something." He shrugged, tearing the fruit off while plunking it into the brown basket. "I think we need more fruit though.."
"There are some strawberries over there we could grab as well?" Susan motioned down the path where it turned, they saw a picture of strawberries at the top. Cameron nodded to her, putting more of them down into the basket.
Ms. Chirp watched the two for a second, eyeing Susan for a second longer. "Have you ever made smoothies before Cameron?"
"No, I've always wanted to though.." He mentioned off topic, his legs laying lifeless beside him.
"Well today is the day," Susan nudged him, a bright smile on her lips. Cameron couldn't help but smile back, his eyes lighting up like stars in the midnight sky.
Ms. Chirp nodded along, asking a few questions while watching Cameron's body language. It seemed like the boy was more relaxed, she feared he might panic by being outside by tree's again, though she was wrong. Cameron was calm, he was happily sitting beside the doctor.
The therapist had a few things she wanted to ask the doctor. She felt like it wasn't the best time to do so, but her curiosity was becoming too much. She sighed, placing the clipboard under her arm before leaning down beside the two who sat on the ground. Ms. Chirp didn't want to sit on the gravel path, so she stayed above it.
"They smell good," the boy giggled to himself, Susan nudged him.
"Careful, don't squish them too much." She made a face to him, a bit of a warning. "-And don't eat them, they need to be washed first."
Cameron rolled his eyes, but listened with a light smile on his face.
Ms. Chirp came over to Susan's side, talking quietly while Cameron removed some of the leaves sticking to the red fruit. He didn't bother to listen, too busy with the food in front of him, he did what Susan told him to, gently peeling it off from the greenery while slowly placing it down.
Even with the gentle touch, Cameron still managed to squeeze one of them too much, the liquid of the red raspberry dripped onto his fingers. When Cameron placed it down to go grab another, he stopped. His eyes watched the clear red liquid drip down his pointer finger. It reminded him of blood, his blood..
The slow trickling was almost mesmerizing, the beats from his heart skipped quicker when his mind started to wander. He was taken away from the place he was now, he should be in the clear sun basking in the warmth. But his mind took him away, his thoughts traveled back in time to where he was outside.
But it was dark. It was cold, he was alone.
He knew what was happening, closing his eyes tightly to block out the thoughts. Or were they memories? No they shouldn't be, he wasn't alone in that forest. Kim Seo was always by his side..
Cameron tightened his fingers together, his hands shaking slightly at the thought of the older boy. It replayed over and over in his head, the loud scream, the sound of piercing skin punctured through his skull. He shook his head, unable to live with the thoughts, he couldn't get it out of his mind.
The blood, there was so much blood. Cameron tried to keep it in, he tried to stop the bleeding, his shaking hands frantically held Kim Seo's insides up. But the boy wasn't worried, he felt it, he knew it. Cameron did too, but he didn't want to listen to it. He still tried, all the while Kim Seo touched him gently.
Cameron's nails pierced into his palm, causing sharp pain along with a hard sigh from his lips. The pain wasn't as strong as the bile emotion in his body that was threatening to burst. The soft gentle glide on his fingers falling lifelessly to his side, his glossy eyes looking up with nothing to stare at.
He felt the blood on his face, the liquid smeared into his skin, dripping down onto his lips that fell back into the pool of blood that lay under the dead boy in his arms.
"Cameron.." Susan gently grabbed his hand, pulling his attention up over to her.
Her eyes were soft, a worried expression playing with her features. Cameron let out a hard breath, not realizing he was keeping it in. He allowed her to place his hand in her lap, gently easing it open. It stung slightly, his nails piercing into his skin that left a bit of blood in the dent of his flesh.
"You're okay Cameron, you're alright.." Her words allowed him to soothe himself, taking in deep breaths to calm his mind. He nodded along with her, opening up his eyes to see Susan looking back to him with a calm face.
"How about we go get some strawberries?" She asked with a low voice, Ms. Chirp stood up, dusting herself off while Cameron slowly nodded to the woman.
He allowed her to help him up, placing him in his wheelchair while going over to where the other fruits were. They sat down in front of the strawberries, Ms. Chirp talking to Susan before she nodded to the two. Cameron looked up to her, watching the woman leave while tearing the strawberry off its leaf.
"Where is she going?"
Susan looked towards the fleeing woman, shaking her head towards the teenager. "She is allowing you to breathe I would guess. You look very stressed right now."
"I do?" Cameron looked up to her, honestly confused.
Susan made a pointed look towards the boy's palm, Cameron understood, scratching behind his ear awkwardly. Susan giggled lightly, shaking her head while placing some of the strawberries in the same basket as the raspberries. Cameron followed the lead, picking them while the two made small talk.
Susan would glance at him from time to time, noticing him scratch his palm a few times. Susan took notice that this was not helping to distract his mind. He would sometimes wander, looking off in different directions before picking some of the strawberries up and into the basket.
The doctor wanted to ask him, but right now did not seem to be a good time. She sighed, sitting up beside the boy who looked up to her.
"I think we picked enough, don't you?"
Cameron looked down to the basket, noticing that they had picked a lot more. He shrugged, mumbling a few words. Susan sighed, crouching down beside him with a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Let me show you something else. Do you like ponds?"
"I guess…"
The doctor chuckled, helping the boy back up into the wheelchair where she placed the basket on his lap. Cameron hugged it, allowing the woman to push him along the path. He took in their surroundings, looking in awe at all the bright greenery. It was flourishing, bright and lively. He felt odd, yet very calm when seeing it.
The light from bright blue water caught his eye, turning a corner where they passed a few flower beds. Susan stopped right near a pond that had a few willow trees dangling from above it. The leaves fell and dipped into the water, making a few ripples spread to the surface. Near the pond was a small bench that was close enough to see everything, Susan guided Cameron up and towards the sitting area.
Placing him down, Susan sat next to him while the boy mindlessly looked towards the water with a calm expression. Susan watched him for a second, her eyes then turning towards the water with a small sigh from her lips.
Cameron watched the water ripple, the clear surface was bright with the sun glaring down at it. Some lilypads held the surface up, covering some of its beauty with its teal green color, Cameron almost expected to see a few frogs jump and huddle onto the paths of green. He felt so nice, it was totally different from the river and ponds he saw when he was in the forest.
This place made him feel light, it made him feel warm and comfortable. Against the person sitting next to him, the woman allowed him to snuggle up next to her with a relaxed body.
The soft patterns of the water, the soothing feeling of the wind through his once stiff body. Cameron was for once actually relaxed. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this way, the feeling of being at peace. It was nice out there, he knew he was safe with Susan by his side. He knew he was safe in this peaceful place, that's why he was so relaxed.
He knew he should thank Susan, but he felt himself doze off into sleep. The warmth coming from the basking sun, the body pressed to his side, lured him into an endless sleep.
Susan felt him completely go limp, she allowed him to sleep it off, the soft breathes escaping from his lips allowed her to let out a deep breath. She was ready to ask him, she knew what to say. Yet, she was still so hesitant..
She scolded herself for being so scared, there was no reason to be this nervous. What will even go wrong?
The doctor shook her head, erasing the anxiety from her thoughts. Instead, she decided to watch the sleeping boy, allowing her fingers to travel through his hair in gentle swipes.
The soothing of a hand drifting through his hair brought a smile to his face. He reached out, grabbing the warm hand from Kim Seo who helped him out of the water. He cursed to himself, shivering slightly while a glare directed at the water.
He heard a giggle from the taller one, looking up to see a smirk on his face.
"What's so funny?" Cameron huffed out, huddling his arms close to himself.
"You look like a wet dog," Kim Seo pointed with another giggle. Cameron yelled at him, feeling his face heat up with embarrassment, the older boy put his hands up in defense. "Alright- alright I take that back Cam cam!"
"Stop calling me that!" The boy tried to push at him, only for the taller boy to grab his wrists from pushing him away.
He felt him tremble in his grasp, his smirk dropping into a gentle smile. He met eyes with the younger boy who had a burning face, Cameron could see the smile growing. He was going to make fun of him, he could just feel it.
But to his shock, an arm traveled around his shoulder. He was pushed closer to the boy's chest. He looked up to him, scowling slightly. "What is this?"
"What is what?" He answered innocently.
Cameron rolled his eyes. "If you're trying to apologize, don't try it. I already decided not to forgive you!"
"You won't forgive me?" His voice dimmed slightly, making Cameron perk up slightly. He was hesitant, turning to look back up to the boy who was closer to him. "That's understandable. I did get us lost.."
"It- It wasn't just you.." Cameron said out loud, making contact with the gray eyes of the boy.
Kim Seo looked back, his eyes growing wide, his lips turning up. He pulled Cameron closer to him, the warmth from his body almost felt fake. Even so, Cameron felt his body immediately warm up from the touch. It felt familiar, all of these different feelings made the young boy's mind spiral.
It hurt, causing a wince to escape his lips.
It was covered up, a gentle hand coming over to rest on his cheek. Again, it felt familiar, along with the gentle guide from the hand to lift his face up. He locked eyes with the older boy, he stared down at him with a look of fondness.
Cameron looked up, dizzy from the overwhelming feelings. So dizzy that he didn't catch the blood. The blood trailing down from Kim Seo's nose, his lips. Even with the smearing of blood, the dirt and painful tears coming from him, his smile never dropped.
"Kim-" Cameron went up for him, his hands coming up to hold his face. The older boy kept his eyes on him, the smile never fading. It made Cameron feel desperate, his eyes watering, his head shaking.
"No no no no nonono-"
Kim Seo pulled the young boy's head up, their foreheads pressed together. Cameron let out a cry, his eyes balling, sobs coming from his scared lips. All Kim Seo did was smile, his eyes closed like he was relaxed. He looked at ease, his hands holding gently onto Cameron, nothing that even resembled what he looked like.
Cameron felt the hold, his eyes closing to block out the pain. He wrapped his arms around his neck, holding him close to himself. He felt the older boy go limp, his hand was slowly slipping.
"Cameron.." The same deadly whisper..
"You can't do this to me again!" The boy hugged him even tighter, his eyes closed tightly. He wanted to believe it wasn't happening, that he wasn't faced with the death of him again. "YOU CAN'T! IT'S- No-not fair..!"
His legs gave out, taking himself along with Kim Seo with him. He held on, he held on tight to him.
"Cameron? Cameron, wake up," Susan's voice came from the unknown, pulling his head forward, he was lying in her lap. The small boy's body shook, his face sweating that made him feel sticky. "Cameron.."
Her voice was smooth, relaxed with worry. She caressed his head, allowing him to take in deep, controlled breaths. She mumbled words to him, taking time to allow him to slowly relax once again.
"Another nightmare?"
Cameron sat up stiffly, his eyes feeling red and heavy. "If you could call it that.." He hissed, tears stinging his eyes. Susan came to him, helping to guide him off of the hard bench. "Can we.. go over to the water?"
Susan looked in the direction he motioned to, nodding quickly while picking him up in her arms. She took notice of how light he was, promising to feed him once she got him in her care.
She sat down with him by her side, letting them both place their feet in the cold water below. The cold helped to calm Cameron down, the sweat sticking to his back slowly easing with the cold feeling between his toes. Susan was by his side, making small glaces to make sure he wouldn't slouch over into the water.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Cameron turned to her, his eyes feeling drowsy yet he was scared to fall back asleep. He didn't want to be faced with it again. He silently shook his head, unable to feel anything. Susan nodded, letting them bathe in the silence for a few seconds.
It was until Cameron let out a small voice. "I just don't get it..'' She turned to him, concern on her face while listening to him. "I don't get how I'm still here. Why I haven't lost it yet.. all these dreams make me feel like I should be dead."
Susan quickly shook her head. "No- no you shouldn't be. Cameron," she guided his head up, watching his red face fall with a sudden burst of emotion. "Cameron. You matter so much okay? You matter so much to me.."
"No I don't. You barely know me, I'm just- just you patient…" The boy forced his face away, his shoulders stiff up against his ears. "I wouldn't mean anything more to you then that.."
The doctor felt her eyes slightly water up, her arms went up to pull the boy into a tight hug. He flinched slightly, slowly letting her pull him from behind into a tight embrace. "Cameron.. you.." He didn't know how much she cared about him, he needed to know..
"... I have been wanting to tell you.." She let out a hard sigh, feeling him slightly turn his ear in her direction. She took in as much courage as she could, continuing with a strong voice. "I want to take you home. I want to take care of you fully."
The boy turned his head up, his face almost unreadable. He listened quietly as Susan forced all her courage up. "I want to adopt you, Cameron. If- If you allow me to.."
She waited..
Waited more as the silence started to stretch on. The shock on the young boy's face made the doctor slightly squeeze up. The fear she had been feeling grew only more as the seconds turned into minutes.
It was until Cameron slowly turned his body into her. He pulled her into a hug, his head resting on her chest with her embrace slightly loose. She waited for a second while Cameron let out a few sighs.
"I do." His voice was muffled, the slight crack from his voice made Susan tear up. She pulled him into her tightly, closing him into a tight hug with all her emotions bubbling up into reckless sobs.
She cried happy tears with the small boy in her arms relaxing in her tight, motherly grip.
Something he had never felt so truly. Something that felt so real to him.