Born and Broken Every Single Time.

“I see,” he calmly said as I rounded off why Gerard had brought me here. The Doctor looked about mid fifties, his hair greying and wrinkles deepening. He peered as his notebook through his spectacles, concentrating as he wrote. The room was basic; he hadn’t gone to much effort to make it personal to him bar the odd fading pot plant dotted around the place.

“So how much would you say you’ve eaten in the past week?” he rested the pen on his lips and watched observantly, waiting for me to speak as his cue to write.

“A few bowls of cereal, soup, Gerard made me have a slice of pizza,” I paused to think for anything I could have missed, although inside I knew that was all. “Yeah that’s it.”

“I see,” he tapped his pen on the table after he finished writing. “And would you say you’re 100% healthy?”

“I have no energy sometimes but surely that’s normal,” I pressed. “I’ve fainted a few times and that but nothing major.”

“Wait a minute, Mr. Iero what do you mean ‘and that’?” He leaned forward slightly and braced himself to write again.

“I just get dizzy, shaky sometimes. But so do lots of people.”

“How shaky? Unnoticeably shaky? Can’t hold a glass of water without spilling shaky?”

“I could hold drinks if I used two hands, not really write though,” I sighed, throwing my hand into my heads at I braced myself to be tagged with another fatality. Anorexic probably, just to prove every snide commenter right.

“Hmm,” he pondered as he leaned back in his chair spinning round. “From what you’ve said I can’t think of a terminology to give you. You’re not bulimic as it’s naturally happening however; this is not good at all. Go to the pharmacy with this, you’ll get three different vitamin tablets to take four times a day. You’ll need iron tablets as well because although we have no tests, I can almost certainly guarantee you you’re anemic.”

“Anemic?”

“Low iron in your blood,” he paused to clear his throat before continuing. “From the lack of what you’ve eaten, it’s almost definitively the case. You’ll need the iron tablets three times a day. Also you have to eat a meal at every meal period, even just a slice of toast if you can’t manage more. Your body’s out of sync, you need to sort it.”

“Oh.” My heart sank. Wow, great another terminology slapped on me to confirm there is something wrong. It’s official – again.

“If this continues or gets worse come back. Hopefully this should improve things a little. I’d be very surprised if you haven’t screwed your immune system beyond reparation.”

He handed me my prescription and walked me back to the waiting room. I thanked him quickly before being met with Gerard, who almost leapt out his seat at seeing me.

“Well?”

I didn’t say anything. I just handed him the slip I’d been given and walked out of the surgery and to the pharmacy two doors down, waiting for Gerard to collect everything. I wasn’t happy I was here, I didn’t want to be. I even wished momentarily to be back at my own home, because then I’d be normal – not this, not being prescribed more drugs that I longed not to have. Not to be given another medical condition that I had to face was mine.

I slumped in the chair as Gerard casually strolled to the counter and handed over the prescription, sharing a polite smile with the girl behind the counter. He didn’t come back over to me as he waited, probably knowing I’d sit in brooding if he did.

The moments passed without any interaction before the girl returned to the counter with my prescription, handing it to Gerard and being given a polite thank you. He walked straight passed me and headed out the pharmacy so I scurried after him, walking silently beside him as he flagged down a cab.

Gerard sat in the front, politely telling the driver our intended destination and I sat in the back, feeling like a little kid although after the moody strop I just pulled, it seemed somewhat suiting. As the driver conversed with Gerard I sat staring out the window watching the scenery pass my sight in a blur. As he pulled up to the drive of the Way household I left the taxi, leaving Gerard to pay as I knew he would. Knowing the door was unlocked as usual during the day, I headed straight in and scampered up the stairs to Mikeys room, slamming myself onto the bed and switching the television on.

I heard the door shut downstairs and Gerard walk up the stairs. I tried to ignore his soon to be presence by focussing on the television, but I failed. As Gerard appeared at the door I looked round waiting for him to talk, our silent stare filling the room with an awkward air. He shook his head and placed my prescription on the cabinet by the door.

“Mature Frank,” he sighed as he began to pull the door shut. “Very mature.”