The fire roared beside us as Dr. Prescott adjusted his glasses. “Take a seat, Theodore.” And that I did. As I placed myself atop the leatherbound chair, Dr. Prescott continued. “You do not look so well. I assume you were the one to go in and retrieve the flowers?”
“Bradley went down first, but I ended up being the only one to fit in the storage room.”
Dr. Prescott looked me up and down. I was still slightly wet, with blood stained into the knees of my trousers. “It was a very brave endeavor. I can see in your eyes that you’ve changed quite a bit.”
I did not have much of a response in my exhaustion. Primarily, my thoughts were consumed by the tranquility of sitting in a comfortable chair next to a warm fire. “I simply did what I had to.”
“Exactly!” The doctor said in a falsely excited manner, trying to get my attention more than anything. “That is why I have something very important to ask of you…” The attempt to secure my focus was successful, and I sat tentatively whilst Dr. Prescott finished his thought. “You went through so much hardship to get those flowers and you were still happy to evenly share the profit with the rest."
"Well... I..." I stammered. It was not like I really had the opportunity to betray the others if I wanted to, but I also never even thought of such a thing, so I decided to simply let the doctor continue.
After a moment of waiting on me, Dr. Prescott went forward with his thought. "You have always had a great amount of my trust, but this proves to me you are able to push through adversity when it is needed. Everyone has a specific job they need to do for this plan to work, but I need someone to undertake the grueling job of supervising the process. We must be sure everything goes according to plan.”
I could understand the necessity for someone to overview the plan, but I did not quite understand why Dr. Prescott would choose me. I was trustworthy, but so were many others. “Why not Price or Bradley? What about Emilia?” The only name I did not mention was Hughes. God knows Hughes was not reliable in those circumstances.
“Price has too much work ahead of him. His time will already be spread too thin. Bradley, well, you know he has a certain reputation amongst certain parts of town. As for Emilia, it was a hard decision between you and her. As far as things go, though, I know you are used to sleepless nights and are very familiar with every corner of London. Emilia, on the other hand, is simply not as familiar with the underbelly of this city.”
That was understandable enough logic, I supposed. I had spent many nights simply wandering the depths of the city. I might have even known more than Price, although he had an actual presence whilst I was simply a fly on the wall. “Alright then. What am I to do first?”
Dr. Prescott took a pen sitting on his desk and tapped the broadside of it a few times against his notebook. “First, we need to be absolutely sure that our reserves are truly depleted. We ran out faster than expected, which could have simply been an error on our part, or someone could have stolen some for themselves. Tomorrow morning, I would like if you and Emilia search the hospital quarters for any stolen prescription.”
With a nod, I replied. “I can do that.”
“Good. Hopefully by the time you get done the others will have gotten in touch with their contacts.” Dr. Prescott stood from his chair, prompting me to do so as well. “Now, come. You need a change of clothes, I think.”
It was difficult to stand with my exhaustion, but the promise of warm, fresh, clothing was more than enough to bring me to walk.
He brought me down a small corridor to a washroom. There was a wooden bench with a pair of white clothing the caretakers would wear. Along with that, there was a pump and a bucket to wash yourself with. Dr. Prescott ushered me in. “I’ll get them to wash your current wear and give it back to you tomorrow. For now, get dressed in that. You will need it to fit in tomorrow anyways.”
I nodded and closed the door.
While unclothing myself, I noticed a large amount of bruises over my body, especially my shoulder. With the adrenaline and fast pace of everything, I had completely forgotten that I had minorly dislocated it. I had seen the treatment for such an injury before, and knew it was quite simple. All I had to do was get on my knees, place my hand of the ground, put my weight down on the shoulder… and… push.
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A sickening pop echoed throughout the small room as my shoulder lodged itself back into place. A shock of pain surged down my arm, then I felt relief. All I had left to do was wash the grime and blood off myself and get dressed, yet I hesitated as the bucket filled.
I had scrubbed a bit of blood off my face in the river, but I hadn’t submerged my head since the dive… The mere thought of turning over the bucket on my head made my heart beat faster. The more I noticed my anxiety, the worse it became. Once the pail was full, my hands were visibly shaking. It was difficult to grasp the bucket, but once I did, I had enough willpower to douse myself in a fluid motion. The water was cold and shocking, sending me to breathe deeply as it ran down my body.
Afterwards, the shaking began to stop. My breathing was still shallow and quick, but the stress became bearable. After a bit more cleaning, I dried myself and got into my new attire. It was gaudy and bright white, but at least I was warm once more. I sat my bloody garb on the bench and exited. Dr. Prescott looked at me funnily as he saw me, as if he had in part heard some of what had gone on in that room. Yet I did not admit to anything. Even though I told Dr. Prescott everything, I was reluctant to tell him about my injuries and my run in with that tentacled thing…
No one could see the acidic burns of its part-jellyfish-part-octopus tentacles, what if the rest of my injuries were just in my mind? Even worse, what if they weren’t… In any case, I had no desire to search for answers at that moment in time.
After a few seconds of silence, Dr. Prescott spoke. “Well, I suppose we should both try and get some rest.”
I nodded, barely remembering the last time I slept. The night prior, I had spent my time staring into the shadows of my apartment, summoning that smiling creature. Yet even when I was not trying to look, it was so easy to find the figures in the dark. If only there were a way to help them blend into their surroundings without medication. If I could not exterminate them, I wished there was but a way to keep them from my focus…
That is when a thought occurred. “Dr. Prescott?” I said as we began to walk back to his office.
“Mr. Chatwood?” He mimicked.
“I was wondering if I could borrow something of yours.”
He looked back at me. “And what would that be?”
“Well, I was hoping you perhaps had an extra pair of glasses…”
At that he stopped, fully turning to look at me. “You have perfect vision, Theodore. Why in the world would you want my glasses?”
“That is exactly why.” I explained. “All of my visions occur when my eyes wander to somewhere for too long. If I can no longer make out such fine details, perhaps the visions would be less common?”
With a sigh, Dr. Prescott nodded. “I suppose that makes sense. Normally, I would urge you not to rely on such things like partially blinding yourself. You know how that worked out for your mother.” He let me sit on those words for a moment, then continued. “But we do have a very important job to do in these next few days… If we can agree this is solely a temporary crutch in your treatment, then I will allow it.”
I nodded. “That is perfectly acceptable.”
With that understanding, we walked back to the office. Dr. Prescott moved to his desk and retrieved a pair of large round glasses, the left lens with a notable crack running across it. Walking back to me, he held them out.
Putting them on, the room became blurry and distant. Where I could once read each title scrawled upon the spine of the books behind Dr. Prescott’s desk, I could now only make out a general smudge where the words once were. There was only a small chance this strategy even would work, but I was more than happy to try.
After a bit of pleasantries, I left the office, and then the hospital grounds. The glasses did not impede my ability to get home, as I would bet I could have made the walk blindfolded at that point.
Just beyond the crest of the horizon, I could see the sun begin to rise. I had spent all night in that damned boat. Hopefully I still had a few hours of rest before the next day truly began.
Once I got to my apartment, I noticed the butchery. Upon seeing it, I realized I had not eaten for quite some time, yet I had no money. Even after everything that had happened, I had not made a single shilling.
I was used to sleeping with an empty stomach, though, so I simply walked to my door, unlocked it, and went inside.
It was dark, dusty, and depressing as usual, but I had little care to complain at that moment. The shadows seemed less frightening when they were blended with everything else. As for if this strategy could stop the vivid visions, I would either never know or I would see it fail. In either case, I did not care to ponder on it. I would take my sliver of comfort where I found it, especially with how I felt at that moment.
Even though it was a half dose, my head still swam in the exhaustion of that night and the medication I had just taken. Laying down on top of my bed, I did not even bother to pull the covers over myself.
Blindly sitting my new glasses on the bedside table next to me, I took a deep breath and sprawled out. Focusing on clearing my mind of worries. After a few minutes I could feel sleep take hold of me.
With what was ahead, I would need the rest.