drabble 1

Hurt/Comfort - Hurt/comfort is a fan fiction genre that involves the physical pain or emotional distress of one character, who is cared for by another character. The injury, sickness or other kind of hurt allows an exploration of the characters and their relationship.


LOSS OF SENSES. Sight, touch, taste, hearing, smell, etc. You've lost some important sense or ability and now you're left to deal with it.

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It started with a tumor.

...Well, depending on how you saw it, it started with Wilfred. Sometimes Ryan had to wonder whether or not Wilfred meant anything when he pointed a gun at his head in that alley, saying he had a tumor in his brain. Even though Wilfred denied that it was actually true, but he had to wonder sometimes. Ryan sometimes spent hours down in the basement in front of a bulletin board, checking off whatever could make him see Wilfred as he was.

Ryan went down the list:

- reincarnation
- a premonition
- an alien
- a guide to the afterlife
- a hallucination

But that made him think. Who had hallucinations?

...And that's when it hit him. Mental illness. Ryan was mentally sick, and that's what made him see Wilfred as a man rather than a dog. It was a scary thought, and he didn't necessarily like it, but nothing else made sense.

Some time after his father's death, Ryan started to experience the occasional headache now and then. The headaches became frequent. The headaches evolved into migraines. An occasional migraine here or there turned into a weekly thing; sometimes he would have one, other times he could have three. It was that awful kind of ache deep in his brain that made Ryan favor the darkness, and grimace at the loud noises and the bright lights. Sometimes, spots would appear in his vision, followed odd-looking bots of lightning.

They were a pain (literally), but it made sense, right? He was trying to get over the death of his father, after learning a few things about it that drilled a sense of guilt right down into his belly. This might be part of the grieving process.

It would end soon enough.

Confusion followed afterwards. It started with Ryan forgetting the smallest of tasks, no matter how long ago they were made. He found himself standing in the same spot for minutes just trying to remember what the hell he was down here for. Some hours later, he would remember them. Ryan didn't really find that concerning; he was probably just sleepy. Or overwhelmed by everything that's happened. Yeah. That was it. The only thing that really made him concerned for himself was when he forgot how to walk.

It was some time in the morning. Ryan walked out of his bedroom, boxers and all, to get himself a plate of Cocoa Puffs for breakfast. Maybe he'd have a little coffee to read the paper with. He was just walking back to the island counter to pour the milk into his bowl, when...

poof.
Ryan couldn't remember how to walk.

No no, how? How could you suddenly forget how to do this? Ryan's heart sank to his stomach as he staggered, hands gripping onto the edge of the island as his legs weakened. Ryan could feel them shaking under his weight...before they buckled completely. He landed rather hard against the wooden kitchen floor, and stayed like that for quite a while.

For a few terrifying seconds, he laid there in his own pool of fear. Ryan wasn't a toddler; he was 32 years old, and there should be no reason why he suddenly forgot how to walk. He got himself up, kneeling on the floor, and tried to pick himself up, reaching up for the edge of the counter and hoisting himself up. And after a shaky moment or two...he was able to support himself. Like nothing ever happened.

Ryan scheduled a doctor's appointment for a few days later. But before he could even get to the coming night, he was hit with another migraine.

But this migraine wasn't like the others. Every beat of his heart send pain flooding through his head. Every little movement and sound and light that peeked through the blinds send white hot needles straight into his brain. There was a vice crushing his head and his arm was numb and Ryan could only grit his teeth and moan and pull the covers over his head......not even the pills would work..............then there was silence.

He woke the next morning after a rough night. And at first, he didn't notice that he couldn't hear.

Ryan couldn't hear his footsteps, or the small clanging of the glass bowl lying against the counter. He noticed the lack of noise when the Cocoa Puffs hit the bowl, but no sound could be heard. He even dropped a plate so hard against the floor that it broke, but he still couldn't hear. He stumbled over to Jenna's house, pointing frantically to his ear while slurring, "Iccann't 'earrr!" Not even an hour later, she drove him to the hospital.

A few minutes after that hour, he was admitted. Ryan had his own special room to himself with a view of the city through a great big window. But it was pretty hard to enjoy, what with all the nurses and doctor's swarming around him. He could hardly sleep in peace that night.

The next morning wasn't all that grand, either. Ryan woke up very early in the morning, doing nothing but lying there with needles poking his arms and doctor's looking into his ears. He couldn't hear anything, not even the sound of his own heart monitor. Any time the doctors asked him questions, Ryan could only communicate with a dry board. One for the doctors, one for himself.

Blood tests turned into MRI's. MRI's turned into CAT scans. One day in the hospital turned into two or three. The longer he stayed and the more intense his tests grew, Ryan found himself growing more and more anxious. If this was something minor like there was too much wax in his ear, they would have sent him home ages by now. And there wouldn't be so many tests.

What felt like years later, Ryan finally got some results.

Jenna and Wilfred had been keeping him company in his hospital room. A doctor walked inside with a few nurses...and shut the door.

we finally have some results for you.

A pause. Ryan nodded. And the doctor continued.