Welcome to Hickstead, home to both Seven Oak Stables, and Blue Acre - two rival stables. Both offer opportunities for their clients to reach the highest level of excellence. Each stable differs from the other, so choose wisely and never forget, loyalty is everything... Meanwhile as the stables battle it out, there's trouble brewing at the university. Be careful, if you don't pick a side you may get caught in the cross-fire...
This is an chilled out rpg with a super friendly and relaxed atmosphere! Remember to sign up with your characters full name in all caps and don't forget to do your claims! Thank you and Welcome, we've been established since 10th March 2009 but unfortunately have had to close guest view of our boards due to multiple sites ripping off our hard work, such a shame! Come chat to us in Discord before joining if you like!.
"You know me, can't stay away from a hostile environment."
He smiled, an amused snort escaping him, "You and I both have a thing about hostile environments."
"I brought grapes, movies led me to believe they have healing powers."
He nodded slowly, "Don't worry, they will be better than the food I get served to eat - might actually taste something."
"You want them to visit you? You must be sicker than I heard."
He let his eyes fall shut, "No. It's for the best they aren't here to see me, I don't need them telling me I'm not being productive enough. That and I think Deimos would've clocked them three times over just for being themselves. Saves me a lot of headaches. How sick do you think I am?"
"Believe it or not, I followed a girl here."
He listened to Porter talk - he sounded quite happy, "I believe it. I do. Follow her and if she's the good sort, don't let her run away."
"How about you? Is there a reason you're here or did you just hear wonderful things about their hospital and want to try it out."
He sighed and opened his eyes, looking his cousin over slowly. Why had they been denied the basic familiarity of being family? What twisted, perverse god got to decide that they had to have this formality between them? It hurt, it was something Rhett wanted to shut down and break, but he didn't let it show.
"Let's see," he murmured, "It's a long confession, but I'll sum it up. I fucked up big time. Fell asleep behind the wheel and crashed my car into a brick wall. Doctor's told me I was in surgery for a while - broke my sternum and three ribs, punctured a lung, internal bleeding, broken ankle, fracture to the front of my skull, and something's wrong with my spinal cord because I have next to no feeling from the lower back down. They are saying its pinched, and should work itself out in time. And my passenger also got seriously hurt. All of this because I told a young man I loved him and because I made bad choices."
Sleep was impossible. It really was. Between the constant nurse checks, the god awful bed, and the sound of the machines wired up to him - it really was torturous to deal with. And it was even more pronounced when he managed to get Dei to go home and shower, eat and sleep a little bit.
"Here I was thinking some poor other sod was named Rhett."
Opening his eyes, it took him a moment to locate the voice and the face, blinking and slowly rubbing his eyes to try wake himself up. It was a familiar voice, one he should've known more closely.
"Porter..." he yawned, "Fancy seeing you here."
He gestured over to the chair beside the bed, "Sit. You're the first family member.. I've seen or heard from since the accident happened."
It hurt a little, thinking about it. But he knew better. No one in his family had ever truly cared about him outside of the fact he was the heir to great wealth. That was his sole use to them and it pissed him off. But he was still glad to see his cousin, even if they didn't know each other well.
"So tell me," he grunted, pulling himself more upright in the bed, "What brings you here, into this little town hmm?"
He could've asked more awful questions, like - was it concern that brought him, or was it an order from his parents. He could've stabbed at him a bit, but he left it alone. The company, limited, was welcome.
"I'm here, if you need something," He said softly, returning the Nurse's attitude by ignoring her right back.
He grimaced at the thought, "So am I, I don't really do vomit."
Rhett's smile was small, but it was about all he could manage despite the situation. Better than nothing. Better than just staying stoic faced. He couldn't do that for long.
"I appreciate.. the offer."
He frowned as he took in what he was saying, "Why did you never tell me?"
He sighed, shutting his eyes - it was an inevitable question really. The only person that knew was Cora, and that was because they were close friends - she made sure during his lapse of judgement that he took his tablets. Made sure he was still breathing at the end of it.
"I never said about it.. because I've made that mistake before. I've told people before.. and it sent people to the hills. Claimed they were no longer interested. I knew better, people thought it was like catching AIDs," frowns a little bit, "I learnt not to share my condition. No one has really cared. My parents don't even know."
"But it's manageable? With the medication? You're alright?"
Nodding slowly, he turned his head to face him, "Yeah, it's manageable, so long as I take my medication... and maintain a strong.. diet and exercise routine. It might kick me when I'm an old... old man, but for now, it's at bay."
"You can't get out of bed though, you need to press the button for the nurse."
"Graves Disease? What is that?" He asked, though his irritation was quick to rise as the nurse ignored him.
"Oi, nurse Jackie, I said what's Graves Disease?"
His head was heavy with a dozen other thoughts but they were quick to evaporate from the forefront, allowing himself to focus back on Dei again.
"Are you comfortable? Do you need a bowl or anything?"
"I'm good, but no bowl. I just felt like I was going to be sick, I don't know if anything was going to happen."
"You know, my younger self would be throwing up to see me doing this...fluffing pillows and fussing over someone." He admitted quietly.
"I'm glad that you aren't... throwing up over the fact that you are doing something... like this," he said softly as he let his head fall back onto the pillows, "Graves Disease is an immune system disorder... My thyroid is fucked up basically. Fucks with my body - my hands tremor, I'm heat sensitive, acute weight loss, fatigue, irregular heart beat, sleeping issues - it's partly the reason why I'm an insomniac. I'm on strong medication to keep it.. all in check. It can't be fixed."
"What were you trying to do, you stupid idiot." He growled slightly, crouching down next to him and looking him over quickly, wanting to check he was okay. "Come on, back to bed."
He shook his head slowly, "Felt sick.. Had to get to a sink. Too warm."
He tried to help Dei move himself, but he wasn't as strong as he knew he normally was.
"Need my tablets," he muttered. "Wasting again."
It was then that a male nurse rushed into the room and shook his head, helping Dei get Rhett back up onto the bed before fussing about the various leads that were now all over the place.
"Ripped out your IV, you shouldn't even be getting out of bed, your ankle is a wreck."
"Felt sick. Too hot. I need my tablets."
The nurse frowned, raising a brow, "Oh, and what do these tablets do?"
"For my Graves Disease. Weak, wasting away.."
The nurse frowned, "That's not on our list of medications for you. Let me go get the head nurse and we'll get things sorted."
He grunted his acknowledgement and before he knew it, he was out. He didn't dream much, but there were flickers of the crash. He didn't know how else to interoperate the images that flickered on his eye lids. Some were confusing, others were significantly frightening. The lurching forward, the windscreen...
When he woke again, he could feel the sweat on his brow and he became aware of the fact that his heart was racing. He winced as he shifted, growling softly as he tried to move himself up in the bed more. The pain in his hands hit him and he immediately stopped trying to move up in the bed, cradling his hands to his chest.
He looked around for Dei, not quite sure if he was still by his side or not. Without thinking too much about it he forced himself to sit upright, the pain absolutely knocking the wind out of him. He could only frown as he stayed upright by sheer force of will, trying to get some semblance of function. The pain made him feel sick and his only thoughts were to get up and make it somewhere else to be sick. He reached out for the bed rail with shaking hands, unaware of the loud blaring monitors beside him. He grabbed at his legs reefing them over the edge, glaring at them and willing them to work. He couldn't not walk! Have to get to a bathroom... Briefly he wondered if he was dressed decent but the nausea hit him hard enough to throw the thought out. He didn't care. Pulling himself onto his legs and holding the bed rail for a moment, he steadied himself and went to walk. Nothing. He whimpered quietly and tried a step - falling. He barely registered the fact until he hit the ground, cords snapping taunt and then lax as machines toppled and emergency alarms sounded.
"I will need to set an alert for it," he murmured, smiling a little as his eye lids dipped.
"I know."
"I promise, I won't cause any trouble, but I won't lie here and let them off for doing the bare minimum or being vague. Rest now, you don't need to worry."
He reached out for Dei's hand and held it weakly, "I guess I can... can settle for that. I just- just expect to see you still here.. and not kicked out."
"Well, they're doing a shite job. I could pick up a medical book for an hour and still do better. It's ridiculous."
"I will bite you," Rhett warned quietly, "When I am back... home. I will make sure... to leave as many bite marks as you c-could want."
He shivered a little bit, feeling a little bit cold as he laid there but he didn't bother to pull the covers higher or closer, knowing sooner rather than later he would get far too hot.
"It won't be for... for too long Dei," he murmured, all but falling asleep, "Just... just don't cause trouble... please? For me?"
He didn't care how needy it sounded, how pathetic, he just didn't want to wake up to a fight. He was barely keeping everything together as it stood and he knew he couldn't handle anything else to boot.
The doctor's words left a blankness heavy on his mind, far too much to process in a single moment. There were so many questions to ask and yet not a single one jumped out to be asked. He closed his eyes.
"How can you not know? What was the point in all those years of medical school just to shrug and go 'anyone's guess'. Even I could suggest the fucking wait and see method."
He could hear the irritation in Dei's voice. He sighed quietly.
"I'm not sure... what any of that means... but, questions are for later. Please leave... Deal with this later."
The doctor frowned slightly at Dei's outburst, not ok with the hostility.
"Of course, we can discuss it more in depth when you're more awake," the doctor nodded, "Nurse will be around soon to check in on you."
With that he left he let his head fall to the side against Dei, exhausted.
"Try... try not to argue... with them, hmm?" he asked softly, "They're just doing their... job Dei."
Carefully he shook his head, "No. They'll get here eventually."
"It's not stupid. I don't want to hurt you."
"It'll be... fine Dei," he yawned, "It'll... be fine."
"I'm not leaving."
Rhett nodded in agreement, Dei was not leaving, "He is important to me."
The doctor looked a little skeptical of that, but nodded all the same, "Well, you are lucky to be awake so soon. You were whisked off into surgery as quickly as we could; a punctured lung, broken ribs serious ankle break and some moderate internal bleeding which has been taken care off by the surgical team. Other scans indicate a hairline fracture in the front of your skull where you hit the windscreen of the car, and your lower spinal cord is pinched."
The doctor sighed, "Minor burns and cuts, uncertain if you have a concussion, but with that head wound we believe it's likely you do. We did our best to stitch that forehead wound but only time will tell now it heals up."
"So.. what do you mean.. pinched spinal cord?"
The doctor made a face, "Honestly, we don't know. It could mean not being able to walk unassisted, it could just be a small set back until your body settles back into place. We don't know if it will right itself, or if we need to look at a rehab routine to reteach you how to walk."
"I do. I promise, we'll get you through this. No matter what it takes. But you haven't heard from the Doctor yet, this could be something to do with your surgery or your meds, don't jump to conclusions."
He offered a slow nod, "Alright."
His chest shuddered painfully as he let out a quiet sigh, "Hopefully- Hopefully someone comes around... soon."
He didn't like waiting normally, and right now while he felt like utter shit, he really didn't want to have to wait longer than necessary to hear someone's verdict.
"I know it sounds- sounds stupid," he grunted, "But I'd like it.. if you could lay up.. with me.. please?"
He felt stupidly needy and desperate, he couldn't think too straight to wonder what Dei thought of his request, but it was all he really wanted right now. He was getting awful tired.
It was then that a doctor turned into the door way, "Good afternoon sir, I'm Dr. Thorne. I'm here to discuss with you what happened, but first I'd like to ask your friend to leave first."
That woke Rhett up and he glared as best he could, "He goes nowhere."
"I know, but sometimes we have to do things we don't want to. I'll be here when you wake."
He didn't know what to do or how to process the fact that he was unable to move his legs. It frustrated and scared him, prompting unwanted emotions. He tried to bottle it in, tried to keep the thoughts of uselessness from being the only thoughts that he had. The kiss was unexpected, but it was a distraction, enough to pull his mind away from what was going on to steal what little air was in his lungs. He kissed back, though the action felt a little awkward to him, but he didn't care.
With Dei's forehead resting on his, he calmed slightly, though the monitor barely seemed to slow.
"I promise we'll get through this, you'll be up and about in no time."
"Your body needs to heal, you need the sleep, even if you don't like it."
"Fuck that," he mumbled, "I don't want to sleep."
"Good, I think. I should go and see her... I'll see what I can do, but not right now."
"Rhett stay with me, it's okay. I promise, whatever is wrong, I'll fix it. Just stay with me and breath. I've got you."
Everything was wrong and Rhett knew in an instant that everything was now fucked up. He felt utterly pathetic, a grown ass man reduced to an almost childish nature out of anxiety and fear of what he was experiencing. He was aware of Dei's hands on his face, the words he was speaking... He wanted to calm down, regain that control too, but it seemed far too out of reach.
"I can't move... my legs Dei," he tried to keep his voice in check but there was no stopping the break in it.
Just saying it was like getting bashed in the back with a baseball bat - harsh and jarring. He wanted to sit up so badly, swing his legs over the edge of the bed and get up to prove himself wrong in every sense of the word. Yet there was no strength to be had and his will power was fading, even as he forced his hands to reach for Dei's hands.
He visibly shrunk back into the bed, uncomfortable as it was, energy gone for the time being. His eyes shut for a moment. So tired...
"I'm surprised you would call this a dream, but it's not. This is real. You can sleep, you need to rest, I'll still be here when you wake. I swear, I'm not leaving."
"Dream.. nightmare... it's been a blur."
He felt the touch and leaned into it as much as he was able to. He wanted get up, move, assert some semblance of control over the situation. He hand squeezed Dei's again, doing all he could to just make sure that Dei wasn't gone. He felt stupid for it, but at the same time felt like everything was making sense in some way.
"I've slept more than I have all week, I think I can forgo it," he murmured, trying to clear his dry mouth, "If I fall asleep again, it's on my terms... not because of fancy drugs..."
He couldn't hide his anxiety over the lack of control he had. He didn't give that sort of thing freely to anyone, he always had control and right now he most certainly didn't have it as much as he wanted it.
"Cora's here, she's down the hall. She's alive."
He tried to nod, "Good, I think. I should go and see her..."
He tried to muster up the strength to move without success. He hated this, this fucking powerlessness. He found feeling in other parts of his body as he concentrated on it before he registered something wasn't right. He tried to shift his legs, not feeling all that much with them and his panic spiked on him. He made a strangled noise, something between a whine and a growl. There was next to no feeling in his legs, only just able to move his toes a tiny bit. It frightened him.
That fear sparked a rush of adrenaline in his system as he tried to force some movement of his own making, growling in frustration and the monitor beside the bed picked up considerably more than before.
"I can't... I have to..." his voice caught, hopelessness threatening him to make him pass out again, "Dei I can't..."
Injury Notes, for sanity; - Minor Burns to Face [from airbag deployment], Hairline Skull Fracture, Laceration to Forehead, Broken sternum and ribs [3 - surgical fix], Punctured Left Lung [surgical fix], Internal Bleed - Intestines, Pinched Lower back Spinal Cord [minor feeling in legs present], Broken Right Ankle [surgical fix] - other general bruising and cuts present. Unnoticed hairline fractures in hands/wrists.
He tried to smile, wanted to reassure him, reach out and touch him more to make sure it wasn't a dream and that all wasn't going to be snatched away again.
"You're in the hospital. You were in a serious car accident."
That caused him to frown slightly, a car accident? It took him far too long to process it. He couldn't remember much, talking to Cora- Fuck. Was Cora in the accident? Or did he crash after? Had to find out...
"Hey, it's okay, it's alright... You've been out for a day, it's the 20th of October at just gone 4 in the afternoon. You don't need to think about your tablets right now."
He took a deep breath and regretted it with a harsh grunt as bright pain flashed in his chest. It was enough to wipe his thoughts clean for a moment... what was going on again? He felt a little clearer, fighting the haze of medications that were in his system.
"No, you need to rest, Rhett. I promise, it's okay. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. Ever again."
It took him a moment to register Dei's words, the gravity in them. He wasn't sure if that was true or purely because he was in pain, but right now he settled with the words.
"Need my tablets..." he grunted, attempting to shift again in the bed, "Cora - where is she? I need to know... but-" he sighed, tiredly. "This is a dream, isn't it? If it is, I don't want it. Cause in all my dreams, I could never reach you. And if... if this is really real, I don't want to sleep..."
He felt his chest and throat tighten, overwhelmed as he tried to get his head around everything all at once. He felt tears in his eyes, scattering what vision he had and was powerless to stop them from falling.
