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#1
Old 07-14-2014, 07:35 AM

Warning for language
Violence
Blah, blah warning.


In the back of the darkly-tinted black vehicle, Delvin sat with his head down, peering at the folder open in his lap. It was arranged like a police report, like an investigation into a serial arsonist or some sort of abuser. The man in the picture, dark hair and dark eyes that looked like abyssal pools under shaggy hair. He liked that unkept look, whether it was natural or not wasn't up to Delvin to decide. He sighed and sat back. It was hard to imagine this guy had run off nine of his predecessors. Nine people that couldn't handle his temper. How... what did he hear? How cruel he was? How sharp with his tongue? Delvin wrinkled his nose and shook his head, sighing as he looked out his window.

"Mr---Ah, I mean, Doctor Sims." Beside him, the healthcare agent stirred. "We certainly hope you can handle this."

"There isn't any doubt in my mind." Delvin had earned his doctorate a few years ago but had taken to going into personal care. Living with someone, helping them each day, being with them if they had no one else, helped them feel better. And he was a skilled physical therapist, which was what this new case needed. Chester Roverington.

"This isn't the same as the usual people you deal with." The agent said curtly. As if he'd said this too many times and it was just part of the routine now. "He's a hardass. Negative as hell. Flies off the handle at the drop of a hat."

"I said I can handle it." Delvin said curtly. It was the same tone he took with his siblings when they were acting up when he was in charge of them. "You didn't come to me for my looks, after all."

"Well, to be honest you don't often come across a doctor without a shit-ton of premature worry and stress lines." The agent's mouth quriked up in the first sign of humor since picking Delvin up. The vehicle turned onto Justic Avenue and slid quietly, near silently through single-floor, somewhat small state housing. Chester had two bedrooms since he had a carer living with him. Since an accident had left him half-crippled he'd been learning to walk again, and a head injury made his anger swift and unpredictable, but Delvin had faith in his infinite patience. He'd dealt with some of the worst people, after all, and before that, his three defiant, rowdy, screech-happy brothers. He smiled as the house slid up behind them, and closed the folder, handing it to the agent. "Thank you for the ride. I believe I can take it from here."

Last edited by Tachigami; 07-14-2014 at 08:21 AM..

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#2
Old 07-14-2014, 07:43 AM

Chester glared at the broken TV. Why had he thrown the remote into it? If he remembered correctly, his show had been cancelled. He frowned, rubbing his temples. He had broken it a week ago, and afterwards he had gotten into a fight with Boris, his carer. The man broke down after a month of Chester's abuse, and moved out - quitting his job.

Chester could live by himself. He was still capable of cleaning himself and feeding himself. But the government insisted he needed someone with him. His fake leg wasn't overly steady and sometimes he needed help to walk. It frustrated him because he was sure he could walk. Before the accident... He was sure he could walk and run... And he had friends... Family... A lover... But now he had no one and he couldn't walk. He swore under his breath.

The sound of a car pulling up in his driveway broke him out of his dark thoughts. He struggled to his feet and limped to the window, which had a heavy green curtain drawn across it. Chester liked the dark. It helped him stay calm. He peered out of the window at the blonde that got out of an unknown car. Another carer? How long would this one last? Chester sighed angrily and kicked another hole in the wall. This place was falling apart. Soon he'd have nothing left.

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#3
Old 07-14-2014, 07:52 AM

Delvin pulled his bags, two large black things, out of the back of the car as the agent went to the door of the house. He knocked and Chester, no doubt, answered, and as Delvin took his time, he tried and failed to overhear the conversation they were having. He wasn't sure if it was angry or not from this distance, but it gave him a moment, a chance, to look around the front yard. A tall fence surrounded the yard, just like the rest, offering privacy. The yard was unkept and sparse. He blinked and picked up his bags, heaving them along with him up the two steps and setting them down. Chester was standing, which was interesting to him, since he had expected a wheelchair. No doubt it was inside.

"Hello Chester, I'm Delvin." He brushed back his hair and smiled, but didn't offer a hand since Chester looked to need them both as he stood. "I'm aware you've had your fair share of carers; no doubt that's a thing of the past." He nodded to the agent, who glanced at Chester.

"Well, I'll head off then. You both know my number in case there's something you need." He inclined his head and stepped back, leaving Delvin with Chester.

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#4
Old 07-14-2014, 07:57 AM

"'Something you need', riiight... More like if I decide to choke you..." Chester left the door open, and stomped back inside the house, flopping onto the old couch and glaring again at the broken TV. He missed the company of another in his house and he hoped his bad temper hadn't already made the carer want to leave. He cleared his throat and looked over to Delvin. "Um... Sorry... I... Um... Your room is the second door..."

He would have helped the man in with his bags, but he knew his bad leg wouldn't allow it. He had lost it in the accident, and had it replaced by a robotic replica. The technology wasn't quite perfected, so it still hurt to walk about. It wasn't as strong as his real leg either.

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#5
Old 07-14-2014, 08:08 AM

Delvin didn't bat an eye at Chester's bite. What he said before the agent left. He grabbed his bags effortlessly and slid into the small home, looking around the dismal place. There was most definitely something he could do here. Even if it was state housing, he could make it the best damn house on the block. Or do... something... He wasn't sure yet. He didn't know Chester enough. So he closed the door, looking at the man. Then he nodded. "Sure thing. I'll go get settled in. See you in a bit, yeah? Or, before lunchtime if you see it that way." He picked everything up one more time and went down the very short hall to the door presented there, looking in.

A medium sized room. Enough for a full sized bed and a chair, a small desk and a bookshelf beside it. He set the bags on the bed and unzipped them, taking clothing out and alternating between the closet and the dresser beneath the window, which was covered with faded, dark, blue curtains.

Then he pulled his documents out. It was what Chester needed from day to day. The artificial leg needed to be replaced monthly, what remained of the leg needed to be massaged and checked for injuries that didn't get felt. He needed help controlling his temper. He needed help with walking most days, since he couldn't at all without a good amount of stretching and conditioning beforehand. It wasn't impossible. And Delvin could fill the rest of the days working around the house. Filling in those hideous holes. Painting, maybe. He had money, after all, he was one of the city's best.

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#6
Old 07-14-2014, 08:13 AM

Chester sighed and waited for his carer to come back out of his room, hoping it was good enough for him. He hadn't seen the room much. It was about the same size as his own room, but without the holes and bloodstains. Thinking of the bloodstained sheets, he grimaced and looked down at his leg. He could see where the fake leg connected with the stump of his real one. Dried blood was still seen on his thigh. He'd have to ask for help with it. He probably stabbed himself with a lose wire or screw.

He stood up awkwardly and hobbled to his carer's room, knocking on the half open door before looking in. "Could you help with something?" he asked, glancing at the clothes.

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#7
Old 07-14-2014, 08:21 AM

Chester also had a habit of hurting himself. Not out of need or desire or self-harm habit, but out of anger. Delvin nodded his way through the papers he'd read a few times before, memorizing them an making sure he knew everything. As much as a piece of cold paper would tell him, anyway. He glanced up when a knock came, and smiled a little. "Huh? Oh, sure! Sure... Hold on..." He flung the file onto the bed, where it fluttered and went still, and stood, stretching his joints and nodding. "What do you need?"

Last edited by Tachigami; 07-14-2014 at 08:25 AM..

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#8
Old 07-14-2014, 08:29 AM

"I think... My leg got caught on something... I was bleeding this morning. Um... Boris moved out yesterday, so I had no one to talk to about it... I mean..." He was growing annoyed at his awkwardness. He gritted his teeth and growled. "Fuck, if I could just TALK properly...!" He pulled his hair as he tried to rearrange his thoughts.

"What I mean is, well... My leg was bleeding. It's not anymore, but you might want to check it out... And maybe help me clean my sheets. I tried before but..." He had gotten mad as he struggled to even find a clean sheet in the house. He didn't know where Boris had put all his clean laundry. The man was a foreigner, and he did weird things, like put his clothes in the stove to dry. "Look, can you help me or not?"

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#9
Old 07-14-2014, 08:35 AM

Delvin wasn't surprised at the sudden outburst. Dealing with patients that had bad reactions to medication, lashed out, acted off, screamed and raged at the slightest things, had prepared him for this. The sudden little outburst didn't even make him blink, and he smiled a little. "I can help you, calm down." He went to the door and pointed. "Go sit, I'll get a first aid kit and clean you up then take care of the sheets." He went around Chester and to a door nearby, a little storage closet. Pulling it open, he found what he was looking for, as well as white sheets folded up above his head. They had such a curious undertone to their scent, but he pushed that aside and pulled one down.

"I read about your anger problems." Delvin decided to say as he unfolded the sheet halfway and set it over a chair beside him. Not the best chair. It sagged. It was faded. It looked well worn.

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#10
Old 07-14-2014, 08:43 AM

Chester hated being told to calm down. It made him more aware of his raging. He couldn't control it, it was if a flaming red hot hand squeezed his brain until he exploded. But he bit his tongue sitting where he was told to and hating how much he felt like a child. He growled in his throat, trying to rid himself of the anger that was boiling in his stomach. When the man came back and made his comment, Chester lost it.

"My anger problems?! What else did they tell you? Talking about me behind my back! I don't even fucking know you, and yet you come in here all casual... Saying you know about me? You don't know me. You don't know what happened. You can't just tell me to calm down and sit me down in a chair. I'm not fucking 5." He stood, his fists balled up as if he was readying for a fight. "Fuck you, you piece of shit. I ask for help and you try to belittle me?" Suddenly, Chester didn't want Delvin to help him. He tried to leave the room, but his leg was stiff and enabled him to move. Instead, he kicked the chair so hard it broke and collapsed on the ground, pounding the carpet with his fists until they were numb. He then started to cry, covering his face in shame.

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#11
Old 07-14-2014, 08:50 AM

Delvin lowered his head and took the verbal battering, not taking any of it to heart. He'd heard it all and then some. Accepted it, brushed it off like water from a duck's back, and moved on. The people didn't often mean it, and some didn't even remember it later. He didn't try to restrain Chester---could handle himself if the half-crippled guy came at him---but let him take everything out until he was in a fit of sobs. Looking up, Delvin set the box he was holding on one half of the couch, then grasped Chester's arms, lifting him up. "It's my job to know what I'm getting into, Chester." Delvin said in the voice he was always told sounded like butter, which could probably calm a raging bull if he tried. "No one was talking behind your back, I haven't even met the other carers. But I want you to know right now that I'm not gonna leave you like they did. I can take it."

He steered the man away from the old char, which Delvin was sure he could replace, and sat him down on the couch. "Now, show me the injury so I can take care of it. And tell me about yourself. There's only so much a piece of paper can say and half probably isn't even true anyway." His brothers had always said they hated his saint-like demeanor. That no matter how red-faced and skyrocketed someone could get, pushing right into Delvin's personal space, he could put on a placid expression, lower his head, and nod along with every insult and disgusting threat hurled at him until the person was so worn out they couldn't even speak anymore. He thought he could be a monk, but liked the idea of medicine better.

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#12
Old 07-14-2014, 08:56 AM

Chester hadn't expected this reaction at all. The calmness from Delvin rubbed off onto him and he stopped crying. The irrational hatred and anger seemed to disappear for the time being. He stared into those blue eyes and felt relaxed... For the first time in a long while. His lips twitched, almost into a grin. "I..." he wanted to apologized, but somehow he knew he didn't have to. Delvin understood. And he didn't take any mean thing he ranted to heart.

He lifted his left pant leg, showing his fake leg and the blood. "There are clasps on the side to take it off... I am about due for a new one... The Government pays for it because of... Because I used to be a soldier..." He barely remembered his life before the accident, but that was the one part he could remember. "I was home for a break and... Well... Someone hit me while I was riding my Vespa..."

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#13
Old 07-14-2014, 09:03 AM

Delvin smiled gently, a move that was known to brighten his already light blue eyes, and reached down, unclasping the robotic appendage and slowly releasing it. A spark of electricity passed by the receiver and where Chester's leg ended, and then Delvin set it aside in favor of the kit, opening it up for some painless alcohol disinfectant. "You were a soldier?" Delvin didn't want to focus on what had caused him this injury. Not even on duty and he had lost a leg, lost his damn life. Delvin's eyes flashed with the anger he refused to show at the unfairness of the situation, and then it was gone. "I was a medic in the army." He mused. "The thing some of those guys could throw at you... I tell you, they could be half bled-out and still ready to rip your head off. I guess I learned the rest of my patience from that... Dealing with them." He laughed, running a sterilized cloth over the wound he saw, then using purified water to rinse the blood into a rag so it didn't make a mess. "I came back and couldn't leave it behind... Helping people, I mean."

He bandaged the wound gently and rubbed it flat, then nodded at his handiwork. "Perfect." He said with a nod, and grasped Chester's fake leg, replacing it where it had been. "I'll go change those sheets now, yeah? And maybe find some tools if you have any, fix that chair..." Maybe get a new one. It wasn't like he was hurting for money. He could toss half it out the window and still be set for a few dozen lifetimes.

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#14
Old 07-14-2014, 09:09 AM

Chester nodded, wondering if maybe they had met in the army. He doubted it. He was certain he hadn't been sent away to any wars. There were a few big skirmishes he had seen on the news, mostly between China and other countries. Mentions of the States declaring full out war if China continued to invade other countries. Maybe he was training up for that? He couldn't remember.

"I want to fix it..." He was determined to do something, even fixing the chair he had broken in his rage. He wasn't completely useless. "The tools are in the shed. I think Boris had some plaster in there too... We could fix the holes in the walls..." He thought it was pointless, knowing he'd just make more.

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#15
Old 07-14-2014, 11:31 PM

Unfolding the sheet, Delvin cast a glance at Chester. "Yeah? No problem, looks like a simple fix anyway. Might like to get something new... more sturdy sometime." Or even bring Chester out of this tiny, compact hellhole and to his own home. At one time he lived in an apartment, beautiful view of the ocean, but had opted for an airy beach house a few years back to get away from the constant neighbors. He didn't see it often, and he hadm ore than enough room for the guy. But didn't bring that up now. Instead he went to Chester's room, spying the bloodied sheets and wincing as if it physically hurt, pulling them off to replace them. The dirty ones he threw into a hamper nearby. He'd have to treat them to get the blood out.

"Okay, be right back." Delvin said, coming back out and spying the back door in the kitchen. He went through, into the half-dead garden and spied the shed. It was a relatively good size, something that could store quite a bit. Going in after wedging the door open, Delvin found what he'd been looking for---a gray toolbox on the floor, above some buckets of plaster. It seemed like a good idea to fill in those ugly holes while Chester attempted to fix the chair---hopefully not getting angry at it in the meantime---so he grabbed a smaller bucket and the bag beside it and hauled it all in. "Okay." Delvin said with a huff, setting it all in the center of the room. "We're gonna do some repairs. And maybe paint this place sometime, it shouldn't look so gloomy." He hated the stark grayish with the blotches of white all over. Maybe a beige, or a light tan would help warm the place up. At least if Chester didn't want to move.

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#16
Old 07-15-2014, 06:57 AM

Chester moved to where the broken chair was while he waited for Delvin to come back, thinking about some things he needed fixed up. A new TV would be nice, but he couldn't ask that of the man. He barely knew him... Barely knew his carer at all. The thought made his fists clench and he bit his lip. "Control yourself. Why are you getting so mad...? There is nothing to be mad about..."

He looked up when Delvin reentered the room, tilting his head at what was said. Repairs... Yes... It might cheer the place up a little. Maybe it would improve his moods. He liked the sound of painting the place. Last time he had tried, he had put several holes in the walls.

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#17
Old 07-15-2014, 07:09 AM

Delvin set the toolbox down by Chester and sought out the worst of the injuries in the walls. "If you want, we can switch if you prefer filling in the holes." He said, pulling the lid off the bucket and pulling some tools out, recalling how to fill in the holes. Just get it done, pack it in well, make sure it was clean and smooth it. Who would be bothering with much more than that, after all? It was a cheaply made house, probably well insulated but also easy to harm the way Chester did. It needed a good coat of paint, new curtains. If Delvin was going to live here for a while, there was no way in hell he would live in a place so sad and negative. No wonder Chester was so easily angered. Environment had a huge impact on mood after all.

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#18
Old 07-15-2014, 07:15 AM

"I can fix a fucking chair," Chester spat, grabbing the necessary tools and starting on fixing the chair. As he hammered a nail into place, he accidentally hit his thumb. "Fuck!" He kicked the chair away, sucking on the throbbing thumb. "Stupid fucking fucked thing! Why? Why can't I just do something simple? Why am I always so mad? I need a bullet, a fucking bullet. I shouldn't be cared for, Delvin. You should put a bullet in my fucking fucked brain."

He got up and stormed from the room, going to his bedroom and flopping down on the clean sheets on his bed. Soon he felt bad. He hated this. The anger, the regret, the shame... He just wished he could have some sort of mood stabilizer, but his condition made drug taking dangerous.

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#19
Old 07-15-2014, 07:22 AM

Delvin was quiet as he endured the onslaught. It wasn't aimed at him. It was aimed at everything. At Chester. It came from inside. It was disgusting that he'd become this faint shell of what he used to be and it wasn't even the war that had done it. It was just some screwup in a car that wasn't watching where they were going. He'd read the report. The accident hadn't been Chester's fault. When the man stomped---the best he could---out of the room and slammed the door, Delvin finished filling the first of several holes, smoothing it perfectly in place with the rest of the wall.

One of many smears of white on the off-gray wall.

When he finally capped the bucket, Delvin set it and the cloth bag of used tools aside, then sat cross-legged in front of the chair and began re-positioning it, ripping out the bent, rusted screws and digging in the toolbox for more. A new chair would be nice. But he was bound and determined to get Chester out of this hovel, so that wouldn't do much in the long run.

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#20
Old 07-19-2014, 01:23 AM

Chester stayed in his room. He didn't feel up to getting up and rejoining the man in his living room. Instead he laid on his back stared up at the ceiling, tossing things around in his mind. What was the point of keeping him alive? Why hadn't they just shot him after the accident? There was no point living this life. Even his own family had nothing to do with him anymore, after he had lost his temper and punched his five year old niece in the face.

He closed his eyes, trying to recall the happier days, but that was hidden behind a wall of red hot anger. Had he had friends? Where did they go? As he thought about this, the phone rung somewhere in the house. He didn't bother moving, hearing Delvin answer it.

The phone call, though Chester didn't know it, was from an old friend, a man by the name of Reese. He greeted Delvin, asking how Chester was. When Delvin offered to give the phone over to Chester, Reese said no.

"I... I was a good friend... But... It's been so long... I couldn't face him after no contact for so long... But I had no choice, I was ordered out to Africa and... Well, I only just heard about the accident. I heard he had changed... He probably couldn't remember me... Look, I have to go. Just tell him I called and I'll write to him. I will try calling again next week... If I'm not ordered out to front lines." Reese then said good bye and hung up.

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#21
Old 07-24-2014, 02:32 AM

He was mostly done with the chair's rebuild by the time the phone rang. He didn't get much in to say but could barely believe what he heard. Did this guy, Reese, even... care? It was like a call out of the blue and he didn't even want to say hi to an apparently longtime friend, someone he should have cared about. Just because someone was in an accident and otherwise normal and functional they couldn't remember friends they'd made at one time? Delvin remembered his friends and family even after a nearly devastating head injury had threatened his work overseas. He'd been in a frontline base that had been attacked and dealt heavy fire. He had been taking shelter in a hallway and was pinned by a set of metal lockers. But he was normal. Now.

Sighing and shaking his head, Delvin set the phone beside the toolbox and returned to his work. He wasn't sure when he might tell Chester that his friend had called. Perhaps when he came out of his room. If he just knew their relationship on some level, he could prepare for an inevitable explosion better than going into it blindly. Sitting back after checking the durability of the chair, he set everything back into the toolbox and latched it. What a distressing place. He stared around and agreed with himself, a small nod of acknowledgment. He'd have to get paint soon. It could be a nice thing to do. A bit of a bonding experience. Chester needed to trust him, believe he wouldn't leave like all the rest. Delvin set the phone on the arm of he chair, standing and stretching and taking the toolbox back outside to the shed.

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#22
Old 07-25-2014, 10:31 PM

After a little longer, Chester decided to rejoin Delvin in the lounge. There was no point lying around feeling sorry for himself. He might as well see if the man needed any help. He bit his lip, which was already scabbed from all the other times he had bitten it. Sometimes the sharp pain brought him out of his dark rage.

He hobbled into the living room, and nodded when he saw the chair had been fixed. He wished he could have done it, and felt anger raising in his chest. Didn't Delvin think he could do it? He balled his fists but said nothing when the man returned from outside. Chester sat heavily on the old sofa and glared at the broken TV.

 


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