Thanks so much for kind words! I supes appreciate it!
Chapter 5Sophie walks up the steps with me once in the dorm building til we reach my hallway. Finally reaching my room, the box of diapers sent by the disciplinary office to keep me stocked sends a wave of embarrassment as it dawns on me that not only has this been outside my door for the past few hours, but now Sophie will see it too!
I can't help but glance at her. She looks confused for a moment before it clicks. She glances back to me, her face red, then trying to hide a smirk.
"Oh! You really pissed her off."
"Yea... I think sho."
"So, tomorrow. I have a practice in the sports complex, in the indoor court. I want you to come there after your appointment, okay?"
I'd almost forgotten Dr. Blanchet had plans for me in the morning. My mouth already feels so full, I can't imagine what she'd possibly be able to install, and now I'll have to walk across campus right after?
"Uh shure."
She pauses for a moment, stealing glances at the box of diapers still leaning against my door.
"So, what do you like?"
"Like... like what?"
"You know, what do you like? Books, TV?"
"Oh uh, gamesh I guesh? Shome of the older RPGsh."
I can make out gears turning behind her expression, making a mental note.
"Whuabout you?"
"Huh?"
The question stuns her.
"Uh, Urbex!"
"Whash that?"
"Oh it's urban exploration. Abandoned buildings and stuff. Like, the history and architecture. I'll bring you sometime!"
"Oh thash cool!"
...
An awkward silence hangs for a while longers before Sophie finally breaks it.
"Well I'll let you get some rest, um... goodnight!"
She lightly sprints down the hallway towards the stairwell, completely passing the elevator.
I can't tell if I did well there. I think so? She likes abandoned buildings. Okay, that's something to work off of!
I turn to unlock my door, once again met with the massive box of diapers so graciously provided by Dr. Blanchet, whom I'll be seeing in the morning. Reaching down to lift the box, I find a small bag containing my clothes flattened beneath it, and that the box is ridiculously heavy. I struggle to drag it past my doorway, deciding to leave it in just behind the door. At least no one was around to watch me drag it in.
I throw the shirt and overalls into the washer, change out of my unfortunate underwear situation, and succumb to exhaustion.
The next morning, I decide to wear the same outfit forced onto me the previous day to prevent another unwanted change of of clothing. Maybe the appointment will go faster if I can skip the changing part.
I arrive right on time, and the same blonde girl with her headgear is back behind the counter. She looks a little confused to see me at first, then looks to her computer. Her eyes widen, and she presses a button at her desk just like yesterday. This seems to summon two women from behind the same doors, but I've never seen these people before. Guess the two from yesterday are off. Same as usual, they reach my sides and practically carry me to the other room. Thankfully, upon looking me over they decide to skip the changing room and bring me straight to the chair with its many straps. Dr. Blanchet is nowhere in sight, but this doesn't stop the two women from strapping my arms and chest to the chair, strangely neglecting to strap down my legs. Odd.
Once they've concluded strapping my hands, instead of leaving, one readies the same cups of odd tasting liquid from yesterday, and the other brings over what appear to be leg braces.
What?
While the shorter one sternly orders me to drink the multiple cups, the other aggressively hoists each of my legs above the chair, placing the leg braces beneath them. They're composed of sleek black plastic and stretchy fabric, various dials and clamps across their joints, with multiple locks around the ankle and thigh sections. I thought the punishment just involved orthodontics?
The second woman pays no mind to my confusion, skillfully strapping my legs into the apparatuses and adjusting the straps and dials to snug. They sit snug against my thighs, just below the shorts of my overalls, the black plastic clashing glaringly with the skin of my legs. After I finish the last cup, the first woman steps away to begin wheeling over what I assume is a tray with whatever orthodontics Dr. Blanchet has planned for me today. After the second woman is finished locking my legs into their new braces, she hooks a few clamps of the chair on either side to them before leaving with the first. Finished prepping me, they lower the chair, forcing me into a laying position, unable to see what sits on the tray behind me as they both leave.
Leg braces? Will Sophie like these? Are leg braces "nerdy"?
"Samson! I appreciate your punctuality."
Dr. Blanchet wheels over a chair to sit above me with an assistant not far behind her.
"Before we begin I wanted to apologize! I take complete responsibility for not prescribing the appropriate treatment during your first visit. I'll be sure to rectify that mistake today.
"
Her assistant quickly wrestles the cheek retractor into my mouth and begins cleaning around my bottom jaw's rear teeth.
"We won't bother with the tongue blocks. His tongue crib handles that for us" She says with a smirk.
She reaches over to one of the trays and lifts a facebow from it. Is she going to replace the current one? The first one was attached to the metal rings around my top teeth, so she'd have to get those off to remove it.
Instead she begins installing the second facebow to the tubes on my bottom jaw. Two of these things?!
Her assistant hands her some small clamps with pieces of wire attached, and Dr. Blanchet goes about using them to lock this second facebow into place. Even though this one sits below my top headgear, I can still make out the second bar, not quite jutting out as far as the top one. She then disengages the headstraps, replacing them with a set designed to hook to both facebows, this one a bright neon green and hot pink instead of navy, no doubt intended to stand out even more.
These straps seem to feel tighter then the previous ones. I can already tell my mouth will be sore after today's visit. She then takes a set of metal frames with sections covered in clear blue plastic, and begins fanangling it into my mouth, where it sits above my top arch, and below the bottom, attaching to my rear teeth around the headgear tubes. Even with the cheek retractor in, I can tell this appliances takes up a majority of the remaining space that had been left over in my mouth. As if I didn't have trouble talking before...
After a few minutes of Dr. Blanchet seemingly fiddling with each bracket, she motions for her assistant to wheel over a large machine that looks to be a lamp with a patterned sticker on it's lens. The assistant seems to stare intently as she potions the lamp right above my face.
"I decided light behavioral modification would run the risk of being ineffective with your case, so I've taken he liberty of adding a heavier dose to your chart. You know I don't tolerate repeat offenders."
With that she pulls a strap from the back of the headrest over my forehead, pulling it tight. The assistant place a familiar set of headphones over my ears, still staring at me as she flicks on the lamp. The machine produces a static hum, and begins flashing seemingly at random intervals. A voice in the headphones instructs me to keep my focus on the center dot of the pattern on the lamp. I begin to grow tired, my eyes having trouble staying open. I feel a set of hands press onto my stomach before the room swirls to black around me.
