((Part of Lobotomize's backstory. Disclaimered for stuff that might be disturbing or triggering to some folks. Not graphic and no swearing, but.. yeah. Any of this is -not- IC knowledge that anyone would have.))


“You do realize, she will be... different...” The doctor stated plainly, looking over his glasses, palms down on the desk in front of him.

The tired-looking woman in front of him dabbed her eyes with a tissue and nodded, while the man beside her squeezed her free hand and looked down at his shoes. “We've read up on it, we understand. She's already gone, doctor,” she tapped her own head. “In here.”

The doctor nodded, a sympathetic look in his eyes. “We've tried everything we could, Mrs. Murphy. Since the incident, her seizures have become near-constant. Even the combined anticonvulsant and sedation medications we have her on aren't keeping her even any longer. She is on doses that would fell a much larger person and yet the change is negligible.” He sighed, fingers absently smoothing down his white beard. “This is truly the last option for her.”

A renewed bout of quiet sobs came from the woman, and her husbands eyes grew moist. He cleared is throat, voice raspy from disuse and emotion. “We don't want her hurting anyone else, Dr. Louw. She doesn't mean to. She... would want this, we're sure.”

Dr. Louw nodded again. “Her incapacitation has given you full control over her treatment. I can see that you haven't taken this decision lightly and are truly doing it in her best interest.” He paused. “If there was anything else that could be done, I assure you both, this wouldn't yet be a decision you had to make.”

“When?” The word hung in the air, murmured by the girl's mother.

A sigh from the doctor. “The day after tomorrow would be the soonest. We had notified the top names in psychosurgery to be on standby for this, but we will need to prepare. This is made complicated by the number of procedures needed for her rather... unique... case.” Release forms were pulled out, further explanations made. “She will likely lose speech for a time, if not forever. Her memory will be impaired and her behaviour more childlike. I recommend a permanent solution for residency for her, as she will be unable to take care of herself.” He leaned forward and looked over his glasses. “We normally don't perform all of these surgeries together. It's never been needed in my time with this hospital. As a result, some of the outcomes could be unpredictable.” He sat back again. “We will, of course, assist you in any of the arrangements that need to be made.”

Her parents signed each form, numb from the months and years of trial and error that brought them to this point. They each questioned this decision privately, but neither could bear to see their daughter like this. A happy, vibrant girl reduced to a near-vegetative state. She had always taken her illness in stride, brushed off the limitations and lived her life as full as possible. It just became too much and nobody could explain how or why. Epilepsy was supposed to get less severe with age, but hers got worse. And the flying objects during the episodes... So easy to write-off, once, but impossible now. No one that came near her since the incident was without bruises and scrapes from being hit by things being flung on invisible strings. Her room at the hospital was bare but for the essentials for this reason, among others.

She spent her good days in the sun room. Strapped to a chair facing a window to the garden so she wouldn't fall out, possibly registering where she was, possibly not. The nurses privately questioned her level of awareness, but none wanted to treat her like she didn't exist, even the ones that had been most harmed by her seizures. If she had a more difficult episode, they would clean her up and take her back to her room, otherwise they would just watch her until it was over and then leave her, slumped and staring out. Her parents came nearly every day, caring for her like she was a child again. Brushing her hair, her mother helping her wash, getting her dressed in fresh clothes. She was mostly unresponsive from the levels of sedation and other medication to control both the epilepsy and mood issues. The incident that everyone talked of in hushed tones had left a pall over the family.

Bad days were another matter entirely. Before most items were taken from her room, she'd be surrounded by a swirling cloud of objects as her body seized, no one able to get near her for it. Sharp corners hurt, though the objects were never hurled with the intent to harm, and no one could ever be sure that the velocity or path would change. All they could do was wait and ready more medications for after. Sometimes she would break through to lucidity, sobbing and rocking on the narrow bed, crying out for her sister, clawing at herself to make the pain stop.

Some of the more superstitious staff whispered possession, but they did it quietly. Crucifixes and other items of religious significance were frequently found tucked into her sheets or clothing, but to no effect. That stopped when she was caught trying to strangle herself with a rosary. Psychic phenomena, it was explained, mixed with medical science. Nothing more sinister than that, though some continued to believe.

_________________
don't run away... it's only me.

[Team] Lobotomies: Note to self, get scissors.
[Team] Cheeseman: Just don't run with them
[Team] Lobotomies: But that's the best part!
[Team] Cheeseman: But you'll put someone's eye ou- oh I see



@Pretty Hate

(( *leans forward, bounces a bit* Eeeee, looking forward to more of this! ))

_________________
"Do your best and let the rest work itself out."
Doctor Void - Dr. Wretched - Impact Tower - Jackie Bones - MerryGoRound - Bella Facade - Dark Anima - Choose - many others.

_________________
don't run away... it's only me.

[Team] Lobotomies: Note to self, get scissors.
[Team] Cheeseman: Just don't run with them
[Team] Lobotomies: But that's the best part!
[Team] Cheeseman: But you'll put someone's eye ou- oh I see



@Pretty Hate

( )

_________________

Global: @Sultry Siren

(( I had not realized that bit. Interesting! ))

_________________
"Do your best and let the rest work itself out."
Doctor Void - Dr. Wretched - Impact Tower - Jackie Bones - MerryGoRound - Bella Facade - Dark Anima - Choose - many others.

((Ooh, this will be good! *gets popcorn*))

_________________

((*Grabs some of Kai's popcorn* What? You're the only one who puts tons of butter on it the way I like it.

*Settles in for the festivities eagerly*))

Ashes to ashes.
DJ Pheonyx

_________________

DJ Pheonyx of The Cape Radio
Global Name: @Pheonyx

((Heh...actually I am a heathen and only use a little bit of spray fake butter to make the flavoring salt stick >.>))

_________________

((i use piles, you can share mine, pheo ;P))

_________________
don't run away... it's only me.

[Team] Lobotomies: Note to self, get scissors.
[Team] Cheeseman: Just don't run with them
[Team] Lobotomies: But that's the best part!
[Team] Cheeseman: But you'll put someone's eye ou- oh I see



@Pretty Hate

((I am a proud graduate of the Paula Deen School of Popcorn.))

((And I am enthralled with this story.))

_________________


Del "DJ Nexus" Sawyer
Champions Online: @gyronnygeek | The Secret World: DJ-Nexus (game) gyronnygeek (forums)
Gtalk/Email: gyronnygeek@gmail.com | YIM/AIM/Skype: gyronnygeek | Twitter/Facebook/Tumblr: gyronnygeek

((soggy popcorn creeps me out a little.....kinda like this story! </un-derail attempt>))

_________________

“Doctor, she knows that something is happening today...” The nurse trailed off. They could see the girl through the window to her room. She was sitting, hunched over and hugging her knees, long brown hair a curtain around her body. It was very early in the morning, her parents hadn't been in, and wouldn't be coming until after so as not to cause any distress before the surgery. She held a stuffed rabbit in her hands, threadbare and well-loved. No one knew where it came from, but it appeared at intervals and seemed to bring her comfort. She listlessly moved the ears back and forth while she sat. “Maybe we should put it off another day. She seems more... lucid.. somehow.”

Dr. Louw shook his head. “No, there is no sense. You know as well as I do that this girl is gone.”

The nurse nodded slowly and sighed, turning from the pathetic sight. “I'll go get the clippers.”

On the bed, the girl's head turned toward the door, stuffed rabbit vanishing from her hands. She hugged her knees closer and exhaled a shuddering breath. The nurse returned, opening the door carefully so as not to startle. Forcing a pleasant smile, she stepped slowly into the room. “Thea?” She offered, still smiling. “Do you know what's happening today?” It was hit or miss if she'd even respond to her name most days, but it was worth a shot.

Thea nodded, a single tear slipping down her cheek. Still heavily sedated, her head felt like it was full of down.

The nurse paused. She knew that no one had told the girl what was happening, but she somehow knew? Faltering slightly, she continued to walk toward the bed slowly, the clippers in her hands.

“I'm hungry.” Understandable, she hadn't been allowed to eat. She brushed the hair from her face with exaggerated care due to the level of medication. Thea spotted the clippers and frowned. “Do I have to?” The nurse could only nod, feeling sorry for the girl.

Girl. Woman? She came across so fragile that it was hard to think of her as anything but a girl, though once this would have been unimaginable. Though barely an adult, she had held herself with poise and self respect, seeming more mature than her years. She was loving and kind to both people and animals, a smile and a positive word for everyone, even when she was dealing with her own issues. Slowly the medications and seizures wore away at her, the accident with her sister being the final straw. The nurse shook her head of these thoughts and offered a gentle smile, hoping the girl didn't know what she was thinking. It was so hard to tell, sometimes, and she didn't want to hurt her further.

While the nurse was in her reverie, Thea had gently taken the clippers from her hand and was cradling them in her lap, just looking at them. “I'll do it... Can I do it?” She looked up, sadness in her eyes, knowing full well that everything was going to change. The nurse nodded and looked away. Might as well give her autonomy while she is still capable. With shaking hands, Thea plugged the clippers into the socket behind the bed and took a deep breath before turning them on.

_________________
don't run away... it's only me.

[Team] Lobotomies: Note to self, get scissors.
[Team] Cheeseman: Just don't run with them
[Team] Lobotomies: But that's the best part!
[Team] Cheeseman: But you'll put someone's eye ou- oh I see



@Pretty Hate

_________________
don't run away... it's only me.

[Team] Lobotomies: Note to self, get scissors.
[Team] Cheeseman: Just don't run with them
[Team] Lobotomies: But that's the best part!
[Team] Cheeseman: But you'll put someone's eye ou- oh I see



@Pretty Hate

(( Poor thing. ))

_________________
"Do your best and let the rest work itself out."
Doctor Void - Dr. Wretched - Impact Tower - Jackie Bones - MerryGoRound - Bella Facade - Dark Anima - Choose - many others.

“Doctor, does she really need to be strapped down like that, even still?” Thea's mother was looking through the window at her sleeping daughter, so small on the bed. Blood leaked through the bandages wrapped around her head, the redness stark against the white fabric. “I thought you said she would be heavily sedated after.”

Dr. Louw nodded, “She is, yes, but until she wakes up, we won't know the full effects that the surgeries had.” He looked tired and smelled of antiseptic and sweat. It had been an ordeal for all the staff. Even after she went under, instruments were moving themselves, interfering with the flow and setting everyone on edge.

Mrs. Murphy just nodded, leaning against her husband for support. He said nothing, just stared through the window at his daughter, his mouth a hard line.

_________________
don't run away... it's only me.

[Team] Lobotomies: Note to self, get scissors.
[Team] Cheeseman: Just don't run with them
[Team] Lobotomies: But that's the best part!
[Team] Cheeseman: But you'll put someone's eye ou- oh I see



@Pretty Hate