#local anaesthesia

[weirdstrangeandawful]

Whumpee with chronic pain having a small breakdown whilst waiting for the local anaesthetic to wear off because they're stressed about how much it will hurt later.

[ipscindia]

Stem cell therapy for Osteoarthritis knee

Among the chronic Joint pains, hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent and is a leading cause of pain and disability in most countries worldwide.

The prevalence of arthritis increases with age and is associated with heavy occupational activities.

242 million people worldwide have symptomatic and activity-limiting arthritis of knee.

Knee Osteoarthritis affects sleep, mood, and quality of life. Pain- both chronic pain and episodic- can result in depression and other mood disturbances, functional disabilities, and work limitations.

OA significantly limits a person’s ability to self-manage other chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension.

Osteoarthritis knee also, increases the risk of developing heart disease by 50%.

Traditional nonsurgical Osteoarthritis therapies have limited utility and the the treatment effect on disease is very low. Most of the therapies are aimed at controlling the symptoms but have minimal or no effect on disease progression or repair. On the other hand, surgeries such as Total knee replacement and partial knee replacement is unwarranted until the disease progresses to moderate or end-stage.

Stem cell therapy by the Interventional Pain specialist has shown some promising results and has shown disease modification to prevent knee joint destruction. Stem cell therapy for knee arthritis has shown reduction of pain and stiffness, improvement in physical function, maintains cartilage quality with minimal side effects. Cost of the procedure and affordability is a matter of concern and may not be suitable for the masses.

What is the best treatment for early arthritis of knee?

Exercises to strengthen the muscles, regular walks to maintain the flexibility, weight reduction to off load the knee joint and exercises to improve the general physical fitness. These interventions not only will reduce the symptoms but also helps in slowing the process of degeneration.

What are the stages of Osteoarthritis knee?

Stage 1: Minor. Pain on increased physical activities is the main symptom. Modification of the lifestyle, usually controls the symptoms and may even disease progression.

Stage 2 is Mild Osteoarthritis and Stage 3 is moderate arthritis: Disease modifying interventions by Interventional Pain specialist, can only prevent further progression at these stages. The earlier we intervene, the better are the results. Stem cell therapy is best at these stages.

Stage 4: Severe. At this stage, either Knee joint replacement or in patients who are not willing for knee replacement surgery or not medically fit for surgery, pain reduction can be achieved with cooled RF ablation technology.

Is walking good for osteoarthritis?

Walking is a fantastic option for many patients with knee arthritis because it is a low-impact activity that does not put undue stress on the joints. Furthermore, walking can increase the knee's range of motion and keep it from becoming overly stiff.

What exercises should we not do with osteoarthritis knee?

You may need to avoid activities that put too much strain on the joints, such as running and sports that involve jumping, quick turns, or sudden stops.

What blood tests can detect early arthritis?

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition and can not be detected with blood tests. Some blood tests are required to rule out other types of arthritis.

Does stem cell therapy work on knee arthritis?

Stem cell therapy has shown some promising results and has shown disease modification to prevent knee joint destruction. Stem cell therapy for knee arthritis has shown reduction of pain and stiffness, improvement in physical function, maintains cartilage quality with minimal side effects.

Is stem cell treatment better than knee replacement surgery?

Stem cell is used in the early stages only to prevent the disease progression but if the osteoarthritis is already in advanced stages, knee replacement is a better option. When knee replacement is not possible, pain specialist may advise you for Cooled RFA of knee joints to reduce the pain.

How painful is the stem cell injection in the knee joints?

Not painful at all. The pain specialist do these procedures under local anaesthesia and under Ultrasound or Fluoroscopy Guidance.

How many stem cell injections are required for OA knee joint?

With the current advanced technology, only one single stem cell injection is required.

How long does it take for knee stem cells to work?

Some patients report feeling better in as little as a couple of days. Stem cells takes some time to act and repair the damaged cartilage and may have full effect in 4-6 weeks time. During this period, your pain specialist will prescribe some medications to control your pain.

Do I need to take rest after the stem cell procedure? Just one to two days of restricted physical activity is sufficient. From the 3rd day, you may start your routine activities. Avoid jogging, running, and strengthening exercises for at least 7-10 days. Avoid overloading (excess force on the affected joint), shearing (pivoting and twisting), or compression on the injected joint.

[radiocity]

THE L WORD | S1E2 I was just wondering if you had those, uh... you know, those– those… sweet little figs?

[phlebotomies]

when i think about trepanation the middle of my forehead tingles. i wonder how badly it hurts and whether the pain transcends into relief or pleasure

[whumpshaped]

I'm probably super late & no pressure to respond but I want to share a scar story! (Maybe it can inspire writers who want to read a firsthand experience about some OUCHITY OUCH pain.)

I have a tiny straight line of a scar along the nail of my big toe. But the interesting bit is just, the painful part tbh. It's wild but might be squick. So again, no need to respond or read it all. Bail if it gets too squick. Nothing life threatening or gorey, just big ouchers.

(CW: I had a Matrixectomy/partial nail removal. But he forgot the local anesthetic.)

I was like 14 yrs old and had a really infected spot on my toe where my nail had become ingrown that kept getting infected again if I stubbed my toe etc. so my mom took me to a medical clinic & they performed a Matrixectomy. But without a local anesthetic.

So it's one nurse, one doctor guy and my mom. He just gets right to it after all of the tools are brought out and was pushing teeny mini scissors/cutters into the infected skin area that was really tender and painful by just barely walking on it, cutting a straight line on my nail to the base of the nail to remove the problem area. With No injection for numbing. I was like a 90lb stickboy of a beanpole but my mom had to help the nurse hold my legs down bc it was so hard to stay still and not roll around in pain. I tried not to cry too much and didn't scream bloody murder because I didn't want to inconvenience the doctor or freak my mom out but that shit HURT. Then he applied the acid with a q-tip or something that scars the area so the nail in that section doesn't grow back. That also hurt.

Once it was over I sat up and nearly passed out so they had to make me lay back down, & brought me a wet towel for my forehead. Once I was good to get up we walk out the door to pay or whatever, idr, I just know I almost passed out in the hall on the way to the counter, and then one more time in the parking lot before I got in the car to go home. The gauze was so tight my toe was throbbing, I was literally just writhing in pain on my mom's bed for 1 or 2 hrs till I loosened the wrapping and the pain finally went down enough that I could sleep it off with an Ibuprofen.

A couple weeks later the nail still curled into my skin and got infected again. 🫠 I nearly cried when I saw the pus it was gross and I didn't want to go through the procedure again, I was an anxious wreck over it. We go to another clinic, get told the first guy did it wrong/incorrectly somehow, then get directed to a podiatrist to fix it for real this time.

That podiatrist was the nicest doctor in the world. When the nurse brought out the tray with the tools right before they were going to start my eyeballs took one look at the instruments and just WEPT without my say-so. It didn't even feel like crying. It just felt like water coming out of my eyeballs without my consent. They were so understanding about it. 😭 I felt like I was being a big fat wuss, or a crybaby. But I was scared. "Sorry. I'm good. It just really hurt last time." And they'd heard the story so they knew so I was gonna trust them to NOT do that they reassured both my mom and I they'd make sure it didn't hurt.

Then he injected the local anesthesia to numb my toe and get to work. All I felt was him vaguely pushing my toe around for a better angle and a little bit of pressure and then bam. It was over and done. 0 pain whatsoever. It was fuckin INCREDIBLE. 20/10 experience.

IDK why that first guy kept going when the patient was clearly in so much pain or distressed he had to be held down. I was like 14. >:( But it makes for a good story to tell.

& that's my traumatic scar horror story of the smallest scar I have. :D

THATS INSANE. SOME DOCTORS ARE SO DUMB AND SHOULD NOT BE PRACTISING. also yeah i know abt this procedure bc .. i obsessively watch videos w it.. dont even. dont even say anything. i know. i know.

im soooo sorry u went thru that shit thats so bad. but im glad it got fixed later.

[leviamares]

coping with the fact that I have to go get my wisdom teeth removed today by pretending I’m in cyberpunk 2077 and my dental surgeon is a ripperdoc giving me sick new implants

[phanthief]

worst thing is i cant drink alcohol before local anaesthesia like im just supposed to rawdog this?

[stirdrawsandreblaws]

got a shot so painful at my doc appt today that i almost passed out lmao

that's never happened before

[angelgendered]

not me thinking that i could only ever take 30mg of amitryptaline a day full stop no negotiation until i was just idly reading the med leaflet and you mean to tell me that i can take like 150mg of this shit??? a day?????????????

i know it's not prescribed for me at such high doses but jeez louise why doesnt my gp just increase those they work so well for my nerve pain????????????? and i've told them that they do?????

i know theres guidance and shit they have to follow but it makes me so angry that the tools and meds are THERE they just won't prescribe them due to 'addiction' or they cost the nhs too much to look into lmao

the one sole thing ive ever been addicted to was smoking, i've never had issues with anything else, i'm v fortunate that way, and i've been on cocodamol 30/500 for like twenty years literally at some dose or other, except for when i stop it to use stuff like buprenorphine, which is another thing they refuse to give me but anyway. my point is: i've never had issues with addiction taking codiene so what makes my drs think that i'm suddenly going to become an addict to other meds? i just don't fucking get that at all

[the-lunar-system]

You'd think that the least a traumatic medical procedure could do is not make the problem worse but nooooooo-

[weirdstrangeandawful]

TW: medical whump, sensory deprivation

Whumper constantly keeping a certain part of Whumpee's body under local anaesthetic.

(I know this isn't actually possible for any length of time because of blood flow issues but hey, I spy another whump opportunity)

[sataniccapitalist]

This testimony from Paul Ley, a doctor at the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, Gaza, is absolutely sickening: “I have worked in hospitals in Afghanistan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Cambodia... but I have never operated on so many injured children as I am now in the Gaza Strip. In the burns unit of the European Hospital we now have 78 patients, nearly two-fifths of them children under five. I have never seen anything like it. I have been in many war contexts where the type of wounds are the same but the number is huge. We never leave the hospital. We work round the clock. We do operations with minimal anaesthesia. If we run out, we can’t operate but there is no clear line. There are a lot of people crying, screaming with pain, but we don’t have enough analgesics. We keep them for the kids or very severe cases. Normally we would change dressings on patients with 40% burns with them under sedation and minimise the time by using more attendants... Now it has to be done with a lot of pain. We try to keep our heads cool and steady, but for local staff this is their families, friends, their people. They never want to amputate. They say: ‘I can’t do it any more’ and so I say: ‘OK I will do it, don’t worry,’ and you can feel the relief”.

[104grandprixwinnerlewishamilton]

Lying in bed because my arm-shoulder area hurts so bad that I can't even move

[freshxsturniolo]

WISDOM TEETH - chris sturniolo / triplets x reader

REQUEST - anon : Just saying that I would die for a Chris x reader wisdom teeth fic where reader gets her wisdom teeth out and the boys take care of her 🥹 or really any protective Chris taking care of reader.

"you good, babe?" chris asks, his hand coming to your thigh and his thumbs running small circles around your leg. you look down at his hand before putting your own under his, wrapping your fingers together and then placing your other hand on top before looking towards your boyfriend. nick is in the passenger seat singing along to both of yours favourite songs from the new billie eilish album, something you know he had done to calm your nerves as matt drives you to the dentist. you've been feeling sick for the last few days at the prospect of having your wisdom teeth finally removed, only braving booking yourself the appointment after nick had told you it was nothing to fear after his own, but you were still nervous on the lead up. it was currently 10am and you were officially 12 hours completely fasted, so your dry mouth wasn't helping. all you were dreaming of was your favourite iced coffee, which matt had promised to drive you too as soon as you were done.

you give your boyfriends hand a squeeze as he moves slightly closer to you, and you lean over to rest your head on his shoulder, not being able to find the words to speak. chris understands, of course, and plants a kiss on your head as you drive the rest of the way in silence, listening to the three triplets who chat and sing away.

when you finally pull up you let out a sigh before nick springs into action, his energetic energy easing you at once.

“okay, let’s go! this will be over and done in an hour” he says as he opens the door to get out of the car, you laugh at his words as you finally remove your head from chris' shoulder, but as you move to get out of the car his hand comes up to your cheek, turning your head back to look towards him. you smile as your eyes meet his, his hair still a little damp from the shower he took before you set off, and you lean forward to give him a soft kiss, which he accepts gratefully as he kisses you back. but as you pull away, your door is flung open and nick stands waiting for you to get out of the car. you let out a laugh as you remove yourself from chris, swinging your legs out of the car and stepping to the side. you expect to take the hands of your boyfriend, but theres no time before nick hooks his arm around yours and pulls you in the direction of the entrance.

"come on. i cant wait to see you high from the local anaesthesia" he chuckles, and you give his shoulder a playful shrug with you're own. you can hear matt and chris talking behind you as you enter the building, nick dragging you across to the front desk, greeted by a woman not much older than yourself. she smiles at you as she asks your name and when you give her your full name, she scrolls through her computer a second.

"ah, yes! its this way" she says, stepping from behind the desk and walking down the hallway behind her. "im not sure the dentist will allow all of your friends in, though" she says whilst looking back at you, and you give her a laugh.

"oh im not letting them see me whilst this happens" you joke, and nick lets out a joking shocked gasp at the side of you, his arm still wrapped with yours. the receptionist laughs at you both as she comes to a stop to a small waiting room and tells you all to sit and wait, and you'd be called when it was time.

matt starts wondering around the waiting room, looking at the posters and photos on the wall, whilst nick sits to your left and chris comes to your right.

"do you really not want any of us in there with you?" he asks.

"babe, you aint seeing me with my mouth forced open for the next half an hour whilst i lay there with no recollection of whats going on. its bad enough im about to be high as a kite" you say, and a laugh escapes his lips.

"let me come in whilst you get put under, at least." he says, grabbing your hand now, and you have to admit having him there whilst you get prodded with needles would be a huge comfort.

it takes no more than a few second for the dentist to emerge from the room to your right, calling your name with a smile on your face. you give him a small wave as you stand up, chris immediately standing with you.

"is he okay to come in. just for a bit, before we start?" you ask, and the dentist holds his hand out for you to shake as you reach him.

"of course! they all can, if you want. i'll just need them to leave when you undergo the procedure" he says, moving now to give chris' hand a shake.

"oh, thats more than fine. i dont want them seeing that" you say, stepping into the room. the dentist lets out a laugh as chris steps beside him and into the room with you, and you turn to see nick and matt looking at you with a hopeful glint in their eyes. you roll your eyes as you look at them, the dentist irrupting into laughter again as you raise your hand for them to come with you.

"they way you all are so desperate to see me in this state is unbelievable" you say, stepping deeper into the room so the two brothers can join you and your boyfriend.

"you saw me!" nick squeals.

"yeah, when you were home!" you say back.

"theres a video of me on the internet for the whole world to see, you'll be grateful is just us 3" he says, and you give him an eye roll again. matt chuckling behind him as he finally steps into the room.

"okay, pop yourself on here" your dentist says, tapping the large chair as he sits down at his computer. chris comes to your other side, hand on your shoulder in a comforting rub as chris and matt stand down near your feet. you give them all a small smile as the dentist starts to explain the procedure. you were only have two teeth removed so he predicted it would take around 20 minutes complete, but said to prepare for at least an hour to allow the anaesthesia to kick in and then wear off again enough for you to leave.

he puts on gloves now as he gets out the equipment needed to pop a cannula into your arm, which would give you the anaesthesia and then an IV drip afterwards to help bring you back to normality a little quicker, and as he wipes at your arm ready to stick in the needle you turn your head towards your boyfriend.

"talk to me, please" you say, eyes closed as you feel the tip of the needle on your skin.

"you're good, baby. so good. an hours time we can go and get you that coffee. maybe some ice cream." he says, his hand coming to your and grasping hold of it, running circles across your skin. you nod, before looking back at matt and chris who are staring at you already.

"can we go get ice cream, matt?" you ask, distracting yourself some more as you feel the needle go into your arm, chris notices' you flinch and gives your hand a squeeze.

"hell yeah we can. we can go anywhere you wanna" he smiles.

"ice cream and then bed, you're going to be so tired" nick says now, and the dentist lets out a chuckle at the side of you, you look towards him just as he's finishing up putting the cannula in your arm.

"he's right" he says, looking towards you. "the anaesthesia usually makes people very tired once it wears off." he confirms.

"bed and movies it is" chris says now, and the dentist looks up at him with a smile.

"boyfriend?" he says, and you watch as chris' smile doubles.

"yeah" he nods, looking back down at you with a doting smile which you reciprocate.

"you live together?" he asks, and chris nods.

"plenty of rest and painkillers over the next few days. dont let her do anything too crazy. soft foods. ice cream is good" he laughs, and chris gives him a nod. "coffee after this may send her a little crazy though" he says now, and you whip your head around to look at him as he pulls out the anaesthesia.

"you ready?" he says. "this wont hurt, but its gonna take about 10 minutes to kick in" he says, and you nod ask you turn your head away, not wanting to see the liquid flow into your arm. as you do so, chris brings his free hand to your face and rubs gently at your cheek.

"dont you dare record me when im out if it" you whisper, gaining a laugh from all 3 of the triplets.

"okay, i'll leave you too it for a sec. i'll leave this door open a while as you may start to feel a little warm. i'll come check on you in 5 minutes." he says, and you all say thank you in unison.

as the dentist leaves the room, chris perches himself on the edge of the large chair you're sat on. "how you feeling, baby?" he says, and you give him a smile.

"okay for now. he's lovely, isn't he" you say, nodding your head to the door in the direction the dentist just left. chris smiles.

"see, i told you nothing to be worried about." he says.

you're distracted by nick and matt who are laughing at something between themselves and you spend the next few minutes listening in as all three triplets start chatting amongst themselves. but then you feel it. it hits you almost like a ton of bricks and you let out a yawn before looking towards matt, who's furtherest away from you as you try and make out his features. when you hear all the triplets stop talking, you almost snap back into reality, but you can tell you don't feel your usual self.

"you good, kid?" matt says, and you see a smirk playing on his lips before a chuckle escapes nick. you snap your head to him immediately, before a laugh escapes your boyfriend too.

"fuck sake," you say. "this is why i didn't want you guys in here"

but your words are mumbled and the triplets can't help but laugh again, this time causing you to laugh with them. you let out a sigh as you rest your head back on the head rest, reaching out for chris' hand.

"im so tired" you whisper, and you slowly start to drift off just after you feel chris plant a kiss to the top of your head.

_____

you let out a groan, your throat feeling dry and your mouth feeling numb as you let your eyes adjust to the brightness of the light in the room. looking around, your eyes catch the dentist just at the same time as he spins around to look at you.

"ah, you're awake!" he says with a smile.

"what time is it?" you ask.

"10.45 exactly" he says with a smile as he looks down at his watch, "i told you it wouldn't take long at all." he says.

you bring your hands up to your eyes, rubbing at them vagariously before bringing your hand to your mouth.

"i can't feel my tongue" you say, and the dentist laughs.

"thats very normal. the feeling will come back within half an hour i should imagine"

you continue patting at your lip, unaware you're even doing it, when you open your eyes wide.

"chris" you say, and the dentist lets out another laugh.

"he's outside. do you want him?" he says, standing up and walking to the door.

"please" you mumble, all of a sudden feeling emotional. the procedure, the anxiety you had been feeling in the lead up to this morning, the anaesthesia working through your body, you had an overwhelming urge to cry.

"the other two as well? or just chris?" he asks. you don't even feel as the tear comes down to your face, but you feel the lump in your throat.

"just chris" you manage to choke out, and he nods in understanding.

the dentist leaves you alone for a short moment, shutting the door behind him. you're unaware that he's letting all three triplets know you've come over emotional, which he assures them is completely normal and will likely wear off after speaking to chris who you had asked for, and matt and nick wait patiently as chris opens back up the door.

"baby" he says, rushing straight over to your side. the tears are flowing now, but the minute you see his face you let out a laugh of happiness. you look towards the dentist as he laughs with you.

"you did so good, y/n" he says to you, and you nod your head as you look back to your boyfriend, who gives you a smile.

"don't cry, princess. its done. its over. you did so so well." he says, grabbing your face in his hands. you can't feel a thing, so you bring your hands up to rest against his, the warmth of his hands underneath yours bringing immediate comfort.

"please don't tell me you saw me with my mouth forced open like that" you say, and chris chuckles.

"no, babe. i didn't."

"thank fuck. you'd never come near me again" you say, the dentist sniggering behind you as he types away at his computer.

"i promise you, i absolutely would." chris says with a smile as he places a kiss on your forehead, moving his hands away from your face.

"don't flirt with me" you say now, snuffling away the last of your tears and using your hands to wipe away at the tears you couldn't even feel running down your face.

"you're my girlfriend. if i can't flirt with you who can i flirt with?" he says, reaching out his hand across you, when you look to the side you realise the dentist is passing him a tissue. as chris grabs hold of it, you try to grab it off him, but he pulls away and gives you a stern look before wiping at your cheeks.

"no one. absolutely no one" you say.

"well then, shut up princess" he smirks.

you sit in silence for the next few minutes before the dentist stands up again, looking at you both.

"how you feeling, y/n?" he says, and you smile.

"good!" to which he chuckles.

"give it 5 more minutes and im happy for you to leave. im sure chris here will take good care of you."

"you bet" chris chimes, and you give him a smile.

"you can tell matt and nick to come in" you say now, and the dentist nods as he goes to open the door, summoning them both in, but your eyes widen when you see matt pushing nick through with a wheelchair.

"am i hallucinating?" you say, looking around the room, a deep cackle coming from your dentist.

"you are not" he proceeds to say. "i imagine my lovely receptionist bought this to them for you."

"for me?!" you almost squeal.

"you carriage awaits" nick chimes, arms open wide as he gets out of the wheelchair.

"not a fucking chance. i've had my teeth removed i've not broken my hip" you say, scrunching up your nose. all 4 of the men in the room let out a deep laugh, chris holding your shoulder to steady himself. "im so serious" you continue, and you swing your legs off the chair you're sat in, moving forward to stand up.

"wooooahh" matt chimes, in front of you and holding your shoulders within a second before you feel warm hands on your waist from behind. matt and chris holding you in place so you can't move any further.

"i dont think so, kid" matt says, giving you a stern look as you look up at him, giving him your biggest dead eye, which only makes him laugh as you feel chris' hands pulling you backwards.

you roll your eyes as you sit yourself back down, and you realise how stupid of a move it was you just made, hands coming to your head as you feel a huge wave of nausea push over you.

"im gonna be sick" you say, feeling sensation in your mouth for the first time, and before you know it a paper sick bowl is shoved under your nose. you lean forward instantly, chris and matts hand coming behind your back both rubbing at it to ease you.

"this is very normal" you hear the dentist say as you keep your eyes closed, willing the feeling to pass. "dont let her do anything vigorous. straight to bed until at least this evening" he says, and you let out a sigh as you lean your head back.

"i told you" matt says, and you open one to look at him, genuine concern on his face.

"are you mad at me?" you ask now, that overwhelming feeling to cry hitting you again. what on earth do they put in these drugs?

matt only chuckles. "no, just chill" he says, and you look up at your boyfriend.

"are you mad at me?" you ask, extenuating the 'you', a warm smile spreading over his face.

"only if you dont let me take care of you" he says.

you groan again, closing your eyes.

"you're so cute." you whisper, and you hear a soft laugh escape him. you stay laid back for the next few minutes, allowing the nausea feeling to ware off as the IV drip finishes flowing into your system, when the dentist announces you can leave if you feel ready. you open your eyes and give him a nod before he passes matt an after care pack, explaining to them whats inside and how to help me over the next few days.

"you ready?" nick says from behind you, but it takes only a second for him to emerge with the wheelchair. you give him an eye as he gives you a cheeky grin, but you accept defeat you need it. you swing your legs off the side, the dentist removing the cannula in your arm, before matt and nick both reach out their hands for you to take. you grab hold of them, slowly standing yourself up, taking a deep breath as you do so.

"im good" you say to no one in particular, and matt and nick guide you over, helping you turn around to sit down. as you do so, your eyes catch chris', who you can tell is trying not to laugh. pointing your finger, he slaps his hands over his mouth.

"dont even start. boy" you say, the room irrupting into laughter once again.

you say your thank yous to the dentist, who gives your hand a shake and opens the door for you to leave, before nick spins you around and starts to push you out and down the hall way. once the receptionist from earlier sees you, she gives you a smile before coming out from her desk to follow you out the car so she can take the wheelchair once you're done.

when the fresh air hits you, you let out a sigh of relief, chris running off in front to get ready to help you into the car not to far away, but your eyes widen and your hands grip the arm rests as you start to feel nick run with him.

"nick!" you squeal, but a laugh escapes your lips before chris turns around to look at you both.

"nick!" he echoes you. "shes just nearly threw up in there."

"oh, fuck" nick says, coming to a dead stop.

"im okay" you say through your laughter, realising the giddy stage of the effects of the drugs you'd been pumped with kicking in. "im so okay" you say again, and nick laughs from behind you.

when you reach the car, door open, chris comes in front of you, arms out for you to hold onto.

"im good, chris, i promsise" you say, but he gives you an eye.

"let me look after you, babe."

"if you wish" you whisper, but inside you're grateful as you hold onto his hands, nick sliding the wheelchair from under you as you stand up.

"its my job" he says now, placing your hands on his shoulders as he placing his hands on your hips and guides you into the back seat. when you're in, and his hands are no longer on yours, you quickly grab at them.

"thank you" you whisper, and he leans forward to place a kiss to your forehead, no words needed. he hated when you thanked him for anything, his motto was that he would always take care of you no matter what. his hands slip from yours as he shuts the door at the same time as matt gets into the driver seat in front of you, immediately turning on the ignition and then turning around to you, holding out his phone.

"your song choices the whole ride home" he smiles, chris opening the door and climbing in at the side of you.

"we did that on the way here" you say, remembering the entire sing song from nick. matt laughs.

"and we can do it again."

you smile as you take the phone from him, opening up his spotify.

"you still want that coffee?" he says now, and as you look up at him, chris leans forward.

"she was told no coffee"

you hold out your arm to push him back into his seat.

"actually," you start. "i was told coffee might make me crazy."

chris gives you an eye before looking back towards matt, which you do the same. "coffee, please."

matt chuckles as he spins back around, nick now jumping in at the side of him.

you lean back, scrolling back on matts phone to find one of your favourite songs, a cheer from nick as it starts to play and matt starts to drive off to your favourite coffee shop. placing the phone back in your lap, you take a look over at your boyfriend and a smile immediately comes to your face as you notice he's already looking at you.

"you okay?" you ask, and he chuckles.

"you're the most stubborn woman i've ever met" he says.

"and you love me for it"

he grabs your hand immediately. "damn right i do"

you smile as you lean back, rubbing small circles around chris' hand with your thumb and you stay in silence again as you drive your way to the coffee shop.

but before you know it, hands are on your shoulder, softly shaking you. you sit up in an instant, forgetting where you are and everything that just happened as you let your eyes adjust. the headache is immediate. the pain in your cheeks is almost unbearable. you let out a wince as you see chris at your door.

"we're home, baby" he whispers, and you look outside to see the inside of the triplets garage.

"my coffee" you say, but you close your eyes and hold your hands to your cheek immediately. "fuck. im in so much pain, chris."

"i know, y/n. i know. come on, lets get you inside."

chris grabs hold of your hand as you slide out of the car, his free hand coming around your back and holding your hip to guide you. when you step out far enough, his foot kicks the door shut, not wanting to let go of you.

"did i fall asleep?" you ask, eyes adjusting to your surroundings as you make your way to the door that would lead you into the house.

"yes, but we got your coffee." he chuckles.

"my saviours" you say, and he only chuckles deeper. making your way into the house and up the stairs, a smile illuminates your face as you see matt setting up blankets on the couch, nick scrolling through netflix as you notice your favourite show ready to be played. chris guides you over to the couch, helping you sit down before you swing your legs up, laying back on the pillows matt had already prepared. when chris' hand finally leave you, they immediately come to the blankets at your feet and he covers you up.

"thank you" you whisper, as he leans forward to plant another kiss on your forehand. you close your eyes, feeling comfortable and grateful for the most attentive boyfriend and friends, before matt appears, opening your eyes to see him holding two painkillers and your beloved coffee.

"here you go, kid" he says, passing them to you. you smile as you sit yourself up, taking the painkillers one at a time, a pleasurable hum leaving your lips as the coffee hits your system.

"thank you. so much." you say.

"anything for you" matt says, walking off into the direction of the kitchen.

nick presses play on your favourite show, and you get yourself comfortable again before chris appears again, a can of soda in his hand. he takes a sip before placing it on the table as you open up the blanket, summoning him to get underneath with you.

he chuckles as he slides in, and you shuffle up to give him more room as his hand comes behind your head, pulling you into his chest.

you stay like that for hours, sipping on your coffee, watching your favourite show, drifting in and out of sleep, all whilst the triplets wait on your every move.

AHHHH I HAD SO MUCH FUN WRITING THIS I HOPE ITS OKAY POOKIES!xxx

[animecat33]

I don't think i told anyone about this but a few years when i was getting my root canal, they left the little tv on cause this was gnna take while but they didn't change channels so they were playing Naruto Shippuden, and i had to make eye content with Orochimaru while whithstanding the most painful thing i've ever had to get done to my mouth

[woso-dreamzzz]

Injured VIII

Alexia Putellas x Child!Reader

Jenni Hermoso x Child!Reader

Summary: There's an emergency

"Alexia...Alexia...Alexia!"

Alexia comes back into consciousness slowly. It's still dark out and her alarm clock proclaims it to be nearly two in the morning.

Olga is standing over the bed and even in the dim light, Alexia can tell something is wrong. Olga is saying something but Alexia is still waking up and only tunes in at the very end.

"-Already called Jenni. She's going to meet us there."

Alexia sits up, rubbing her eyes. "Meet us there? Jenni? What's going on?"

She flicks on the bedside light. Olga is still in her pyjamas but she's wearing her coat over the top and a pair of shoes. She's got Jaume on her hip.

He's got old little red pinpricks all over his neck and arms.

"Is that chickenpox?"

"No," Olga says, babbling at rapid speed as she shoves the sheets off Alexia's body," I thought it was but I saw some article on my feed about how to make sure it's not anything else and-"

"Olga? What is going on?"

"I think it's meningitis," Olga finally says," And we need to take him to the hospital."

Alexia's up like a shot, hopping around on one foot as she grabs the first set of shoes she can find. "It can't be," She denies," We got him vaccinated. I remember it!"

"That's what I thought!" Olga says back," But the rash doesn't go away when I press a glass to it and you know how he's been lately!"

Alexia nods, pulling on a Barca issued jacket. She pauses as she moves. "Bambi," She murmurs before raising her voice," Shit, Bambi! She was running a bit hot after her ballet class. But I just assumed it was all the movement. My phone...Where's my phone? I need to-"

"I used it to call Jenni," Olga says as they both go running out the door," She's going to meet us there."

She and Olga get there well before you and Jenni do.

Jaume is taken to get a spinal tap but the doctor is confident that it's meningitis so puts him on antibiotics as soon as the procedure is done.

"I don't understand," Alexia says," My kids are vaccinated! Both of them! They're up to date. I took Bambi to all of her boosters! Jaume's scheduled for another one when he hits a year!"

"Sometimes vaccines aren't one hundred percent effective," The doctor says, clearly used to calming enrage parents," What matters is that you saw it and you got him in tonight. The spinal tap should confirm the diagnosis but we've already got him on an IV." The doctor turns to leave before stopping. "You've got another child?"

Alexia's head frantically nods. "Yes. A girl. She's four. She's being brought in now."

The doctor nods, scribbling something on his clipboard. "As soon as she's here, have someone page me. Older children find it harder to stay still for the spinal tap. I'll contact anaesthesia and get someone to bring a mask."

Alexia's head changes from nodding to shaking furiously. "No!" She says it a bit louder than she meant to that even Olga looks shocked.

"It'll be better," Olga tries to explain," If they put her to sleep-"

"No, I mean..." Alexia shakes her head, the words spilling out of her mouth naturally. "She's allergic! To Isoflurane! That's the gas anaesthesia, right? Right?"

She looks around wildly as the doctor's face turns grim.

"I'll get some local," The doctor says," I know we made you wait outside for Jaume but it would be best if you came in for your daughter, if we're only using local, to keep her calm."

It's a waiting game until Jenni arrives with you and Alexia finds herself doom scrolling. She's dived into whatever article she can find on meningitis in children and the more she reads, the worse she feels.

They're yet to be allowed into see Jaume as the staff work to get him a bit more comfortable but Alexia can see him through the window and he's completely passed out asleep.

"I didn't know y/n was allergic to anything," Olga says softly.

Alexia laughs. It's more a nervous chuckle than anything else. "I don't even think Jenni does. My father was allergic. It skipped me and Alba but I wanted to check for Bambi, just in case."

"It's a good thing you did," Olga says.

Alexia looks down at her phone. "Where are they? They should be here by now."

"They'll be here soon. It's going to be okay."

It takes another ten minutes for you and Jenni to arrive.

You look infinitely worse than Jaume. The rash is completely obvious, taking over your whole body and Jenni looks just as distressed.

It takes another ten for the doctor to return.

You don't understand what's going on. Your Ma-Jenni woke you up super early before the sun has come up. She didn't get you dressed or brush your hair how you like it.

She didn't explain much at all...or, anything really. She just put you in the car and didn't say anything.

You'd tried to ask but your throat felt all scratchy and your tummy hurt.

All you know now is that you're at the hospital with Ma-Jenni, Mami and Miss Olga. There's a strange man with cold fingers that takes your shirt from you and makes you curl up on your side.

"Ma-Jenni?" You ask, trembling," What's going on?"

"Ssh, Bambi," Ma-Jenni says. Her tone is harsh, harsher than you've ever heard her speak to you and your tummy ties itself in a knot at her words.

You can hear the strange man talking nonsense to the adults and your eyes go wide at the tray of tools that's wheeled in. They look pointy and sharp, like the tools from that silly doctor show that Tia Alba likes.

You suck in a harsh breath when you feel a pinch at your back. You yelp and instantly try to wiggle away.

"No!" You cry," No! Off! Stop it! I don't want to! I don't want to!"

You force yourself to uncurl. You don't want this strange man touching your back. He makes it hurt and you got want any more of his sharp tools in your skin.

There's a grip on your legs though, forcing them back into position. You turn your head to look at who's got you against your will.

It's Ma-Jenni.

Her grip is firm and hard as she forces your kicking legs still. One of her arms has clamped them together, forcing them to stop moving while her other hand is on your hip, forcing your down onto the table until you're immobile.

You want her hands off you. Ma-Jenni has big hands that are perfect to hold you but not like this, never like this. You don't want her touching you like this.

"Ma-Jenni," You sob," Stop it! Stop it, please! Please!"

She doesn't stop though, merely readjusts her grip and pushes you down further until you well and truly can't move your bottom half.

"Stop it!" You continue to say," Stop it, Mama! Mama, stop!"

Hands curve around your shoulders and these are familiar hands too.

Mami's hands are perfect to hold in yours. They're always warm and they always hold you so gently. But now they've got your arms pinned to your chest and are forcing your shoulders firmly into the examination bed.

"Mami," You cry," Please stop. Mami, please. I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Mami! Stop!"

Mami's lips ghost your hairline. "I'm sorry, Bambi," She says, her voice a whisper that you can barely hear over your panic," I'm so sorry. It's going to be okay. You just need to be still. I'm sorry."

You can't move and the strange man is doing things to your back. You can't feel any pain but you can feel pressure and you can feel when he sticks something beneath your skin where things aren't supposed to go.

The only thing you can do is move your eyes and they focus on Miss Olga, the only adult in the room that's not actively hurting you.

"Miss Olga," You sob," Make them stop."

Her eyes nervously dart to the door like she wants to run away but she doesn't. She steps closer to where the adults are holding you, crouching down until your heads are almost the same height.

"I'm so sorry," She says to you," It's going to be okay, I promise. They're just making sure you're healthy."

"Miss Olga, please," You reply. You try to kick out your legs but Ma-Jenni just grips them more tightly," I'm sorry. I can be good. I can be better!"

"Hey," She says softly when your eyes dart towards your Mami," You are being so good. There's no one being better. Do you know what's going on?"

"No."

"You're very sick," Miss Olga speaks gently to you and brushes away a portion of hair that's covering your eyes," And we need to know what's wrong. Do you remember a few months ago when we came here and they put a needle in my arm?"

You do remember that. It was on one of hospital visits that you went on to see baby Jaume in Miss Olga's belly. They took some of her blood that appointment.

"They takin' my blood?" You ask shakily.

"They're taking a little bit of fluid from your back," Miss Olga explains," And they're going to test that for the illness they think you have. Like how they took my blood to make sure I was healthy."

You sniffle.

Mami and Ma-Jenni's hands are like shackles around your limbs, wrapped around your flesh and unwilling to even give you an inch.

"I'm scared," You whisper.

"That's okay," Olga whispers back," It's always okay to be a little scared. But you're doing so well. You're being such a brave girl. I'm sure it won't be much longer now."

You can feel the thing in your back moving and you try to shift with it but Ma-Jenni's hand clamps down on your hip and anchors you to it so you can't move again, not even a little rock back and forth.

"Hey," Olga says, pulling your attention away from what's happening at your back," Your Mami told me that you've moved up in ballet. I'm sure it's so much fun."

"It is."

"That's great! Do you want to tell me about it?"

Actually, you find that you do what to tell Olga about your ballet. Your words come out stilted and stuttered but you force them out of your mouth.

Olga smiles at you. She's got a pretty smile, you think. Mami must really love girls with pretty smiles.

"That sounds so cool," Olga says to you," You must be so talented." She leans a bit closer to you and you don't even feel the man taking the pointy thing out of your back. "Hey, maybe when you're all better, you can show me some moves. Only if you'd like to."

You duck your head down as the hands slowly leave your body. "Yes, please."

You're rolled onto your back but you keep your head tilted to look at Olga.

You don't know much about her apart from the fact that she's marrying your Mami and they had baby Jaume together.

Mami and Ma-Jenni are still talking to the doctor so you can fully focus on Olga.

She and baby Jaume look alike, you think. They've got the same eyes and nose and face shape. You think that baby Jaume might get her pretty smile when he's older too.

Her hand is gently resting on the side of your bed and you very gently move your own until your fingers are touching.

She hasn't got big hands like how Mami and Ma-Jenni's are big but they're still bigger than yours. They're safe too. You know this because she's never once dropped baby Jaume, even when she once tripped over and fell on her butt. She didn't drop Jaume once.

She smiles her pretty smile and you smile too, not even noticing when the nurse hooks you up to an IV.

"Hey, Bambi," Mami says," Everything's going to be okay now. I'm so-"

You stubbornly don't look at her and she frowns.

"Bambi?" Ma-Jenni asks," How's your back?"

You don't even deign her with an answer. It's still early and you're very tired. You don't want to talk to them, not when they pinned you down like that.

"I'm sorry," The nurse says," But I'm going to have ask you all to leave. The legal guardians can sleep over but that's all."

You don't know what legal guardians means but you do know that Ma-Jenni isn't one. She lives in Mexico for most of the year so she can't be your guardian because you don't live there with her.

She looks like she's going to argue but she doesn't. She reaches to give you a kiss on the forehead but you flinch away and she stops before her lips can press against your skin.

"I love you, Bambi," She says," And I'll be back to see you as early as I can."

You don't answer her.

It's just Olga and Mami left.

"I'm going to go sit with Jaume," Olga says and you frown.

"Jaume's sick too? Did I get him sick?" Your bottom lip wobbles.

"No, of course not." Olga says firmly," You and Jaume just got sick at the same time. It's very sad but it does happen."

"Really?"

"Yes." She heads to the door. "I hope you feel much better later. Maybe, if you feel up to it, you can tell me about your trains? Your Mami says that you love them a lot."

You nod. "Yes."

Then, it's just you and Mami left.

The nurse has set up a little bed next to yours for Mami to sleep on.

Mami seems a little nervous with you, pulling at the sleeves of her pyjama shirt. She looks at you.

You look at her.

You only saw her a few days again, when you painted pottery together and you asked her if you were wanted.

Mami doesn't sit in her bed, she pulls up a chair next to yours. She tries to reach for your hand but you pull it away before she can touch you, cradling it against your chest as you stare.

"Bambi," She begins before shaking her head and stopping. She takes a few moments before opening her mouth again. "I'm very, very sorry."

Those weren't the words that you were expecting.

You still don't answer though. If you blink, you can still feel her phantom hands over your body and the iron grip she had on your limbs.

She scoots the chair closer.

"I love you so much and I'm so sorry that you're sick."

She looks like she wants to say more but you don't really want her to keep talking.

"Bambi, I...I have not been a very good Mami to you," Alexia has to force the words out of her throat even if you give no indication that you can hear her," And I'm very, very sorry."

You still don't say anything. You just lie on your back with your eyes wide open.

"I'm sorry for what happened at home and I'm sorry for what a few-"

"I'm tired, Mami," You say, your voice quiet and exhausted.

"Right," Alexia says, scolding herself inwardly at keeping you up. It's still the middle of the night. "You go to sleep, Bambi. I'll be right here if you need me."

The stress of everything tonight seems to knock you out quickly but Alexia doesn't move to her own bed. She doesn't move. She doesn't sleep. She just stays in that seat even as a nurse pops their head in to confirm that both you and Jaume have bacterial meningitis.

A week hospital visit and IV's full of antibiotics is what awaits you both, baring any complications.

Jenni returns as soon as visiting hours begin again, pulling Alba and Eli in tow.

Eli diverts briefly to check on Olga and Jaume while Jenni and Alba come straight to you. You're still asleep when they arrive, lying on your back with a cannula in your hand to administer your medication.

"You look exhausted," Alba says in greeting, handing off a cup of to-go coffee to her sister," Did you sleep at all?"

"No." Alexia continues to stare at you, focussed on the soft rise and fall of your chest as you sleep.

"I'm surprised you're still here," Alba continues and, for once, her tone isn't biting. She seems genuinely surprised. "Haven't you got training?"

"I called off for the week," Alexia replies," And next week. It's more than enough time for them both to recover."

"You're taking time off?" Alba looks even more surprised than before. "Like, actually?"

Alexia doesn't know why that's so confusing. "Of course. My kids are sick. They need to be looked after."

Alba's mouth opens and closes a few times before she settles on something to say," How is Jaume?"

"Good, better. The doctors said that it's good we caught it when we did. The longer the rash is there for, the worse he could have gotten. It came up last night. We caught here as quick as we could."

Alexia's glad for that. She has no idea what could have happened, how much worse Jaume could have gotten if they had left it a few hours, let alone a few days.

Jenni is strangely silent at her words, reaching out to gently brush some of your hair out of your face.

"How long of a hospital stay?" Alba asks.

"About a week for both of them. The doctors said that they're going to do a hearing test with Bambi in a few days and then four weeks after she's recovered."

"And Jaume?"

"The same," Alexia confirms," Olga is with him now."

"Mama's with her," Alba says," We picked her up on the way."

There's a rustle of sheets as you blink awake. A yawn takes over your whole face as you wake up.

Mami, Ma-Jenni and Tia Alba are all looking at you and you pull your blankets up until they're over your nose.

You don't like the fact that Mami and Ma-Jenni are in the same room together. You can still feel their weights on you, pinning you to the bed as you struggled to get free.

You don't want them here. Not within arms length of you, in case they take your top away again and pin you down.

"Tia," You croak out and Alba pushes past Ma-Jenni to take your hand.

"You're not looking too good there, Bambi," Tia Alba says," How are you feeling?"

"Is Jaume still sick too?"

"He's getting a lot better. Your Abuela and Olga are with him now."

"Is Abuela and Olga going to get sick too?"

"No, don't be silly. Adults don't get sick like that." Tia Alba's teasing you. She's putting on a silly voice and it shocks a little giggle out of you. "I'm sure once your Abuela is done with baby Jaume then she'll be right in to see you."

"And Olga too?"

Alexia goes rigid in her seat. "Olga doesn't have to come in if you don't want her to."

You don't even acknowledge she's talking to you.

"No one has to come in that you don't want to," Jenni promises you but you don't give any indication that you heard her either.

"Olga thinks that I'm talented," You say to Tia Alba," She asked me about my ballet and my trains. She wanted to know more. Did you bring any of my trains?"

The bag on Jenni's shoulder is passed off to Alba. She digs through it, pulling out a spare change of clothes as well as a few model trains that had been shoved in there this morning.

"I want to show Olga my trains," You say," When she's done with baby Jaume." You run your trains over the bed, making little chugging noises with your mouth.

"I think that's a great idea, Bambi," Alexia says but you don't answer.

You haven't acknowledged her or Jenni since you woke up and it's put her on edge. Even when you were scared a few days ago, you still acknowledged her.

But your focus is purely on Alba but even that is hit and miss.

Whenever Alba reaches out to play trains with you, you flinch away. You look up at her in shock each time before glancing back down at your arms as if you can't believe you flinched.

"How are you feeling, Bambi?" Eli asks as she comes in.

You shrug and raise your hand. "They put a thing in my hand."

"They put one in your brother's too," Eli says," It's to give you your medicine."

"Did they put the thing in Jaume's back too?"

Eli nods. "They did."

Your eyes are haunted as you stare at her. "Did they pin him down too?"

Whatever bubble that the room was in bursts and Eli notices the way Alexia and Jenni both exchange a wide eyed look, like two little children caught red handed.

Eli has to think over her words carefully. "You're both very sick," She settles on eventually," Do you know why they had to put something in your back?"

You parrot back the words Olga told you and Abuela nods.

"That's right," She says.

"Olga says I was very brave even though I was crying."

"I'm sure you were the bravest little girl in the world," Abuela kisses your forehead but her lips feel too much like Mami and Ma-Jenni's and suddenly you can feel their hands on you again.

You kick your legs out and move your arms to shake the phantom hands off and they're gone as quickly as they appeared.

"Alexia, Jenni," Abuela says," Can I talk to you out in the hall?"

As they all leave, you look through the windows of your room.

Olga is lingering outside, looking into your room every so often before looking away.

"Tia Alba," You say," Can I still show Olga my trains?"

"Should I bring her in here?"

"Yes, please."

Ma-Jenni and Mami stay outside with Abeula for a long time but you don't even notice.

You've never talked with Olga like this before, not really. There had been a few moments when she was pregnant with baby Jaume where you watched things together and you helped her cook but you had never been like this with her before.

You hand her one of your trains and smile when she plays with you, gently moving the trains around your bed together.

"Is Jaume going to be okay?" You ask her because she's Jaume's mami and she knows things like that.

"He's going to be just fine," She promises you," And so are you. Just a few more days."

"I'm going to miss ballet," You say," That's bad. Mami never misses her training so I shouldn't miss mine."

"Your Mami's missing training now," Olga says," And she's missing it until you get healthy again. That's what you should focus on. Getting healthy again so you can go back to ballet."

"Mami is missing training? Why?"

"Because she wants to make sure you're okay," Olga says," Because she loves you."

You don't believe her but Olga looks very serious so you think that she must think that's true.

"Olga," You say," I'm hungry. When's lunch?"

She laughs a little bit about your blatant change of subject. "A few hours still," She says," How about I go to the shop and get you a snack?"

Olga slips out into the hallway where Eli is still lecturing Jenni and Alexia about their treatment of you. Your sobs and begging still rung in Olga's ears, the way that you cried and cried and begged and begged.

"She's hungry," She says, interrupting the lecture," I'm going to get her a snack."

"I'll come with you," Jenni says," I need a coffee."

The trip to the little shop was awkward, made even more awkward when Olga selected a plain chocolate bar only to have it plucked from her hand and replaced with one with caramel.

"She thinks the plain ones are too hard," Jenni says, almost carelessly," She doesn't like how they feel on her teeth. She prefers caramel."

Olga stares down at the chocolate in her hand, noting down another new thing in the column dedicated to you in her mind. It's painfully bare with only a few things - trains, ballet, the allergy she found out yesterday and now your favourite kind of chocolate.

She had told Alexia she wasn't threatened by Jenni and that's still true but that doesn't mean that Olga isn't intimidated.

Jenni just looks a bit intimidating with her tattoos and her height and the stern look on her face when it comes to you.

"Thanks."

It's silent for a moment as they both wander through the winding hallways back up to the peds wing.

"No," Jenni says eventually, shaking her head like she had been fighting with herself," I'm sorry, Olga. But I have to know...How could you let this happen? With Bambi, I mean? Stuff like this doesn't happen overnight."

Olga wants to bolt, to run and escape this but she holds herself firm as she scrambles to find something to say, knowing exactly what Jenni is talking about. "I didn't notice," She settles on eventually," It is wrong to say but it is true."

Jenni can't seem to understand though. "But how? Bambi is...How could you just not notice?"

"I just didn't," Olga says," And that was wrong of me. It was wrong of Alexia. We've talked about it...a lot...We're trying to move forward, for y/n."

Jenni looks at her, long and hard and Olga suddenly understands what rival players feel when they see Jenni come onto the pitch.

"Don't let it happen again," Jenni says firmly before taking off again, leaving Olga to scramble to keep up.

You're exactly as they left you, sitting in the middle of your bed. You're making chugging noises with your mouth as you run a train over Eli's arm.

Alexia is back in her seat next to your bed but you've scooched away from her as far as you can get.

"Caramel!" You cheer when Olga presents your food," That's my favourite! Thank you!"

"You're welcome."

You munch happily on your food a little but before you stop to scratch at your rash.

Automatically, like she did a few days ago when she first noticed it, Jenni takes your hand to stop you scratching.

You violently flinch away, tearing your hand away from hers. You scrunch your eyes closed firmly as you suck in air.

You can feel the hands on your legs again, forcing you to go immobile as the strange man pokes and prods at your back.

"No!" You cry out, turning away and curling up under your blanket," Stop it! Stop it, Mama! No bad touches! No more bad touches!" You kick your legs out. "No! Stop it!"

"Out," You can hear your Abuela say.

Eli-"

"Out, Jenni! Alexia, you too! Olga-"

"I'll go and see Jaume. He should be up from his nap by now."

"No! No! No!" You continue to chant as the blanket is pealed back.

It's not Ma-Jenni though. It's Abuela with Tia Alba hovering over her shoulder.

You sniffle if you sit up again.

"What happened, huh, Bambi?" Abuela asks," What was that about?"

"Mama hurt me," You say," When the strange man touched my back. I asked her not to! I asked her to stop!"

"I know," Abuela says," I know, Bambi."

"I didn't know what was happening," You say," It was scary and Mama wouldn't tell me what was going on."

It was very scary. You didn't think Ma-Jenni would do that to you, would pin you down and not explain what was happening. Mami could be harsh sometimes and you know she can be rough on the pitch too. She even said she was sorry while doing it but Ma-Jenni didn't.

Ma-Jenni told you to shh and pinned you down and didn't say sorry. You can still feel her hands on you, constantly pinning your legs down and pushing you further into bed.

She didn't say sorry at all and that's what scares you.

"I'm sorry that scared you," Abuela says," I'm sure Jenni didn't mean to."

"She didn't say sorry," You say," And she hurt me."

"Bambi-"

"She did! I'm not lying!"

"No one says' you're lying," Tia Alba assures you," I think you're telling the truth but, Bambi, you needed to have that done, so you can get better."

Ma-Jenni comes back when it's dark. There's no lights coming through your windows and the moon is out so you know it's night time.

Mami is meant to be sleeping on the bed next to you but she's not there.

The door to your room opens though and Ma-Jenni steps in.

But she doesn't look like Ma-Jenni though. There's something different about her. Maybe it's her too sharp features or her too pointed teeth. Maybe it's the curve of her nails or the way she's looming over you.

You can't move and Monster-Jenni's sharp claws dig into your legs easily.

You shriek but she's pressing her whole weight down onto the hand that's got your legs while her other one pins you down by your chest. You can't move. You can't stop her no matter how much you plead and beg and sob.

She's still holding you with bad touches and the strange man appears again. He's got too sharp teeth too and a massive needle that looks even scarier than before.

"Mami!" You cry as you jolt awake, gripping your bedsheets and screaming.

Mami's up like a shot, looking around like she thinks someone's hiding in the shadows. You're scared that Monster-Jenni is there too.

"Mami!" You sob, reaching desperately for her, your mind recycling her apologies as she held you down.

This time though, you crawl into her arms and sob, burying your face in her shirt as you cry.

For a moment, Alexia is in shock at your willingness to touch her. Whatever you had dreamt about must have been bad because you've curled your body around hers and Alexia very carefully curls her arms around you.

"It's okay, Bambi," She whispers," It's okay. It wasn't real. None of it was real. I've got you. Mami's got you."

"Mami," You whimper," Mami, it hurts."

"What hurts?"

"Everything!"

"I'm so sorry, Bambi," Alexia says and she knows that you know what she means, just like how you know she knows what you mean by everything," It's all going to be okay. I promise, this is all going to be okay. No matter what happens."

"I'm scared, Mami."

"I know, Bambi. I'm going to help make it better."