"Toby, why haven't you told anyone about this?"
The head doctor stood before the boy, his own expression a mix of concern and confusion after listening to the child's story. He looked down at the young patient, taking in his guilty form. The evidence of the abuse he'd endured was becoming evident the moment he himself took a glance at him.
It was clear this child was the victim of severe bullying, a tragic tale of suffering that no person should ever experience in their lifetime, regardless of what reasons they have to offer.
"I didn't know how to," the boy stuttered, his voice cracking with emotion from speaking out. "I was scared, Dr. Hansel." Toby expressed a tone of vulnerability, a normal sight for anyone being abused by someone else.
"It..." His voice then trailed off, unable to find the right words to accurately describe the pain he had endured. "They might be listening to us while we speak," he said, nervously glancing his eyes left and right, expecting his tormentors lurking in the shadows watching them from afar.
Shaking his head from this display, "They are not here," Hansel said firmly despite being in a clearly open and spacious room full of patients. "With people around us talking, no one would be able to clearly understand our conversation unless they came close," reasoning with the child, hoping to ease his fears.
"I promise you, you are safe here." Letting out an easy smile, he reached out a hand to gently touch the boy's shoulder. "Just give me their names, and I will confront them to stop whatever malicious intentions they have for you."
Immediately backing off, Toby took a couple of steps backwards in a horrifying look all plastered on his face. "You what?" Eyes widen in disbelief at the head doctor's words, "You're going to get them in trouble?" He asked with a hint of fear in the tone of his own voice.
"But...but I don't want that." The boy's voice was laced with anxiety, his lip quivering after speaking, thinking the worst would happen if they found out it was him who asked the head doctor of all places to confront those twins.
Hansel's expression softened at the sight of the child's distress, his heart aching further for the poor soul who had been subjected to such cruel treatment from the hands of those who were around the boy's age.
"You don't want it to stop?" Questioning the boy's intentions, the doctor's brow furrowed in confusion. "Then why are we having this conversation, Toby? Why tell me about this?" Trying to get an understanding of the child's mind, he stood fixated on Toby's conflicted expression before his eyes.
"Because I'm scared," he admitted fearfully, his stomach growling with anxiety from having to tell him the truth. "Seeing how you were kind to me, I couldn't bear the thought of keeping this secret any longer all by myself."
The boy's voice broke, tears welling up in his eyes as he spoke, "those bullies have done things to me, Dr. Hansel," trembling with each word, "things no person should ever go through." Single tear rolled down his cheek, a silent testament to the pain he'd endured from being constantly mocked by someone.
Doctor Hansel understood this feeling; bullying was something he himself experienced very long ago, when the world was just ordinary and mundane. However, his own experiences pale in comparison to the horrors that Toby had to face, realization that struck him like a thunderbolt.
"I see," he said softly, his voice filled with empathy. "You're afraid of them finding out it was you who told me, aren't you?" a reasonable assumption based on the boy's reaction to the idea of confronting his abusers, "because if they knew, they might hurt you even more," chilling prediction that made Hansel's blood run cold at the mere thought of what could happen to this innocent child.
Toby nodded ever so slowly, confirming the man's suspicion. "Don't tell anyone; I'll leave this place once they stop their bullying; I won't bother you or anyone else," desperation evident in every word he uttered, a plea for mercy and protection from the very people who were supposed to care for him.
"Just make them stop targeting me," the child begged, his voice cracking with emotion. "Please, Dr. Hansel," a last resort, a desperate attempt to salvage what little dignity he had left. "I'll do anything," a vow spoken from the depths of his despair.
"Are you planning to leave?" Horrified at hearing that, he continued, "You are not leaving! Where are your parents?" A thought that should have come up in his head after speaking with him was, "wait..." Hansel felt his heart sink in his chest, realizing something terrible after watching the boy avert his attention away from him.
"Are you alone here?" His question carried a worry about the truth—a possible reason why Toby was constantly fearful of his own life. Depressing realization hit the young doctor in a ton of falling pieces: "There's no one looking out for you, is there?"
Toby shook his head, tears now streaming freely down his face: "Nobody, head doctor," a painful admission of loneliness. "They're gone," a sad truth that he had to face every single day; "I'm nobody's child," statement that echoed in the room; "Nobody wants me," a heartbreaking confession that cut deep into Hansel's heart like a knife.
"I'm just... just a burden," whispered quietly between them, his shoulders slumping under the weight of his words. "That's why they did this to me," concluding another reason for his own torment, "because I'm worthless, nobody."
Baring his teeth angrily, Hansel wanted to yell encouragingly at the boy, but seeing people all around minding their own business in couples and not wanting to draw any attention for themselves, he decided to rush towards the child with a couple of quick steps forward before kneeling down, bringing his hands to grab the child's shoulders firmly in hope of delivering another hopeful message despite the bleak situation they are currently in: "Nobody? The fact you are here talking with me is proof of how wrong you are."
Fiddling his thumbs shyly, Toby looked down in fear of accepting this as the final solution to his never-ending problem. "really?" Doubtfully asked, wavering with uncertainty from the sentences he uttered, "you think I'm worth something?"
The bullies say otherwise; they remind him daily of his worthlessness towards the world around him. "Then why did they do this to me?" Continuing to ask more questions, seeking answers for the reasons behind the abuse he endured, he said, "If I'm not a burden, then why keep me like one?"
"As much as I want to tell you, I don't know why some children around your age or anyone in particular would do terrible things to other people," Hansel exclaimed, frustration evident in his tone, "but let me say this, Toby, your existence, your being, your soul, it's all precious, regardless of what others may try to convince you of," a heartfelt declaration, one meant to comfort and uplift.
"You matter, Toby, and that's a fact," he emphasized, his grip on the boy's shoulders tightening ever so slightly. "No matter how useless you are or the fact that you don't contribute to anything at all, I will tell you this." withdrawing his hands, he stood up with his eyes close.
Slowly inhaling deeply, Hansel exhaled heavily before turning back to face Toby. "People are different like you and me; some do things we consider immoral because they have psychological issues, some do it because they are taught to be cruel, while others simply enjoy causing pain to others, none of those reasons change the fact that you are somebody," a firm conviction displayed on his face. "Your life has value, and that's something no bully can take away from you," he said, his voice steady and strong.
"Now, I'm going to talk to these bullies and make sure they understand they cannot treat you like this anymore," Hansel declared, a resolute look in his eyes. "Tell me their names; that's all I need to know," ready to confront the perpetrators.
"Always remember, no matter what happens, you are safe here with me under my protection," he reassured the boy, offering a small smile of encouragement. "We'll get through this together, okay?" I am waiting for the child to lift his head up to face him once again.
At first, Toby doesn't respond, not even flinching at the head doctor's words. His body stiffened up like a statue, completely unresponsive to the man's presence right in front of him. "Toby?" Hansel called out softly, concerned by the boy's sudden silence.
"Are you alright?" The child isn't sure what to say now. After hearing such optimistic words from someone he considered his only hope in this cruel world, a feeling of guilt washes over him, knowing this is a literal fact about where he is coming from.
"I..." Staring to bravely speak out what he wanted to say but couldn't find the proper words to make the decision, "their names..." Cautiously lifting his little head up, exhausted face iced over with tears, "It's Michael and Mikey," he finally managed to say, naming the twins responsible for his torment, "one is slightly older than me, around eleven years old in terms of appearance, and the other five," speaking accurately about their appearance.
"They're twins by the way," Toby added, "always together, always bullying me." A bitter taste lingers in his mouth at the mere mention of their names.
Nodding his head, Hansel was satisfied in hearing the bravery coming from this little boy: "You are strong, Toby," complimenting the child, "I'll talk to them, and I promise you, this will end," vowing conviction to stop this nightmare once and for all.
"While we are here, I'm going to have someone adopt you for the time to be their new additional family member while I investigate the twins whereabouts," telling him the plan to help, "this way, you will be safe, and I can deal with these bullies properly," detailing his approach to handling the situation.
Toby's face lit up with a glimmer of hope, a spark that had been extinguished long ago, reigniting within his chest. Yet the adoption part was something he didn't expect.
"Erm, why do you want me to be adopted?" While it feels nice to finally have someone by his side, it's still worrying to know he's now going to live with complete strangers he never met in his life.
"I can take care of myself without someone's help," he says, giving an excuse to avoid the idea of leaving his current place as he isn't too comfortable living with someone.
Yet Hansel insisted, "nonsense, the person who is going to adopt is a friend of mine, his good person through and through," reassuring the boy, "and trust me, they would love to have you as their additional family member."
Speaking of Toby with fondness, "stay here for me, will you? I'm going to bring them here and you'll see how they aren't so bad," and promising to let him meet the potential adoptive parents, "once you've met them, you'll understand why this is the best option for your current situation."
Seeing no other choice, Toby decided it was better than staying alone any longer. "Alright, doctor," a sigh escaped his smiling face. "Whatever you say," Trusting the man's word, he then watched Hansel walk away while he himself remained standing idly in the room, waiting patiently for the head doctor to return with the news of his new family.
For all the trouble he went through, the thought of feeling a sense of hope once in his life was miraculous enough to soothe his weary soul, and he knew that whatever happened next, he would face it with courage, thanks to the kindness of one special person in his life.
At least for now, he can rest easy knowing that his tormentors will be dealt with, and he'll also soon have a loving family to call his own.
Although the question lingers about what type of person he is being adopted by, it could be worse than his current situation, but he trusts the head doctor's judgment on this matter and hopes for the best.
This was just the beginning of a new chapter in his young life, one filled with uncertainty but also with the promise of healing that he longed for.
