Relapse / Recovery

Hospital Holiday

There were those noises again. People walking through the halls and talking. People coming in to check on him. The clock on his bedside table read 10:23a.m.. He hadn't slept for very long, four and a half hours at most but he still felt energized. Proud too. It wasn't a long rest but it was the longest he had slept without medication in a while. And he slept pretty hard too. Guess all that thinking really tore into his energy.

"Good Morning." A nurse said she she entered into his room. It was a different lady from the night before, the other girls shift must have ended.
"How are you feeling?"

"Fine honestly. I don't know if that's weird or..."

"No. That's a good thing. No nausea, headache, blurriness?"

"A bit of a headache but that's it."

"It says on your sheet that they suspect that you might have a concussion from the fall."

"That would make sense."

"How about your appetite? Do you feel hungry?"

Marshall hadn't realized it until then but he actually was really hungry. He had had that snack the night before but he still felt like he hadn't eaten in a long while.

"Yeah I actually am."

He hates admitting that out loud. It always made him feel bad to be hungry. Back in the day he use to be able to eat whatever he wanted and didn't have to worry about gaining weight but now. Now look at him. Fucking 200 some pounds. It always felt like he was being stared at and judged when he ate now. He'd never had that problem before until about a year or so ago. He knew better than to think that a nurse of all people would judge him but still.

The nurse wrote some notes on her clipboard "I'll see about getting you something for breakfast. Any diet restrictions, allergies, preferences?"

"Something healthy."

"All we have is healthy so you won't have to worry about that. Were you able to sleep last night?"

"For a few hours."

"That's good to hear." She took a few more notes "alright all be back with some food for you."

Thank god he didn't have to get up and go somewhere to get food. He would have hated having to sit with a whole bunch of other people all in sad hospital gowns. He hated hospitals. So many memories at hospitals, good and bad.

The nurse came back about 20 minutes later with a tray of food. Toast, eggs, bacon, fruit, juice, water. The usual. He was surprised how good it looked considering that it was hospital food. She placed the tray on the small table that was across from his bed.

"Can- can i get up?" He asked as he watched her do this

"I'm going to help you so make sure youre stable and to make sure nothing comes undone."

She helped him out of the bed and moved the equipment closer to the table as he walked. His legs were shaky after lying down for so long but other than that he felt fine. Once he was seated he was left alone to eat in peace. He definitely appreciated the amount of spcae that he was getting. After he ate he was free to walk around the room as he pleased, he was no longer confined to the bed. The doctor and nurses did numerous tests to check how he was doing throughout the day and determined that it was a good idea to keep him there the rest of the day and discharge him the next. Some time around noon an addiction specialist came to see him. They sat down together and looked through a few pamphlets for rehabilitation centers. At first they looked at ones just in Michigan but Marshall wanted whatever one was best regardless of location. Plus they had to take into account that he was a celebrity which would be a huge factor in choosing a place that wasn't going to have him being bombarded by fans. The specialist then pulled out a pamphlet for the Promises Center in Malibu, they were notorious for helping high profile celebrities with their addictions. They had extra security that specialized in keeping fans and paparazzi away and had a system in order to keep things discreet. That way no one would ever know he was there unless he decided to tell them. It was a perfect choice for him. Plus it was in Malibu which would put him in some much needed sunshine.
The winters in Detroit were harsh and always seemed to bring his mood down; even the christmas lights didn't make him feel better.