Downhill || 𝘥𝘯𝘧

V

It was only a matter of time before the train finally got him to the hospital. He grabbed his stuff and quickly made his way to the hospital on foot.

It was a big place; no doubt the nicest hospital George had ever been in. He walked to the receptionist and asked to see his parents, stating their names and proving his relation to them. She told him they were in rooms 212 and 213 and had just gotten out of surgery about an hour ago. She also said that he could leave his stuff in the lobby, and she would watch over it. She seemed to notice his distressed look and shaky movements.

A nurse led him to his parents' rooms and he spent the next few hours sitting at their bedside, talking to doctors, and... well, crying. He threw up in the bathroom after seeing his mother. Not that she looked disgusting or anything; she was wrapped from head to toe in clean white bandages and had one of her legs suspended in the air, wrapped tightly in a cast; but just the thought of what happened to her was enough to make him sick.

He loved his parents to death, and as he sat there at their bedside, listening to the heartbeat monitor beep rhythmically and watching as drip bags pumped liquid into their arms, he couldn't help but remember all the times he had been disrespectful to them, or when he hadn't appreciated everything they did for him. He regretted not visiting them more.

Not that he was a bad kid; he always did what his parents asked, and never talked back; but he still regretted not doing more.

Hours later, it was almost midnight. George bid his parents goodnight, though he wasn't entirely sure they could hear him, before calling an Uber to get to their house. The whole car ride there, he was silent. He didn't even look at his phone as he felt it buzz multiple times; probably Sapnap or Dream texting him, making sure he was alright. He didn't have the energy to respond to them right now.

Once he reached the house, he got inside using a house key on his keychain that his mom insisted he keep, even after he moved away. The moment he stepped inside, his ears were filled with whines and yelps of excitement and his hands were covered in licks as the golden retriever attacked him with love. She still recognized him.

"Aww, hey girl! You remember me?" He said as he kneeled down and scratched her behind her ears. It had been months; maybe even a year since he had seen her. He noticed the cat, too, sitting at the top of the stairs, watching. They both seemed hungry. George went to the closet and pulled out some bowls before filling them with food and serving them to the animals, along with some treats.

Once the animals were fed, the cat's litter box was clean, and the dog had been let out, George tended to his own hunger. He navigated his way to the kitchen and searched through the freezer before pulling out a bag of pizza rolls and popping a dozen in the microwave.

While the food was cooking, he began searching through the cabinets for something to go with it. He came across a cabinet above the sink filled with an assortment of alcohol.

After a moment of indecision, he took a bottle of bourbon.

George grabbed a glass from a separate cabinet and filled it with ice before pouring about half a cup of whiskey. He then added Coke, which he had found in the fridge, and stirred it up with a spoon before taking a long drink. It was strong; but he didn't care.

Then he found a shot glass and filled it with the alcohol before placing the glass to his lips and throwing his head back, swallowing it quickly. The thick substance felt like fire in his mouth and burned his throat as it went down, but he ignored the vile taste and took another one.

Almost instantly, he felt a warmth begin to spread throughout his chest as the liquid made its way into his body. He thought about taking yet another shot, but decided that might be a bad idea.