Spinning Out

Chapter 38

ELIJAH

She'll never forgive me, and she probably shouldn't. The plastic chair beneath my ass creaks as I readjust myself. I don't deserve to be comfortable though, so I'm not complaining, If I were doing the right thing, I would have called the police and let them sort this out however they saw fit. Instead, I sit beside Bryant in the hospital ER. The man on the information line at the clinic told us to take him here. He agreed that he might not survive quitting cold turkey.

"Bryant Collier," a man is scrubs calls out.

I help Bryant stand. He's shaking and sweating beneath my palm. I've never seen him look so bad. We aren't at our local hospital, we went to the hospital that was recommended to us by the clinic. Supposedly they see this a lot and have been helpful. Normally the clinic will refer a patient to them and they will be given medication to help detox safely. After that, they patient will return to the clinic and enter in-patient rehab. We didn't share with the clinic that Bryant won't be taking that route.

We are ushered into a shared area with a bed. Bryant climbs up, obviously thankful to be able to lay down. He hasn't stopped crying since we spoke with his parents. It's hard to look at him and know that right now I'm in charge of this length of his journey. I don't feel like an adult, I feel like a child—uneducated and inexperienced in the world around me.

"What brings you in?" the doctor ask as she enters the area, pulling the curtain along the old track around the bed. It's for the illusion of privacy only, as everyone can still hear what we are saying.

"I can't stop drinking," Bryant confesses.

I've been so nervous that we will be met with contempt or judgement. I pull in a breath, ready to defend my friend whether he deserves it or not.

"I'm sorry to hear that," she says.

The doctor makes her way over to him and rest a hand on his arm.

"How much are you drinking?" she asks. "And how often?"

"A lot," he answers.

She nods. This is clearly not her first time seeing someone in the state that he is in. She shines a light into this eyes and studies his skin.

"Do you want to quit?" she asks.

"Yes, mam," he answers.

"I'm going to have the nurse start an IV. DO you have a good support system?" she asks. Her gaze turns to me and I nod. "Is this your brother?"

"Close enough," he tells her.

"Ok," she says. "I'm going to give you something to help with the withdrawals. It's going to make you sleepy. Sleep through it. I will also write you a prescription for five more days. You are to taper off. The instructions will be on the medication, But the idea is to be completely off at the end. I think you will need a rehab after that. Just getting off the medication safely is not enough to help you quit."

"Thank you," he says.

"I'm going to do this because you are with him and can keep an eye on him. The medication is powerful, so please be careful and make sure he takes it as prescribed," she tells me.

I nod. I'm nervous for him, and I'm scared for me too. The plan is to get him started with this medication and drive him back home. We'll be leaving his car here in Palm Springs for now. His parents are ready and waiting for him. These next five days will feel like another crime.

I've looked at my phone so many times, hoping for the right words to say toe Jaina. There are none. She also hasn't reached out to me. I worry she's out in the take-over scene alone. She's a smart girl, it's only a matter of time before she puts all the pieces together herself, or she talks to the wrong person and gets hurt.

Bryant is sleeping beside me. He looks peaceful for the first time in a long time. His face is aged, his skin pale and dry. I hope this is the last time he ever feels this terrible and the last time I am ever in this position to choose between what's best in the eyes of law and fairness, and what's best as a human who cares for another human. I was told in the big scheme of things, making sure he survives this has to be the top priority. He will have the rest of his life to make amends.

I tuck my phone back into my pocket and scutch down in the chair. The IV will take a while and I'm feeling exhausted from the events of the last few days. Just as I'm closing my eyes, I hear Bryant turn his head towards me. His groggy eyes lift slowly open.

"Thank you, Elijah," he tells me.

"You're welcome."

"I'm so sorry," he says.

I believe him. I wish I could go back in time and stop all of this from happening, but it's too late. He's too far down this path to go back and fix anything. But looking at him in the hospital bed reminds me that back home, Jaina is most likely sitting beside Nathan, praying for him to wake up.