Shit, was his first thought, must've OD'd again. Sunny awoke to find himself in a hospital bed with an IV in his armThe sound of shoes clacking on linoleum was his inkling that someone—a nurse, maybe, was approaching him. Shit, I'm busted for sure. I can't afford this hospital stay, and god knows how I've miraculously dodged prison time for all the drugs I've both dealt and consumed.
"Good morning, Mr. Swanson," said the nurse, face obscured by the darkness and mispronouncing his last name. Sunny glanced at his watch.
"Yeah, it is a good morning there, lady," he started. "It's 2 in the morning! How the hell did you guys save me? That bus stop didn't have anyone for miles, and it's not like anyone would miss me." Sunny was surprised with how sincerely he had stated that last part. It was unlike him to not try using people for his benefit. Already, he was wondering how he could play the situation to his advantage and buy just a little more time before the hospital could charge him an amount he couldn't pay or the law could catch up with him.
"We still have a responsibility to people's lives, Mr. Swanson," said the nurse, again mispronouncing his name as she turned on the light, revealing a youthful, pretty face—one whose eyes seemed to smile back at him out of genuine enthusiasm.
"I assume you found the bus pass and the heroin on my person?" Sunny asked, sensing it would be counterproductive to try denying it. Better you feign submission to the enemy while planning your escape.
"Yes, Mr. Swanson, and I'm afraid we're going to have to keep you here. What's likely going to happen is that we're going to have to keep you here before the police can pick you up, just to get you through the withdrawals."
"By the way, I know it's not important, but my last name is spelled Swanson and pronounced Swenson, but you can call me Sunny, instead of Mr. Everyone does."
"Okay. Mr. Swanson," she pronounced it correctly this time, "I hate to shock you like this, but we're going to get you back to sleep. In less than the past 24 hours, your body has had to deal with Opioid overdose, and is going to experience withdrawal, but the one thing we can prevent it from dealing with is lack of sleep. In other words: you need a rest. You've put your body through hell."
Even as the nurse said this, Sunny felt himself jonesing for the smack he'd left in his coat pocket. Sunny realized she hadn't answered his question about how they'd found him. Who would call the ambulance to a bus stop in the middle of nowhere? He didn't have the energy to pursue the question anymore than he had energy to rise from his bed. The nurse was walking back through the door when Sunny stopped her.
"Wait," he said, "I introduced myself. What's your name?"
"Olivia."
Olivia? Now that name sounded damnably familiar. Something was not right here. Something was not wrong, either, that would be an understatement. Something was terribly wrong.
YOU ARE READING
Sundew
Horror*Placeholder teSunny Swanson has had a rough go in life. A drifter and a heroin addict, he waits one night for a bus to skip town. However, after surviving an accidental overdose while waiting for his ride, he wakes up in a hospital bed. Sunny plots...
