37 days: Holding on 2 broken promises

The longest minute

POV
Julian

He woke up.

He woke up confused as hell though, he thought Evelyn was Millie and it was fucking sad to watch.

I knew X was hurting but I didn't know the extent of it.

The room is a disaster, alcohol is still covering the table and the pills have disintegrated from the liquid. X is covered in his own vomit and sweating profusely.

The white note still lies there as the corners have now become wet and transparent. What does it say?

I pick it up as Evelyn and Dr. Adams try to get X to talk more.

X, if something happens to me, just know I love you.

This must be from Millie.

Poor girl doesn't even know what's happening to the guy she loves right now but it's for her own good.

X keeps going in and out of consciousness and it's freakin me out.

I don't know why I do it but I slap him to snap him out of it.

He wakes up a little more but only for a short time until he falls back into it and gains another slap.

Dr. Adams lets us all know that his vitals are okay and to let him come around on his own but boy was he wrong about that.

We gathered in a circle discussing his condition when X started seizing.

Dr. Adams and Evelyn laid him on the hardwood floor as he convulsed and then went completely limp and lifeless.

Tank, slim and I stood there completely helpless and overwhelmed with anxiety.

"Another dose Evelyn," Dr. Adams instructs.

Evelyn gives X another dose and then my worst fucking fears come to life, Dr. Adams is giving X CPR to a completely lifeless body, the body of my best fucking friend.

I pull at the roots of my hair overtaken with fear. He's dead, right now my brother is dead in front of me.

It must only be a minute of CPR but it was the longest minute of my existence.

Oh my god! Oh my god! Is he okay? Did you get him back? Fuck! What the fuck!" I say with complete relief.

"Yes, he's back, he's back," Dr. Adams says.

My best friend lies there still looking lifeless but the color in his face has returned.

Dr. Adams tells us he could have brain damage from all of this and it's killing me just as much as watching him lay dead.

I feel like I'm in a living nightmare right now and don't know what to do to move forward, I am useless in my efforts to help him.

Evelyn is closely monitoring him and out of nowhere it sounds like he's trying to say something.

"Mmm," he manages to get out.

I run over to his side, "c'mon man, get yourself out of this. You're stronger than this, you got this." I beg to him.

"Just give him some time, Julian," Evelyn says.

I can't wait any longer, this is torture.

Dr. Adams comes back in after his phone call.

"I'm going to have a neurologist come by here to check him out," he says to us all.

It's just bad news after bad news.

Dr. Adams sees the stress in all of our faces after his words.

"It's only a precaution you guys, I do believe he'll be fine, if he were in the hospital, which he should be, all of this would be performed regardless," he explains.

We all nod our heads in agreement to his request for the neurologist but I'm internally freaking out.

Evelyn breaks the tension in the room requesting a wet rag to clean him off of the contents of his stomach he released on himself.

We rush to her requests and I hand her a wet rag, she glides the rag along his neck and he shivers.

"Okay, that's a good sign, his body is responding." She says and I can finally let go of the breath I've been holding.

"I-I'm s-s-s or-rrr-y, mmm-mmm-il" X manages to get out.

I'm holding back tears of happiness for myself and I'm holding back tears of sadness for him.

"Maybe we should get her here? He clearly needs her.." Evelyn says looking down at X.

"No," I say shaking my head.

"She can't see this Evelyn, her dad died of an overdose three months ago, she can't know about this," I explain.

She nods her head and looks back down at X.

Evelyn continues to clean him off and there's a knock at the door, I open it and assume it's the neurologist.

Dr. Adams greets him and pulls him off to the side discussing something with him.

"Okay, hi everyone, I'm Dr. Fischer, I'm a neurologist and I'm just going to take a look at your friend Xavier." He says as he kneels next to X.

I'm so nervous right now.

He lifts X's eyelids one by one shining light in them.

"Good, good," he says, thank god.

He grabs onto X's hand.

"Xavier, I'm Dr. Fischer, if you can hear me squeeze my hand," the doctor instructs.

Thank fuck! I see X's hand lightly squeeze the doctor's and I can actually jump for joy right now.

Dr. Fischer does a few more tests and X responds to them.

Finally, good news.

The doctor comes over to us. "Neurologically he's fine, he's going to need to take it easy for the next couple of days, the confusion may last throughout the day tomorrow, he's going to be tired so allow him plenty of rest, his body has just gone through a lot. I want you guys to  keep him well hydrated but I think he'll overcome this just fine." He explains to us.

We all agree to keep a close eye on him and Dr. Fischer leaves.

It's now been about an hour and X keeps trying to talk, since everything has physically improved with him, Dr. Adams leaves but requests Evelyn to keep an eye for another hour before leaving.

After that uneventful hour, Evelyn leaves. Slim, tank, and I pick up X and bring him to his bed to sleep it off.

I close the door behind me and clean up the mess of X's life and the living room for the next hour.