Oblivion

4

Kyle walked into Dans private room, an arm full of magazines and books for his friend to read, and found his bed empty. For a moment he wondered if he'd been moved to another room. He stuck his head out of the door and called to a nurse.

'Wheres he gone?'

The nurse initially seemed confused, before turning to a colleague and asking the same question. Kyle looked back into the room and saw the blood seeping out from under the bed. He screamed for help before diving over the bed. Dan lay there, pale, eyes closed and unmoving. Kyle ripped the sheets off the bed and wound it tightly around Dans arm.

'You fucking idiot.' He cursed him. He picked his lifeless body up from the ground and cradled him. 'You stupid, fucking idiot.'

For an hour the doctors fought to stop the bleeding, unable to give him more blood than he was losing. Kyle watched in horror as the minutes passed and his heart rate on the monitor dropped dangerously low. There were frantic phone calls being made to his parents to get them there as soon as possible and questions about stopping all treatment to let him pass away. It had been a resounding no from everyone. He might not want to get better, but they were not going to let him slip away that easily.

He was placed back on the intensive care unit under constant observation. The wound on his arm had been stitched and more blood transfusions hung on his drip. All the progress that had been made the past week had been undone. Kyle, now dry but his clothes stained in Dans blood, continued his bedside vigil. He couldn't get the scene out of his head. He had been so cold. He thought he was dead. If Kyle had got there a moment later, he would've been dead.

What on earth had gone on that his best friend would want to take his own life? Kyle could not imagine anything so terrible that would make him so desperate. Did he not realise how much he was loved? Did he not think of the damage he was doing to those around him?

Maybe this was his fault? He should've tried harder to help him before. He knew Dan had been battling demons before he went missing, so why hadn't he pushed him to get help? He could've done more. He should've noticed Dan struggling months before. He'd seen his drinking getting gradually worse, but hadn't all of them been drinking as much? Surely it wasn't just the drinking alone? There had to be more to it. He should've found out. He should've followed him, he should've found out what was really going on. He was supposed to have been his best friend. He would never forgive himself for that. And now he'd tried to kill himself. There was no way Kyle would lose him again. He would move heaven and earth to get Dan better.