Ode to Remedy

Act XIV

Markus looked to his phone at the number of ignored calls lingering on his screen. Many of his close friends were dialing him, demanding the reasoning for why he was at the hospital. He scrolled through the unlabeled contacts, a bit surprised to see a few from Primrose and Carmine. He then realized he never responded to them in Ocean's room that morning, and leaned his head back against the cool white wall behind him with a sigh.
They were asking if he was okay and expressed their anxiety over the spiked drink through many, many frantic paragraphs. Apparently word got out in the span of hours. Markus didn't care. Well, he did slightly. At least people were now aware that he wasn't the one who violated Ocean. Carmine threatened to call the ambulance if Markus continued to refuse to respond. There was no use for that, Markus scoffed, shooting a glance at the closed steel door he sat next to.
Leaden sadness began to weigh down his heart once again. He knew the chances of Val's survival were very low, but he squeezed his eyes shut and prayed regardless.

People sent quick, worried glances when they passed him in the hospital hallway. Markus didn't care about that either. He didn't blame them though. He probably smelled of alcohol and sweat, and looked a sleep-deprived mess. His hair was mangled and hung messily around his face, and his eyes were dark with exhaustion and red from the hours he spent breathlessly weeping.

Valentine had been here for twenty three hours now, and Markus was too frantic to even shower. The same pretty nurses passing by to check on other patients repetitively asked him if they could do anything for him. He supposed he had been sitting their with his head hanging for a lot longer than he was aware of, because even they, who was informed of the situation, began to get worried for him themselves.

Markus brought his hands to his face, rubbing his weary eyes for the hundredth time. As he sat there for hours, the adrenaline coursing in his system began to calm at last as the pain of alcohol from the night before seemed to crash over him like a storm surge wave. He stared mindlessly at the overly-polished floor for what felt like forever, until the door he sat beside finally opened.

He suddenly jolted upright, only to be met with a sharp ache in his head. He hissed under his breath in response.

The doctor standing in the doorway observed him closely with sharp eyes, then spoke after a pause

"Do you need something for your hangover?"

Markus watched her for a moment, as if his mind took a moment to process her words, then he blinked. "A-ah, no, the nurses already offered."

"Very well," The doctor murmured with a nod, before offering him a bittersweet smile.
She knew that he cared for nothing besides what lay beyond the door she stood before, and she finally cut the heavy suspense that hung in the air like a thick blanket of fog and gestured behind her. "You may visit him if you wish."

Markus jumped to his feet so fast he nearly fell over, glancing between the door and her. "Has his family come?"

The doctor's eyes flashed in a sense of worry. "They just left for the day. Did you not notice?"

Markus stared at her. "I suppose not..." He ran a hand through his hair, desperately longing for her to just step out of the way so he could see Valentine. He let out a cracked laugh and looked to the floor with wide eyes. "I'm so sorry."

"I completely understand your fret, Mr. Hathaway, you have nothing to apologize about." She reassured as she stepped into the hospital room, motioning Markus to follow.

The hospital room was as devoid of beauty as Markus was of hope. The walls were simply cream and there was hardly any decor aside from the limp curtain failing to shield the early-morning sun rays from shining through. Two stray plum blossom branches lay in a cross on the desk just beside the elevated bed, where Valentine lay. Markus's eyes widened as he falteringly approached his bedside. He slowly reached out a shaking hand, but didn't dare to touch Valentine's unresponsive body. Just having to see him in this state, it pained Markus a lot worse than the aching hangover gnawing at his body. He would do anything to swap places, just so Valentine didn't have to suffer further. Valentine's pale lips were faintly parted as his chest rose and fell with soft, unsteady breaths. His lightly-freckled cheeks and nose were lingeringly red due to his screams and cries of the other night. Markus couldn't tear his gaze from his face.

"I don't know if they've already done so," the doctor continued as she strode to the opposite side of Valentine's bed, lowering her gaze to the clipboard she held at her waist. "But his family wished to tell you how thankful they are for you."

Markus only looked to her disconcertedly.

"Their son would have died if it weren't for you, you know."

He straightened a bit, the grief that seemed to weigh down his chest so violently lifted faintly.

"He's not going to die?"

"As far as we know, you will not be losing him any time soon."

Markus's eyes shifted to the side once again and became glazed with a glassy layer of tears. As he blinked, they dripped from his eyelids and trickled down his cheeks. Relief surged through his body so quickly it caused him to become overwrought with emotion. He bit his lip tightly in attempt to hide any whimper that wanted to escape from his throat. The doctor's brows rose in empathy.

"You d-don't understand, Miss," His voice cracked as he spoke, "I was the reason he attempted in the first place."

She watched Markus with a heavy gaze before she turned to scribble something down and set down the clipboard. "Of course I've not been informed of the entire story, but according to the way you described the incident to our staff, it sounds like you did everything you possibly could to prevent Mr. Low from consuming anymore of his antidepressants."

She then offered him a smile. "He had already swallowed an unknown abundance in the earlier hours of the night during one of his delirious panic attacks, if he had consumed any more as soon as he took those, we would definitely not have as certain results as we do right now. Not only that, but you were the one who dialed nine-one-one directly afterwards."

Markus stared at Valentine and softly intertwined his cold fingers with his, his lower lip quivered violently with the urge to keep from crying further.

The doctor's soft brown eyes twinkled with sorrow as she watched Markus. "Had you not shown up," she spoke faintly, "Valentine Low would have died."

Markus didn't respond. He only ran his thumb up and down Valentine's unnaturally frigid skin.

The doctor facing him from across the room seemed to wanted to comfort him, and she offered him some valid points. And as much as Markus wanted to believe her, to believe that any of this wasn't his fault, he couldn't.
Why did he have to be so distant?
He wondered how Valentine would feel about him after all of this was resolved.
Would he still be weary about Markus betraying his trust, not once, but multiple times?
What about when Markus threw down the pills at Valentine's feet, would he ever forgive that?
Markus wouldn't blame him if he didn't, but he'd fulfill his promise and do everything in his power to earn Valentine's trust back, even if it costed him a lifetime. Markus lifted Valentine's limp hand and pressed his lips against his palm, longing for his skin to return to its usual warmth. He then cuffed both hands around Valentine's and slid down onto his knees. The doctor watched with clouded eyes, her heart sank just as Markus did. Markus closed his eyes and lowered his head and begun to pray. He laid with his tear-stained face buried into the comforter of the hospital's mattress for what felt like forever as the doctor began to work once again around him.
He wondered if Val would have to go to a rehab for psychotherapeutic treatment for his dependency-or better yet-overdose on his medication. In that case Markus would have to call his work and the school to excuse his absence for however long it takes for him to recover. Markus was okay to do that, as long as it did mean Valentine's recovery.

A jolt of sudden movement interrupted his thoughts and caused him to jump. The doctor, who was now behind him, quickly focused her attention to Valentine, rushing over to collect her papers. Markus stood and straightened, watching Val with wide, expectant eyes.