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PRESENT TIME
One of the benefits about showing up at the hospital in the middle of the night with a kidney infection is that the first thing they do... is give you something to bring down your fever and subdue the agonizing pain you're in.
"Take this with a full cup of water." The nurse who walked into Zelena's room said.
"Is this Vicodin?" Zelena asked.
"Yes." She said.
"Five milligrams?" She asked, which made the nurse look at her in surprise, not knowing how she knew the exact dosage that she was given.
"Uh, yes."
We know what you're all thinking.
"I um... I got in a car accident like three years ago, and they gave me Vicodin because my leg was like severely messed up. Anyway, it just wasn't... it wasn't good for me. It really, really upsets my stomach." Zelena said.
"Oh, okay." The nurse said.
"Yeah. I think I'll just go with plain Tylenol." Zelena said while handing the cup back, but in the years that she's been to the hospital, she's learned a trick or two, when the nurse wasn't looking, she was able to sneak the Vicodin out of the cup and when she handed the cup back to the nurse, she didn't even look down to make sure the pill was still inside.
"Are you sure? Kidney infections are extremely painful." She said, and Zelena wanted to roll her eyes because she obviously knew that since she was dealing with one at the moment.
"I'm sure. Thank you." Zelena said. The nurse nodded her head and left the room, and as soon as she did. Zelena grabbed her water that was sitting at her bedside table, and she took the Vicodin with ease.
It's not a relapse if it's warranted. It's a hall pass.
Then her doctor came in. "According to the paperwork that your brother filled out, it appears that you have some pretty extreme substance abuse issues. So, I think you made the right call to stick with Tylenol." The doctor said, and Zelena sighed while nodding her head. Although the Vicodin had kicked in by the time the doctor got there and she felt a little bit woozy, she kept her composure.
"You know if I ever come back here with cancer. I hope to god you're not my doctor." Zelena said, and the doctor thought she was joking as he laughed and started to leave the room. "No, I'm completely serious."
Zelena felt at ease in the hospital. She didn't have to worry about anything. Benjamin stayed with her the entire time, and brought her food from outside of the hospital because he knew how much she didn't like hospital food, and also, Nate came to visit her.
And she didn't push him away.
Nate Jacobs lay in Zelena's hospital bed next to her, looking at her with concern coated in his eyes. He failed, a third time. He knew he should've just gone inside of Zelena's house anyway and checked on her, despite if she didn't want to see him because he felt he shouldn't have left her alone to suffer the way that she did.
