Python

10; the journey

I am getting really concerned about Graham now. We have decided to let him sleep for another two hours after he didn't respond to our attempts to wake him up. There are only five minutes left. I don't know what will happen after that, it wasn't in the book. "I'm going to try to wake him up again." I say, standing up from my position on the ground. The others follow, curious and a bit nervous, like me.

We have also wrapped a few blankets around him to protect him from the cold. It is very light now, the sun has finally raised itself up to a reasonable level, and the temperature is going up too, but it's still under ten degrees celcius. I kneel down next to Graham and look at his peaceful face. Will he die if he doesn't wake up in a few minutes?

Before I can do it, Terry J shakes his shoulder. "Wake up, Chap." He says. My heart is beating like mad. "Please, wake up Gray." Eric says with a vibrating voice. No reaction. "Is it... did he have some troubles with his health earlier?" Terry G asks carefully. "No, not at all." I answer, but Eric shakes his head. "I haven't told you this, because I thought it was Graham's business." He starts, making us fear for the worst. He sighs. "He smokes a lot, I mean, you've seen him, always with his pipe. And he also drinks too much. Not so long ago, he started getting hallucinations, got scared of people and shadows, and started seeing ants and other insects everywhere when he hadn't drunk in about 48 hours. I think, that this, combined with the polluted water, could be... well, not very good."

He realise I've been holding my breath and now I let it out. I look at Graham again. I mean, he wasn't always easy to communicate with, but I hadn't expected anything like this. However, I remember Graham telling me something about a certain illness that sounded much like this. Delirium Tremens , I think it was called. Yes, I have an excellent memory. He also mentioned a cure for it. If only I could remember that....

"He told me about a medicine for that. Maybe he'd seen it coming." I say through the silence. All the heads turn to me hopefully. I close my eyes. "You could use three things... " I bite my lip. "They were...." I gasp, having remembered the sentence he'd said.

"Pharmacotherapy is symptomatic and supportive. Typically the patient is kept sedated with benzodiazepines, such as diazepam (Valium), lorazepam (Ativan), chlordiazepoxide (Librium), or oxazepam (Serax) and in extreme cases low-levels of antipsychotics, such as haloperidol or even stronger benzodiazepines like temazepam (Restoril) or midazolam (Versed) until symptoms subside." In my head I underline the medicines.

 "Right." Eric says. No one of us has studied medicine (and I don't even come close, as I'm a farmer of origin), only Graham has. "So where do we find that... uh..thing?" 

I shrug. "I don't know." Suddenly I seem to hear a sound. I turn around and, not really to my surprise, I see three horses with people on them galopping towards us rapidly. I stand up and the others do too.

"Maybe just water will help him out." Terry J says. Well, we can only hope for it.

A/N: vote and comment if you like! And... Happy birthday to Terry Jones! (1 feb. 1942)