**TRIGGER WARNING** Depictions of a psychiatric stay are made. Orion's suicide attempt is addressed. Reader discretion is advised.
This day goes on forever in my mind
Hold me together while I find steady footing
I guess I forgive you, it depends on the day
Lava puts out the fire anyway
In this hourglass lost in time
I've forgotten why I'm even sad
Confirmation call, lose it all
Annihilation of innocence coverall
From the song Annihilation of Innocence
Lyrics By: Orion Bauwens
I open my eyes and it's bright, making me wince. After a moment my vision becomes focused. The light above me is fluorescent, reminding me of the fixtures at school.
But this isn't school. I'm nearly positive without even looking around this is going to be a hospital. Sweeping my eyes around the room I realize it is, in fact, a hospital room.
It's when I go to press the call button for a nurse that I realize I'm strapped to the bed via my wrists.
"Oh fuck me..."
My voice sounds like I smoked two cartons of cigarettes consecutively and honestly it feels like it, too. Short of strep my throat has never been in so much pain. After some fenangling I manage to press the call button on the side of my bed.
"Hello, how can I help you?"
"Water?" I croak out.
"Oh! You're awake. Hold on. We'll be right there."
There's a flurry of activity in my room. Several nurses and a doctor barge in. They check my vitals, check machines, check flipping everything. They ask me plenty of questions, and half the time I nod or shake my head because it hurts too much to talk.
"There's one more healthcare professional to see you," the final nurse tells me once they're all done prodding me.
It's my psychiatrist. I try explaining to her it was an accident, that I didn't mean it. That I was just tired. She informs me that I would have to stay in the hospital for awhile, and we would discuss treatment options after that.
I insisted that I didn't need the stupid cuffs, and after some convincing she told the nurses to remove them. I have tubes in me (which is scary), so it's not like I'm going anywhere, anyway.
"Here's some water," the nurse told me, giving me a cup and removing my cuffs.
"Thanks. Why does my throat hurt so much?"
"They administered activated charcoal through your nose and you had to be intubated since you were unconscious."
"O-oh."
"You have a line of visitors for you. Are you up to seeing them?"
Oh God...what? "S-sure..."
"I'm going to have them sent in one at a time, okay?"
"That's fine."
After a few minutes my first visitor comes in. It's Amy. Fuck me.
She immediately throws herself into my lap. I flinch.
"Jesus, kid, watch my sac."
She doesn't pay attention though, because she's clinging to me and crying. I feel awful. I run my hand over her head a few times.
YOU ARE READING
The Orion Star
General FictionEveryone wants to be famous. Everyone knows it's not all it's cracked up to be. So it's confounding to Orion Bauwens why anyone would lust to be in his position. He loves what he does; singing and songwriting are his life. Yet he's starting to feel...
