Keeping Faith

Chapter Twenty-One: Unlikely Ally

       The clock clicked by, each tick of the minute hand more annoying that the one before. The room swirled around him as colors danced from wall to wall...he was being to hallucinate. Not good. Not the time to lose the fight now...not when he had tried so hard to stay sane throughout this ordeal.

He shook his head, trying to rattle lose the warp his mind had placed on reality. He sucked in a breath of air as he squeezed his eyelids shut. It didn't help.

Now just another wave of nausea pledged him. God, please help me...

His body was begging for another dose, if nothing more than to simply to drown the symptoms.

He forced his mind to think. A hard thing to do at this point. Nothing made sense.

The absence of the drug forced signals to his brain in the same way that is equivalent to the signal the body sends when its starving. It responded in such a way that his body began to feel as though it is in a state of deprivation — that taking the drug is crucial for survival.

Addiction had set in and he couldn't control his need for it, even when faced with the extremely negative consequences he knew to be true. It seemed to flip a switch in his brain that caused such a lack of control, his very behavior was changing. Causing the need for the drug to become more important that anything or anyone else.

Tolerance had been building up to where now the small amounts they had been giving him were no longer enough, they increased it to a higher dosage to keep him at this disoriented high.

Yet his brain was still working well enough to know that he was in trouble. If he didn't get out soon he would reach Stage Four, the final stage of addiction.

He would need the drug, not to get high, but simply to prevent the tremors, nausea, anxiety and seizures that would soon begin to follow.

All symptoms of withdraw.

The only way out — intervention. Stop it before it got that far. But how? David pleaded in his heart:

Please, God. I need some help. Help me get out of this. Give me strength to fight it. I'm not strong enough to do this alone.

The door swung open. You here again...Ready to send me on another trip? David thought to himself as he tried to allow his eyes to focus on the figure in front of him.

It wasn't Darien or Frankie this time...unless Black Death had pulled a ringer on his eyesight again. This was a woman. Cora? No...that's — it can't be. Liz?

A chuckle filled the air, as the woman in front of him knelt beside him and brushed his hair back from his forehead, "Surprised to see me?"

His eyes searched her. She smiled, "It's okay, David. It really is me, it's Elizabeth Grant. Gino's girlfriend. You're not that far gone."

David shook his head, "What — why? How?" She smiled again, "You think your brother is the only one Gino taught the art of the chameleon to?"

David tried to force his eyes to adjust as he lost the battle in keeping his head steady, "I d-don't understand..." his confession left his lips in a whisper. She nodded, placing a cool cloth on his head, "I know. I'll explain — I disguised myself as Cora Beth to fool you." David struggled to get his question out, "You m-mean, you knew who I w-was?"

She nodded, "Yes. I've always known. But trust me, this was not my plan." She gestured to his seemly lifeless body, referencing to the condition the drugs had placed him in as she continued, "Trust me, Darien will get what is coming to him. I'll make sure of that. His days of torturing you are over."

Is she really offering to help me? David shook his head again, "A-are you saying you'll h-help me?" She smiled, "Yes, David... you don't trust me, do you?"

"Trust you? N-no! How c-can I trust someone that tried to kill me and my b-brother?" The last word took effort as his body began to tremble. He felt very cold.

Very cold indeed.

She huffed, "Smart man. Call me crazy...but I like you."

David knew there had to be more to this. Yet his body was not letting him form words.

She saw the pain and anger in his eyes and understood. She glanced around the room before she questioned him, "What drug did they give you?"

No answer.

She shook his arms and demanded again, "David, what did they give you?" This time her voice was stern. He managed a whisper, "Black d-death..."

She stood and repeated his answer, "Black Death..." Without saying another word, she turned and started towards the door.

As she disappeared, David's mind raced. Elizabeth Grant...Gino's girlfriend...she's helping me...it must be a trick...what could I have that she would want to bargain for...

He suppressed a shutter as one name came to mind:

Jonathan.