Ash counted twenty pills, but not knowing how many Ker had started with, he wasn’t sure exactly how many Ker had swallowed.
“Hey,” Ash said gently, “how about we go to the hospital and get you fixed up?”
“No. Wanna st-stay floaty,” Ker whispered. “Why are you h-h-here?” He tried to pull away. “I’m a fuckup. I’m worthless. You c-c-can do better.”
“Because I love you, you sweet man,” Ash said, finally admitting what he had known for a while now. “Yeah, you may have fucked up, but you’re not a fuckup. And I’m gonna help you get better. Will you let me do that?”
“L-love you, too, but I’m w-worthless.” Ker shook his head and sobbed. “Dad h-hates me. How can you love me?” His words still slurred a bit, but he was definitely talking better than he had at first.
Ash stuffed the bag of pills into his coat pocket, then hauled Ker up and sat him on the side of the bed. He got shoes onto him as well as his coat and helped him get to the car. It was a challenge, as Ker was barely able to bear his own weight. It was like trying to wrangle a bag of limp noodles.
He drove to the nearest emergency room. Ash explained the situation to the nurse at the front desk, and Ker was admitted for observation. They suspected an opioid overdose, but based on the information that Ash had provided, they concluded his withdrawal might not be too severe as he’d only been taking the drugs for roughly twelve hours.
Ker had been lucid enough to tell the staff that Ash was the only visitor he wanted, so that was noted on his record. Once Ker was settled, Ash phoned Irene to give her an update.
“Thank you so much for finding him, Ash,” Irene said, her voice quivering, once Ash explained the situation.
“No problem, Irene. I’ll take care of him. We’ll get through this together.”
“I don’t know how to thank you,” she replied.
“No need. You see, I love him, so I’ll do everything I can to help him get better.”
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SIX
Ker
Ker had been moving in and out of consciousness for a while. He wasn’t quite sure where he was, but he knew he wasn’t home. He opened his eyes and looked around. The sheets were clean and white, and he was wearing a johnny. Huh. Must be a hospital.
Then he remembered Ash.Oh God! He found me! He must hate me. Not gonna want anything to do with me anymore. Drop the druggie while you can.
He slept a bit longer. The next time he opened his eyes, the light from the window looked different.Hmmm. How long have I been here?
Just then, the door opened and in walked Ash, smiling and carrying a vase with flowers.
“Hey, you’re awake. How are you feeling?”
“Pretty crappy.” Ker felt his face flush, and he lowered his eyes. “I, um, I’m sorry you found me like you did. But, um, thanks for getting me here. I’m in a hospital, right?”
“Yeah, you’re at Beth Israel Deaconess here in Plymouth,” Ash replied. “And don’t worry about how I found you. I’m justrelieved that I did.” He placed the vase on the side table and took Ker’s hand. “Now we just have to work on getting you better.”
“Whaddya mean?” Ker was confused. “I figured you were here to tell me to hit the road, break up with me, put me out like the trash I am.”
“Hey.” Ash was gentle but firm. “There’ll be none of that shit talk, okay? I don’t know what head games your dad inflicted on you, but you’re not bad, you’re not trash.” Ash’s smile was like a thousand-watt light bulb. “Remember what I told you yesterday? I love you. And I’m not going anywhere. We’re gonna do this together. Whatever it takes.”
“You said you love me? Huh, I thought I dreamed that. And you still want me?”
“Of course, I do, silly. In fact, you said you love me too,” Ash reminded him. “Hey, you screwed up, but I got to you in time. The doctor told me once they saw the pills I brought in, they gave you some naloxone to help reverse the effect of the drug, and they’re gonna keep an eye on you for the time being. If you start to show signs of withdrawal, they may decide to prescribe some Suboxone, which is less addictive. But at this point, they don’t think you’ll need it since your relapse was quite short.”
“Ah, that makes sense. I’ve had those before. Um, the last time I went through this. So what happens now?”
“Well, they want to keep you for a day or two, to make sure everything is outta your system, but then you’ll need to be transferred to a residential program somewhere so that you can get the help you need. Well, if you agree, that is,” Ash explained. “But I’ll be with you every step of the way. I promise.”
“Of course, I want to go into a program. I want to get better,” Ash said quietly. “Oh shit, where’s my phone?” His head swiveled frantically. “Can I borrow yours? I need to call my mom.”
“Relax, I already called her. She knows where you are and that I’m taking care of you.”
