I felt so alone. I wished Auryn was here.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
AURYN
“You have to keep the wound clean. This isn’t the kind of thing you want to neglect. Otherwise, we’ll see you back here for an infection. Do you understand?” The nurse continued to ramble on, giving me instructions on how to take care of the knife wound in my stomach.
Wanting to get the hell out of there already, I nodded along, willing to agree to anything. “Of course. I get it. I’ll keep it clean. No worries.”
She frowned like she thought I was full of shit. When she finally left the room, I flung the blankets off, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. I was out of this fucking place.
“Here.” Stray held out the bag of clean clothes he’d brought for me. “Do you need me to help dress your stubborn ass too?”
“Maybe. I guess we’ll find out together.” Swiping the bag from his hand, I stripped off the hospital gown before tugging on a pair of sweatpants. As long as I didn’t try to move too quickly, the stitches didn’t pull.
The knife wound really wasn’t all that bad. Thankfully, Ripley had been using a small paring knife rather than some giant butcher block tool. Despite how bad it had looked in themoment, the wound wasn’t all that deep. I was glad to be going home. After two days in the hospital, the withdrawal was killing me.
Not only that, I couldn’t stand the thought of not being able to speak to Ripley. Codie had sent word with Stray, letting me know that Ripley had been placed under a hold. I was relieved as hell that she hadn’t been arrested. Maybe she would get some help in there.
As far as we knew, she was supposed to be out within seventy-two hours. I couldn’t wait to see her. Being away from her tested me in every way. I didn’t even care that Stray had teased me when Ripley had been the first thing I’d talked about after the drugs the doctor had given me wore off.
I felt somewhat helpless when I needed Stray to put my shoes on and tie them up. Bending over was too painful. The doctors had tried to give me more pain meds for at home, but I’d refused, accepting only over-the-counter products. After what happened to Ripley, I wasn’t taking any chances. I already had an addictive nature.
“Never say that I don’t do anything for you.” Stray finished tying my shoes and straightened up. “Come on, let’s get the hell out of here.”
The drive home was uncomfortable but manageable. As long as I didn’t move too quickly, I wasn’t in much pain. Unfortunately, I would be on the sidelines for a while. I wouldn’t be able to handle Kings business like this. Being stuck on the couch or in bed working on missed class assignments was more painful than the actual injury.
The moment I walked through the front door, I went straight for my coke stash. Withdrawal had set in. Making me irritable and anxious. A little tired and somewhat paranoid. The hospital environment hadn’t helped.
While snorting that first line up my nose, I felt the first sense of relief I’d felt in days. I knew that I had to quit this shit. Not only for me but for Ripley. However, I wasn’t sure I could do it alone. Maybe it was time to consider professional help.
I got comfortable on the couch, planning to stay put for a while. Stray was cool enough to bring me some food that didn’t taste like ass. Hospital food did not taste like something that should be fed to sick people.
As soon as Codie walked in the door, I was all over her with questions. “Have you heard anything else? Did she call? When is she getting out?”
She placed her keys on the table inside the door, kicking off her shoes. “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better. I haven’t heard from her since yesterday. All I know is that she’s working on a plan to get off the pills.”
“Fuck,” I muttered.
I needed more information than that. When would my girl be out of that place? When could I see her again?
“If I hear anything, I’ll let you know. I’ll tell her that you’re home now. Maybe she’ll give you a call.” As she passed by the couch, Codie ruffled my hair. “I’ve got to say that seeing you in love is fucking adorable. I knew it would be.”
I snarled in response, having nothing to say to that. As she disappeared into the kitchen, I called, “Everything I do is fucking adorable.”
The next few days seemed to crawl by. I tried to busy myself with schoolwork, even though I mostly scrolled on my phone and binged Netflix. Codie and Stray were gone to class most of the week, leaving me home alone. Having a lot of time alone to think wasn’t good for me.
I knew where Ripley was being held. It killed me not to know if she was still there against her will or not. Codie had yetto hear from her. I wasn’t sure if visitors would be allowed. The need to go to her was stronger than me. I needed to see her.
My injury progressed well. Taking the nurse seriously, I’d gone over and above to keep it clean. I didn’t want anything forcing me back into the hospital.
Because there was somewhere else I needed to be. Somewhere else I should be.
I stared at the tray of blow on the coffee table, counting the lines I’d divvied up with my credit card. One by one, they were all leading me to the end of this shit. My supply was running low. Then I was done.
Going cold turkey after this long would be a challenge. I would need to get help.
Snatching up my phone, I did some searching, finding out how easy it would be to check myself into the facility where Ripley was located. Although it was possible, I would get in a lot faster if I had a doctor’s recommendation. Easy enough.
