| General Fiction posted August 27, 2024 | Chapters: |
...29 30 -31- 32... 
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Another overdose puts Brian in the hospital again
A chapter in the book DUEL with the DEVIL
DUEL with the DEVIL - Chapter 31
by Jim Wile
| Background A brilliant young chemist creates a new painkilling drug with unknown benefits and pitfalls. |
Recap of Chapter 30: Brian begins taking Oxy again to control his pain. His plan is to take a controlled amount for the rest of the semester until he can have the spinal cord stimulator device implanted when school ends for the summer.
Unfortunately, he develops a tolerance for it and requires more to achieve the same effect.
He takes some right before chemistry lab, and it causes a mental lapse leading to a small explosion that burns Kimi. Dr. Rieke tells him to take Kimi to the medical center and then see him afterwards. Kimi has second-degree burns on her hand and ankle but will be okay.
Brian goes to see Dr. Rieke and recounts the events for the accident report. Dr. Rieke suspects there is something amiss with Brian and questions him about it. The chapter ends with Brian deciding what to tell him.
Chapter 31
“My best friend from childhood died three weeks ago. When I heard the news, I kind of fell apart. And on top of that, my mother called last night to tell me that she had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. She thinks they may have caught it early enough, but she’s not really sure. They’re planning to do radiation treatments and a course of chemo, she said.”
“I’m very sorry to hear that. I can certainly understand how both of those things, coming in swift succession like that, would cause major distractions. My condolences on the death of your friend, and my best wishes for your mother’s complete recovery. I have a little familiarity with breast cancer since my wife’s mother passed away from it a few years ago. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you, Brian.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that. I’m just really sorry about what happened today.”
“It was an accident. Try not to dwell on it. I’ll see you in lecture on Monday.”
“Okay. Thanks. See you then.”
I left and headed back to my dorm. Daniel wasn’t in the room. I was hungry, so I headed down to the cafeteria to dine by myself. I saw him and Kimi eating together but decided not to join them, for I thought Kimi could use a break from me.
I finished my meal quickly and returned to my room. The pain had begun again, and my mood of despondency meant that I could use another Oxy right about now. Since I used the last one this afternoon, I had none left. It was time for another visit to Scorch. I headed down the hall to his room and knocked on his door.
“It’s open,” came his usual reply.
I opened his door and saw him studying at his desk. He looked up and said, “Byron, my good man. Back so soon, huh? You’re burning through these things like shit through a goose. I assume that’s the reason for your visit.”
“So, what have you got for me today, Scorch? That last batch was pretty damn good.”
“I’m told this new batch is even better for the same price.”
“Gimme 10, then.”
“You got it, Bro.” He went into his safe, got out the 10, and we made our exchange. “Don’t take ‘em all at once.”
“Hey, I may be a junkie, but I’m not an idiot.”
“Some people would say they’re the same thing.”
Back in my room, Daniel wasn’t there. He would be with Kimi for a while, so I had the room to myself. As far as I could tell, he wasn’t aware of my drug-taking, and I wanted to keep it that way, so I worked on my pills when he wasn’t around. I split the whole batch of them into quarters.
Given the unfortunate events of the afternoon and the level of my pain right now, I decided to splurge this once and take two quarters. That would be it, though. I knew my tolerance for the drug was rising, and I would continue to need more for the same amount of pain relief, but it was making me careless. I would just have to suck it up and accept more pain until I could get that surgery this summer.
Not tonight, though. Starting tomorrow.
I put my earbuds in and got an Adele playlist going on my phone. I decided to study for a physics quiz the next day for a half-hour or so before the Oxy really kicked in and I would be on cloud nine.
I hadn’t gotten far when that wonderful feeling began, and I forgot about my pain. I forgot about the accident in the lab that caused Kimi’s burns. I forgot to call Julia. I forgot about everything and simply basked in that warm, mellow wave of pleasure that washed over me like a gentle ocean surf. I was so relaxed that I laid down on my bed and closed my eyes to the sound of Adele singing “Rolling in the Deep.”
“Brian,” I heard my name called from a long way off. It was a female voice, and it was calling to me plaintively. It sounded so sad. Every few seconds, I heard it again and felt a firm grasp on my hand. I stirred, and my eyes fluttered open for a moment but quickly closed again. I had briefly glimpsed an angel standing there against a bright backdrop. She was holding my hand and beckoning to me. Such a sweet voice and a gentle touch; I could have laid there in her grasp, listening to it forever.
“Brian, it’s time to wake up now,” the angel’s voice said.
My eyes fluttered open again and focused on the face of this angel, but I must have been dreaming because she looked exactly like Julia. As our eyes met, she smiled at me.
“Welcome back, my love.”
“Jules? What are you doing here?” I murmured. “Where am I?”
“You’re in the hospital. I don’t remember the name.”
“Am I in New York? How did I get here?”
“No, you’re here in Raleigh. I came down as soon as Daniel called me. I drove through the night to get here. Brian, you OD’d last night. Daniel found you in your room having a seizure. He called 911, and they brought you here. It was a very close call, and you nearly died.”
I sat up and rubbed my eyes, and right at that moment, Fran came in the door carrying a cup of coffee. She looked at me and said, “Welcome to the world of the living, Brian.”
“Fran. You’re here too.”
“I’ve been here all night. I just stepped out to get a cup of coffee. Daniel called me last night to tell me you’d been rushed to the hospital, so I came straight away. Brian, you scared the shit out of us. When you told me about your gym accident, I was worried this might happen.”
“I’m sorry, Fran. I—”
“No, don’t worry about that right now. We’ll talk about it later, when you’re more awake. I’m going to go get the nurse and tell her you’re awake now.”
When she left, I looked around. I was in a single room, and there was an IV in my arm. My eyes settled on Julia. “You drove through the night to be here?”
“Of course I did. You were in trouble, and I was very worried about you.”
She began welling up with tears. I reached for her and pulled her down next to me on the bed. I started to well up too. We clasped hands and put our heads alongside each other’s.
“I’m so sorry, Jules. I messed up bad.” My throat began to catch. “I wasn’t… strong enough to resist it…. I don’t know if I’ll ever be.”
“Ssshh,” she whispered softly as she began rubbing my back, and I really started to bawl then. I was quaking in her arms as she continued to rub my back and repeated, “Ssshh.”
I didn’t deserve her. I was overwhelmed by the depth of my self-centered weakness and my inability to fight it. I knew I was driving a wedge between us. How much of this would she be willing to take?
“You’re not… you’re not going to want… to stay with me,” I said through my sobbing. “I’m no good for you.”
“Don’t say that. I love you. I only want you to get better.”
“But I’ll… I’ll never get better…. I’m a total screwup.”
The doctor said, “Hello, Brian. I’m Dr. Eppig. Do you know where you are right now?” He was an older fellow with a bald head, glasses, and a salt and pepper mustache.
Julia got off the bed then and stood beside Fran, who put her arm around her.
I’d recovered enough from the breakdown to be able to answer his question. “I’m in the hospital because I had an overdose.”
“According to the tox screen, you had both oxycodone and fentanyl in your system. Your records say your roommate found you, and you were convulsing at the time.”
“I don’t remember being found. I remember taking the pill and sitting at my desk to study, but nothing after that until I woke up here in the hospital.”
“Do you know how much you took?”
“It was half of an 80 mg pill, so 40 mg.”
“Where did it come from, and have you ever taken that much before?”
“I got it from a kid I know. Yes, I’ve had that much before, but it didn’t affect me like this.”
“Well, this one was laced with fentanyl, which we are seeing a lot of these days in illegal street drugs. They are laced with fentanyl to increase the high and make a smaller dose go farther. More bang for the buck, so to speak. But street drugs are very dangerous because you don’t know exactly what’s in them, and the slightest bit too much fentanyl can lead to an overdose. Do you know what happens during an overdose, Brian?”
“Not exactly.”
“The danger lies in the fact that your breathing slows down and can even stop. Once your breathing has stopped, your heart will stop, and then that’s it. At other times, you may vomit and inhale the vomit into your lungs or choke on it. The lack of oxygen to the brain can also cause a seizure, which is what you were having when your roommate discovered you. He wisely called emergency services right away. This was a very close call, and hopefully it will be a wakeup call to you that you need help.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m going to go over your medical records and check in on you later today. If all of your vital signs look good, we’ll see about discharging you. Is there someone who can accompany you home?”
I pointed to Fran and Julia, and Fran said, “We’ll take him back to his dorm. We’re going to stay with him while he’s here too.”
“Alright, that’s very good. Let’s get some food in you in the meantime, and I’ll see you later this afternoon.”
I thanked him and said goodbye, then I looked at Fran, who said, “Are you with it enough to talk?”
I nodded, and she said, “Okay, let’s hear it.”
(3 more chapters until the end of Part 1. Part 2 will then begin.)
 Recognized |
CHARACTERS
Brian Kendrick: The narrator of the story. At the beginning of the story, he is 12 years old and in 6th grade in Kernersville, North Carolina.
Francine (Fran) Kendrick: Brian's older sister. She is 18 at the beginning of the story and goes to junior college, where she studies law enforcement.
Rafael Ortiz (Raffi): Youth therapy group leader at the rehab facility.
Julia Entwistle: One of the six members of the youth therapy group at rehab. She is 16 when we first meet her, plays the violin, and is addicted to barbiturates.
Robert Entwistle: Julia's father.
Dr. Marie Schmidt: Julia's mother.
Mike Pekarsky: Fran's boyfriend who she met on her Caribbean cruise.
Daniel Molebatsi: Brian's undergrad college roommate. He is from Botswana and is a business major.
Dr. Paul Rieke: Brian's organic chemistry professor.
Kimiko Yamada (Kimi): Brian's organic chemistry lab partner. She is from Japan and also resides in his and Daniel's dorm.
Jerry Avery (Scorch): Brian's resident drug dealer from whom he buys Oxy.
Dr. Eppig: The attending physician who treats Brian's overdose at the university hospital.
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Brian Kendrick: The narrator of the story. At the beginning of the story, he is 12 years old and in 6th grade in Kernersville, North Carolina.
Francine (Fran) Kendrick: Brian's older sister. She is 18 at the beginning of the story and goes to junior college, where she studies law enforcement.
Rafael Ortiz (Raffi): Youth therapy group leader at the rehab facility.
Julia Entwistle: One of the six members of the youth therapy group at rehab. She is 16 when we first meet her, plays the violin, and is addicted to barbiturates.
Robert Entwistle: Julia's father.
Dr. Marie Schmidt: Julia's mother.
Mike Pekarsky: Fran's boyfriend who she met on her Caribbean cruise.
Daniel Molebatsi: Brian's undergrad college roommate. He is from Botswana and is a business major.
Dr. Paul Rieke: Brian's organic chemistry professor.
Kimiko Yamada (Kimi): Brian's organic chemistry lab partner. She is from Japan and also resides in his and Daniel's dorm.
Jerry Avery (Scorch): Brian's resident drug dealer from whom he buys Oxy.
Dr. Eppig: The attending physician who treats Brian's overdose at the university hospital.
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