Comments | raw_youth: Visiting hours

raw_youth

Visiting hours

May 27, 2011 03:54

The first days had been the worst. He'd shivered so hard he thought his teeth would come out. He couldn't keep his legs still and kept kicking the covers off, something he barely noticed because he just kept sweating. It wasn't as profuse as the day he'd come to the clinic. It was almost worse. He was sticky with it. It was good that he had the IV ( Read more... )

Comments 146

sluttylyingliar May 27 2011, 15:29:25 UTC

She wasn't sure if she could do it. Or even if she should. He doesn't know her but maybe she'll get it better than some people can. Either way, she feels...responsible for checking up on him. Or something. Fuck, being grownup is a pain in the ass.

She watches him for a long moment before knocking on the door frame.

"Hey."

raw_youth May 27 2011, 20:39:32 UTC

In his days here, the times he was lucid anyway, Dodge had seen people come and go. He saw faces he didn't recognize, and some he did. He was sure he'd have remembered a pretty girl like here.

"Hey?" he replied, sitting up a little- as much as the handcuff locked to the bed would allow him to. "Are you a nurse or something?"

sluttylyingliar May 28 2011, 05:20:11 UTC

"There have been times I've played a nurse," she says, walking in and cocking her head. "But more of the naughty and vinyl kind."

He looks like death but it's actually an improvement. Cute guy, she can see now.

"I'm Rachel. You're Dodge. I helped get you in here."

raw_youth May 28 2011, 05:24:08 UTC

"That was you? Oh, wow, uh...shit. Rachel, okay," he stammered. He felt like an absolute tool for being so fucked up and needing help. But if it hadn't been for the kindness of a stranger...

That just made him think of the kindness of strangers in Toronto, like the way he'd been "kind" to Oliver and Noah and Charlie by bringing them home to Fagin and getting them into the life.

"Rachel," he repeated. "Thank you. I'd have fuckin' died. Kinda surprised I didn't."

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notfaking_it May 27 2011, 18:58:01 UTC

It shouldn't have bothered her as much as it did. Obviously Lily didn't want anyone to die, especially not someone she actually liked, but she'd seen things like that before. It wasn't the sort of thing that would have rattled her to this extent back in San Francisco.

Or maybe it would have. Maybe she just would have pretended it hadn't.

Either way, she was standing in the door now, watching Dodge on the bed. "Hey," she said slowly, pushing off the door frame and coming into the room. "So do you feel like shit?"

raw_youth May 27 2011, 20:41:27 UTC

"Better today, but yeah. Like shit," he agreed. "And I want a fuckin' cigarette like crazy but they won't let me out of here, not even to smoke."

He looked bad but not as bad as that day. At least now he had some color to him and his eyes were bright with life.

notfaking_it May 28 2011, 00:49:23 UTC

"Yeah, that's probably not going to be allowed for at least a few days yet," she answered in a dry voice, but smiled faintly as she sat on the edge of his bed. Her gaze flickered toward the cuff on his wrist and she arched her eyebrows questioningly. After the past week, she knew why they were there in the first place, but she didn't know how long they were going to stay on.

raw_youth May 28 2011, 02:19:03 UTC

"It fuckin' sucks," he grumbled. He saw where she looked and lifted his hand, the metal making a sound familiar to him now. A sound that meant he was here for the duration.

"I kept trying to leave so they, uh, you know. It's so I don't go try to get fucked up again," he explained.

Thread 28

phoinikothrix May 27 2011, 18:58:39 UTC

When he entered the clinic, Francis hadn't even needed to open his mouth--the woman behind the desk pointed him towards Dodge's room immediately. Embarrassed, he slunk past her, approaching the doorway uncertain what he'd find inside--the pale and shaking wraith he'd dragged to the clinic, the shouting, sobbing wreck he'd heard and glimpsed throughout the week, or someone else entirely.

"Hello, Dodge."

raw_youth May 27 2011, 20:43:34 UTC

"Hey, man," he replied. With a bit of a smile Dodge moved so he could sit up as much as he could. The cuff that held his wrist to the bed clacked and jingled. He hated feeling like a prisoner. Hated it.

"I've seen you around in here. You just get the balls to say hi?" Dodge asked, well aware that for the past few days he'd been in no shape to talk to anyone.

phoinikothrix May 28 2011, 05:34:56 UTC

"I think I finally managed to wear down the clinic staff enough that they'd let me come say hello to you," Francis admitted, smiling sheepishly. "I was a bit of a nuisance."

He moved closer to the bed, a flat gift-wrapped package held awkwardly in his hands. "I got you a bit of a get-well present," he said, by way of explanation. "It's not anything terribly special, but I thought you could do with the distraction."

raw_youth May 28 2011, 05:38:03 UTC

Dodge took at and looked at it curiously. A get well present. That was...unexpected. It wasn't like he had some disease; he'd OD'd. No one gave a shit about a junkie who OD'd.

Except obviously Francis did. It made Dodge smile a little.

"Can I, uh, open it now?" he asked

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poison_lipstick May 29 2011, 04:53:49 UTC

Saffron had been checking on him every day, even though she wasn't terrible sure he even realized she was there. She'd heard from Greg what he did, and she was glad. She knew it was going to be a hard road for Dodge, but she was planning to be there much as he'd let her, and she hoped he'd make it.

When she went into the clinic and found him awake and apparently aware, she went over to perch on the side of his bed, not quite smiling, but with a soft expression. "Hanging in there?" she said, reaching one hand to gently brush the hair back from his face.

raw_youth May 29 2011, 06:41:39 UTC

Dodge took a deep breath and nodded. She didn't look mad or anything, which was a relief. He sat up a little, his muscles still weak and tired from all the shaking and spasms. The cuff that locked him to the bed clanked as he got more upright.

"Yeah, I guess," he said, trying to play it cool, like it was no big deal. As if anyone would believe him. "I've seen you. Coming in here. I was kind of out of it, but I saw you."

poison_lipstick May 30 2011, 05:42:05 UTC

"Did you? I wasn't sure you realized," Saffron replied. She continued to toy with his hair a moment, then rested her palm briefly against his cheek before withdrawing her hand. "You look better today. I'm glad."

raw_youth May 30 2011, 05:59:27 UTC

"I feel better. Kind of. Not as sick, anyway," he replied. "You, uh...how come you've been coming? You don't have to," Dodge added hesitantly. It was weird to think that anyone like her would want to be here with a junkie like him.

Thread 22

chasinghumanity May 29 2011, 09:50:32 UTC

It was all too fucking familiar. Mitchell had glanced into the clinic every time he passed over the last few days, curious as to how Dodge was doing, but he had walked on every single time. Walked on because running would have been suspicious. Mitchell's own attempts to shepherd people through withdrawal had been light or failed. Lauren wouldn't have it; the coven had their neat little meetings and the rest of the group to help. Mitchell hadn't had to deal with anything as bad as this.

No. No, instead, Mitchell had been as bad as this. Carl had seen him through it, but Mitchell had done his even best to make it hell on the other vampire. He remembered the sweats, the moisture pouring from him because of the heat inside him, his dead body burning up with pure hunger. He remembered the awful things he shouted - at Dan especially - as the hunger consumed all his thoughts. He remembered, too, being tied down. No handcuffs for Mitchell, no, but he had been tied to chair and bed. For everyone's safety ( ... )

raw_youth May 29 2011, 10:04:13 UTC

Dodge was lucid now, more than he had been in days. His eyes were clear and bright and thanks to being released for a little while he was clean. He wasn't sticky and he didn't reek the way he had as he sweat out the poison. He had even eaten real food and had the where with all to keep it down. All in all, he couldn't complain.

Except he wanted a shot. He couldn't stop thinking about it. It squirmed beneath his skin like worms, raced up and down his back bone, consumed his thoughts. Alone in the bed with just his thoughts he could smell it. His arm ached to feel the prick of a needle. Yeah, the pain of the withdrawal was over but the worst part had only just begun ( ... )

chasinghumanity May 29 2011, 23:17:39 UTC

You saved my life, man. It was a ridiculous statement: John Mitchell saving a life. He had torn through hundreds of bodies, recruited a handful of people to keep them from death, but he wouldn't have truly said he saved anyone. Everything he touched became tainted, corrupted, one way or another. But maybe not now. Maybe now, now that he was human, now that the hunger didn't control him and he didn't have to live minute by minute, maybe now he could actually do something truly, wholly good. Maybe it could make up for a few things.

He smiled faintly at his own thoughts, at what Herrick would say, and lifted his shoulders in a barely there shrug. "You're welcome. I guess you're through the worst of it now if you can actually say that," he said. "You look better anyway."

raw_youth May 29 2011, 23:57:55 UTC

"They let me take a shower," he replied. He knew that wasn't what the guy meant but he didn't really want to think about what he must have looked like when he'd come in, or how he'd looked through the worst of the withdrawal.

"I'm, uh, Dodge," he said sheepishly. "If you told me your name I forgot."

Thread 35