These Friends Of Mine, chapter 24
The soft beat of a heart monitor echoed in Mike's ear. He opened his eyes. He was in a hospital, that was pretty evident. He was breathing in air from a face mask, there was an I. V. Stuck in his arm along with some other needles, and he could feel the bandage around his neck. He was alive.
Imediatly he thought of Jade. Then Matt. What had happend after he blacked out? He started to panic and the heart monitor picked up the pase. Then he heard a book being closed and next he was looking straight at Billie.
"Mike." he said softly. "Mike, you're awake. You're alive."
He could only nod. His heart rate went back to normal.
"Good good, you've stopped panicking. I don't want you to get all freaked out but appreantly that Matt guy did some damage on Jade. She's in intensive care."
The beeping started up again. Mike felt his breath shorten and Billie pulled off the face mask, trying to calm him down. It worked. He breathed in the fresh air and thought of something to say.
"What's wrong with her?" he managed. "How badly is she hurt?"
"Ssh, don't waste your energy." he whisperd.
"I'm not wasting my enegry, how is Jade!" he almost yelled.
"... She lost a lot of blood. She hasn't woken up since she went into shock a few hours ago, and she won't be any time soon."
"Is she...?"
"No no. Well, not yet at least. You see, Jade has a very rare blood type called O negative. O neg blood is the universal doner, so it can be used for anyone. The thing is no other kind is like that... She needs that blood and only that blood, but it's so rare that the doctors are having trouble finding enough for her."
"So you're saying that she only has who knows how long to live?"
"We're hoping she can hold on until the doctors find more blood but it ain't lookin too bright."
"I need to see her."
"What?"
"I need to see her!"
"Mike, it's no use. She's in shock. She can't do anything."
-In Jade's room-
"Jade, I wish we could speed things up. The doctors can't locate your parents or... Anyone else who shares your blood for that matter." Adrienne whisperd. She re-gripped Jade's hand. "Please wake up girl. You'll be alright."
"Adie... It's no use. She can't hear you." Tre said sympatheticly.
She felt his hand on her shoulder. "Tre... I just don't understand. Everything went to hell and I don't know why." she sighed, starting to cry.
"Do you want me to switch with Billie?" he asked.
"Yes, thank you." she told him.
He nodded and left the room, closing the door with tears stinging his cheeks. He wiped them away and walked down the hallway. He started to wonder if Mike had woken up yet. He hadn't lost any where near as much blood as Jade had, but he still went into shock.
He rode the elevator to the floor below and found Mike's room number. When he got inside Billie was sitting there, holding his hand like Adrienne was Jade's and talking with him. Good. He was awake.
"Hey Bee, Adie wants me to switch with you again." he informed him.
"Oh... Alright." he replied, letting go of Mike's hand and getting to his feet. "So Mike, I'll talk to Jade's doctor to see if you can visit her. Stay well."
He waved to them and walked out. Tre stared at his shoes, not wanting to look at Mike. The last time he had seen him he was bloody and unconsious. It made him feel sick to his stomach.
"I guess you'd like to say I told you so, huh Tre?" Mike joked.
Tre smiled. "No buddy. I don't want to say anything like that." he replied, raising his head.
"Then what do you want to say?" he asked.
"That I'm really sorry for turning up the TV so loud. If we could've heard you sturggeling none of this would've happened!"
"Tre, it isn't your fault. It's the luck of the draw... Sit down."
He did as told and sat in the chair that Billie had previously been in. He grabbed Mike's hand. He didn't know what else to say to him. Mike yawned and cussed silently at the pain it brought him, then let out a laugh.
"You're holding my hand and not giggeling like a little school girl. What's going on?" he laughed.
Tre blushed. "You know I love you man. We all do." he said.
Mike grinned. That was probably the most thoughtful, sincere thing Tre had ever said to him. He was a lucky man to have such great people as his friends, a very lucky man.
But he couldn't fight the fact that one of his friends was dying. When he thought of everything he and Jade had been through, tears streaked his cheeks. He didn't want to loose her. He couldn't loose her!
"Hello? Earth to Mike, a doctor guy is here to see you." Tre's voice sounded.
Mike looked up and saw a professional looking man in pale blue scrubs. "Oh, hi." he said.
"Hello. I'm Dr. Charles Tohmson, I'm working with you and your fiance. Your friend brought it to my attention that you had woken up and that you wanted to see Jade." he told him.
"Yeah... I would like to see her. Can I?" he asked.
"Certinly. You are healed, you know, which makes you free to go."
"Healed? Already?"
"Sir, he didn't cut any where near as deep as he needed to. We just simply stitched you up and waited for you to wake."
"Okay."
"Now, I believe Mr. Wright has her room number, so follow him."
Mike nodded to show that he understood. The doctor smiled and told him he was going to remove the I. V. And other needles. 'Holy fuck that hurt like hell! ' he screamed inside his head when Charles was finished. He watched with watery eyes as he left the room, then leapt out of bed.
He yanked Tre across the bed on accident, apologized to him and looked around for his clothes. Tre shook his head and told him that Billie had brought spare clothes just in case he woke up. He paused
"Well that's stupid, he saw me earlier." he responded.
"Yeah and he left them under the chair." he laughed. He leaned over the bed and pulled a black bag from under the chair. "Here."
He tossed the bag to him on 'here'. Mike caught it and smiled, they really did care about him. Then Tre pointed out the bathroom. 'Should I take a shower? ' Mike asked himself as he took off his shirt. 'Naw... '
He was cut out of his thoughts when he saw his reflection in the mirror. His chest had a thin, red line going down it. He reconized it as the cut the blade had made. He didn't dare un-wrap the bandage around his neck and only went on with dressing.
A few minutes later he walked out of the bathroom with the hospital gown bunched up in his hands. He felt a little better, being back in his own clothes again. He shrugged and set the gown down on the bed, then left the room with Tre.
Imediatly he thought of Jade. Then Matt. What had happend after he blacked out? He started to panic and the heart monitor picked up the pase. Then he heard a book being closed and next he was looking straight at Billie.
"Mike." he said softly. "Mike, you're awake. You're alive."
He could only nod. His heart rate went back to normal.
"Good good, you've stopped panicking. I don't want you to get all freaked out but appreantly that Matt guy did some damage on Jade. She's in intensive care."
The beeping started up again. Mike felt his breath shorten and Billie pulled off the face mask, trying to calm him down. It worked. He breathed in the fresh air and thought of something to say.
"What's wrong with her?" he managed. "How badly is she hurt?"
"Ssh, don't waste your energy." he whisperd.
"I'm not wasting my enegry, how is Jade!" he almost yelled.
"... She lost a lot of blood. She hasn't woken up since she went into shock a few hours ago, and she won't be any time soon."
"Is she...?"
"No no. Well, not yet at least. You see, Jade has a very rare blood type called O negative. O neg blood is the universal doner, so it can be used for anyone. The thing is no other kind is like that... She needs that blood and only that blood, but it's so rare that the doctors are having trouble finding enough for her."
"So you're saying that she only has who knows how long to live?"
"We're hoping she can hold on until the doctors find more blood but it ain't lookin too bright."
"I need to see her."
"What?"
"I need to see her!"
"Mike, it's no use. She's in shock. She can't do anything."
-In Jade's room-
"Jade, I wish we could speed things up. The doctors can't locate your parents or... Anyone else who shares your blood for that matter." Adrienne whisperd. She re-gripped Jade's hand. "Please wake up girl. You'll be alright."
"Adie... It's no use. She can't hear you." Tre said sympatheticly.
She felt his hand on her shoulder. "Tre... I just don't understand. Everything went to hell and I don't know why." she sighed, starting to cry.
"Do you want me to switch with Billie?" he asked.
"Yes, thank you." she told him.
He nodded and left the room, closing the door with tears stinging his cheeks. He wiped them away and walked down the hallway. He started to wonder if Mike had woken up yet. He hadn't lost any where near as much blood as Jade had, but he still went into shock.
He rode the elevator to the floor below and found Mike's room number. When he got inside Billie was sitting there, holding his hand like Adrienne was Jade's and talking with him. Good. He was awake.
"Hey Bee, Adie wants me to switch with you again." he informed him.
"Oh... Alright." he replied, letting go of Mike's hand and getting to his feet. "So Mike, I'll talk to Jade's doctor to see if you can visit her. Stay well."
He waved to them and walked out. Tre stared at his shoes, not wanting to look at Mike. The last time he had seen him he was bloody and unconsious. It made him feel sick to his stomach.
"I guess you'd like to say I told you so, huh Tre?" Mike joked.
Tre smiled. "No buddy. I don't want to say anything like that." he replied, raising his head.
"Then what do you want to say?" he asked.
"That I'm really sorry for turning up the TV so loud. If we could've heard you sturggeling none of this would've happened!"
"Tre, it isn't your fault. It's the luck of the draw... Sit down."
He did as told and sat in the chair that Billie had previously been in. He grabbed Mike's hand. He didn't know what else to say to him. Mike yawned and cussed silently at the pain it brought him, then let out a laugh.
"You're holding my hand and not giggeling like a little school girl. What's going on?" he laughed.
Tre blushed. "You know I love you man. We all do." he said.
Mike grinned. That was probably the most thoughtful, sincere thing Tre had ever said to him. He was a lucky man to have such great people as his friends, a very lucky man.
But he couldn't fight the fact that one of his friends was dying. When he thought of everything he and Jade had been through, tears streaked his cheeks. He didn't want to loose her. He couldn't loose her!
"Hello? Earth to Mike, a doctor guy is here to see you." Tre's voice sounded.
Mike looked up and saw a professional looking man in pale blue scrubs. "Oh, hi." he said.
"Hello. I'm Dr. Charles Tohmson, I'm working with you and your fiance. Your friend brought it to my attention that you had woken up and that you wanted to see Jade." he told him.
"Yeah... I would like to see her. Can I?" he asked.
"Certinly. You are healed, you know, which makes you free to go."
"Healed? Already?"
"Sir, he didn't cut any where near as deep as he needed to. We just simply stitched you up and waited for you to wake."
"Okay."
"Now, I believe Mr. Wright has her room number, so follow him."
Mike nodded to show that he understood. The doctor smiled and told him he was going to remove the I. V. And other needles. 'Holy fuck that hurt like hell! ' he screamed inside his head when Charles was finished. He watched with watery eyes as he left the room, then leapt out of bed.
He yanked Tre across the bed on accident, apologized to him and looked around for his clothes. Tre shook his head and told him that Billie had brought spare clothes just in case he woke up. He paused
"Well that's stupid, he saw me earlier." he responded.
"Yeah and he left them under the chair." he laughed. He leaned over the bed and pulled a black bag from under the chair. "Here."
He tossed the bag to him on 'here'. Mike caught it and smiled, they really did care about him. Then Tre pointed out the bathroom. 'Should I take a shower? ' Mike asked himself as he took off his shirt. 'Naw... '
He was cut out of his thoughts when he saw his reflection in the mirror. His chest had a thin, red line going down it. He reconized it as the cut the blade had made. He didn't dare un-wrap the bandage around his neck and only went on with dressing.
A few minutes later he walked out of the bathroom with the hospital gown bunched up in his hands. He felt a little better, being back in his own clothes again. He shrugged and set the gown down on the bed, then left the room with Tre.
