Out Cold by Tom Schreck

Author:Tom Schreck
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Down & Out Books

26

I pulled up to the Blue, my head throbbing. I felt a little nauseous and jittery, but tried to tell myself not to worry about it because I’d get over it. It didn’t make a really convincing argument.

Elvis neared the end of “It Hurts Me”, the ‘68 Special version, not the studio one. I stayed to listen to him finish it before getting out of the car. When I opened the door I immediately heard Al making a sick moan. Even though he was inside, it came through loud and clear.

I raced into the trailer. Al stopped his moaning for a second when I came through the door. He sat in front of a slumped Karl, who was in a T-shirt and shorts and soaked in sweat. His head slumped down on his chest and he acted like he had passed out.

“Karl, Karl, Are you alright!” I yelled while grabbing his chin and forcing him to look at me.

“Nestrrr…” Something unintelligible came out of his mouth.

“Karl, say it again.”

“Newstr…”

“New what?”

“Newstrr…”

He began to cry, but it was slowed by whatever else he had taken.

“Karl, what did you take?”

“Lotta shit…” he slurred.

“Karl—why did you do this to yourself?”

“Him…”

“Who?”

“News…told me to.”

“Newstrom? The guy from the Army?”

Karl nodded and began to cry again. I looked at Al who had furrowed his brow.

“He came here?”

“Phone…”

“Are you in danger?”

Karl nodded, tears streaming down.

I didn’t want to take any chances, so I rushed Karl to the emergency room. I knew Karl hated the hospital, but he probably wouldn’t like dying much either. They took him someplace as soon as I brought him in. I had to sit in the little waiting room with the vinyl chairs. I found myself praying for the first time in as long as I could remember.

Two hours later a doctor with freckles and shaggy red hair, who looked about fourteen years old, called my name from a clipboard. Dr. Picard introduced himself in a hurried way and you could tell he concentrated on being empathic, but really didn’t have the energy for it. He told me Karl had taken an overdose of Valium and some anti-depressants and they would make him pretty sick, but they wouldn’t cause him any permanent harm. He went on to tell me he would have to stay in the mental health unit and be evaluated before he could be released. At a minimum they would have to wait until the drugs had cleared his system. I got asked to wait until they admitted him to that unit before I could talk to him and then it would only be for a few minutes. I made myself as comfortable as possible on the orange vinyl.

Two hours and twenty minutes later a young and attractive, but exhausted looking nurse called my name. She wore bright yellow Crocs and had her straight brown hair pulled back into a hastily thrown together bun. Her name badge said ‘Shea’ and she certainly looked Irish.

“You can talk to Karl, but please only for a few minutes,” she looked me right in the eye.

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