Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Glued to this place.
Glued to misfortune. Glued to pennilessness. Glued to a fucked-up life.
Glued to—
“Stop it!” I say out loud.
Eyes dart toward me, but I don’t care. I have to stop this train of thought because it’s going to send me down a path I can’t go. Not with Dragon’s life and my career hanging in the balance.
Gratitude.
That’s where I need to focus.
I’m here. I’m alive. I’m so damned grateful for everything I’ve received. To be on this tour.
It can’t be over.
It can’t be over this soon.
And it can’t be over because of me.
“Mr. Locke?”
I jerk toward a voice. A woman wearing green scrubs, her blond hair pulled back into a ponytail, stands near the entrance to the waiting area.
“Who’s here for Mr. Locke?”
I rise and walk toward her. “I am.” My heart is stampeding against my chest. I can even see the movement if I look closely enough.
“And you are?” she asks.
“His friend. Roommate. My name is Jesse Pike.”
“All right. I’m Dr. Nelson. Mr. Locke’s toxicology screen came back positive.”
My heart sinks to my stomach, though I’m not sure why. Of course it came back positive. “What drugs did it show?”
“We have to run more tests to identify the specific drugs. In the meantime, we’ve pumped his stomach, but unfortunately, depending on when he ingested the drugs, it may not be helpful.”
“Is he okay?”
“He’s alive. Still unresponsive. But his organs are working, and once we find out what specific drugs are in his system, we’ll be able to treat him better.”
“Why didn’t you test for specific drugs?”
“Standard procedures are to do general toxicology first. Do you have any idea what he may have ingested?”
“No, I wasn’t with him. I found him this morning.”
“Was anyone else with him?”
“Yes. Two women were with him last night, but they left before I called the ambulance.”
“Do you have any way of getting in touch with those women?”
If only… “I’m afraid I don’t. I only know their first names.”
“I see.” She frowns. “But it’s your opinion that Mr. Locke would not have ingested anything of his own accord?”
“I’ve known him a long time, Doctor. He’s been sober for the last several years. He uses marijuana sometimes, takes a drink sometimes, but he stays away from the hard stuff.”
“I see,” she says again. “So he wouldn’t have had anything illegal in his possession?”
“No. We’re from the United States. I doubt it would’ve gotten past customs without a physician’s note.”
“That’s true. All right, thank you.”
“Wait. May I see him?”
Dr. Nelson pauses and presses her lips together. “He’s not awake, but I suppose you can see him.”
“Thank you.”
“Follow me.”
She leads me through the double doors into the emergency area. It’s divided into separate bays, all equipped with curtains for privacy. The doctor pulls back the green curtain to the third bay, and I follow her in.
Dragon is lying on the bed, dressed in a blue hospital gown and covered with a thin white blanket. An oxygen mask sits on his nose, and an IV is inserted in his left hand. He’s hooked up to various monitors that beep consistently. His face is pale, and his eyes are closed.
Looking at him is difficult, so I shift my gaze around. The treatment area is stocked with medical supplies, of course, including dressings, bandages, and syringes. A gallon-sized bottle of hand sanitizer sits on the counter. Absently, I squeeze some into my palms and slather it over my hands and arms.
Finally, I force myself to look back at Dragon. His skin may be pale, but at least it’s not blue.
His heart monitor beeps, and his pulse ox is reading at about ninety-two. That’s a little low, but the nurse assures me he’s doing fine. Once she leaves, I sit in the chair next to Dragon’s bed. Should I take his hand? The idea seems weird, so I don’t.
I lean down close to his ear. “I need you to wake up, Dragon. We need you. The band needs you.”
No response, of course. Not that I was expecting one.
A nurse comes in. “I can give you a call if anything changes. Are there any family members we should contact in the States?”
“He doesn’t have any family,” I say, still looking at Dragon’s pale face. “I’m his family.”
That’s not true. Dragon does have family, but he doesn’t have any relationship with them, and I wouldn’t know how to contact them anyway.
“Good enough.” The nurse touches my shoulder lightly. “He’s going to be fine.”
“When will he be released?”
“Not until he wakes up, and we don’t expect that until later this afternoon. Then the doctors will probably want to keep him overnight for observation.”
“Damn,” I can’t help saying.
“What’s wrong?”
“He’s a member of a rock band. We have a concert tonight. We’re opening for Emerald Phoenix.”
The nurse’s jaw drops. “I’m going to that concert tonight. My friend went last night. She said the opening band was fantastic.”