Junkhead

Get born Again

They had been in the hospital for close to 6 hours now. 4 hours they were in the ER, the doctors running around frantically, giving him adrenaline shots through his IV (the heroin he had shot up slowed his heart rate down impeccably). They had given him AT LEAST 4 bags of sodium chloride due to dehydration. They kept telling Mike that they were shocked he didn't have a seizure or stroke due to how dehydrated he had become.

They had to give him a shot of zofran to calm down his nausea, also bentyl due to Mike's explanation of his...accidents that he had in the past. Then a phlebotomist came in to take a few blood tests. The ER Doctor was concerned that he might have liver damage. He also mentioned having to get Layne a nasogastric tube due to how underweight he looked (they hadn't been able to get his weight yet since he's been unconscious the entire time). When the blood test results had come back, Mike was shocked & relieved to find out that his liver was fine.

That's when they transported him to another wing...an intensive drug detox wing. Mike watched Layne in deep and utter fear, studying that pale, angular face. His eyelids were literally purple. Lips blue, most likely from low blood pressure & malnutrition. Bloody puke was still caked on his stubbled chin. The nurses had to strip him out of his clothes so they could run an EKG & do body checks. They had found track marks on his stomach, legs, and feet.

In the blue gown he was in, it now was obvious: he had withered away to nothing but bone. His knees looked enormous in comparison to his thighs & calves. His feet had literally no flesh at all on them, they looked like gnarley claws from some creepy human hybrid. Ribs & hip bones jutted out so badly they looked as though they were to break from his gray-tinted skin at any moment.

He looked dead.

"I can't believe I didn't know you were this bad.... What the fuck is the matter with me..." Mike muttered as his head fell into the palms of his hands. "I'm supposed to be your best friend," his melancholy voice sobbed through his trembling fingers. "But I allowed you to get...like this...." He squeezed his eyes shut, tired of having to see Layne in this condition. "...I'm a terrible friend..."

"No you're not," a deep voice from behind him responded.

Mike jumped, spinning around in the hospital recliner to peer up at the detox wing doctor & two young female nurses. One of them held a long, thin tube connected to a bag, which was full of a strange mucus like substance, hung on a pole. Behind them was another phlebotomist.

"....fuck..you heard all that?" Mike blubbered, ashamed.

The doctor nodded, smiling softly. His green eyes behind glasses reflected pity. "Yes I did," he answered. He then held out his hand, grinning and winking at Mike when he shook it. "I'm Dr. Ryan, I'm going to be taking care of Layne Staley during his stay."

"Nice to meet you," Mike murmured tiredly. He shook his head, grinning. "I'm sorry. Forgot to introduce myself. I'm Mike--"

"Starr, right?" The doctor interrupted. He smirked when he watched the ex Alice in Chains bassist blush & nod his head. "I've seen you in many interviews & music videos."

Mike grunted. "Take it you're a fan then... Please don't get creepy on me," he blurted.  Quickly, he forced a laugh to save himself from appearing a complete and utter douche bag.

Finally, Mike was in for some luck. The doctor laughed. "I've been an Alice in Chains fan ever since I heard Man in the Box. Which one of you guys wrote that song, anyways?"

Mike sighed, sadly nodding to the unconscious Layne Staley. It was silent for a while until the phlebotomist piped up, telling everyone that he needed another adrenaline shot. "I believe this will do the trick for him," she said as she prodded the needle into his IV & slowly injected the substance. To everyone's amazement, Layne's eyes slowly / drunkenly opened.