Out of Darkness

It's Complicated

I shot up at the shrill sound of whistle and proceeded to vomit spectacularly into the bin that Sean had thrust into my hands. I pinched the bridge of my nose trying to alleviate the massive headache battering the inside of my skull as my friend gleefully danced around the room singing an annoyingly cheerful rendition of that song from Friends.

"I'll be there for yooooooouuu!" The soon to be LATE Dr. Green sang directly into my ear at top volume, grinning like the fool that he is, prompting another round of gastric upheaval.

After my stomach settled, I begrudgingly accepted two tablets and a seltzer from him, commenting dryly, "It seems that you finally got some sleep."

"Oh, Owen," he chirped at me, leaning over so that we were almost nose-to-nose, "I have been waiting hours to show you something!"

By the glint in his eye, and the fact that he looked like Luke in a candy store, I knew that it was either going to be amazing or terrifying.

Ten minutes later, I had my answer. It was BOTH. It certainly explained how I was feeling right now, as well as Sean's giddy song and dance routine. It was going to cost me A LOT to keep the video from last night private.

I groaned as I made my way to what was sure to be a mess of a living room. I knew that I needed to clean it up before I would be able to focus on much else. Sean went to the kitchen to make eggs, chanting "O-wen on a ben-der, O-wen on a ben-der".

I rolled my eyes, about to say something to him, and came to a stop. My living room was spotless.

"You're catching flies, Owen," he laughed as he tapped my chin.

I snapped my mouth shut, and looked over at Sean. I couldn't really say anything. My beyond exhausted friend, who had been rightfully livid with me last night, had taken the time to clean up after my little meltdown.

"Family first," he said seriously, looking me directly in the eye.

"Family first," I replied.

***

"You're catching flies, Owen," I told my friend. I couldn't help teasing him. The Mighty Owen Blackbourne had gotten wasted last night just like thousands of nineteen-year-olds across college campuses nationwide! It was so normal!

I gave him a minute to pull himself together before calling him into the dining room to eat. I bet his hangover is magnificent! All joking aside, though, we had to discuss how best to handle the situation with our Pookie.

***

I woke up to the sounds of shouting.

"WHAT DO YOU BLOODY MEAN IT'S COMPLICATED!"

I shuddered and tried to get away from the noise. Someone was angry, and that meant danger. I had to hide. I tried to get out of the bed, but in my groggy state I only managed to tangle myself in all of the tubes and monitor cords. Something must have become dislodged, because the machine next to me started screeching, and moments later, there was a flurry of activity rushing in through my doorway. I cowered and threw my arms up around my head, preparing for the onslaught.

After a moment where the room seemed to hold its breath, a familiar voice softly spoke.

"Pookie? Are you all right?"

I peeked through my arms as memories of kind eyes and silly names resurfaced.

"D..d..doctor G..Green?" I slowly lowered my hands, taking a shuddering breath and begging the tears welling in my eyes not to fall. I didn't want to look any weaker to them.