Indigo Blues 🪼✔

23 - Drugs and Other Luxuries

I told my grandmother that I was going to go back to my house and she didn't seem the least bit saddened by it. Of course, Grandma has always been bit harsh towards me since she had to raise me and all but sometimes she could be a real bitch. I was happy to leave that house but getting around was major hard. I was still pretty sick and the trip to the hospital made me have to vomit outside of the car as soon as it stopped.
Johnsie and Oliver had to help me get into the hospital and they feared that I might have to get admitted as well but I mellowed out by the time I got to the room and was even able to walk to the room. When we got there, Rose and Madeline were there and when they saw me they both gasped out loud.
"Good god, Dr. Manchester!" Rose said quite loudly. "What did you do?"
"Drinking, project, add it up..." I said, holding my belly to try and keep the weight off my back.
Madeline didn't seem the least bit surprised and only smirked at me.
"I had a suspicion that something like this might happen sooner or later."
"Did you?" Oliver said with a smile to his girlfriend.
"Of course. I knew she was in love with Tannus and when Johnsie mentioned that Delilah had taken her project with her, I had a feeling that liquor might come into the picture."
"Oh, you think you're so smart." I growled. "Can I see him?"
"The nurse is hooking another IV up to his arm and helping him go to the bathroom. He actually ate a little something today. Nothing much, Jell-O or something." Rose said with a smile.
Johnsie smiled. "That's good. I hope he can keep it down."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, that's half the reason he's in the hospital. He wasn't able to keep anything down and was sick. But he's also very weak and the doctors don't know why yet." Oliver explained.
"Can I go see him?"
"When the nurse comes out."
We talked discursively for a moment when the nurse finally came out, a wadded up piece of clothing in her hand.
"Hey, Sara. How is he today?"
"I thought maybe he would be able to keep the little bit of Jell-O that he ate down but he threw it up after he used the bathroom and so I had to clean him up and get him a new gown." The nurse looked at me and then her eyes turned sympathetic. "Oh, honey, you need a chair."
"I'm fine, really..."
"No, no, you need to have a chair. I'm sure that belly isn't making it easy on your back."
"I'm about to go and visit so I'll sit there."
The nurse looked skeptical but nodded. "Alright, honey. He won't be very coherent and he won't let go of that little zebra for nothing. He's been having some hard nights here and he just grips it as tight as he can sometimes. I wonder if he will pop the head off sometimes... I hope he's responsive to you."
She waved and left. I turned to the boys.
"You didn't say it was this bad."
"We warned you..."
"And I hope he doesn't tear the head off again. It was a bitch to sew back on as it is."
Rose looked at him. "You sew?"
"If I need to... Either way, you can go in. You guys have a lot of straightening up to do I think."
I made a face and waddled myself into the hospital room.

Tannus looked horrible and very, very sick when I walked in. He was curled up in the hospital bed, looking out the window and looking so feeble. His muscle mass was gone, left with something skinny and almost corpsy. I didn't think he was this dramatic. Oliver had stepped in with me and I looked at him in worry. He only smiled sadly.
"I know it seems overly dramatic but it's not a joke and it's not something he can help. People take grief and pain in different ways. He has felt so guilty for what he's done and lonely and mad at himself that his body just takes it all in and it's like he's punishing himself. He tries though, he really does. It's sad because he's told me before that he wants to eat, he wants to drink, but his body rejects it and he can't keep anything down. I'll wake him up so he can see you. Remember, he's drugged so bear with him."
Oliver walked over to him and shook him softly. Tannus mumble something and Oliver smiled at him kindly, rubbing his face with loving concern. He told him something and pointed in my direction. Tannus looked over his shoulder at me and I waved slightly. Oliver motioned for me to come over and I made my way.
"I have a present for you... see?" he said, grabbing my hand and showing me to Tannus.
Up close, Tannus looked no better than before. He was lusterless and looked really confused as his eyebrows furrowed together to look at me. Oliver pat my shoulder and left the room. I stared at Tannus for a long time, taking in his appearance and he just looked at me, looking more confused by the moment.
"Hey, you remember me?" I said softly, sitting beside the bed and taking his hand.
I looked at his other one when he flinched and realized the zebra was planted in his hand. I smiled and reached for the zebra. He pulled it closer and his eye furrowed angrily.
"Alright..." I said, removing my hands. "Do you know who I am?"
"Yeah..." he said softly, looking me over. "I know you..."
"Okay. I'm sorry, Tannus, for leaving. I know that was a little overdramatic and everything but I was really hurt."
"I'm sorry..." he said, blinking slowly from the drugs.
I sighed and put my head on the bed.
"Oh, Tan, I'm sorry that I put you through this pain. I'm a horrible person. I know that you were just talking in your sleep but it had hurt me so bad... You have to get better for me, alright? I'll help you."
He was silent for a long time when I felt a slightly heavy thing settle on top of my head. I looked up and saw that he had put his hand on my head.
"You promise?" he asked in almost a whisper.
"I promise."
He pulled the zebra out and lifted it to me, as if it were a peace offering. I stood up and pushed the zebra back to him, deciding to kiss him on the forehead. It was warm with a small fever but it was pleasant and he was looking at me curiously. I then kissed him on the nose and when I got to his lips he was starting to get the point and his eyes showed he was ready this time. I hovered over his lips, barely touching lips and I moved and kissed his cheek.
"I'll kiss you for real when you remember it."
He licked his lips and smiled a little at me. I rubbed my tummy, setting my mind for the project at hand.

*JOHNSIE*
As soon as Tannus had seen Delilah, his eyes lit up and a fire was in them that hadn't been there in weeks. Delilah had to go home to rest and get the weight of the kids off her back. I still couldn't believe that she had been so drunk that she ate four of Tannus' DNA laden jelly beans. I found it ironically justifiable but I did feel a bit bad about her having to carry four kids all at once. Quadruplets... yikes...
Even though she looked like she was in pain, she was enduring it and seemed to actually enjoy the pregnancy for what it was worth. Plus, pregnancy suited her; it made her exceptionally hot and if she hadn't been for Tannus, I might have tried to go after that.
Poor Tannus was so drugged up last night that he didn't notice that Delilah was pregnant and when I talked with him in the morning, he had no recollection of her visit.

"What do you mean 'Delilah came back'?" he asked, his throat scratchy and thick.
Sara was checking his vitals since he seemed to be almost as alert as he was when he was normal. The rapid improvement had startled the nurses and staff and so they had been in there all morning.
"Exactly what it means. We found Delilah and she came back. She's going to help you recover."
Tannus frowned a little and looked at his zebra.
"Why?"
"Why did she come back?"
"Yes."
"Because she realized what she did was wrong. I thought you'd be happy?"
Tannus looked down at his hands, looking at the tubes in his hands and I saw the twitch of determination to get out of here starting to spring in his hand. His eyes were going to go wild in a moment if I didn't warn Sara about the sedative. She caught my eye and I jerked mine to Tannus' hands. She nodded and pulled the sedative out of her pocket. Since he was improving so well, the morphine didn't need to be used for the pain he had been in.
Sara injected the sedative into the IV tube without so much as a move from Tannus and he seemed to relax significantly.
"When you get out of here you need to get back on your medication for nosecomephobia ASAP."
"Yeah... Delilah is going to be here?"
"Yeah."
He seemed to comprehend but his eyes drooped and I pushed him backward to lay on the pillow. He moaned a little, stretching and looking at me with a goofy grin.
"That's cool."
I sighed, a bit disappointed that he couldn't stay coherent for more than a couple of minutes because his nosecomephobia would set in quickly.
As if on cue, Delilah came in and came up beside me. She looked at him and sighed.
"Drugged up?"
"You just missed him being coherent. I'm sorry but he was about to rip his tubes out and hit the road."
"Nothing to worry about... Hey, Tannus, how you doing?"
Tannus smiled brightly. "Hey... Johnsie was right..."
"Hey, Tan."
"Your tummy is big. Kinda like mine was..." he said with a giggle.
"I'll leave you two alone. If you can get him to eat something, then that would be awesome." I said, gesturing to the tray.
She nodded and pulled out another stuffed animal.
"Look, it's a giraffe."
His eyes bugged in happiness and he snatched the giraffe from her, getting the zebra and making them kiss like a little child.
"Now they have a friend!"
I left her to him.

*DELILAH*
My poor Tannus. Reduced to innocence from being drugged up for his fears. But I had to admit that he was the cutest loopy I'd ever been in contact with. He was playing with the giraffe and zebra now, having them become friends and galloping off together. I finally caught his hand and he stopped, looking at me.
"I'm sorry that we meet again like this..."
"I missed you... You left and never said goodbye. You had promised you would be here... The zebra was for you to come back and you never did."
"I know. Can you forgive me?"
"Depends..."
"On what?"
"Will you marry me and never leave me again?"
I laughed at him and he looked at me with a serious expression. I stopped laughing and looked at him.
"W-what do you mean?"
"Don't you ever leave me again. I love you and I want you to be mine. Marry me."