Seven Deadly Sins

Save Me

        I sat in the waiting room of the ER, biting my nails and sniffling softly as I continued to remember just how Corey's nearly lifeless body looked, spread out across the bed with a bottle of CR clutched in his hand like his life depended on it. I wanted to confront Jim, but I was determined to stay there until I got some kind of news about Corey. I had to know something. I couldn't just leave him there, for God's sake, I'm in love with him!
        I waited for an hour, which gradually turned into two, that faded into three, that finally slipped into four. I ended up falling asleep in the waiting room after about two hours of the waiting game. When time was approaching around five hours, a nurse came out in the waiting room.
        "Is there a Matthew Sanders here?" That immediately jolted me awake. I grunted and then rose to my feet, stepping over to the door where she was leaning out from. "Are you Matthew Sanders?" She asked skeptically, seeming to eye me down like I was going to attack her at any moment. Calm down, lady, I'm here for Corey. My brain said.
        "Yes, I am, is Corey okay?" I asked, and she cringed a little bit; my stomach plummeted probably fifty feet and then crashed as it hit my toes. No. This can't be happening. Corey has to be okay, right? He's, like, invincible! He can't die. That's exactly what you said about Jimmy, my brain reminded me, earning a physical frown.
        "He's conscious, but he isn't out of the woods.. He has severe alcohol poisoning. He asked to see you." She said, and my eyes must have brightened, because she smiled softly. "Come this way." She turned around and began to walk to the back part of the hospital, and I followed hot on her heels, more eager to see Corey than I've ever been for anything. She suddenly stopped at a room with a closed door that had a whiteboard pinned to it. In sloppy writing, it read, 'Corey Taylor' that was written in dry-erase marker. "He's in here, but please don't try to move him or anything, his IV is giving us trouble."
        "Thank you, ma'am.." I whispered sincerely before slowly pushing open the door, then shutting it behind me. "Corey?" I called softly, seeing him lying on the hospital bed with his eyes closed. As he heard my voice, his eyelids fluttered open; he smiled as we locked eyes, and I stepped over, shaking with either happiness or anxiety.
        "Matt.." He groaned, his eyes half opened. I placed my hand over his reassuringly, giving him a brave smile as he cleared his throat a few times. "H-how.. How did you know where I was?" He asked softly, and I smiled again as I thought of the red-haired teenage boy that had been the whole reason I found him. Whoever you were, thank you.
        "That doesn't matter, hon.." I whisper back, and he flattens his mouth a little bit to signal that he heard me. "Corey.. Why did you do it, babe? What did Jim say to you?" His face suddenly darkened before he turned his head, becoming very interested in the opposite wall. "Corey.. You can tell me, you know I'm here for you.." I saw a single tear trail down his cheek, then all at once, his body began to hiccup with small, soft sobs.
        I put my arms around his shoulders to the best of my ability, being careful not to irritate any of the tubes or wires they had hooked up to him. There were so many of them. He had probably three IVs in him at the moment. I hate needles, just a random fact.
        "He.. He blamed me." He finally muttered bitterly, and I tilted my head in confusion. He turned to look at me, his eyes bloodshot and watery as he panted softly. "He fucking blamed me for Paul's death. He said that if I had paid attention more, I would have known." He sobs out the last four words, and I suddenly feel a pang of rage. What the fuck was Jim's problem? I didn't know, but I wanted to find out, and soon. "M-Matt? You're hurting me.." It was then that I noticed my nails were digging into his skin, not to mention my fists were clenched tightly onto his shoulders.
        "I'm sorry, baby.. Listen, I'm going to go.. Er.. Let the guys know what's happening, I'll be back in a few hours, okay?" I muttered, quickly thinking of an excuse to leave the hospital and go confront Jim on the bus. He frowned, reaching a fragile hand up to stroke my jawline, and I couldn't help but place my own hand over his and nuzzle into his touch.
        "Can't you call them and let them know..?" He whispered sadly, and I frowned as well, guilt hitting me like a ton of bricks. I might as well just  tell him the truth; but if I did that, he would do everything in his power to stop me. In the same respects, though, I couldn't lie to him for long. He could basically read my thoughts, pick up on things that only one other person was able to detect. You mean Jimmy? My brain teases.
        "I.. I want to confront Jim." I growled.
        "Matt, no!" He hissed, struggling to sit up. I attempted to keep him stationary, but he swatted my hand away, so I gave up that mission. "I can fight my own battles.. I mean, obviously not this second, but I can deal with this.. You don't have to put yourself between us, babe.." He said angrily, but it wasn't directed towards either Jim or myself. It was directed towards his own self, almost like he was angry at himself for not being able to take care of it right this minute.
        "I do." I snapped, standing up and turning away as I folded my arms. "Corey.. Do you remember what I said to you in the hotel before they put you in the ambulance?" I asked, and I heard him breathe 'no' in reply. "I.. I said.." My throat closed up. I couldn't tell him now. Oh, sure, I'm all brave when he's passed out and on the verge of death, but as soon as I get the chance to tell him when he's lucid, I choke up like a little bitch.
        "You said..?" He prods, and I shake my head, sitting back down next to him and putting my head in my hands. "Matt, you know you can tell me, baby... I'll never, ever judge you for anything you say or do." He whispers, and I simply shake my head again. I hear him huff a loud sigh before the bed shifts, and he's back into a laying position. "I'm.. I'm just gonna sleep.. Please, don't leave while I'm asleep.."
        "I won't.." I lied, placing my hand over his for a second before I brought it to my mouth and placed a gentle kiss on the back of it. He smiled weakly, closing his eyes after a minute of staring at me; in no time, he was snoring softly, and I knew what had to be done. I kissed his forehead before rising from my seat, silently leaving the room and making my way over to the nurse's station.
        "Can I help you?" One of the younger, blonde-haired nurses said, not even bothering to look up from her stack of papers and her ever-clacking keyboard. I cleared my throat impatiently, and she stopped for a second before looking up at me.
        "My friend Corey is in that room right there," I pointed backwards at his door. "Whatever you do, don't wake him up. If he asks where I went, tell him you didn't know I was even in there. Got it?" I asked a bit angrily, and she nodded, turning back to her work. "Another thing," She looked back up at me. "Eye contact when someone's talking to you is important. Your papers can wait, patients who are dying can't. Keep that in mind next time you ignore someone." I spit before stomping out of the hospital.