You Don't Want To Be High Like Me
I Took A Pill In Ibiza by Mike Posner
After Mark had finished sobbing Mindy had separated herself from him and driven them both home thinking about how mad Mindy would be if a police officer pulled over to help only to find American Hero Mark Watney balling like a baby in the shotgun seat of Mindy's Black Mini Cooper Countryman.
When they had gotten home they had said goodbye at the door like they usually did and went into their respective apartments as if today hadn't happened. Mindy immediately slumped down onto the floor in front of her entrance and wondered if Mark would pretend that she hadn't just confessed her love for him, or whether he would even take it in the right context seeing as she had just said the crew loved him too. And Mindy know they did, boy did she know they loved him but she really hoped it wasn't in the same way she loved him otherwise things could get real weird, real fast.
She cursed herself for basically putting herself in the friend zone and lumping herself in with the rest of his friends. It had taken so long to even say the words to Mark and now she'd have to work up the nerve to say them again all because of her bad timing, that being said, her words had seemed to have had a calming effect on Mark which was good.
She contemplated this still lying face down on the floor for a while until her black feline jumped onto the back of her head and startled her out of her thoughts "Oh come here Nico. Honestly I never know if you're good luck or bad luck these days. The way my life's been going I'm guessing you switch everyday. As soon as a get some good luck you turn it all around and then I have to use the next day's good luck just trying to get back to where I started." She turned onto her back and lifted him off her face "And how many times have I told you not to sit on my face Nico!" She light-heartedly scolded the black cat not really mad at his disobedience he simply replied with a small "meow." which Mindy could have sworn meant 'I don't give a f*ck'. Slowly she got up kicked off her shoes and padded to the kitchen laying Nico on the counter top as she made herself some tea.
Her land lord had reinstalled hot water taps into most of the apartments including her's and Mark's so she had no need for a kettle and was done making her tea in ten seconds having grabbed a mug and chucked in a tea bag and some sugar before running under the fossit.
She sat on her couch curled up with her cat and her drink and watched the News wondering what devastating world event of cute animal sitting had taken place in the past day. She almost spat out her tea when an image of Mark looking absolutely shell shocked at the last tweet cycled through the news and then a very blurry image of em here/em storming past security guards as they all went to stop her and than another one (although still very blurry was definitely taken on a higher quality camera) of her and Mark getting back into her car, thankfully her number plate was blurred out but because of her brief internet fame from the Flanca affair it wouldn't take Batman (or Sherlock) to deduce from those grainy images that it was her coming to Mark's rescue. She sighed as she picked up her phone and clicked 5. 5 was Annie Montrose's speed dial. She liked Annie, she really did but she hated having to talk to her about media stuff, especially if she was involved.
"Mindy!" She answered cheerfully "I wasn't expecting your call!"
"Um yeah, I'm not sure if this is an issue or not but uuum... Have you seen today's Watney Report?"
Annie sighed "I really hoped the weird way it cut from a twitter question to Kate awkwardly saying goodbye was on purpose." He good mood deflated "What happened."
"Well they were reading tweets from people and most of them were really nice but one was just awful Annie, telling him to kill himself and such and well of course Kate shut the screen of immediately claiming technical difficulties but Mark's reaction even over a television screen just broke my heart so I was going to call him but then I realised, it was only 5 minutes away and Mark had taken a cab there so I jumped in my car stormed past security and dragged him outta there as fast as I could and there are pictures. Albeit blurry security footage pictures but they're on the news and people are going to figure out it's me."
"It's fine. This is fine. It's not too bad, I can handle this, especially since you told me so early. I may need a statement or something from you later but right now, we should be good. Thanks for informing me Mindy, I know you don't like telling me about this stuff."
"Am I that obvious?"
"Mindy you practically flinch when I even talk PR in front of you yet alone when you try talking to me. It's like watching someone with a nervous twitch."
"Mmmm. Thanks Annie, that's real flattering." She heard a dull thump come from the wall she and mark shared "Hang on a second there was a weird noise from Mark's place."
"By all means, investigate."
"Right, Bye Annie." She hung up without waiting to see if Annie would return the farewell. "Investigate I shall." She said to no one ("MEOW!" I mean-She said to Nico).
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Mark said goodbye to Mindy at their front doors like they usually did and then went inside his own apartment not baring to be around her any more. Not that he didn't like her, quite the opposite in fact it's just he was so embarrassed. He had cried like a little boy into her shoulder and while most people would agree it was reasonable after all he'd been through, he couldn't help the shame that had burned through him like a wildfire once he had sobered up from his sob fest. Mindy hadn't acted weird about it, she had continued as if it hadn't happened, driving him home and not asking annoying questions like 'Do you want me to stay with you tonight?' because while he would absolutely love her company right now he wouldn't be able to take it if she felt she had to offer it.
He looked around his empty apartment and it was times like this he wished his old dog Buzz was still alive or that he had a cat like Mindy. em'Mindy/em he thought. Mindy who had just said that she loved him. Mark couldn't dare to hope. Mindy who had also said the crew loved him. A fact e was well aware of and grateful for everyday but not quite what he needed to fill the gaping chasm of loneliness that seemed to be widening the longer he was around people rather than filling up like Dr Shields had told him it would the first time he had mentioned it to her.
He wondered if he should mention how much Vicodin he'd really been taking to her or at least to Chris, because he knew the amount he was taking was not good especially for his already space strained body but he knew if he told them, they'd take the Vicodin away and Mark doesn't know how he'd cope without it. He'd barely been coping taking two what must have been every 4 hours unless he was sleeping, he would be an absolute wreck without them. It suddenly hit him that he was a drug addict. Mark Watney, American Hero, Coloniser of Mars and Space Pirate was a drug addict. He really hope the media didn't catch wind of that or he'd get eaten alive by the press and Chris would be so mad at him. Heck the whole crew would be mad. And he didn't think they would understand how he could feel so lonely in a city full of people, a luxury he had not been afforded for what must have been almost 4 years because em yes/em it was a luxury despite the fumes of traffic and constant sound of honking and the yell of some guy with road rage and every now and then the sound of a rocket taking off in the distance or an aeroplane going over head, all these sounds would annoy most people but Mark treasured those sounds as if they were his last food rations on a baron wasteland. He devoured those sounds, he lived for them, the sounds that reminded him he was safe and he was home, and he didn't have to put on a space suit every time he want outside, and he could get in a car and actually open the windows without dying and every other thing wouldn't kill him if it broke. And he still got mini heart attacks if the oven stops working for a minute because the guy directly below him was using his oven at the same time or if one of his potted plants begins to wilt because no plants means no food and no food means death until he realises he has a fridge full of food and he needs to get a grip and if he still panics because he thinks the hot water tap is being powered by an RTG he doesn't ever admit it to himself (yet alone to other people).
Mark moved away from his front door where he had been standing for the last five minutes stewing in his embarrassment and sat down on his sofa, swigging Vicodin straight from the bottle as he did so, he almost choked at the amount that went down his throat. Oh well, he was sure the side effects wouldn't be that bad. He quickly turned the TV on and put on the News and when he saw his shell shocked face playing through the news cycle Mark's temper flared. An immense rage just overtook him and before he knew it he had hurled the remote at the TV, of course this did nothing to even stun the news reporter on the screen which just proved to anger Mark more "God Damn it!" He hissed at the TV, at the reporter announcing his business to the world "Why can't you all just leave me alone!" He was speaking loudly, his voice full of venom but not loudly enough to pierce the walls. He leapt up from his sofa, dislodging pillows and throwing them to the floor before climbing over the low hanging coffee table and straight up punching the television directly in the centre of the reporters face. The picture cut out as a fist size smash mark appeared on the screen and Mark howled at the shards of glass that had embedded itself into his hand. He clutched it tight to his body and unceremoniously slumped on the floor.
When Mindy came bursting in curios and worried she was completely taken aback to find Mark slumped up against the wall of his living room, his TV destroyed and blood dripping from his fist "Oh my God!" She exclaimed. She had no idea what to do in this situation, she was SatCom, not DocCom "Mark what happened?!"
"I happened! I'm a mess Mindy. I don't even know what I'm doing." his words seemed slightly slurred which worried her even more
"Mark how much blood have you lost?" She crouched down phone in her hand, thumb hovering over Chris' name but her other finger hovering over 991.
"No' much." His slurring seemed to be getting worse "A'though, I may ha'e ta'en some extra Vicod'n."
"How much extra?!" She cried indignantly thumb moving more toward the 911 button
"Not that much!" He tried to assure her but the slurring of his voice and the memory of taking way too much Vicodin on a good day were influencing her judgement.
"I'm calling Chris."
"NO!" His eyes widened and he sobered up a little his hand shot up to the wrist that was holding the phone "You can't call Chris!"
"Why not?!" She asked trying to shake him off
"Because Chris'll take away my Vicodin away!" Mark was starting to not make sense "An' he'll be so disappoin'ed wiv me an' he'll give me em the look/em with 'is big blue eyes an' then'e'll say I'm a drug addic' an' then Commander Lewis'll feel guilty cuz she blames 'erself an' Beth'll be sad! She's only little, she's the youngest of the crew an' I don't want to make 'er cry. If she finds out abou' this I know she'll cry." His words were getting harder to understand as his speech went on "And Martinez will make bad drug jokes to calm me down but on the inside he'll be thinking how far I've fallen an' he'll wonder where his friend went an' Vogel won't even want to see me, he can't have his kids have a drug addict as an influence and and-" He finished barely above a whisper "Mindy you can't call Chris."
"I have to call Chris." She pressed the call button tugging her hand out of Mark's grasp, he was too weak from blood loss and Vicodin overdose to try and grab her again.
"If you call Chris I'll never speak to you again!" Mark cried out
Her phone rang. Once. Twice.
"Mindy the Crew will hate me!" He tried the sympathy card
"They won't hate you." Three times. Four.
"I'm serious Mindy! I'll hate you forever!" He turned back to threatening their friendship.
She winced at that "This is for the best Mark trust me, you need help right now. Help I can't provide." Five rings. Six.
And on the seventh he picks up "Hello?" Chris answered having not checked the caller ID first
"I hate you Mindy Park." His voice was filled with so much venom it hurt her to hear but she soldiered on with the call.
"It's Mark, he's cut himself on some glass and he's overdosed on Vicodin and I don't know what to do." She realised she had tears running down her cheek when she found she had to take a deep breath to continue "He's slurring and he's being really mean. He's not acting himself. Chris help. I don't know what to do- I don't know-"
"It's okay, it's okay! We'll sort this out. Call 911."
Mindy started "But the media-"
"I don't care about the media as long as Mark's alive to face them." Chris said sternly "Just call 911."
With one more quick glance at Mark she hung up on Chris and called 991
"991, what's your emergency?"
"I need an ambulance for The Regatta Apartments 22B off Kings Park Lane near the space centre. I've got Ma-" She couldn't say it was Mark Watney, that would get too much attention "-um a male in his late 30s glass cuts on his right hand and an overdose in Vicodin."
"Overdose? Make sure to keep him awake, we have an ambulance 4 minutes out."
"Four minutes. Okay I can do that." She mumbled to herself although the 991 person heard her
"Drug addicts tend to have mood swings, this could make them violent and unpredictable so be careful."
Mindy winced at the term 'drug addict' although she guessed that's what Mark was now even if the drug he was addicted to was a legal substance.
"Ya know Mindy." Mark said quietly
"What Mark?"
"You're really pretty." She raised an eyebrow at that unsure what to say "I know I said was wasn't going to talk to you but how are we supposed to car pool to work if I don't talk to you. And- and you probably thing I'm going to die or something, but I'm fine! I'm the finest I've ever been, I'm dandy! Just peachy! 100% A-okay! Like I've never felt better. Although I am a little tired. Maybe I can nap a bit before the ab'lance gets here." His eyes start to drift shut
"No! No Mark wake up! Stay with me now, you can not go to sleep. Now is not night time!"
"Nighty-night." His eyes closed more as he relaxed into the wall and floor
"No! Mark!" She shook him gently which barely got a response from him so she did the only thing she could do. She slapped him in the face.
"Wha-?" His eyes sprung open and he looked around frantically "Mind-?" he was cut off by a frantic knocking at his door.
Mindy leapt up and flung open the door expecting the Ambulance and was shocked to see a very worried looking Beck carrying a NASA first aid kit and Beth looking even more worried if that was possible behind him "Come on." She decidedly left the door open and hoped the Ambulance would hurry.
Beck and Beth followed Mindy back to his living room where Mark was still slumped on the floor "Jesus." Chris winced as he took in the sight of his friend pale, loopy on drugs and cut up from his TV.
"Yeah." Mindy agreed.
Beth was on the verge of tears and through the druggy haze Mark noticed it, he turned to Mindy "See, I tol' ya Beth'd cry. I di'n't wan' to make 'er cry. I said that you shoul'n't call Chris cuz he'll be mad and Beth'll be sad and Lewis'll be guilty and you said it was for the best but if Beth's cryin' how can I' be for the best?"
At that Beth turned around and wiped her tears away, vowing to be strong for Mark. She wouldn't let herself cry although her eyes were still a bit red and puffy she managed to stop a new flow of tears.
Just then the Ambulance duo entered the apartment "Hello?"
"In here!" Mindy replied
The two of them came in one wheeling a gurney and the other wielding a stomache pump.
"Thank God." Said Chris as he saw the stomach pump.
The gurney wheeling guy did a double take at Mark and Chris and Beth definitely recognising them as the Ares III crew but the Stomach pump woman got to work immediately "Hi I'm Ami. Can you tell me your name?"
"Mark." He mumbled.
"Well Mark I need you to open your mouth so I can put this inside."
"Whazzat?" Mark asked
"It's a stomach pump, to take out all the excess Vicodin I've been informed you ingested. So could you open your mouth."
"I guess." He opened his mouth as wide as his drug weary jaw muscles could.
"Good. Thank you very much Mark."
The other Ambulance worker was still staring from Beth to Beck to Mark as if trying to make sure that it was indeed the ARES III crew in front of him right now.
The contents of Mark's stomach emptied itself into the stomach pump and she sighed in relief. "Okay now that that's dealt with, we can fix the hand on the way to the hospital."
Mindy jumped in "Hang on, could you take us to NASA Flight Medicine Centre."
Ami looked at her oddly and then at the other two, than she looked at who she'd been treating "Hnag on!" She exclaimed only now catching on having been so engrossed in her job before to realise "Mark? As in Mark Watney?"
"That's my name, don't wear it out." Mark joked with a monotone voice
"Well string me up and call me a piñata!" She exclaimed "Yeah we can definitely get you there if you guys can get us through the front gates."
"Chris, Beth you guys bring your key cards?"
"Well I was kind of preoccupied." Chris said
Mindy thought for a moment before running off to Mark's room and returning with a special NASA issues touch key card. "This it?"
Chris nodded "That's the one."
The guy who was called Dylan nodded "Well then lets go. That hand isn't going to heal itself."
They lifted Mark onto the gurney and took him down the elevator. Mindy placed her jacket over his face to conceal his identity from the noisy people who had come to gawk at the ambulance and Chris and Beck did the same did the same with their own faces. The ambulance guy, Dylan held his own high-vis jacket over Mindy which she appreciated as she had been on National News and wouldn't be surprised if someone recognised her.
News. Annie. If this became public knowledge Annie and the whole of NASA really wouldn't be happy that one of their star astronauts became a drug addict right under their noises.
Gods when did this become her life. She used to just be Mindy Park from SatCom, the girl who nobody knew and now she was on National TV, busting past security and saving astronauts. Mindy realised that since spotting Mark on Mars, she had become somewhat of a bad ass. Who would have thought?
And now here she was sitting next to three astronauts in an ambulance heading to a space hospital. Her life had reached a whole new level of adventure although she'd gladly trade it all for Mark to be okay. Not just okay from the cuts and the overdose but okay from whatever had caused him to take so much Vicodin and lash out at his pretty expensive TV. She found herself clutching onto Mark's hand, a fact that if anyone noticed, no one commented for which she was somewhat grateful,.