I got all of my 'knowledge' on Heroin and the withdrawal off of medical websites, so it should be pretty accurate.
Chapter 10: Accepting Your Help
Kerry Weaver had been in a panic all the way home on the L-Train, not knowing what to expect. All of the symptoms which her sisters had described to her, briefly as they were, all pointed to one thing, withdrawal. And she knew how dangerous that could be. It Ray wasn't eating properly; and the truth was she wasn't actually certain if he was, not having ate any of their meals together since he had been there, that the withdrawal could potentially be fatal. She just prayed that it wouldn't come to that.
Seeing that it was her stop, Kerry got off her seat and began to make her trek back to her apartment, hoping that maybe she was just overacting and that Ray was in fact fine. Of course, her inner mantra of 'please let me be wrong' proved futile as she entered the door of her apartment, to find a shaking and pale Ray, curled up on the couch and looking terrible.
Walking over to the couch, Kerry immediately put her hand on his forehead, shocked when she felt the heat that was radiating from his body.
'Have you given him anything?' Kerry asked Karen as she walked to the kitchen to get another glass of water and remover her coat and gloves.
'No, I didn't know what to do, so I just waited until you got here' answered Karen, her fear visible to Kerry through her shaking voice.
'Well, that's good. Because I think that it is withdrawal from the drugs, and giving him more would just make this problem worse' Kerry answered, matter-of-factly.
Walking over to Ray, Kerry placed her hand on his shoulder, feeling the trembling, and gently shook him as she said,
'Ray, sweetie, I need for you to sit up for a moment' Kerry said in a gentle voice, so unlike her normal sergeant drill tone, the one she reserved for work. But this was family, and she was going to do anything and everything she could to help.
Ray slowly opened his eyes, the lids heavy and pushed himself up on aching forearms into a sitting position on the couch like asked. Karen was quickly sitting in the empty seat beside Ray, to his left, with his hand in hers, and her other hand stroking his warm forehead.
Kerry walked over from the kitchen with a thermometer in her hand and sat on the other side of Ray, and held it out to him as she said,
'Put this in your mouth so we can see what temperature you are, and then you can go and lie down.'
Ray did as was asked and after a few minutes the sound of a couple of 'beeps' filled the room, and Ray handed the thermometer to Kerry with quaking hands.
'102.0' Kerry read aloud, the high temperature doing nothing to dampen her fears and worry for her nephew.
Ray was slouched down in his seat, trying to find a way to get comfortable with his aching muscles, and the chills that were constantly racking through his body, causing him to shiver more violently than before. His uncomfortable position was soon added to by the fact that his nose kept running, and although he had no idea why, he was definite that it was annoying the hell out of him even further. Much like the fact that his mother and aunt were treating what he thought was a simple case of the flu like he was a breakable toy.
Kerry got up and went to the fridge and poured a pitcher of ice cold water, knowing that it was one of the best ways to get Rays temperature down. She also lifted a box of tissues when she saw him keep sniffing and wiping at his nose with the tissues, a side affect of the withdrawal.
'You should drink this and then take of your sweatshirt and lie down. You need to get that temperature down' Kerry said as she handed the glass to her nephew and smiled as he gazed up at her with sleepy eyes, reminding her of the little boy who she used to look after when he was sick, always begging to go outside for 'just ten more minutes'
Taking the offered glass, Ray brought it to his lips, and took a gulp. He instantly felt his throat fell as if it was being gripped by an ice hand, the water freezing as it made its way down. He took another mouthful as he watched the insistent gaze of his aunt, and eventually he was finished the glass. With his throat aching, Ray stood on slightly shaky legs and made his way to the room he was staying in.
Closing the door, Ray did as he was told and pulled his hoodie off, instantly feeling the chill. Pulling off his jeans and putting on a pair of more comfortable sweats, Ray lifted the sheets and crawled under, pulling them up to his chin, the blanket wrapped around him like a cocoon.
Outside in the living room, Kerry was sitting on the couch, Karen sitting beside her, neither knowing what to say. Breaking the silence, Kerry said in a hushed voice,
'I think that we should suggest the rehab programme again, since he sees now that it isn't going to be easy. Maybe now he will accept out help'
Looking at the door of Ray's room, and then back at her sister, Karen said,
'I think that is the best we can do. But let him rest for a bit.'
Getting up and going to the kitchen to begin making lunch, since her nor Karen had eaten, Kerry said,
'I'll talk to him if you want?' Kerry stated it as more of a question, not wanting to seem imposing.
Getting up and following her sister, Karen pulled Kerry into a hug and whispered in her ear in a choked voice,
'I don't know where I'd be without you'
It was later that evening and Ray woke up, feeling rather cold. As he moved to sit up and get another blanket, he stopped when he saw a figure in the room, not certain whether it was his mother or aunt, the silhouette the only thing he could make out in the dark through his sleep laden eyes.
'Sorry, did I wake you' and Ray knew that it was his aunt.
Shaking his head, although he wasn't sure if she could see or not, Ray replied,
'No, I was cold…was going to get another blanket'
Before he could even move to swing his feet over to the side of the bed, Kerry grabbed a comforter from the foot of the bed and placed it over Ray, and sat down on the space beside him.
Reaching behind him, Kerry turned on the lamp, the lighting not so bright as to hurt Rays eyes, as they quickly adjusted to the change.
'Ray, we need to talk'
Pushing himself up on one arm, the blanket still covering him, Ray nodded for her to continue.
'Your mother and I were thinking that it would be good for you if you gave the rehab a chance. We want to help you, but we also know that you need a chance to do this on your own. You could get that doing the rehab.'
Pausing, Kerry waited for some sort of reaction from Ray, and to be honest she was expecting one similar to that in the hospital. However, she was surprised when he just looked at her with glistening eyes, and she wasn't certain, but she swore they were tears.
'If you did go, then it would be a three week programme, here in Chicago. Once you were done you would stay with me for a little while until you got off your feet again and then you could go back home…and be a good boy' Kerry added the last part with a smile, trying to lighten the mood in the room.
Drinking in what she had said, Ray knew that he had no other choice than to accept. He had put his mother and aunt through hell, and for what! A meaningless fix of something that had killed so many people. He felt ashamed of himself for what he had done; and even though he tired to fight the pool of tears that were brimming in his eyes, determined that he wasn't going to make an idiot of himself, Ray closed his eyes and he felt the first salty tears slid down his cheeks, the air hitting them and making him feel even colder.
Seeing her nephew looking so helpless and broken, Kerry did the only thing she could think of, comfort him. And so, wrapping her arms around him, Kerry pulled him into a tight embrace, still feeling the trembling, and ran her hand up and down his back as she rocked back and forth, hearing him say 'I'm sorry' into her shoulder, and she actually believed him.
Well, I hope that you all liked this chapter…and please review to let me know what you thought! Good…bad…ugly!