1Chapter Six : Steve spends a week in the hospital

In the hospital waiting room, DJ was still weeping into her hands when a lady sits beside her. The lady introduced herself as Isabel and said, "Hi. Why are you weeping?"

DJ looked up and wondered, "I'm DJ. Why are you here?"

Isabel began, "Well, I have leukemia. I was at home and my young nephew punctured a mark in my arm where it started bleeding. The bleeding won't stop and I'm in a lot of pain. Plus, to top that off, I feel down the stairs and I think I twisted both my ankles."

DJ sorrowfully said, "Oh, I'm so sorry for you. Hope you get better soon. Well...I'm here because my fiancé got drunk at this club and fainted or something. I'm so scared...no one has come out to tell me how he's doing. I miss him and want to be with him now." She started crying again.

Isabel put her good arm around DJ and tried confronting her, "Oh, dear. It must be hard for you. I hope your fiancé gets better soon too. So, would you and I want to be friends?"

DJ smiled, "That's the best thing I've heard since I've entered this hospital. Of course I would."

So, the two ladies exchanged addresses and phone numbers, and promised each other that they will keep in touch.

DJ added, "If you don't mind me asking, how old are you? I'll be 18 next month, and my fiancé is almost 19."

Isabel grinned, "I'm sure you two make a perfect couple. Congratulations to you both! By the way, I'm 28 years old."

Just then, a nurse scurried over to DJ and mumbled, " I need you...Steve wants you...hurry."

Isabel turned toward her new friend, "Go ahead. I'll call you later."

DJ smiled again and left with the nurse. In the ER, Steve had so many machines and IVs connected to him but the doctors couldn't figure out what's wrong with him. Getting closer to Steve, DJ asked, "Are you alright?"

Steve couldn't say anything because he had an oxygen mask on and many tubes coming out of his mouth. One doctor approached DJ and explained, "Has your boyfriend been drinking?"

DJ replied, "Well, he had a few drinks but it wasn't because of me. His friends forced him to."

The doctor frowned, "I'm afraid to say this but we are going to have to run some tests on him all week so we know for sure what's wrong with him. Right now, all we know is that his body has a lot of alcohol in it and it's our duty to filter his blood and clean it out."

DJ asked, "Would I be able to sleep in his room with him on a cot?"

The doctor said, "I'm not sure. You'd have to make accommodations with the nurses on duty."

DJ followed them as the doctor and a nurse brought Steve to his room on the second floor. After the doctor and nurse left his room, DJ slowly walked up to her fiancé and tried to kiss him but it was simply impossible with all the tubes so she started to cry. Steve must've heard her weeping and opened his eyes. He whispered, "I love you, baby...even though I can't kiss you now. We'll make up for it later." With very little strength but a lot of effort, he was able to grab DJ's hand and hold it tight. After a good twenty minutes, he said, "Darling, call my mom." And he drifted off to sleep.

DJ went out to the nurses' desk to use the phone and called Steve's mom. When his mom answered, she said, "Hi. This is DJ. You wouldn't believe what happened to Steve."

Shocked, his mom asked, "What happened?"

DJ explained, "After breakfast today, we went for a walk to a club. I told him specifically not to drink but two of his friends chugged several gallons of beer down his throat and then they were drunk. I got an ambulance to take him to the hospital. Right now, the doctors don't know what's wrong with him but he has to stay here for a week. I'm so sorry. I feel like it's my fault."

His mother said, "Don't be silly, Deej, it's not your fault. I'll be right there so you'll be able to go home."

DJ insisted, "No, I've decided to sleep on a cot in his room. He needs me here. That way you can go home and sleep. See you soon. Bye."

Thirty minutes later, Steve's mother charged into the room and started crying when she saw her son. DJ put an arm around her and said, "It's ok, Mrs. Hopkins. I know how you feel but Steve will be better very soon. Just have faith and believe."

She walked up to Steve and asked, "How are you feeling, my son?"

Steve opened his eyes and whispered, "Hi mom. I'm so sorry. I feel like a miserable kid and haven't been good to Deej. I'm achy all over and I have a pounding headache. All I wanta do is sleep."

His mom held his hand and kissed it, "Oh dear, get your rest. Are you thirsty?"

Steve asked, "Can I have some apple juice?"

His mom called for a nurse and asked to bring some apple juice. The nurse said, "He can't drink anything because he has five IVs connected."

His mom demanded, "Well, get the doctor's order to remove the IVs. He needs to drink, you know."

After getting doctor's orders, the nurse came in and disconnected all five IVs. Steve felt a little relief but he was still in a lot of pain. At least they could see his face and arms now. He seemed like he was dehydrated because he drank three glasses of apple juice. The machines connected to his body were cleaning his blood and being rid of the alcohol substances. Fortunately, he wasn't smoking or the situation would have been worse. His mom sat down next to DJ alongside Steve's bed. Steve smiled at the two of them, "Thank you both. I'd probably be dead now if it weren't for you two."

His mom sternly said, "It's not over yet. The doctors still don't know what's wrong with you. Hopefully it's nothing too drastic."

The three of them drifted off to sleep until the next morning.

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