Mike forced himself not to say it again. He forced the words to stay down in attempt to let Jeremy actually speak, but Jeremy didn't say anything. Looking up from the glass, Mike asked again, a little more forcefully.
"I-... I."
"Jeremy," his blurry vision became a little clearer, and his welled up tears bubbled over, "I need you to tell me how many you took!"
"Fifty."
The word had come out so suddenly, so coherently, that it winded him like a punch to the stomach. Jeremy took one look at his expression, and dissolved back into sobs and apologies.
Mike stumbled back into the counter. He could hardly feel his body. The salt water trick wasn't going to work fast enough. Mike groped his pants in search for his phone, and his heart skipped a beat when he found it. He snathced it out, and fumbled with the keypad. The black font sitting inside its white background was hard to read through his muddy vision.
He blinked rapidly, and wiped his eyes on his sleeve. It didn't help much, but he could see the keys a little better. He stumbled to press the right ones, hitting 511, 119, and 6111, before finally punching in 911. The phone rang once, then twice, and someone answered.
"Hello, this is 911. What is your emergency?"
Somehow, hearing that unfamiliar, disembodied voice say that one phrase, the same one he had heard so dully on TV a million times before, made this situation painfully more real than if had been just moments ago.
Mike's breath was locked inside his chest, and his heart was thumping in stange, irregular motions. He looked up at Jeremy, who was now sitting down on the sofa not too far away, still crying.
"Hello?"
Mike's attention snapped back to the voice on the phone.
"I- sh-shit," He was having trouble seeing again.
"Sir, what's your emergency?"
"M-my friend. He… he tried to kill himself…" Mike swallowed in attempt to loosen his throat; to clear the gravel out of his voice, but it didn't work.
"What's your location?"
"He… he swallowed fifty pills. I-I couldn't get him to cough it all up…" He pulled in a shaky breath, and ran a hand over his face.
"You tried to gag him?-"
"Do I need to try again?" His voice broke off several times, and he was actually surprised that the woman was able to make out what he had said.
"No! Sir, can you please give me your location? I need you to tell me, so I can alert emergency dispatchers."
" (random) University. Third floor, room 302."
"Emergency dispatchers are on their way. Do you want me to stay with you until they arrive?"
"What do I do?" He asked, looking back up at Jeremy.
"The best thing you can do is to wait for the emergency dispatchers to get there-"
He hung up.
"God damnit." He whispered. "God damnit."
Right now, Mike was relying on the counter to hold him up more than ever, and he couldn't help but to wonder if he was going to be able stay conscious. He shook his head, and took a deep breath. He couldn't pass out. He needed to be awake right now.
Mike looked back up at Jeremy, and his heart pulsed so hard that it knocked him in the throat. The sight that met him made him jump, and hurried over towards his roomate. He was leaning back into the couch, relaxed, and drowsy.
"No kid, you can't go to sleep." Mike said as he grabbed Jeremy's arm. "You have to stay up."
" I won't," He insisted groggily," I'm just… I'm just… really… really tired."
Mike's heart sunk, and he didn't know what to do. Jeremy looked like he could fall asleep at any moment, and Mike knew that if he fell asleep, he wasn't waking back up.
"Come on, stand up," Mike said as he pulled lightly on Jeremy's arm, causing him to stand up unsteadily.
"I… don't want to... stand up."
"I know, but you have to stay awake. Just walk around some."
"When I finish," He paused, but continued, "Then can I sit down?"
Mike shook his head as he tried to swallow his tension, but it had formed an unmoving knot in his throat. "No, just walk in circles."
"I… can't… I'm too tired…" He replied miserably.
"Yes you can," Mike blurted, his tears spilling out again. "Please, kid. J-just until the doctors get
here." He wiped his eyes on his sleeve, and sniffled in attempt to keep his snot in his nose. "Please."