Medication:

Chapter Five: Still, I'm Not Right

I'm astounded. This is...The girl. The girl with the dark hair. And she's at my door! I can hardly speak!

"...I..." is all I'm able to produce, and even that was a sad attempt.

"Can I come in?" she asked me, but didn't really give me a chance to answer. She just kind of shoved her way in.

"Yes, I suppose." I said, looking at her.

She pushed me away from the door, closed it, and locked it.

"Do you remember me?" she asked.

"Yes...Well...Kind of." I said, not really sure how to explain it, "You're SUPPOSED to be a figment of my imagination. But apparently not..."

"That's because I'm not. I was your..." she faded for a second. I'm not sure why. It kind of seems like she doesn't know how to descri-

"I can't really say girlfriend...I was a date of yours once. We were really close. But then you tried to kill me." She said quickly, all at once.

My eyes must look really wide, because she looks concerned. She fell to her knees and crawled over to me.

"Do you remember anything about before?" she asked.

"Before...The Sleep?" I ask her.

"The...Sleep?" she asked, obviously confused.

"Yes. They said I went to sleep and woke up three weeks later a whole new, better person."

"...So you don't take any medication?"

"Yes, of course I take medication. Come see." I say, and take her by the arm. I bring her to the medicine cabinet. I keep only pills in here. All my cosmetics and things I keep on the counter space of the sink.

I open the door; they're arranged in alphabetical order. Most of them are really large, having to hold a lot of pills in high dosage. I have a collective 53 pill bottles, most of them orange, some of them green. I have one blue one and one red one too.

She looks like she wants to pass out any second.

"Miss?" I say, putting one hand on her back for support.

"My name's Devi, Johnny. There was a time when you wouldn't have forgotten that for the world." She said, sadly.

"Johnny?...Did you know me before the sleep?" I ask. I have to know.

Oh no.

Oh, God, no.

Not now!

Not now! I'm getting a tingle!

Luckily I have them in my pocket...But I don't want to take it! I just don't want to! My therapist won't know...Will he?

I've got to. I must.

I reach into my pocket and take out an orange pill bottle. I open it, and shake one into my hand. I go to put it in my mouth...But...She stops me.

"Don't. Just don't. I can tell you everything you need to know about yourself. And what I can't tell you, someone else can."

This is my chance! I knew this girl was special to me!

"Yes, please...But...I have to take this pi-"

"No." She says and grabs my hand, lowering it. She gently slips the bottle out of my hand. "No. You don't want this stuff. I'm surprised you don't have ulcers or something in your stomach, you asshole. I can't believe you let them do this to you."

"...Them? And I have a medication for the ulcers." I say, "And the side effects."

She sighs, and I wonder why.

At least I know one thing.

Apparently my name used to be Johnny.

I never really thought Stewart Smith was a very fitting title.