Salubrious part 15

Charlie had blacked out from the emotional distress and anxiety. The dizziness was so intense that he couldn’t focus on anything but his labored breath and the overwhelming guilt of leaving Allan.

The black out immediately followed his fainting, which made the ambulance that had been waiting for another patient to be stabilized call for a second ambulance.

As paramedics ran over to help Charlie, it was a long time before he would open his eyes.

He opened his heavy eyes, feeling as though he had been struck by a bus. He was able to slowly make out details, hearing a small beeping noise, then he saw an IV drip, and then he saw white.

But the first thought that came to his head wasn’t about his welfare, where he was or even about why he felt so terribly ill. It was only one word.

“Allan,” Charlie said in a weak voice.

“Charlie?”

The familiar nasally voice made his eyes widen, and he shot up in the bed, mouth open in surprise. He realized too late he got up too fast, feeling lightheaded, accidentally jarring the IV, and he fell back down haphazardly on the pillow.

“Fuck, ow, that hurts so bad,” Charlie muttered.

Suddenly he felt a soft, gentle touch on his arm, helping him adjust himself in a more relaxed and comfortable position.

His eyes finally focused and he saw it was a nurse that was helping him, and he felt violently sick again. Was that voice an hallucination? Was he being haunted by Allan’s ghost? He was freaking out, hyperventilating slowly.

“Mr. Dompler, I’m going to need you to relax, please. Try to take slow breaths in your nose and out of your mouth. I need to fix your IV and I can give you something for the pain. I’m going to call your doctor to check in on you shortly now that you’re awake,” the nurse smiled at him, trying to fix the IV carefully. Charlie said nothing for a whole minute, trying to slow his breathing.

She gave him some pills and water, “Please take this if you can. We can go over your medical history and care plan once the doctor comes to check in on you.”

Charlie’s breath regulated and he finally felt able to speak. “Allan,” he repeated. “Is…” he coughed. “Where is he?”

“Who is Allan? Is he your family? If he’s in visitation…” she started to say.

“I’m right here,” the annoyed voice said, making Charlie recognize it immediately.

The nurse turned around, laughing in surprise. “Oh my goodness, I didn’t see you there, dear,” she said to the person behind her. “Are you Allan?”

Suddenly he saw red again, right by his bed. Big, beautiful red, Charlie thought with immediacy, but he pushed down his sweet feelings, letting anger and fear flow through instead.

“It’s me, Charlie.”

Charlie had so many questions, so much he wanted to say, needed to say. But he couldn’t get the right words out without sounding upset so he said nothing.

“I saw you faint,” Allan said finally to a shell-shocked Charlie. “Nurse, will he be okay now?”

The nurse nodded, “We will have to run some tests. Make sure he’s able to eat on his own. Drink as well.”

“He usually drinks like a fish, so I don’t think that’ll be a problem,” Allan said with a hint of humor. Charlie scoffed.

“What the hell, Allan, what the fuck happened back there?” Charlie said in a groggy voice.

The nurse and Allan exchanged looks.

“I’ll leave you two alone. I’ll be back with the doctor soon,” she said, walking out quickly.

The silence between them felt like a dangerous shark that was going to bite them at any moment.

Charlie silently looked at Allan, scanning for injuries. He saw a large bandage on Allan’s forearm. But, overall, he looked normal.

Allan also scanned Charlie, looking at the bandage on Charlie’s forehead more intently.

“Have long have you been here?” Charlie asked, his voice cracking.

Allan shrugged. “All day and night.”

“What the heck. So.. I’ve been here since yesterday?”

Allan nodded. “Yeah.”

“Is Pim okay?”

Allan nodded. “He’s okay. He’s been here since you first got admitted, but he had to go back to work for a job.”

“Oh, okay.” Charlie sat up a little bit, feeling strained. “My head hurts. Damnit.”

Allan noticed, helping him adjust to the new posture by adding a pillow under his sides. Charlie felt himself slipping toward on side of the bed.

“Shit, this damn hospital bed is so stupid,” Allan complained, helping Charlie situate back to a better position where he can sit up straighter.

“Is that better?” Allan asked, not looking at him directly. The undirected heat between them hung in the air but Charlie swallowed the heat like smoke.

“Dude, you don’t have to mother me,” Charlie barked. He didn’t have the heart to inch away from Allan’s firm but gentle touch, but he also wasn’t looking at him directly either.

“Fuck, you’re annoying when you’re sick,” Allan said, scoffing.

Charlie rolled his eyes. “What’s with the bandage on your arm?” He said in a very frustrated tone.

“My stupid landlord stabbed my arm,” Allan spurted out, turning away from Charlie.

Charlie felt a deep rumble of anger hearing that. “What the fuck? He … he fucking stabbed you? Why’d you fucking let yourself be alone with that psycho?” Charlie laughed with a painful irony. “Of course he fucking did that. What the ever loving fuck!”

Allan heard the outburst, feeling his face grow hot over Charlie’s furious response.

“I told you to stop antagonizing him. I needed you and Pim to go for a reason,” Allan said in a tense voice, putting his arms over his chest.

Charlie growled, “The reason was so he could have a better shot at you! I knew I shouldn’t have listened to you!”

Allan turned around, his eyes narrowed, “But you did listen to me.”

Charlie gulped. “Why is talking to you so infuriating?”

“Because you think you’re so damn smart! But you don’t know everything, Charlie!”

“What about you with your fancy inventory lists and everything so fucking organized like OCD was a catching thing!”

“It’s not my fault you can’t pick up after yourself. You’re just a slob!” Allan argued back, looking down upset. He kicked the chair next to Charlie’s bed. Charlie frowned, angry at himself for being so stupid. This wasn’t what he wanted to say to Allan at all.

“Damn-it. Damn you Charlie!” Allan suddenly covered his face, “You scared me so bad.”

Charlie bit his lip, “I scared you?” He swallowed. “Dude, you fucking scared me.”

Allan put his hands down, looking at him.

“Why’d you have to faint like that?” Allan asked.

“I’m not a little bitch, Allan. I just didn’t drink enough water.”

“Pim said you vomited and suggested your bigger mass could’ve effectively put down the landlord. And I saw your tear stained cheek.”

“Pim told you I cried, man that’s messed up…”

Allan shook his head, placing a hand on Charlie’s arm. “I saw it. Pim didn’t say anything.”

“Cool. I mean, that’s just great. Now you must think I’m a pussy or something. You saw me pass out pathetically like some drunken idiot.”

“No, not a drunken idiot, Charlie,” Allan replied quietly. “Also, not a pussy.”

“What happened in there?” Charlie asked finally.

Allan sighed. “I refused to hang out with him. He went crazy, started breaking my stuff. I tried to tackle him. He dropped his knife and we both reached for it. He was able to get it before me, and slammed the knife in my arm. That’s when the police came upstairs.”

Charlie felt frozen listening, his heart thumping wildly in his chest.

“He ran away, and they eventually found him in an empty apartment room that was about to be renovated for rental. They arrested him I heard. He’s still in jail. The judge denied bond.”

Charlie quietly listened. “That’s why I saw you on the stretcher.”

Allan’s face looked like it had a light turn on. “Did… did seeing me on the ambulance stretcher make you faint?”

Charlie snorted. “What? Allan, you are…. Why did you stay here the whole time? You were really here the entire time I was in the hospital?”

Allan nodded. “Pim needed a break. I stayed for solidarity.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Charlie said frustratedly.

Allan shrugged. “Then don’t talk.”

Charlie put his arms around his chest. “Why don’t you not talk too?”

“Fine. Be that way you yellow son-of-bitch.”

“I will, you annoying red stick.”

Allan felt a soft chuckle hit his lips, “Fack, that was weird.”

Charlie heard the chuckle, feeling the absurdity of it all land.

“Yeah, it was. Sorry.”

“Annoying red stick?” Allan repeated, laughing louder now.

“I guess that’s funny,” Charlie grumbled with no bite, laughing a little.

“Yeah, you’re funny, sometimes.”

They laughed a bit and stayed silent afterwards.

Allan sat down on Charlie’s bed, placing his hand near the other’s arm. Ever so slightly, Charlie inched his arm near Allan’s hand. Allan noticed and moved his hand to touch Charlie’s arm gently.

They stayed that way for awhile until the doctor came in. Allan still remained until the doctor needed to give Charlie a physical. The silence continued like a cloud of calm amongst them, as they finally felt that the other was safe.