CHapter Twenty-Three: Welcome To Hell

"What's wrong with Her Melina?" Han demands. It was a week since He found their little party and Katie was now laying in bed shivering, yet sweat plastered her blonde and pink hair to her face, and clung to her tank top. Melina wasn't looking to good either, with her sunken in eyes and grayish tinged skin. Melina just smooths back Katie's hair and whispers soothing nothings into her ear, trying to help her relax into a fitful sleep. When she was finally in a semi sleep state Melina gets off the bed and turns to Han, her arms crossed, and her famous scowl turning her lips down.

 

"isn't it obvious? She's going through withdrawls," She states picking invisible lint off her arm. Han's mind whirls as the pieces fit together. She was going through withdrawls which means she was not using anymore. He takes in Melina's sickly figure and states the obvious.

 

"You are too?" She just nods and sinks into Katie's swivelback chair.

 

"Yeah only I wasn't as bad as she was, I didn't realize how bad she had gotten till now." She says staring at her best friend. Katie whimpered something incoherent in her sleep and tosses onto her side, the sheets twisting around her legs, trapping them. "And before you say anything we can't take her to the clinic," Han just turns his eyes to her

 

"We have to, they can help her!" He says leaning against the desk next to her. Melina rolls her eyes and smacks his arm.

 

"Han if we take a Sixteen almost Seventeen year old Girl to a clinic for cocaine withdrawls they will call Social services and take her away faster then you can say We need help! Is that what you want? to watch the girl you care so freaking much about get taken away and possible never see her again because either she will be ship somewhere far away or you will be in freaking Jail for child endangerment?" She snaps pegging him with a 'how stupid are you?' look Han opens his mouth to protest but shuts it as the truth in her words hit him like a slap in the face. She was right, as much as he wanted to get h er help he knew that she would be taken away, and he knew it was selfish to want to keep her here instead of getting her help but he couldn't lose her. Melina just puts her hand on his shoulder and gives him a tight smile.

 

"Han?" Katie's weak fevered voice whispers from her bed and his head swivels to her, seeing her bright green eyes, dull with fever, staring up at him. He sees her withered form curled up half in the sheets, soaked with sweat and his heart shudders. He hated seeing her in Pain like this, He wanted to help her he wanted to take her pain away but this was one time that he couldn't do anything to help her,but be there for support. "Han?" She says again her voice cracking and he flies to her side, holding her fevered hand in his and smoothing away her limp hair off her face. "I'm sorry" She whispers, she opens her mouth to apologize again but he just shushes her

 

"Shhh It's OK, I know. I'm here for you angel." He says tightening his hold on her hand, she weakly returns the pressure and smiles at him. "Get some rest, I'll make you something to eat you need to eat something even if it hurts." He says when he sees her about to protest. She sags against her pillows and stiffly nods her head, in minutes she was passed out from exhaustion and pain. He places a kiss on her hand before placing it gently at her side. He gets up and motions for Melina to follow him out of her room. the two slip out quietly and stand awkwardly in the Hall way not knowing what to say to eachother.
 

"She's doing this for you you know?" Melina says softly looking up at him, her eyes looking painfully sunken in, her skin fragile.

 

"Why?" He says, feeling utterly helpless. Melina just snorts in a disbelief way and crosses her arms, lifting her chin and looking down at him.

 

"You can't be that stupid, I thought there was a brain behind those Sexy eyes of yours?" She says looking at him like He was the dumbest guy in the world. Han just leans against the wall and looks back at her, his eyes narrowing at the insult. Melina drops her hands and shakes her head in exasperation. "She doesn't want to lose you Han." She says to him like it was the most obvious statement in the world.

 

"S**t," he mutters raking a hand through his hair, knotting it up. Melina suddenly goes into a coughing fit, the spasm twisting painfulling in her body as she hunched over. Han puts a hand on her back and rubs it, trying to comfort her knowing that was all he could do. When she finally gasps for air and the coughing subsides he helps her stand up on wobbly legs. "Why don't you go lay down and rest, I'll make soup for the both of you, chicken noodle sound OK to you?" He says receiving a glare. She yanks herself out of his hold and heads to the room next to Katie's.

 

"I'm going through withdrawls you moron, not Symptoms of a cold." she snaps. "A bowel of chicken noodle soup and a hand to hold will do nothing." Han just stares at her and then stares at Katie's closed door. When he turns back to Melina there was pleading so clear in his eyes her frustration softens. " Soup will be lovely, Although it will be a b***h and a half trying to get her to eat."

 

"What is to be expected? what's going to happen to her?" He asks, his voice hinting at tears. Melina walks over to him and places a hand on his shoulder.

 

"She is going to be cruel, all she is going to want is the drugs, her body is fighting to get it out and her brain is screaming at her to feed it more. There is going to be puking and cold sweats and pain." She whispers her voice strained as a memory of long ago flickers across her face. Han realizes that she was speaking like she had gone through this before, Melina catches his eye and knows what he was about to ask so she just jumped in. "I never told Katie about this but I have an older brother.... Had an older brother he was 10 years older then me and he was a drug addict, Herion, I watched him go through this on a much worse scale before he finally went to get help for himself." She whispers, "he died from a relapse, I'll save you the gory details." She says lost in her memories. Han didn't know what to say, he knew she wasn't the type of girl who appreciated sympathy so he didn't offer.

 

"Alright so Soup it is?" He says after clearing his throat. Melina just gives him a relieves smile and nods her head. He smiles back and watches as she slips into her own room before heading down the stairs to make soup. Never in his wildest dreams did he think his life would come to this, Taking care of two seventeen year old cocaine addicts in the midst of withdrawls.

 

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Katie thrashes in her sleep, her nightmare gripping her with its cruel claws, tearing at her mind. She wakes up with a small whimper and struggles to sit up, a wave a nausea hitting her full force. She  noticed the "puke bucket' on the side of her bed and barely had time to grab it  before her stomach was turning itself inside out, dry heaving since there was nothing in her stomach to push back up. When the dry heaves were done she leans back against her pillows, spent. Her body felt like she had been hit by an 18 wheeler and ran over a couple houndred times. her head filled with cotton and pounding out a tune that made her wince everytime it hit. Her body was trembling shaking so hard her teeth were chattering but she wasn't cold, all she could think about was how to make this hell end. She knew the way to make it stop, it was easy, just a snort away, but she pushes the pleading thoughts away and curls up in a ball on her side, her tears causing the pounding in her head to accelerate. The sound of her door opening and light spilling into the darkness of her room make her tears stop asn she lifts her head from her huddle and see Han standing in her door frame, the light from the hallway casting light framing him in a soft glow.

 

"Katie can I come in?" He whispers, holding something in his hand but she couldn't tell what. She nods her head and rests it back on her pillow, drawing her blanket up tighter around her. She feels the bed sag slightly as he adjusts himself carefully onto it. The smell of Juicy chicken and broth fill her nose as her mouth waters, but not for a good reason, She leans over and snatches up the bucket, once again dry heaves rake over her body, twisting it painfully.

 

Han watches in anguish as She heaves into the bucket, the sounds as painful as they looked. He puts the bowel down and quickly gathers her up in his arms when she was done, feeling her slight relief at being held. He rubs her back as he feels her trembling. After a moment she slips out of his arms and curls back up on her side.

 

"Han I can't eat that, it will only come back up in seconds." She whispers her voice cracked and harsh. He sighs and gets off the bed, retrieving the now cooling food and places it on her desk.

 

"It's here if you decide to eat it, luckily chicken noodle soup tastes good cold." He says trying to lighten the mod and manages to get her to crack a smile. She coughs hard whimpers in pain when the cough dissipates, curling up tighter in her huddle. "What can I do to help you?" He pleads coming back over to kneel in front of her so they were eye level. She just looks up at him her bright green eyes dulled painfully. She reaches a trembling hand out to him and he doesn't hesitate to lace his fingers with hers, surprised by how cold they were "S**t your hands are like ice." he says taking his other hand and putting her small on in both of his, trying to warm them up, she closes her eyes and is out within seconds. He kisses her hand and gets up, quietly retreating from the room.

 

"Don't give up on me Han, please." her words were so soft he thought he imagined them, but when he turned around to see her eyes staring up at him with a clear alertness in them he knew she had said them.

 

"Angel I will never give up on you, I promise." he says and softly closes the door. Katie buries herself in her blankets a small smile on her cracked lips. Maybe she could get through this hell without the drugs.