27
When we get to the clinic, the nurses and doctor treat Erica quickly. Most of it is just a waiting game. The doctor comes in after a while.
“Okay,” he begins, flipping a page. “Erica’s stable right now. We ran a quick tox screen, and we found gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, GHB, in her system, along with a significant amount of alcohol. That’s a very dangerous combination. GHB is a powerful central nervous system depressant on its own.
“When you mix it with alcohol, both substances amplify each other. It suppresses breathing, drops blood pressure, and can lead to deep unconsciousness. That’s why she wasn’t responding when you brought her in. She was heavily sedated, basically in a deep, drug-induced sleep state.”
He pauses, making eye contact with me first, then King.
“Her oxygen levels were low when she arrived, and her respiratory rate was down. We’ve got her on supplemental oxygen and IV fluids, and we’re monitoring her closely.
Right now she’s breathing adequately on her own, vitals are trending up, but she’s still out of it. ”
“How dangerous… I mean… how dangerous is it?” I ask.
The doctor exhales through his nose. “In cases like this , if she’d been left untreated, say, alone in that lot for another few hours, it’s possible she could have slipped into a coma.
Respiratory arrest is the biggest immediate risk.
Death isn’t common with medical intervention, but without it…
yes, it’s possible. People have died from GHB overdoses, especially when alcohol is involved. The margin for error is small.”
He looks back at Erica, who’s still out cold under the thin hospital blanket, an oxygen mask fogging with each shallow breath.
“She’s young and otherwise healthy, so she’s got a good chance of full recovery.
We expect her to start waking up in the next four to six hours as the drugs clear her system.
We’ll keep her here for observation until she’s alert, oriented, and able to walk out safely.
No driving for at least 24 hours after she’s awake, and she needs someone with her tonight. ”
King nods slowly. “Thank you. We’ll take care of her.”
“Are you the husband?” he asks.
“No. Coworker. Her friend.”
The doctor gives a small, professional smile. “She’s lucky you got her here when you did. I’ll be back in a bit to check on her again.” He leaves the room quietly, the door clicking shut behind him.
We sit in the silence that follows. The monitor emits this incessant beep that fills the tense air in the room, and makes this now very real to me.
Erica could have died.
Would have died… if not for King.
It’s early in the morning when we start the drive back to the Youth Camp.
The minute we pull into the parking lot, King turns to Erica. “Can you walk?”
She nods weakly, but she’s still very groggy. King doesn’t want to draw attention to her, so he gets on one side while I take the other. We hobble slowly toward her cabin, supporting most of her weight as she leans between us.
When we finally get inside and ease her onto the bed, King crouches on the right side, facing her. She’s lying on her left side as I gently pet her hair, my legs folded on the mattress, facing her back. I watch King steadily as he stares at Erica the whole time.
He stays crouched on the balls of his feet, and just from looking at him, I can tell he’s scared and worried.
“Erica…” he starts, shaking his head and looking down at the cabin floor for a moment before meeting her eyes again.
“Do you even realize what could have happened to you tonight? You were completely out of it. Not just drunk, knocked out cold and unresponsive. Someone could…” He trails off like it’s hard for him to say.
“Someone could have taken you anywhere, done anything. You could have been raped. You could have stopped breathing. You get that, right? Someone gave you Goop.” His voice raises slightly on the last part.
“B-I… no,” she says tiredly. At the very least, she seems lucid now.
“No?”
“I only drank…”
“Clearly not,” he counters.
“King… I didn’t take that.”
“You wouldn’t know. It’s tasteless. Someone must have slipped it into your drink or something,” he informs her.
When she stays silent, Erica sits up, legs dangling over the side of the bed. She wipes her hands over her face, then lets them rest on her thighs, staring off at nothing like she’s annoyed by the lecture.
“What is wrong with you?” he asks, rising to his feet and looking down at her like a disappointed father would look at his daughter.
“I didn’t need you—” she starts.
“Clearly you do,” he cuts in quickly. “What would your mother say?”
Erica glares at him. “Don’t go there.”
They begin arguing back and forth. All I can do is observe. They’re clearly a lot closer than anybody thought if they can argue like this.
“I know you don’t care about anybody but yourself, but I was worried about you! I was scared!” King scolds, looking down at her sitting on the bed like a helpless kid.
“I’m sorry,” she barely gets out as she dips her head and begins sobbing.
My knees on the mattress, I hold her, pulling her into me, causing her to lean slightly to her right into my embrace. “It’s okay. We just want you to be safe. Just like you were worried about me at the rave,” I tell her, rubbing her arm.
King’s hardened expression falls away, probably feeling sorry that she’s crying.
“Get some sleep,” he tells me. “Take care of her.” He starts for the door slowly.