Chapter
14
Brian awoke
later that afternoon to find himself lying in a hospital bed and attached to a
heart monitor, IV's, and an oxygen tank.
"What am
I doing here?" he thought, confused. He looked around the room, alone and
scared, for a few minutes. Then Kevin walked into the room.
"Kev!"
Brian exclaimed, happy to see his cousin. "What happened? Why am I
here?"
"Don't
you remember what happened on the plane?" Kevin asked. Brian thought for a
minute.
"Yeah, I
was having trouble breathing," Brian recalled slowly.
"Yeah,
and then you passed out, and we brought you here," Kevin said, deciding
not to tell Brian everything that had happened at the airport.
"What's
wrong with me?" Brian asked.
"We don't
know yet. Your doctor ran a bunch of tests on you, and we've been waiting for
the results. They should be ready in a little while," Kevin explained.
***
Half an hour
later, Dr. Polman came into Brian's room, carrying a clipboard filled with
papers. Nick, AJ, and Howie followed him in so they could hear what he had to
say.
When the four
guys were seated around Brian's bed, Dr. Polman began to speak.
"According
to the results of the tests I did on Brian, his previous heart condition had
nothing to do with this. I found that Brian is severely dehydrated and
malnourished. He's receiving fluids right now to re-hydrate him," said Dr.
Polman, motioning to the IV, "and I will start him on another IV to get
proper nutrients into his body."
"How
could he be malnourished?" Howie asked. "I mean, the guys and I don't
always eat right, but we try when we can. How could Brian be so malnourished and
not the rest of us?"
"I don't
think it was caused by his eating habits," Dr. Polman
said.
"Besides being malnourished, Brian's blood pressure is quite low. And he's
still having trouble breathing. These symptoms could lead up to several
different problems that I could diagnose. However, the fact that I found out he
was on opium narrowed down the possibilities," Dr. Polman said. He looked
Brian straight in the eyes. "Tell me, Brian, have you been taking your
prescribed dosage of opium pills?"
Brian's face
grew bright red. "No," he admitted in a tiny voice. The guys all
stared at Brian in shock.
"How many
pills have you been taking?" Dr. Polman asked.
"Well, I
took the right dose at first, but I was still in a lot of pain, so I started
doubling the dose. That worked for awhile, but then the pain came back, so I
took more. I just kept taking more and more," Brian said, hanging his
head.
"How many
did you take this morning?" Dr. Polman asked.
"Six,"
Brian said. Dr. Polman's eyes widened.
"You
tripled the dose?" he asked.
"Yes,"
Brian whispered. He was ashamed of himself.
"Well,
now I know what's wrong with you. You are addicted to opium, and this morning,
you overdosed," Dr. Polman said.
"No way!
I am not addicted!" Brian stated, his voice rising angrily. "I'm
sorry, I took too many. I admit I made a mistake. But I am not some kind of
drug addict!"
"You are
definitely addicted," Dr. Polman said. "This is what happens to opium
addicts. They become malnourished and have low blood pressure and respiratory
problems."
Brian said
nothing. Deep down, he knew he had a problem. He just didn't want to admit it.
***
