When they finally got back to the house, Mr. Brennahan pushed the door open and managed to get Lucas over to the couch. Just seeing him back in the house, with him put his mind in an easier state. "Alright… I should probably call for an ambulance, huh?" He mumbled, rubbing his temple as he talked to himself.
"Aaaaaambulance…" Lucas repeated, drowsy and slurring his words more now. Cody hopped up on the couch beside him and kept close. He was limp on the couch, his consciousness flickering and fading, and he was very pale. "Mmmmmm…"
Annnnd the concern was back. He honestly had no idea what to do besides call an ambulance, and file a report to the police. What else was he supposed to do? After calling for an ambulance, he went and sat on the floor by the couch with a weak sigh. “You still awake, bud?”
"Hm…?" Lucas managed to open his eyes a bit and looked up at Mr. Brennahan tiredly. "Hiiii… am I home now…?" He glanced around, seeming confused. "I don't remember coming here… where's Melissa?" He asked. Cody whined worriedly and pressed closer to him.
"Yeah, we're home. And Melissa's at work… and- well we walked here. Together." He stated softly, realizing how bad it was getting. Fidgeting with his hands, he tried to listen for the sound of an ambulance. He had no way to get Lucas to a hospital besides that, and he was hoping it'd get here soon.
"Sssshhshhhsh…" Lucas reached out one hand to hold onto Mr. Brennahan's, his vision still very hazy. "You're gonna be okay, sir…" He mumbled. "It'sss… issokay… god, my head hurts… is it gonna be over soon…?"
Blinking in a bit of surprise, he looked up at Lucas with a weak smile. "Yeah, you're gonna be okay. I'll get everything fixed, okay?" He replied in a soft tone, letting Lucas hold onto his hand. "And I'll tell Melissa you're okay, so she doesn't worry."
"Okaaaay…" Lucas closed his eyes and curled up a bit more, still holding onto Mr. Brennahan's hand. "I don' want her to be worried about me…" He mumbled. "I don't want her to be ssss… sssad…" Cody whined softly again. "The… the doctors gonna fix me, so she doesn't have to be sad…"
"I don't want her to be sad either… she's already got enough that's bugging her. She doesn't need anything else to worry about." Mr. Brenahan sighed softly, shoulders slumping some. "Besides, you're gonna be okay. I can take care of the worrying for now."
Lucas nodded a bit, continuing to idly bob his head for a while. He winced and whined when he heard the ambulance approaching, covering one ear with his free hand. "Noooooo… who's screaming…?" He whined. "Make it stooooop…"
"Hey, hey it's okay. That's the ambulance." Mr. Brennahan said, his voice sounding rather eager as he got up to open the door. "They're coming to help you, you just have to let them, okay?"
Lucas covered his other ear when Mr. Brennahan let go of his hand, still whining softly in protest as the sound grew louder. It rattled his skull, and he seemed pretty frazzled by it. He looked up when the paramedics came through the door, crying out in fear when they picked him up.
Mr. Brennahan quietly made his way over to Lucas, taking his hand when they laid him out on the stretcher. "You're okay, Lucas… I'm right here, okay? We have to get to the hospital now, alright?" He stated softly, loosening his hold on his hand to grab Cody.
Lucas whimpered shakily, hyperventilating a bit when they lay him out on the stretcher. His heart was racing, and he didn't seem to quite understand what was going on. Cody hopped up onto the stretcher with Mr. Brennahan's help and kept close to Lucas.
As they loaded him into the ambulance, Mr. Brennahan continued to quietly try and talk him down. He didn't want him to feel so panicked, attempting to keep his mind at ease. "You're gonna be okay. I promise. Just don't fight them, okay?"
Lucas closed his eyes, gripping the cot so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Cody lay his head on Lucas's chest and whined at him again, trying to capture his attention to distract him. Lucas reluctantly opened his eyes at the sound, although he didn't relax much.
The man watched Lucas as they rushed to the hospital, reaching out to hold onto his hand. "You're okay. Cody and I are both still here, and they're going to take care od you." Mr. Brennahan whispered, attempting to loosen his grip on the cot.
Lucas whimpered shakily again, holding tightly to Mr. Brennahan's hand. He clearly didn't really understand what was happening to him, and it scared him. He was delirious and he could hardly think or see, so he was stuck in fight or flight.
"You're gonna be okay." Mr. Brennahan whispered, letting him hold on as tightly as he needed. Eventually, they got to the hospital, where they started to push him off without Mr. Brennahan. So he reluctantly tried to let go of the boy's hand.
Lucas tensed up when they started moving him, his heart starting to race more. "N-No… please…" He whispered, trying to get away as he held tighter to Mr. Brennahan. "W-Where are you taking me?! No!"
"Hey, shhh…" Mr. Brennahan tried to calm him, still following along his side. "You're okay. I can't go back with you, but you need to trust them. They're not going to hurt you, you just need to listen to them, okay? They're going to make it better."
Lucas looked up at Mr. Brennahan weakly, his eyes stinging with tears. The paramedics kept taking him along, and he was terrified, as though he believed they were trying to take him to his death. Regardless, he tried his best to keep still to obey Mr. Brennahan.
"You're gonna be okay, I promise. I'll come in as soon as I can, okay?" He called out before they all disappeared from his view. Letting out a weak sigh, he went and sat down in the waiting room. He figured it was going to be a while before this was done.
After a while, a doctor came out to talk to Mr. Brennahan. "He seems to be under the effects of some dissociative drugs. We've got him on IV fluids and he seems to be stable, although he's still very anxious. If you aren't his legal guardian, do you know of a way to contact them?" He asked.
Mr. Brennahan looked up at the doctor, letting out a weak sigh. "The situation is… complicated. I mean, I know how to contact his father, but well… he's in prison. I'm afraid I'm the closest thing to a legal guardian he has right now." He stated softly, starting to get up from his seat.
The doctor nodded a bit. "And he's a minor, so he can't fill out paperwork himself. He's also not in any state to be doing that right now anyway. If you will, follow me." He turned and started leading Mr. Brennahan along. "He seems afraid, and he's been asking for you. And for someone named Melissa. I presume you know who that is?"
Following right behind him, Mr. Brennahan nodded some. "Yeah, I'd rather do it for him anyway." He mumbled, glancing back up at the doctor. "And yes, that's my daughter. She's at work though, so I guess I should go check on him… am I allowed to do that?"
"Yes, you can visit him. He's going to be just fine once the drugs are out of his system. He did throw up a couple of times, but he's still stable. This isn't unusual, especially assuming this is his first experience with drugs." When they came into the room, Lucas was shaking violently on the cot, looking very pale and stressed. He looked up with wide eyes when Mr. Brennahan and the doctor entered.
"And hopefully the last," Mr. Brennahan mumbled to himself, following right behind the doctor. When the two entered the room, Mr. Brennahan looked over to Lucas with a weak smile. Coming up and kneeling beside Lucas, he gently took his hand. "Hey bud… how you doing?" He whispered, keeping up a soft smile.
Lucas held tightly to Mr. Brennahan's hand, his breathing sharp and shallow. His eyes stung with tears, and he still seemed pretty scared. "W-Where am I?" He asked in a shaky whisper. "Why am I here? What… what happened…? M-My head hurts… she isn't here, is she?"