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Description
It all suddenly stops and air fills my lungs. This was so sudden that my eyes immediately shoot open. It takes a couple moments for all my senses to start working. I hear talking and turn over on my side to see Gerard talking with a doctor. I can’t hear what they’re saying and turn over and sit up. I continue to scan the room some more to see Mikey slumped in a chair on my other side, asleep.
“Hey Arienette,” I hear Gerard start. “Welcome back to the conscious world.”
I laugh a bit and ask, “Why is Mikey down here? Isn’t he supposed to be in his ward?”
Gerard sighs and replies, “You were out for two days and what I didn’t tell you when we were on the phone was that Mikey was gonna get out of the ward the next day.”
I nod and hear some movement and a yawn. I look at Mikey to see that he is awake now.
“He’s been here every moment since he got out,” Gerard says and Mikey nods.
Mikey adverts his eyes and stands up and walks out. I would’ve willingly run after him but for some reason I didn’t have the energy to.
“I’ll go see if he’s alright,” Gerard says a bit after Mikey left.
I nod and he walks out. His presence is replaced with that of a familiar looking doctor.
“Good evening Ms. Anderson. How are you feeling?” he asks and sits down in the chair Mikey had been occupying only moments earlier.
“Fine, but what happened?” I ask.
“Asthma attack.”
“Oh,” I reply. “When do I get to go home?”
“Tomorrow morning. It’s kinda late right now.”
I look a bit surprised but nod. He stands up and leaves. The room is empty and I slump in my bed. I turn on my side and hear someone enter but my eyes grow heavy. They sit in the chair and hold my hand. I feel nice and warm and immediately fall asleep.
I wake up and glance over at Mikey. He is slumped in his chair sleeping. His arms are in his lap, wrists up to show some red, irritated cuts. He is wearing his short sleeve Anthrax shirt and that makes me smile. I touch my hand to his cuts and try to clearly see his face but his head is hung low in such a way that there is a shadow cast down his face.
I feel his hand lay upon my own after a bit.
“Don’t worry about me,” Mikey murmurs in a soft voice.
“I can’t not worry,” I reply, a hint of concern in my voice.
Mikey sits up and raises his head to show a tear-stained face. He wasn’t wearing his glasses and I wondered why.
“I’m sorry,” he says after only a few moments of silence.
“Why?” I ask.
“I left when you woke up,” he replies in a guilty voice.
“Then why’d you cut?”
“I didn’t do that then but I was just so worried,” he replies and bites his lip.
“I’m alright now Mikey,” I say with a faint smile.
Gerard knocks on the doorframe and we both look up at him.
“Hey lovebirds,” he begins. “I’m here to take you both home. Also, Arienette I got a present for you.”
He walks over and hands me an inhaler. Mikey looks at it and smiles.
“Welcome to the inhaler club,” Mikey says cheerily.
I laugh a bit at his comment and take the inhaler. I get out of bed and pocket it. Mikey stands up next to me and we follow Gerard out.

I turn my key in the lock and push open the door. I enter with Mikey not too far behind me. He settles on my couch and scans my apartment; rubbing his left wrist. I settle down next to him and kiss him on the cheek.
“Don’t be nervous,” I say softly.
He stops his nervous action of rubbing his arm and places his hand on my cheek. He kisses me passionately and pushes me down so he lies on top of me. He presses his body against mine and the kiss deepens. I take off his glasses and fold them. I end up dropping them as he comes closer and my instinctual reaction is to wrap my arms around his neck. I feel my lungs tickle a bit and push Mikey away a bit so our kiss breaks. I breathe in deep and exhale with a cough. Mikey immediately seems concerned and pulls out his own inhaler and hands it to me. We both sit up and I press down and inhale. I feel much better and hand Mikey back his inhaler.
“Thanks,” I manage to say, as my head grows a bit light.
“No problem,” he replies and takes it back. “Where are my glasses?”
I bend down and take them from where they had landed on the floor.
“Here,” I say and hand them to him.
He takes them and puts them on.
“I’m sorry,” he says.
“It’s not your fault Mikey. I swear it’s something in this goddamn apartment…”
Everything is silent after I speak and I wonder why but ignore it. I stand up and the floor tilts a bit and returns too normal.
“Goodnight,” I say to him before stumbling off to bed.
“Goodnight,” he replies and lies down on my tattered couch.
I wake up to light creeping in through the one window in my room. I turn over so I am not facing the all and climb out of bed. I go to my dresser and pull out a pair of jeans and a black Alkaline Trio shirt. I walk down the dimly lit hall to the bathroom and flip on the light. I undress and jump into the shower.

When I emerge from the bathroom I throw my clothes back into my bedroom and walk to the TV to see it flashing a cartoon. I walk over to where Mikey is sleeping and bend down and kiss him on the forehead. I take the remote and settle down on the floor and begin to flip channels. I find a suitable channel and scoot back to lean against the couch. I hear the movement behind me and Mikey slides off the couch to sit next to me.
“Good mourning,” he greets me with a sober smile.
“Hey,” I say and kiss him on the cheek.
“How long have you been up?”
“Not too long. You look tired,” I say. “Did you sleep okay?”
“Just fine,” he responds in an unconvincing voice and runs his hand through his hair. “Have you seen my glasses?”
“Nope,” I say and look around. “Wait, no, here they are,” I say and grab them and hand them to him.
He puts them on and squints a couple times. He wraps one of his arms around my shoulders and squeezes them a bit and we both sit back and watch the program flashing on the TV screen.

Mikey and I meet up with Gerard for a late lunch. We go to the closest restaurant and get seated at a four-person table. Mikey and I sit on one side and Gerard on the other. We order and silence settles in.
“So, Mikey when are you gonna come home?” Gerard asks to break the silence.
Mikey shrugs and replies, “Iono. I couple more days probably.”
“Okay, I’ll keep your bed warm for when you return,” Gerard replies kiddingly and Mikey leans across the table and punches him in the shoulder.
“Ouch,” Gerard says after Mikey settles back down next to me.
“C’mon, it couldn’t’ve hurt that bad,” I say.
“Oh, whatever,” Gerard says as a waiter comes over and sets our lunches in front of us.
After the waiter leaves it grows very silent again. We are all eating our lunches unusually slow. I break the silence with a couple uneasy coughs that leave me a bit light headed.
“Are you okay?” Mikey asks upon hearing my coughs.
I nod and continue to eat without even speaking.
We finish eating not much later and pay. We get back in Gerard’s car and he begins to drive off toward my apartment. I rest my head on Mikey’s shoulder and close my eyes. I feel him kiss my head just before I drift off to sleep.

I wake up entangled in my one blanket facing my wall. I turn to my other side to see Mikey asleep on the edge of my bd. He was facing me so I lightly kiss him on the nose and slide off the foot of the bed. I realize I am still dressed in what I was wearing earlier. I check the time to see it is only 6 p.m. I walk out of my room and to my grey tattered couch. I settle on it and take the remote. I flip through the channels and find a suitable program and begin to watch its flashing pictures.

I walk down the hallway to my bedroom. I walk past the shut bathroom door and into my bedroom. Mikey isn’t asleep in my bed so I quickly change into better pajamas. I crawl into bed and close my eyes to be immediately hit with an unusual dream

I am running in darkness. I don’t feel my legs moving, but can see each foot move forward. I run through a tunnel of bright light and suddenly begin to fall. I fall for some time only to fall on my feet running again. My legs begin to ache as I suddenly become aware of my running motion. My lungs constrict and my dash slows to a jog and finally a walk. I fall to my knees coughing. I panic and pat my pockets for my inhaler but cannot find it. Mikey appears next to me coughing and I suddenly realize I am fine. I touch my hand to his shoulder and he immediately hits it away. He falls over faint and I crawl over to his side.
“I love you. Please don’t die,” I hear a voice say and it echoes through the darkness. I start coughing again and everything begins to fade…

Description
It all suddenly stops and air fills my lungs. This was so sudden that my eyes immediately shoot open. It takes a couple moments for all my senses to start working. I hear talking and turn over on my side to see Gerard talking with a doctor. I can’t hear what they’re saying and turn over and sit up. I continue to scan the room some more to see Mikey slumped in a chair on my other side, asleep.
“Hey Arienette,” I hear Gerard start. “Welcome back to the conscious world.”
I laugh a bit and ask, “Why is Mikey down here? Isn’t he supposed to be in his ward?”
Gerard sighs and replies, “You were out for two days and what I didn’t tell you when we were on the phone was that Mikey was gonna get out of the ward the next day.”
I nod and hear some movement and a yawn. I look at Mikey to see that he is awake now.
“He’s been here every moment since he got out,” Gerard says and Mikey nods.
Mikey adverts his eyes and stands up and walks out. I would’ve willingly run after him but for some reason I didn’t have the energy to.
“I’ll go see if he’s alright,” Gerard says a bit after Mikey left.
I nod and he walks out. His presence is replaced with that of a familiar looking doctor.
“Good evening Ms. Anderson. How are you feeling?” he asks and sits down in the chair Mikey had been occupying only moments earlier.
“Fine, but what happened?” I ask.
“Asthma attack.”
“Oh,” I reply. “When do I get to go home?”
“Tomorrow morning. It’s kinda late right now.”
I look a bit surprised but nod. He stands up and leaves. The room is empty and I slump in my bed. I turn on my side and hear someone enter but my eyes grow heavy. They sit in the chair and hold my hand. I feel nice and warm and immediately fall asleep.
I wake up and glance over at Mikey. He is slumped in his chair sleeping. His arms are in his lap, wrists up to show some red, irritated cuts. He is wearing his short sleeve Anthrax shirt and that makes me smile. I touch my hand to his cuts and try to clearly see his face but his head is hung low in such a way that there is a shadow cast down his face.
I feel his hand lay upon my own after a bit.
“Don’t worry about me,” Mikey murmurs in a soft voice.
“I can’t not worry,” I reply, a hint of concern in my voice.
Mikey sits up and raises his head to show a tear-stained face. He wasn’t wearing his glasses and I wondered why.
“I’m sorry,” he says after only a few moments of silence.
“Why?” I ask.
“I left when you woke up,” he replies in a guilty voice.
“Then why’d you cut?”
“I didn’t do that then but I was just so worried,” he replies and bites his lip.
“I’m alright now Mikey,” I say with a faint smile.
Gerard knocks on the doorframe and we both look up at him.
“Hey lovebirds,” he begins. “I’m here to take you both home. Also, Arienette I got a present for you.”
He walks over and hands me an inhaler. Mikey looks at it and smiles.
“Welcome to the inhaler club,” Mikey says cheerily.
I laugh a bit at his comment and take the inhaler. I get out of bed and pocket it. Mikey stands up next to me and we follow Gerard out.

I turn my key in the lock and push open the door. I enter with Mikey not too far behind me. He settles on my couch and scans my apartment; rubbing his left wrist. I settle down next to him and kiss him on the cheek.
“Don’t be nervous,” I say softly.
He stops his nervous action of rubbing his arm and places his hand on my cheek. He kisses me passionately and pushes me down so he lies on top of me. He presses his body against mine and the kiss deepens. I take off his glasses and fold them. I end up dropping them as he comes closer and my instinctual reaction is to wrap my arms around his neck. I feel my lungs tickle a bit and push Mikey away a bit so our kiss breaks. I breathe in deep and exhale with a cough. Mikey immediately seems concerned and pulls out his own inhaler and hands it to me. We both sit up and I press down and inhale. I feel much better and hand Mikey back his inhaler.
“Thanks,” I manage to say, as my head grows a bit light.
“No problem,” he replies and takes it back. “Where are my glasses?”
I bend down and take them from where they had landed on the floor.
“Here,” I say and hand them to him.
He takes them and puts them on.
“I’m sorry,” he says.
“It’s not your fault Mikey. I swear it’s something in this goddamn apartment…”
Everything is silent after I speak and I wonder why but ignore it. I stand up and the floor tilts a bit and returns too normal.
“Goodnight,” I say to him before stumbling off to bed.
“Goodnight,” he replies and lies down on my tattered couch.
I wake up to light creeping in through the one window in my room. I turn over so I am not facing the all and climb out of bed. I go to my dresser and pull out a pair of jeans and a black Alkaline Trio shirt. I walk down the dimly lit hall to the bathroom and flip on the light. I undress and jump into the shower.

When I emerge from the bathroom I throw my clothes back into my bedroom and walk to the TV to see it flashing a cartoon. I walk over to where Mikey is sleeping and bend down and kiss him on the forehead. I take the remote and settle down on the floor and begin to flip channels. I find a suitable channel and scoot back to lean against the couch. I hear the movement behind me and Mikey slides off the couch to sit next to me.
“Good mourning,” he greets me with a sober smile.
“Hey,” I say and kiss him on the cheek.
“How long have you been up?”
“Not too long. You look tired,” I say. “Did you sleep okay?”
“Just fine,” he responds in an unconvincing voice and runs his hand through his hair. “Have you seen my glasses?”
“Nope,” I say and look around. “Wait, no, here they are,” I say and grab them and hand them to him.
He puts them on and squints a couple times. He wraps one of his arms around my shoulders and squeezes them a bit and we both sit back and watch the program flashing on the TV screen.

Mikey and I meet up with Gerard for a late lunch. We go to the closest restaurant and get seated at a four-person table. Mikey and I sit on one side and Gerard on the other. We order and silence settles in.
“So, Mikey when are you gonna come home?” Gerard asks to break the silence.
Mikey shrugs and replies, “Iono. I couple more days probably.”
“Okay, I’ll keep your bed warm for when you return,” Gerard replies kiddingly and Mikey leans across the table and punches him in the shoulder.
“Ouch,” Gerard says after Mikey settles back down next to me.
“C’mon, it couldn’t’ve hurt that bad,” I say.
“Oh, whatever,” Gerard says as a waiter comes over and sets our lunches in front of us.
After the waiter leaves it grows very silent again. We are all eating our lunches unusually slow. I break the silence with a couple uneasy coughs that leave me a bit light headed.
“Are you okay?” Mikey asks upon hearing my coughs.
I nod and continue to eat without even speaking.
We finish eating not much later and pay. We get back in Gerard’s car and he begins to drive off toward my apartment. I rest my head on Mikey’s shoulder and close my eyes. I feel him kiss my head just before I drift off to sleep.

I wake up entangled in my one blanket facing my wall. I turn to my other side to see Mikey asleep on the edge of my bd. He was facing me so I lightly kiss him on the nose and slide off the foot of the bed. I realize I am still dressed in what I was wearing earlier. I check the time to see it is only 6 p.m. I walk out of my room and to my grey tattered couch. I settle on it and take the remote. I flip through the channels and find a suitable program and begin to watch its flashing pictures.

I walk down the hallway to my bedroom. I walk past the shut bathroom door and into my bedroom. Mikey isn’t asleep in my bed so I quickly change into better pajamas. I crawl into bed and close my eyes to be immediately hit with an unusual dream

I am running in darkness. I don’t feel my legs moving, but can see each foot move forward. I run through a tunnel of bright light and suddenly begin to fall. I fall for some time only to fall on my feet running again. My legs begin to ache as I suddenly become aware of my running motion. My lungs constrict and my dash slows to a jog and finally a walk. I fall to my knees coughing. I panic and pat my pockets for my inhaler but cannot find it. Mikey appears next to me coughing and I suddenly realize I am fine. I touch my hand to his shoulder and he immediately hits it away. He falls over faint and I crawl over to his side.
“I love you. Please don’t die,” I hear a voice say and it echoes through the darkness. I start coughing again and everything begins to fade…