Chapter 11: The H-ero-in Addict

The nurse was placing a bandage on her cheek when the three entered the emergency room. Maya noticed their pale faces but attributed it to exhaustion since it was now around six in the morning. She asked Bob, "How are you?"

"I had an X-ray done; I’m perfectly fine."

She continued, "Great. What about Alexander? How is he?"

Bernard answered honestly after the nurse left, "He’s not fine."

She looked at him in surprise, and he explained, "Sam was injecting him with heroin. We found injection marks on his arm, and he’s been agitated since regaining consciousness. He’s heavily addicted now."

Maya stood up, exclaiming in disbelief, "You’re lying!"

Bernard responded sadly, "I wish I were."

She searched the faces of Creek and Bob for any indication that Bernard was wrong, but unfortunately, all she saw were eyes filled with sadness, confirming the truth of his words. She said in shock, looking at the ground without seeing anything, "That’s not possible. Three days of use can’t make someone an addict, no matter the dosage."

"That’s because this isn’t the first time," Bernard said.

"Oh no," Maya cried out in anguish, hearing what she feared.

Creek added, supporting Bernard’s words, "A year ago, Sam captured Alex. Instead of killing him, he injected him with heroin for three weeks before dumping him on the street to suffer. We found him, and after two months of struggle, he was treated for his addiction. That’s why Alex hates Sam so much and wants revenge."

Maya closed her eyes, pursing her lips in frustration. Now she understood everything—Alex’s urgent desire to find Sam, everyone’s discomfort when his name was mentioned, Alex’s trembling body when she found him in the warehouse, and Bernard’s cold voice when she asked about him. She concluded, "So he was previously addicted. That’s why all Sam needed when he captured him this time was just one dose for his body to remember the heroin."

Bob, agitated, said, "But the bastard didn’t stop at one dose. The doctor said, based on the injection marks on his arm, that he was injected six times in those three days."

Without thinking, Maya left them behind in the emergency room. She headed to the emergency exit and started climbing the stairs until she reached the third floor. She opened the door and entered, walking toward the room Bernard had told her Alex was in. She jumped when she bumped into a nurse, then looked around, wondering what had brought her here. Why was she standing in front of Alex’s room? What was happening to her? She rubbed her face with her hands forcefully, then turned to leave, but a nurse’s scream made her stop and turn back. She saw a woman who had just exited Alex’s room lying on the floor.

The bright sunlight streaming through one of the windows made her slowly open her eyes. She then sat up and leaned against the pillows behind her. That’s when she noticed a woman sitting in a chair to her right, with a bandage on her cheek, sipping coffee from a cup in her hand.

Maya watched the woman wake up and look at her. The woman smiled and said, "Good morning."

The woman replied cautiously, "Where am I?"

"In the hospital."

"What time is it?"

"Nine in the morning."

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Three hours."

"What am I doing here?"

"You fainted."

The woman moaned sadly, as if she remembered, "Oh! My son, Alex."

Maya gently said, "He’ll be fine."

The woman looked at her in confusion and asked, "Sorry, but who are you?"

Maya put the coffee cup on a small table and then pretended to be offended, saying, "Well, now I’m insulted, Anne."

The woman raised her eyebrows in surprise, saying, "You know my name!"

"And you know mine too, even though we haven’t met often—maybe just two or three times."

The woman apologized awkwardly, "Sorry, I don’t remember you."

Maya thought for a moment and then said, "Okay, let’s see. Do you know Madeline?"

The woman paused, then remembered, "Madeline! Madeline, Fan’s wife, Frederick’s friend! You... you..." She raised her voice, "You’re Maya, Fan and Madeline’s daughter!"

Maya bowed her head theatrically, "In the flesh."

"Oh yes, I remember meeting you with your parents at a party when I was with Frederick. I would have recognized you immediately if you had told me your name."

Maya gave a slight smile and said, "I know, but I wanted to distract you from thinking about your son for a while."

Pain filled Anne’s eyes as she said, "Frederick told me you’re in charge of his case. Is that true?"

Maya replied curtly, "Yes."

Anne asked sadly, "Then why didn’t you bring him back to me safely?"

Maya looked away and said, "I’m sorry."

Anne shouted angrily, "What good is your apology?"

Maya whispered, "Nothing."

"Then shut up."

After a few moments of silence, Anne spoke calmly, "I’m sorry, dear. I lost my temper. In truth, I’m grateful to you. If it weren’t for God and then you and your friends, Alex wouldn’t be here now."

Maya replied briefly, "It’s nothing."

Anne spoke with a sorrowful tone, "In all my life, I’ve never experienced days as difficult as when Alex was addicted. Those were days when I cried until I thought my tear ducts had dried up. What hurt the most was that he didn’t see me as his mother; he didn’t recognize me at all. When I’d visit him, he’d run toward me, kiss my head and hands, cry, and beg me. He did that not because I was his mother but because he wanted me to bring him more heroin." She paused to gather her strength as tears began to flow, then continued, "He would wither and weaken, moaning and crying out in pain, falling ill with a fever and vomiting. All of this happened before my eyes, and I was powerless to help him. He suffered enough to finally overcome his addiction. And now he’s addicted again. Oh God, how will I bear this a second time? How will he bear it? The thought alone is unbearable."

She was interrupted by a knock on the door and allowed the person to enter. A man in his thirties, wearing a doctor’s coat, walked in and introduced himself, "Hello! I’m Caesar, the doctor overseeing Mr. Alexander’s case."

Anne wiped her tear-streaked cheeks with trembling fingers and asked eagerly, "How is he?"

The doctor put his hands in his coat pockets and replied, "Unfortunately, Mrs. Anne, I don’t have good news. Heroin is a terrible, powerful drug, and Alexander was addicted to it for nearly a month. That’s not a short period. Moreover, his recovery from heroin addiction was less than a year ago, which is a very short time. Now he’s taken large doses over just three days. All these factors have had the worst impact on him."

Maya’s face remained stoic as she asked, "What is this worst impact?"

The doctor hesitated, glancing at Anne’s pale face before turning to Maya to answer, "Mentally, his cognitive functions, like thinking, memory, concentration, and attention, have begun to weaken. He may even start experiencing early signs of hallucinations. Physically, his tongue is very heavy, making it temporarily impossible for him to speak, which isn’t uncommon in addicts. Additionally, he’s suffering from severe gastrointestinal disturbances, but..."

Anne interrupted, filled with doubt, "But what?"

The doctor sighed, "Well, Alexander has relapsed into heroin addiction, and severely so. The initial method of treatment will involve gradually weaning him off heroin. This means we’ll give him heroin in controlled doses that will decrease over time until his body adjusts. But there’s a problem: heroin has affected his liver, and using more will lead to liver failure. So this gradual method could result in liver failure."

Anne shouted, "Then don’t use it!"

"It’s the only way to treat him. We used this method during his first addiction recovery."

Anne cried out in despair, "What do you mean it’s the only way? If my son suffers liver failure, it’ll plunge him into a cycle of diseases, suffering, and disability far worse than the addiction itself. I won’t allow you to do that."

The doctor gave her a sympathetic look, then spoke seriously, "Mrs. Anne, I understand how you feel, but please think carefully before making your decision. Goodbye." Then he left.

Maya closed the taxi door after Anne got in, then watched the car drive away from the hospital. Once it was out of sight, she headed to her car parked in front of the emergency entrance. She sat in the passenger seat, closed her eyes, and leaned her head back. After ten minutes of sitting like this, she straightened up and opened the glove compartment, taking out her gun and a single bullet. Then she closed it, got out of the car, and walked toward the hospital’s emergency entrance.

She entered after making sure his room was free of nurses. She closed the door behind her and walked to the head of his bed, lifting her gaze to look at him. He was awake, his hair disheveled, his face ashen, his eyes red and dull, his lips blue. His chin was slack, covered in light black stubble. Although his hands and feet were bound to the bed, he was calm, focusing his gaze on her.

Maya smiled weakly and said, "So they finally gave in and gave you a dose. That’s why you’re calm. Anne will kill them if she finds out." She paused, then continued, "Your mother says you don’t recognize her when you’re addicted, but I believe you know me well. Do you know why? Because I’m going to be more important than your mother."

Alexander’s eyes narrowed, showing that she had piqued his interest. Maya smiled silently, then reached for her gun and took it out of its holster. She opened the chamber and removed the single bullet inside, then held it up before his eyes, saying, "Does this bullet remind you of anything?"

After staring at it for half a minute, Alexander violently turned his head toward her, clenching his teeth. Maya said, "Wow! So you do recognize it. Your cognitive functions are still good." She then looked at the bullet, continuing mockingly, "Let’s see what makes this bullet special—nothing, really, except for the letter engraved on it. I think I know a man whose name starts with this letter. Oh, I remember, it’s your uncle, Frederick."

Alexander began to breathe heavily in anger, his fists clenching tighter. Maya spoke seriously, "Listen to me. At first, I was a bit worried when I found out you were Frederick’s nephew because I suspected you wouldn’t let me touch him. At Nina’s birthday party, after you told me that directly, I was upset—really upset. I want to kill Frederick, but I can’t do that as long as you’re around. Even if I managed to kill him, I know you’d come after me. That scared me—don’t be surprised, I’m genuinely afraid of you. But today, despite my sorrow for you, that fear is gone. I will exact my revenge and kill Frederick, and you, unfortunately, won’t be able to stop me in your current state."

Alexander thrashed violently, trying to free his hands and legs. Maya feigned surprise, "What’s wrong with you? Do you want to recover quickly so you can stop me?" She laughed. "Guess what the doctor said today! He said the only way to cure you would cause liver failure. So good luck stopping me with a non-functioning liver." She laughed triumphantly again.

When Alexander couldn’t free himself, he began moaning and pounding the bed with his fists. Maya finished by saying, "Don’t be mad at me; I’m truly sorry for what happened to you, and I’ll stay by your side. But as you know, the thought of revenge doesn’t go away until it’s fulfilled." She raised the bullet high for him to see, then left the room, leaving him to suffer.