Michael had never seen a reaction like this to something so simple, and it disturbed him a great deal. He'd not meant to hurt the boy, only to help him, but in light of his reaction he couldn't help but wonder if he'd been best to leave well enough alone. But no. The boy needed help, obviously. His reaction only made it more clear, and more certain.
He tried to soothe him on the way there, but to no avail. He was lost in his rantings, his face miserable and despairing.
When they reached the hospital, Michael stepped back to let the paramedics do their thing, watching as he went through the sliding doors of the emergency room with deep concern.
~~~~~
The doctor and nurses gathered around him, flashing lights in his eyes, taking his pulse, and a multitude of different, routine things. Diagnosing his major problem as narcotics withdrawal, they took him to a room upstairs and strapped him tightly to the bed so that he wouldn't hurt himself, and ordered a strong sedative.
They were afraid to use anything such as methadone, not knowing what drug he had taken, or what his medical history was, so they simply hooked him up to several monitors and started an IV glucose drip as well.