Chapter 1: Pain Management

Gwendolyn Ashcroft - Thursday, July 23rd, 2015

I sat next to Eden under the bland fluorescent lights. Dawn slept against my shoulder. She stank of sweat, cum, tears. Eden wasn’t much better. She closed her hand on my fingers. I nodded. She kissed my cheek and hugged my shoulder. She had to work in the morning. I waved as she left for the van.

I wiggled my toes in my sneakers. Matthew had bought them for me in Ottawa. This was the first time I had worn them and they needed working in. He had waited almost three hours to get into outpatients. I could wait a while longer.

Dawn snored once and scared herself awake, but she was right back to sleep in the next moment. The orderly rolled him out in a wheelchair. Matthew was laughing and frustrated the orderly wasn’t laughing along with whatever joke he had told. I shook Dawn who flashed her eyes opened and raced over to him.

“Matt!” She stopped short of hugging him, looking to the orderly who just seemed tired. He shrugged and Dawn was hugging him as I walked over to see our wizard and smile at him.

“I like dilaudid,” He grinned. He waved his prescription in his fingers.

“The pharmacy’s closed right now,” The orderly talked to me, “He probably can wait until morning but if not, you can get his script filled at the Lawton’s on Quinpool.”

I nodded and smiled, a little awkwardly. He almost smiled back but I and Dawn were only concerned with Matthew.

“Can he walk?” Dawn seemed terrified and, worse, guilty. I dragged my fingers through my hair.

“Yeah, but let me take him to the doors,” The orderly was having a long shift.

“I’ll bring the car around,” I squeezed Dawn’s shoulder. She took Matt’s hand and I soon found out that the orderly’s gait was longer than mine. I only went through the front doors first because he was a gentleman.

“Hey,” Matthew hurried out of his chair.

“Careful buddy,” The orderly gave Dawn and me looks I wasn’t comfortable with. I felt better knowing he returned to work jealous. I wonder if I would’ve liked that before the bracelet. I was always terrible at figuring out men.

“This way, Matthew,” I gestured. Dawn was leeched onto his hip as we headed across the parking lot. I rolled my eyes. I walked around the passenger side and held the door for him. Dawn seemed upset when she had to get in the back. I felt the lack of sleep in my bones.

“Let’s go get more dilaudid,” He slipped his hand on my thigh. I was still wearing my pajamas, the ones I had refused to pack for our trip. I had kind of hoped to never let him see them, they were soft flannel and pants. At least I switched to a tighter t-shirt. I blushed and pulled the paper from his fingers.

I could read it, he definitely hadn’t seen his prescription. 8 pills, codeine. Dr Park.

“This is for codeine,” I said. Where the fuck was I going to get him dilaudid? I--

“OK, then let’s go down to Gottingen street,” Matt lolled deeper into his chair and his fingers fell into the cupholders between our seats, “I think she still works nights.”

“We don’t have anymore bracelets,” Dawn leaned forward and poked Matthew in the shoulder with both index fingers, “Remember the nurse.”

“Yeah, where is she? Still working?” He turned and smiled back at Dawn.

“Uh, yeah,” She sighed and fell back.

“Put on your belt, Dawn,” I could see the top of her head in the rearview. She moved, I turned to back out of the spot, “Besides Eden told me. There’re two slap bracelets in my purse.”

“Oh,” Dawn looked back over her shoulder as I turned around to drive out, “Should we--”

“No,” I made the decision. Matthew had rolled over to another thought and lost the last one. I wasn’t going to storm into a hospital looking for some nurse I didn’t know just to give Matthew more pussy. Not unless he made me.

It was about three in the morning and the city was mostly empty. I still managed to catch every light as I drove around Citadel Hill. Dawn was recounting the story. His cousin? A bunch of rock stars? Great. We needed to start giving out those watches, before Matthew screwed over every guy in our lives. I pulled up to the curb. Matthew was getting out.

“Hey, I can get it,” I told him. I had the prescription and I knew I’d be paying for it anyway. Dawn was out on the sidewalk.

“I want to see Cheryl,” He laughed and weaved around Dawn and yanked open the door into the Shopper’s with a laugh. He was moving fluidly but stopping jerkily. I sighed.

“Who’s Cheryl?” Dawn asked me. Fucked if I knew. I hoped the 24 hour pharmacist was going to be some balding fat man. We entered the store. It was mostly empty. Thankfully, Matthew bypassed the front clerk with hardly a glance. The kid was a tired looking black guy, which was a write off anyways. Dawn tugged my elbow to alert me. Thankfully, Matthew didn’t see the couple of teenaged girls on their phones by the candy and that was for the best. He made a wobbly line straight for the pharmacy counter at the back.

Shit. The pharmacist was an attractive woman. She was my age, Matthew’s, or somewhere in between. A broad smiling black woman with beautiful black hair pulled back in a thick ponytail. The name Cheryl was on the nametag on her lab coat. An new old friend with a good job and better body. Eden and Deborah were going to hate her. I wished I was capable of hating her. It always felt like the pot and the kettle after letting Courtney take Melody.

“Matthew! Hi!” She smiled, “How are you?”

“Cheryl,” He put on a smoky accent, more smarmy than charmy, “Hi.”

“Hi,” I said stepping up as Dawn flanked Matthew on the other side, “He’s a bit loopy. The doctor gave him some--”

“Dilaudid,” He was very capable of pronouncing that word. He leaned in and stage whispered behind his hand, “I hear you have more.”

“Of course,” She laughed. A sense of humor too? Maybe I could hate her. I looked between them. Matthew stopped me from handing Cheryl the prescription.

“Hey, Cheryl,” He giggled.

“Hey Matthew,” She looked to me and rolled her eyes with a happy smile.

“Uh, how do you know each other?” Dawn leaned in against the counter. She always managed to look smaller than she was. Unless you put her next to Courtney or someone like that.

“I used to date his roommate,” Cheryl nodded, “Ryan.”

“Oh,” Well obviously not Joseph, “He made us come see you to get this filled.”

“Well, he’s a sweetie,” Cheryl shook her head, “How do you know him?”

“He’s our--” I just was going to roll out the word wizard. I stopped short with my fingernails biting into the heel of my palm. Cheryl raised her eyebrow.

“Boss,” Dawn finished, “We cater t-for him.”

“Wait? You did something with your life?” Cheryl seemed way too shocked. Dawn was pissed but I understood, “Finally, Matthew.”

“Yeah,” Matthew nodded oblivious to her and hit my ankle with his heel. Right. I pulled the Forefront Foundation bracelet out of my purse. I looked up to Cheryl. We needed Bluebird ones.

“Actually,” Fuck how was I going to do this? “Do you know Matthew’s sister?”

“Meghan,” Matthew nodded. I shook my head.

“I never met Misty,” Cheryl shrugged, “He has pictures of his sisters. But Misty was like just entering high school when I dated Ryan.”

“Well, uh,” I took a big sigh, “Matthew’s helping her out with this charity thing for a scholarship and--” I was rambling and I was going to run my mouth off of a cliff but Cheryl saw the slap bracelet in my hand.

“What? Holy shit?” Cheryl beamed, “I got two grand from them out of high school. That’s awesome Matthew. May I?”

She threw her arm straight out towards me. There was already a thick bracelet dangling off her arm. We heard the bell ring over the door, “And then I better get your pills.”

The crack of a the bracelet wrapping around a wrist wasn’t loud. It echoed and echoed in my ears.

“Oh, Matthew, good,” She smiled taking the prescription from my other hand, “I’m glad you don’t need as strong drugs,” She looked up to me, “How’d he hurt himself?”

“He was showing off to the other girls when he was fucking me,” Dawn smiled.

“Excuse me?” Cheryl blanked.

“Yeah,” I sighed, “And you better get dilaudid for him.”

“What?” Matthew looked at me, “We got her?”

“What the hell?” Cheryl crossed her eyes, “I’m going to have to ask you to--”

“You’re mine now,” Matthew announced. Cheryl shuddered.

“I could--Goddammit,” And she turned to the shelves behind her, “It’ll be ready in an hour.”

“That’s OK,” I looked to Matthew he was dopey and sleepy. I turned back to Grumpy, “You can bring it by when your shift is over. I’ll give you my number and--”

“He still live at Ocean Towers?” She shook her head, wanting to hurry us out of the store. I had planned on taking him to my home. He was out of it and Ocean Towers was only a couple blocks from here. I nodded. We left, leaving her with a million questions. She’d be pissed to find out we had maybe six answers.

Ryan MacDonald - Thursday, July 23, 2015

I thought I was alone. I was going to kill him. I pushed Phoebe off the bed. She hit the floor and climbed onto her knees with no fuss. The perfect woman.

“You really need to get some sleep, Matthew,” He had sluts with him. Of course he had sluts with. Idiot couldn’t even tie his shoes without a whore anymore. I knew I should just go back to bed. I pulled on pair of boxers. Phoebe waited naked. I left her in my room.

“Hi Ryan,” Dawn matched Matthew, they were both wearing blue button ups and white bottoms. Dawn in a short skirt, Matthew in slacks. I pushed past her.

“It’s 4 in the fucking morning!” I growled in Matthew’s face. He flinched and laughed.

“Oh man, sorry, I--” Shit. That dog next door was spooked now. I gave his blonde (Jen maybe?) a dirty look and strode into the washroom.

“C’mon, you should lay down,” She directed him to his room. Was Misty here tonight? No, I hoped she was back at Paul’s. Someone had to show Matthew how to handle his women. I flushed, drank from the tap, scowled at the intermittent barking, and strode back to my room.

“Are we going back to bed?” Phoebe asked politely. She was naked, striped red across her ass, my palm still ached. Goddammit. Matthew had promised me Harriet days ago! Joseph was already off plowing Meghan. Fucker.

“Fine, sleep,” I told her and strode back out. I didn’t knock on Matthew’s door and strode in through with a fast pace. Dawn was pulling off his second sock and his blonde was unbuttoning his shirt. He caught my eye and smirked as he fondled the blonde’s ass.

“Cheryl’s coming by later,” He bragged.

“What? Why?” Not my greatest memory. It was unimportant.

“Matthew hurt himself,” His blonde glowered at Dawn to keep her quiet, “He had to get a prescription filled.”

“Hurt what?”

“My back!” He laughed.

“He’s on painkillers,” Blonde explained.

“Yeah,” I shook my head, “I see that.”

The dog barked and whimpered. Shit. I hope the dog had woken her not us. Fuck it, girl was a seven. It wouldn’t be his first. Matthew could solve that problem too.

“Let’s get drunk tomorrow night,” I told Matthew, “I’ll make sure Harriet is here.”

“Yeah, cool beans,” He shrugged out of his shirt and Dawn pulled out his belt.

“Do you remember--”

He was bending forward, reaching for Dawn. He immediately groaned. Dawn freaked and hopped up to her feet, pushing him onto his back.

“Fuck this,” I muttered and went back to my room. I conked out just as I started to hear the blonde, Gwen was her name, cumming.

Morning came and I had class in two hours. I woke up less pissed. I was toasting some pop tarts. Phoebe ate a single egg scrambled and I picked a quarter of it off her plate anyways. The phone rang.

“Hey,” It was Cheryl.

“Hey, buzzing you in,” I yawned. I wished I had been gone, and then I smiled.

She knocked on her door shortly after but came in before I could answer it. She was unhappy. She had hardly ever been unhappy. Bubbly, too smart, and demanding. I felt validated that she wasn’t wearing his engagement ring anymore. Good. I smiled. She was wearing a slap bracelet. I knew she would be but it was rewarding to see.

“Matthew’s still conked out from the drugs,” I looked over, “Last door on the right.”

“Uh...” She didn’t really meet eye contact. She just looked at Phoebe, perturbed the redhead was sitting with perfect posture on the couch. Her fair skin completely uncovered. Her little red nipples poking upwards. Phoebe looked back with a flat impatient neutral face. Cheryl waved and shuddered.

“Yeah, you’ll get used to it,” I smirked, “C’mon.”

She followed me to Matthew’s door. Again, I just walked in. She paled to see the two girls and Matthew tangled up and naked. Dawn opened her eyes, her whole torso turned red when she blushed.

“Matthew, Cheryl’s here,” Dawn hopped up and shook his shoulder as she squatted down to grab her shirt from the floor.

“Ah, Christ,” He moaned and turned his head, “Hey, why are you here Craps?”

I had known Matthew since beaver scouts in grade two. This was the first time I had seen his dick. Hopefully the last, but I focused my eyes on the brunette and blonde instead. Gwen might’ve been his best prize. I needed to fuck someone other than Phoebe. That Zina bitch seemed up for it, but I hadn’t found a way to separate her from the herd. Besides, I wanted prime rib, not to be peeling back the old, the sick, and the weak.

“I filled out your script,” She held up a white paper bag with a receipt stapled to it, “I threw in two dilaudid pills too.”

“What do you mean too?” He walked a little crooked as he came over to take it. Not too bad, but his left shoulder was clearly dipping below his right.

“You told me--”

“The prescription was for tylenol threes,” Gwen interjected. She stayed naked but had pulled his blanket over her chest. She had great legs.

“Jesus, Cheryl,” He shook, “You can get in real trouble for this. Why would--Oh shit--Ah, fuck, I’m sorry.”

“Goddammit!” Cheryl growled. Matthew groaned again.

“Is it bad?” Dawn rushed over, skinny legs and hairless pussy uncovered despite her best efforts at tugging down the hem. She grabbed him and rubbed his lower spine.

“This is the worst pain I ever felt,” He bitched.