Symptoms

It was bright, blinding, before blurry vision focused and Jeremy barely recognized the room other than the fact it had to be a doctor's office of sorts. He found his body covered in scrubs and his body connected to an IV and he panicked as it all settled in. There was no one in the room, but before he could have a panic attack. A woman walked in, clothed in blue and white and she smiled.

"I'm glad you're awake Jeremy. I'm Dr. Lee. How are you feeling?".

Jeremy blinked, he hadn't even in to think about how he could feel. It was all fogged up by the anxiety of the situation. Where exactly was he, why was he there? Wasn't he with his Father last? At the school?

He felt like he could black out again, but the doctor snapped him out of it when she spoke.

"Jeremy Lupin? Are you alright?".

Jeremy's mouth was like a desert, incredibly dry and he couldn't even gather any saliva to satisfy it. He took a deep breath before he said, with a hoarse voice,

"Could... I please have... some water?"

Doctor Lee smiled again, and hummed. Walking over to the sink and taking a plastic cup from the covered above the counter and brought back a full cup of water.

She handed it to Jeremy and he took a grateful slug.

"Thank you. Uhm...  I don't know. I'm very confused. Where am I, is my Father here?", Jeremy began to list and the Doctor laughed. It irked Jeremy a little and he bit his lip.

"Your at the Memorial Hospital, you had fainted from the fever your infected shoulder had given your body. But, we got you cleaned up. Shots for animal bites and your fluids started looking good and fever went down less than an hour after. You must have been bit by a wolf, do you remember? We couldnt decide which so we gave you rabies shots either way. Your Father should be back in a little bit. He said he had to pick up your little sisters?".

Jeremy had to fathom how he'd comprehend all that information. But he did. His mouth gaped, before he swallowed.

"Uh. Yeah. Yeah, that sounds right. Uhm... i.. I was bit by a coyote. I think."

The Docotor looked doubtful, and a little amused,

"I've seen a thousand coyote bites, that on your shoulder is not one of them. Much too large, the intrusions. What ever bit you, did it clean despite having large, and long teeth. Though, you seem to have  healed from the injuries miraculously. Yes, you did get a very severe infection, but it wasn't staff. We couldn't identify the bacteria but it seems not too harmful. Once nuetrulized. So, you're going to be fine. You've had a bad encounter with a coyote and should have come here first instead of writing to treat that at home."

Jeremy choked on his one breath. Looking guilty. Before he felt he had to defend himself.

"A lot happened that night."

That's when it him. And he asked Dr. Lee,

"Is Justin Lembard still here? He had gotten into a accident on his dirtbike the same night I got bit. Yesterday night."

The woman looked overwhelmed, scratched her neck before, thinking. Before she nodded,

"That name does sound familiar. Yes I joked that I had a lot of J named patients coming in before I saw you. Are you his friend?".

Jeremy nodded, looking pale and saddened with worry,

"I was there when...", he swallowed thickly, "spun out."

Dr. Lee nodded, remember what room Justin stayed in, and then she said,

"I believe he is just a few rooms down the hall. I'll have a nurse come in and get you unhooked and we'll have you on your way", she said gingerly before leaving Jeremy to himself.

Jeremy's head hit the pillow, and he felt the whole weight of the world settling on his chest. Slowly suffocating him. But them he inhaled a breath of air and like a bubble of freedom, he expelled that freedom, when his body relented to the forces of gravity.

He decided he wouldn't wait and he sat up. He felt rather. Normal, despite the stress. He looked at where the tube was in his arm, set with a lazy strip of tape. He took in a prepared breath, flexed as he gripped the pieces. Shut his eyes and ripped and it tugged on his skin painfully before it came out and Jeremy hissed.

"Fffuuuhhck."

He used the little tape as a bandage over the little hole. It didn't work well, and he panicked. Glancing around he found a cupboard labeled Supplies and he found swabs and gauze and strapped his wound. No one had come in yet and he scoffed at it. Finding his clothes on a chair, he quickly switched out of the breezy hospital gown, and poked his head out of the closed curtains. He felt weary, wondering if they'd ask questions where he went off too. But he just had to see Justin. He glanced around and it seemed all the staff were busy either pushing away a car wreck, some sick kid, or chatting away with each other. He remembered that Dr.Lee said he was a few rooms down and he took the right, that lead down the only hall with rooms, occupied and vacant. Most of them were. But three down, there was one.

Jeremy flet his heart freeze. His chest tighten like a cage around his heart. Restricting it and his lungs to breathe. He quickly ran to it, glanced around before he snuck into the room and he prayed Justin would be looking at him with happy, surprised eyes. But when he turned, he did find Justin. Head wrapped, eyes shut. Strapped to a couple tubes, and a heart monitor, and he was breathing thankfully. 

Jeremy felt air get punched out of him, and a depression settle in. The only one he really talk too. Was here in a hospital bed. Seemingly dead to the world if it weren't for that heart monitor to let you know otherwise.

Jeremy strode to his dear friend's side, hand on the little bar of his bed.

He took in his rugged appearance,  gathered his words before he spoke,

"Hey, man. It's me. Sorry I hadn't been here sooner. Well, no. Sorry I wasn't there to knock some sense into one of you... but.. I have shit to tell you, man I saw something...

I saw something, big and insane and it bit me. And Grey's been acting weird and he told me you hit something that night. And I want to know what fucked us all up. And I want to find it. And-",

Suddenly Justin's eyes shot open and Jeremy jumped back with a Yelp and Justin look pretty stoned. Frozen, but his eyes shot around. Before they focused on Jeremy, and the once dead spoke,

"J... Where am I? Am I at the hospital?"

"Oh my God you're awake".

Justin looked exasperated, "what do you mean I'm awake?", he cranked his head before he hissed as his head pounded like a sledgehammer.

"Justin you were in an accident last night, and it's like. Fuck if I know. Some time next day. Dude. Fuck , I thought I wasn't gonna talk to your dumbass ever again you dumbass!".

Justin scowled, but even that hurt to do and he sighed,

"Look I dont remember shit, but all I know is I want to go home. Get me out this shit."

Jeremy choked on his own spit,

"What are you talking about, you gotta wait until a doctor comes in and makes sure you're alright. Like I think this is the first you've woken up and Chase said you got like a concussion and shit."

Justin was bemused. Pouting,

"This upsets me."

"Bet."

"Well what the fuck am I supposed to do?"

"Jeremy?", Jeremy suddenly heard his Dad call and he cursed.

"Yeah, hold on."

"What?", Justin glanced at Jeremy's hands and noticed the little bracelet the hospital gave every patient and he coughed,

"Jeremy what the fuck happened to you!"

Jeremy was already outside and he saw his worried looking Father and a concerned nurse. He felt bad, quickly jogging over, explaining himself,

"I'm sorry, my friend Justin got in an accident and he was here and I had to see if he was alright-".

"But Jeremy what about you?", his Father retorted.

"The doctor said I was fine."

"Well you're not. You've got to explain to me why my son got his shoulder but by Jaws", he snapped, arms crossed and the nurse realized this was going to be a father son kind of situation so she found something else to do while Jeremy found a way to explain himself.

He swallowed, rubbed his face,

"I.. Look I was out last night. With Justin."

His Father shit his eyes and sighed ,

"On your dirt bikes past curfew? Again?. Jeremy."

"I know... but I got what I deserved... We were just driving on the empty roads in Sunnyvale. It was dark.. and then Justin got in an accident... so after we called an ambulance, I went home dad. That was all, it was all and and then..."

His Dad looked a medley between depressed, and furious, and there Jeremy couldn't describe what he really saw. His Dad wouldn't believe him.

"This, big dog, I think it was a coyote. The doctor doesnt but it was other in the woods and it came out of nowhere and it attacked me."

His Father's look changed. He sighed,

"Let's just get home, and get you lied down", and with that. His father turned around and like that everything had died. The conversation now ash and Jeremy could find some remedy in that, and as he followed he wondered what next was to come. He remembered Justin but knew he couldn't go back when it looked like someone professional walked into his room.