I opened my eyes slowly and saw Mark and Bryan sitting next to my bed side. 'How is it going Em?' Bry asked me and smiled.

'We were just talking about y..' I could see Mark's elbow hit Bry's ribs and that made me smile although it hurt a bit. Boys will be boys eh? 'Oi!' Bry looked a bit in pain but he winked to me again.

Mark's cheeks went on bright red again, brighter than when he tickled me. 'I'm sorry Em. I don't know if you'll be able to forgive me.' I knew I wasn't able to talk yet. There was something on my throat that was holding me from talking. I lift my pointer finger and moved it towards Mark's lips. When my finger finally touched it, it felt so warm and so loving. Mark was looking straight at me. 'So, ummm..yeah..hmmm..umm..yeah..'

Jeez, I forgot all about Bryan. I shouldn't have done that. I quickly pulled my finger back to where it was but Mark stopped me from doing it. He held my hand instead.

All of a sudden I felt so angry. Why would I push everyone away from me? Why did I have to treat myself badly? I knew taking drugs was wrong but why didn't I try to stop it?

I felt so stupid. I didn't run away from my pains. I got stuck in it instead. I wasn't suppose to run away. But I felt thankful on the other side. Thankful that Bry, Mark and the other lads came right on time into my life. That they were able to touch my life and made a difference in a very short time. Why didn't I want to be honest that I had a problem? A big one. Lucky for me I hadn't been taking drugs for too long now but it was starting to made a difference in my body.