"It's just a strong painkiller, silly."

☆

"Thanks for the ride Jojo." Adam reaches around in the passenger seat of Jojo's car, forgetting in the moment his injured shoulder, as he finds himself catching a breath.

"Here, let me. It's the least I can do." Jojo smiles as she presses the button to release the seat belt. She looks back up at Adam. He seemed to be looking a little lost in the passenger seat as he made no attempt to get out. "Is there something wrong?" Her eyes gravitate towards his injured shoulder. "Are you still in pain? Maybe a trip to A and E is what is needed after all."

"No no. It's fine." Adam shakes his head, managing to muster up a grin of sorts. "Strong pain killers will do the trick."

Jojo reaches around for her bag, idley tossed on the back seat. She pulls it around to her lap, rummaging for something which was in there somewhere. "Ah. Here." She pulls a small sachet, offering it over to Adam.

"What's this?" Adam questions as he cautiously takes the small packet from Jojo.

"I swear by it for my.... Well my monthly cramps." She feels a blush to her cheeks, which she tries to mask with a smile as she again throws the bag on the back seat.

"O...kay?" Adam frowns, taking in the brand name on the packet, unfamiliar to him. "I don't really suffer from that."

"It's just a strong painkiller, silly." She shakes her head, amused by the deduction he had made. I struggle to swallow pills. Just add to half a cup of water. It will do the trick."

"Thanks." Adam carefully pockets the sachet, feeling rather apprehensive about taking anything potion like given to him by other people, considering what happened the last time at the far away house. He forces a grateful smile.

Jojo says nothing, the look alone was clear enough that he would probably suffer in silence. "Well, just call me if you need anything. You have my number."

"I do." Adam confirms, as he carefully gets out. He waves her off and heads inside.

***

"Ok... sleep." The 'pep' talk to himself as Adam lay on his back and stared at the ceiling, was not being adhered to. Maybe it was the nagging ache in his shoulder, pulsing its pain through his nerves like a slow beating drum. Or maybe it was the fear of closing his eyes. Too scared to see what his mind had in store when he did. His thoughts turn to Isaac. Had he been too forward asking him to stay over? His intentions were innocent enough. He had slept so well with Isaac by his side. Not once, but twice. It couldn't have been coincidental. Isaac was the remedy to his pain.... His pain...

He exhales a sigh. The physical pain brings him back from his wandering thoughts. Adam pulls back the sheets and carefully gets out of his bed, making his way to the bathroom cabinet. The light gets switched on. Too bright for his eyes as he instantly squints. He opens the mirrored cabinet door as he looks inside for some kind of pain relief, locating a box, opening it up and pulling out the blistered packet to reveal a solitary tablet.

Adam sighs again for the umpteeth time as he pops out the pill. He knew he should have gotten more when he had the chance, but at least one pill was better than nothing. He rests it on the edge of the sink, whilst he grabs a glass for some water. The shelf, not too high, but high enough to cause him to flinch at the angle change as he suddenly jerks his arm and knocks the one and only pain killer down the plug hole. "You're joking me." He watches the tablet disappear down one of the many holes. In vain, he again looks in the cabinet for some more pain relief which may have missed his attention, anything to ignore the obvious sachet still scrunched in the pocket of his sweat pants. But he had reached that point where he would do anything for a painless sleep.

Possibly the pain in his shoulder overriding his wary thoughts, he half fills the cup of water. Carefully this time as he takes the drink to the bedroom. He places the glass on his night stand before heading to his sweatpants on the floor where he had left them. He locates the sachet, still looking as innocent as the first time he had seen it. 'Don't think too much' He tells his mind over and over again as the sachet is ripped and the tiny granules fall into the water, creating a cloud like liquid. At least it wasn't the same pink Miss Fine had offered him. Jojo wasn't her.

He discards the empty sachet, with one hand as he takes up the glass with the other. No more pondered or deliberating. He needed the pain to stop and to get to sleep. He takes the glass to his lips and downs it. The taste was not as bad as anticipated. Just a shade to the left of the water. A mild tang. The glass is put back on the side and Adam waits, half expecting something bad to happen as the moments of doubt fill his thoughts, but as it said on the packet, it was a pain killer. An instant pain killer in fact and he feels the hurt subside almost straight away.

Adam lays back into his bed, pulling the sheets over him. A sleepy feeling begins to consume him as his eyes slowly close, as if under an anaesthetic. But he welcomed it. The feeling is like a blissful euphoria. He was ready for whatever was to happen next as he found his mind drifting into a familiar dream.... But wait. Something has changed...