White deafening light bore before his eyes.  It was so bright, Layne was concerned he had gone blind.  "Shit...now how am I going to excel any further with my fine arts?" he muttered, shaking.  It was unbelievably cold in this strange unknown vortex.

Suddenly, a surge of heat filled him from the waist up.  He saw the outlines of trees blowing in the wind.  And almost like an explosion, everything filled out with green.  The sight was still blurred, but it was something. 

Finally, the edges of the scenery became clear.  He was standing on a beach, tropical coconut trees surrounding him.  His crystal haze watched in awe as blue & gold macaws swept past him above in the sky.  He looked out to the ocean, his heart fluttering as he witnessed two dolphins jumping up out of the ocean, the orange, pink and purple sunset reflecting off their shiny silver skin.

Glancing down at the ever-so-clear water before him, he jumped back at his reflection.  He did a double-take, grinning as he noticed that his teeth were all there in his mouth.  He wasn't anorexic looking anymore.  His skin was lightly tanned, sun kissed, and his eyes were filled with this healthy glow.  His once stringy, thin dull mane was now full & flowed down to his shoulders in coils of luscious curls.

"Where am I?" He asked himself, looking back up at the horizon.  Everything was just so beautiful...so vibrant.  It almost seemed surreal, as if he were encased in a glorious painting.  He took a deep breath in & sighed with exuberance.  The air was light & smelled of fresh ocean & exotic flowers.  "...am I in heaven?" he wondered aloud.

His bright blue eyes squinted at the horizon again.  A short woman with long dark hair emerged from the water.  She had to have been the most beautiful woman Layne had ever seen in his entire existence.  As she came closer and closer, he studied her features.  She was short & her skin was a creamy white sheen of silk.  Her eyes were brown but animated, seeming to smile at him vibrantly.  Her lips were painted red.  He was mesmerized by her thick long dark hair, how it blew & twirled in the wind, and the white dress that draped over her skinny body gracefully.

"An...an angel?" He muttered.  He took a step back, feeling his heart begin to race.

The cutest little laugh echoed from the woman as she seemed to suddenly zip close to him.  She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders.  Those plump Crimson lips met his own, giving him a long and loving kiss that seemed all too familiar to him.

His heart sunk as he felt hot tears roll down his cheek.  "...Demri?"

She nodded, a huge grin plastered on her face.  Her short little body plopped down on the sand.  Those doe-eyes watched the clear sparkling ocean water wrinkle from the waves as it playfully nipped at her toes.

Layne took a seat next to her.  He couldn't stop staring at her.  He suddenly broke down in tears, sobbing hysterically, grabbing ahold of her.  "Demri...  I'm...I'm so sorry."

"You should be," she grumbled, her smile dropping.  Layne's heart skipped as he watched her slowly turn to glance back at him.  "Killing yourself like this...  Alienating yourself from your family, your friends.  And all for what, Layne?!"

He tried to hold back his tears but he sobbed again.  He attempted to hold her tighter, in fear of losing her once again, but she pushed him away.  She stood back up, feet planted stubbornly in the sand, waiting for his excuse. 

"Demri...  You have no idea how much your death has affected me.  I...I assumed you would snap out of it and try to get clean with me again.  When I found out you died..."  He broke down again in tears.  He curled up to his knees, taking a few long & deep breaths to calm himself down before continuing.  "When I found out you were dead, it was like I had died with you."

"Well, you can't fucking DO THIS ANYMORE, Layne!" She screamed, her eyes now grown eerily huge.

He gaped up at her, dumbfounded.

A door suddenly appeared behind her, near the horizon.  She pointed to it as huge blue tears oozed from those gigantic eyes.  "You don't belong here yet, Layne!" She continued.  "Go back to Sean, Mike, and Jerry!  You think you need THEM?!?!?!  They need YOU more than you could possibly fathom.  Quit being a selfish whiny BITCH and get your shit together!  If not for yourself, do it for ME and your FAMILY.  Don't make my death mean nothing to you except for a lame excuse to join me here too soon!"

Layne got up, jaw dropping as he just gaped at her.  He tilted his head and looked at the door by the horizon.  It was glowing a sparkling gold.  Slowly, it began to start to open up.

"HURRY UP, LAYNE!!!" Demri shrieked.  Her small body began to slowly disappear.  It was fading into transparency, almost blending in with the soft waves of the ocean.

"WAIT DEMRI!" Layne screamed.  "Wait, I need to talk to you, PLEASE!"  He tried to run over to hug her once more, but her body vanished into thin air.  Sobs escaped his throat.  He looked back at the slowly opening golden door.

"LAYNE IT ISNT TOO LATE!  GO BACK!  PROVE TO ME AND EVERYONE ELSE THAT YOU ARE BETTER THAN THIS!" Demri's voice echoed through the scenery.  It was so loud that it vibrated through Layne's skull, almost imitating that of an earthquake within the depths of his brain.

He puffed out air of anxiety.  He contemplated for a moment on whether he wanted to go back or not.  That image of Demri...pissed off at him for falling deeper into his addiction, all due to her death...  It made his heart ache.  It hurt to know that even though she's dead, he's still harming her...

"FINE!" He screamed back, wondering if Demri could hear him.  "I AM HEADING BACK!  I'll fight for you, babe!"

He cried & ran through the water.  The door was almost fully open, it flickering and starting to fade.  "NO NO NO YOU DONT!  I'm not giving up this easy!" He screamed at the door.  It slowly began to disappear.  He bellowed a loud roar, leaping up into the air.  To his surprise, he made it through the door.

He was spiraling in circles.  At least it felt like it.  It was pitch-black in this strange oblivion he had got himself trapped into.  Suddenly, he heard voices...familiar voices...

"Fuck man, if he dies...  I don't know if I could live with myself knowing I could've, I dunno, broke through his fucking window and FORCED him to get help..."

He heard weeping.  It sounded like Mike. "I was too late, Jerry.  I'm sorry.  I was too fucking late..."

"He's gonna make it, Sean, Mike!  I know he is!  He's stronger than all of this bullshit he's put himself through!"

*******

He was breathing heavy, eyes wide, his heart monitor going off in loud & frantic shrill beeps.  Peering around the room, it was merely a white blur.  He heard the sound of a louder, deeper beep than that of his heart monitor.

"Nurse station," a deep, grumpy monotone voice sounded through a speaker.

"Layne's awake!  He's awake!  Come in here!!!"

Finally, Layne's eyes re-focused, realizing it was Sean who was ecstatic about him waking up.  He lifted his hand, which was very shaky, over to his nose.  Yep, that stupid tube was still there.  Glancing down, he pinched his belly & grinned slightly at the realization that he wasn't as bony as he was before.

"How...." Layne choked & broke down in a coughing fit before he could finish his question.  His voice was hoarse, his throat EXTREMELY dry.  He looked at all three of his friends, still grinning.  He didn't even care if his fucked up teeth were showing. 

I'll just get dentures once I get out, he thought to himself.

That blonde, cute nurse came in, a cup in her hand.  She smiled ecstatically at everyone.  "I'm so glad you're awake!" She shrieked at Layne.  He tried to respond but all that came out was a groan.  She tisked her tongue.  "I'll bet your throat must be pretty dry," she commented, "here, I brought you some water."  She handed him the cup, giggling as she watched him chug it down hungrily.

"Holy freaking crap," Layne croaked out. He blinked, eyes wide from disorientation.  He glanced over at Jerry.  "How long have I been out?"

Layne's chest fell heavy when he noticed that all three of his best friends looked unbelievably tired.  They all had stubble on their cheeks and looked like they'd lost weight.  Their skin was paler than ever, and their eyes were wide and drowsy looking like they hadn't slept well in days.

"You've been in a coma for two weeks, Layne," Jerry finally answered.

"Jesus..." Layne muttered dumbly.

"I'm honestly shocked by your cognitive ability," the blonde nurse commented, resting a hand on Layne's shoulder.  "Most coma patients I've seen don't even remember how to talk when they finally wake up."

Suddenly, Layne felt as though pins and needles were piercing through his skin all over his body.  He felt his face burn, gulping down more water & sucking on the ice.  "I'm...I'm in pain," he whimpered to the nurse as his frail body quivered in agony.  She nodded her head & strode out the hospital door.

Layne was about to say something to Mike, who was still crying, but a loud sound grumbled through the air.  He smiled sheepishly, warmth overcoming his cheeks.  His mouth pooled with saliva.

Sean had to laugh, re-crossing his long skinny legs.  "Starvin Marvin over here, guys."

Mike & Jerry chuckled.  "I swear, you never fucking stop, do you?" Jerry asked with a grin.  He turned back to Layne, shoving his hands into his jean pockets.  "You doing okay, L?"

Layne shrugged, resting his hand on his stomach, feeling it still rumbling.  "Yeah... Kinda groggy...  In pain..." he licked his lips weakly.  "...really fucking hungry."  He laughed again when his stomach cried out another growl.

"Doctor Ryan said that if you'd wake up, they would take that stupid tube out of your nose," Sean said.  "Guess you've gained enough to be able to handle REAL food."

Layne smirked.  "Shit, I hope so...  including the coma situation, I haven't actually ate in 4 weeks now..."

Mike shook his head.  "That's insane, dude..."

"Yeah.  All for drugs," Layne grumbled, disgusted with himself.

The door opened again, Dr. Ryan & Erica walking in with bright smiles on their faces.  "Well, you look like you finally have some hope for once there, Layne," Dr. Ryan commented as he slowly injected methadone into his new IV that was set up on his upper arm.

"Had a very inspiring dream," layne muttered.  His eyes wandered over at Erica...who was gripping Mike's hand.  Mike looked over at him and immediately lifted up his finger to his lips to give him the shush sign.  Layne grinned and nodded.

"Care to share?" Dr. Ryan asked.  He slumped over to the end of Layne's bed to get his weight.  Layne flinched at the loud high-pitched beep noise.

"Nah, it's kinda personal," he muttered, sharing a look with Jerry.  "It definitely has motivated me to stay away from the hard drugs, though."

"Well, that's a great start!" Dr. Ryan exclaimed.  He glanced up at Layne, grinning wider.  "You've gained some weight too."

Layne reached up to scratch his scalp.  "Does that mean I can finally EAT?"

He laughed & nodded his head.  "Yep.  You're up to 110 now, which is great.  Of course, you're still underweight.  I would like to see you back up to at least 140 pounds, if not more."

Layne pointed to the white tube in his nose.  "Am I getting this dumb thing out any time soon...?"

Erica smirked, eyeing the door that opened.  The cute blonde nurse strolled through the door with a portable bed.  "You're getting it out now, sweetie.  You'll be able to eat at 5 pm today."

"FINALLY," Layne moaned.  "I could go for a double cheeseburger right now..."  He wetted his lips in anticipation.

The blonde shook her head, giving Layne a sad smile.  "Unfortunately you'll have to stick with a more liquid-based diet for the next couple days...  Foods like soup, ice cream, pudding, jello, & ensure."

Layne grumbled angrily as Dr. Ryan scooted him onto the portable bed.  "Figures, man.  My freaking luck..."

The blonde patted him on his shoulder.  "You have to be patient, Layne.  You have put your body through one heck of a trauma," she began scooting the bed towards the door, Erica holding it for her. "I'm just glad to see that you seem to actually WANT to fight now, hun.  That's the first step to recovery...is admitting you have a problem & getting motivated to solving the problem."

"Ugh, I know, lady," Layne groaned, though with a smile.  "I've been to many 12 step programs..."  He paused for a moment, eyeing her.  "Fuck, did I just call you 'lady'...?"

She giggled, "yeah..."

"Shit, I'm sorry."

She shrugged, laughing again when she overheard all of his friends cracking jokes about how much of a "lady killer" Layne is.  "I've been called worse than that, no worries."

Sean laughed, which made Layne smirk.  He always had the most ridiculous laugh.  "Well, what can I call that pretty face of yours'?" Layne asked, trying to sound smooth.

"CORN FLAKES!  I smell corn flakes!" Sean shouted out the door.

Jerry laughed.  "Yeah, man, I think I tried that line out on a cute girl in...ummm... Fucking middle school."

Layne blushed as he looked up at those green eyes.  She laughed & winked at him.  "Call me Bre.  Though my actual name is Briana."

He grinned, "nice name...way better than lady."

She laughed, pushing him down the hallway to the x-Ray room.  "Whelp, let's get this tube out of you, okay?"

He nodded, dazed by her beauty.