“I don’t know where to draw the line.”
—Libby Alexander
Libby went into the bathroom and came out carrying a small bottle, and they drove together to a clinic wedged between a liquor store and a pharmacy near the Detroit River. Amanda checked in at the main desk and then waited outside the front door, smoking a cigarette until a nurse came out to get her. “There are a few things we need to go over first,” the nurse said, leading her back to a small exam room.
She explained that the shot was an opiate antagonist. She explained that if Amanda still had drugs in her body the shot would cause an immediate and severe reaction: muscle spasms, cold sweats, abdominal cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, impaired breathing.
“When did you last have opiates in your system,” the nurse asked.
“I’m not really sure,” Amanda said, looking down, picking at her nail beds.
“Has it been over 14 days?”
“I think so.”
“No heroin? No Suboxone or methadone?”
Amanda looked across the room at Libby, who stared back at her and nodded. Amanda sat for a minute and thought about telling the truth. Her appointment would be rescheduled. No shot. No muscle spasms or impaired breathing. She would be outside in a few minutes smoking a cigarette, and she could catch a ride to Southwest Detroit and be high within an hour.
“Yes. I’m clean,” Amanda said finally. “It’s probably been like 20 days.”
“We’ll need to do a drug test,” the nurse said, handing her a small cup for a urine sample. She said the test was mostly for record keeping.
“Right now?” Amanda said. “I don’t really have to go.”
“That’s fine. You can do it after the shot,” the nurse said.
The nurse left and returned with a long needle. “I’m not ready. I’m not ready,” Amanda said, and then she said to just do it and closed her eyes. The shot was over in 10 seconds. She thanked the nurse, went into the bathroom to leave Libby’s urine sample and then hurried outside. She lit a cigarette. She took a deep breath and wiggled her toes and squeezed her arms and rolled her neck and decided she felt ... fine. “I think I’m actually okay,” she told Libby.
ncG1vJloZrCvp2PEor%2FHoqWgrJ%2BjvbC%2F02eaqKVfqLNwusCtoKimkaF8c3yQb2Zpb19ngHC61KaZaA%3D%3D