hands.
Wrestling with competing impulses — fight or give in — Leo looked at the people who cared about him. His eyes lingered on his brother, who knew Leo like nobody else, even though they’d been apart for years.
“Will you go to treatment?” Jason asked.
Leo swallowed hard.
Audrey squeezed his hand again. Her voice was shaky. “Please.
You haven’t been yourself, Leo. I…” She looked down. “I miss my boyfriend.”
Her wounded tone slayed him. Finally Leo looked at his mother.
“Yes, ma’am, I’ll go.”
The group collectively exhaled, and Leo glanced around. “So that’s it?”
Mr. Shale nodded. “Yep, that’s it. You can go pack a bag, and I’ll take you over to Still Waters Treatment Center right now. Do have any questions?”
“Wait. How’d you all find out?”
His mother glanced nervously at Jason.
“Tony,” Jason said. “I called him to…ah, well, make amends, actually, and he let it slip you’d been visiting him.” Leo scowled. “So you suddenly show up here after four years, just to lord it over me how screwed up my life is?”
“Hey,” Jason said. “I wanted to come for Mom’s birthday, but I got here early because I knew something was up when I talked to Tony.”
“What about my birthday?” Leo yelled. “What about my swim meets? You missed it all, Jase! You don’t even know Audrey!”
“I’m sorry,” Jason said. “I don’t expect you or Mom to forgive me for being gone so long.” His jaw clenched. “I didn’t return because I’m an alcoholic. I was homeless . So no, I’m not ‘lording it over’ you.
How’d you think I knew how to plan this intervention? It was because I’ve been through it too. I was lucky enough to have friends in Seattle intervene on my behalf. Marcus is a friend of a friend they set me up with here in town to help you.”
Leo sat silently, unable to think of anything to say.
“I won’t let you lose everything like I did, Leo. Without treatment, you’re headed to a life of homelessness and misery, just like me.” As he sorted through the whirlwind of emotions, Leo felt his hands begin to tremble. Time for a pill. Suddenly another thought added to their tremor. “CS will kill me if he finds out about this.” Jason nodded. “Marcus and I already talked about that. We’ll figure something out when Dad returns, okay? Don’t let him stop you from getting better, Leo.”
It was frightening to trust Jason, but Leo didn’t have much choice.
He gulped and turned toward the stairs.
Jason put out his arm, stopping him. “Before you start packing, give me the pills.”
Leo paused. “That’s not necessary.”
“Yeah, it is. Hand them over.”
The standoff seemed to last forever. Leo finally reached into his swim bag and pulled out a baggie. He practically threw it at his brother. “Are you satisfied now?”
“No. I want all of them.”
Sighing dramatically, Leo reached into his jeans pocket and produced three more pills. Jason took them and tilted his head to the stairs. “I already confiscated some pills from your room, but I’ll come with you now so you can show me all your hiding places.”
“You’re really an ass, you know that?” Leo said, starting up the stairs.
“Yep. But I’d rather be an ass to my living brother than a nice guy to my dead one.”
14. One Day at a Time
This was more awful than the worst flu of his life. Leo had sweated through his sheets, vomited four times, coughed incessantly, and felt overwhelming fatigue despite not being able to sleep at all. And that was just the first night of detox. He really wondered if he was going to make it.
After a nurse checked Leo’s vital signs, Mr. Shale stopped by. He sat in a chair near the bed.
“How’s it going, Leo?”
Leo clutched his stomach while lying in the fetal position. He stopped moaning long enough to look up. “Fine, sir.” Mr. Shale burst out laughing. “Fine, huh? You certainly don’t look fine, son. Let’s face it,
Wrestling with competing impulses — fight or give in — Leo looked at the people who cared about him. His eyes lingered on his brother, who knew Leo like nobody else, even though they’d been apart for years.
“Will you go to treatment?” Jason asked.
Leo swallowed hard.
Audrey squeezed his hand again. Her voice was shaky. “Please.
You haven’t been yourself, Leo. I…” She looked down. “I miss my boyfriend.”
Her wounded tone slayed him. Finally Leo looked at his mother.
“Yes, ma’am, I’ll go.”
The group collectively exhaled, and Leo glanced around. “So that’s it?”
Mr. Shale nodded. “Yep, that’s it. You can go pack a bag, and I’ll take you over to Still Waters Treatment Center right now. Do have any questions?”
“Wait. How’d you all find out?”
His mother glanced nervously at Jason.
“Tony,” Jason said. “I called him to…ah, well, make amends, actually, and he let it slip you’d been visiting him.” Leo scowled. “So you suddenly show up here after four years, just to lord it over me how screwed up my life is?”
“Hey,” Jason said. “I wanted to come for Mom’s birthday, but I got here early because I knew something was up when I talked to Tony.”
“What about my birthday?” Leo yelled. “What about my swim meets? You missed it all, Jase! You don’t even know Audrey!”
“I’m sorry,” Jason said. “I don’t expect you or Mom to forgive me for being gone so long.” His jaw clenched. “I didn’t return because I’m an alcoholic. I was homeless . So no, I’m not ‘lording it over’ you.
How’d you think I knew how to plan this intervention? It was because I’ve been through it too. I was lucky enough to have friends in Seattle intervene on my behalf. Marcus is a friend of a friend they set me up with here in town to help you.”
Leo sat silently, unable to think of anything to say.
“I won’t let you lose everything like I did, Leo. Without treatment, you’re headed to a life of homelessness and misery, just like me.” As he sorted through the whirlwind of emotions, Leo felt his hands begin to tremble. Time for a pill. Suddenly another thought added to their tremor. “CS will kill me if he finds out about this.” Jason nodded. “Marcus and I already talked about that. We’ll figure something out when Dad returns, okay? Don’t let him stop you from getting better, Leo.”
It was frightening to trust Jason, but Leo didn’t have much choice.
He gulped and turned toward the stairs.
Jason put out his arm, stopping him. “Before you start packing, give me the pills.”
Leo paused. “That’s not necessary.”
“Yeah, it is. Hand them over.”
The standoff seemed to last forever. Leo finally reached into his swim bag and pulled out a baggie. He practically threw it at his brother. “Are you satisfied now?”
“No. I want all of them.”
Sighing dramatically, Leo reached into his jeans pocket and produced three more pills. Jason took them and tilted his head to the stairs. “I already confiscated some pills from your room, but I’ll come with you now so you can show me all your hiding places.”
“You’re really an ass, you know that?” Leo said, starting up the stairs.
“Yep. But I’d rather be an ass to my living brother than a nice guy to my dead one.”
14. One Day at a Time
This was more awful than the worst flu of his life. Leo had sweated through his sheets, vomited four times, coughed incessantly, and felt overwhelming fatigue despite not being able to sleep at all. And that was just the first night of detox. He really wondered if he was going to make it.
After a nurse checked Leo’s vital signs, Mr. Shale stopped by. He sat in a chair near the bed.
“How’s it going, Leo?”
Leo clutched his stomach while lying in the fetal position. He stopped moaning long enough to look up. “Fine, sir.” Mr. Shale burst out laughing. “Fine, huh? You certainly don’t look fine, son. Let’s face it,
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