He opens his eyes to glare at me. His glare would send most grow men running. Not me I just glare back.
“We’re checking you in to rehab.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Yes, we are.”
“No. The fuck. You’re not. I’m fine, I just need to sleep it off.”
My anger snaps. “Do you hear your fucking self? You are the farthest thing from fine I’ve ever seen. Your withering away before my eyes, man. I don’t know what happened that day with the fire or with Rosalie.”
His eyes snap open, the warning in them clear, I press on. “And I won’t pretend to understand what you’ve been going through, but I will not let you kill yourself. You’re drowning in your own misery and it’s not going down on my watch. If Liam, Gavin, Grayson or Gabe knew how bad you’d gotten I know they’d agree with me.”
I sit down in the chair next to his bed. “Now here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to sleep off this hangover and then tomorrow we’re going to look into getting you some help. You got me?’”
His jaw is clenched tight and I know it’s taking everything in him not to lash out at me, but I don’t give a damn.
He nods once.
“Good.” I turn to leave the room before I really do hit him when his voice stops me.
“Rosalie’s in town.”
I turn back to him, shock reverberating through me.
“What?” I say sure that I didn’t hear him correctly.
“Rosalie’s back in town. I went to the diner to grab something to eat and I saw her in there and she wasn’t alone. She was with some fucking loser.”
He looks me in the eye, and I see past the drunkenness and straight to the pain. He and Rosalie were inseparable through high school and college. When she got a nursing position in California, Lincoln didn’t hesitate to apply for a firefighting position there. They were happy, he was getting ready to propose when shit hit the fan. I don’t know exactly what happened, because he’s never really talked about it, but I know it wasn’t good. Last I heard she was still in Cali, so it’s shocking to hear she’s back in Chicago now.
I step back into the room and sit down in the chair next to his bed.
“Did you talk to her,” I ask quietly.
Lincoln shakes his head then winces as if in pain.
“Nah, I knew if I went over their I’d lose it. I went to the bar across the street and had a few drinks before going over to Temptation.”
I sigh. “Maybe you should try talking to her. After you sober up.” I add.
Lincoln laughs but it holds no humor. “I’m the last person she wants to talk to. I fucked up Levi.”
“I’m sure you can fix it, man. I almost fucked up with Mia and she forgave me. Whatever you did you just have to work to make it right. Rosalie’s a sweet girl I’m sure she’ll forgive you.”
Lincoln looks at me again and something akin to hope fills his eyes. “You think so.”
“Yeah,” I say nodding. “But you’ve got to get yourself together. The first step is sleeping off this hangover.”
Lincoln’s quiet for a moment. “You’re right.”
“Of course, I am,” I smirk.
“If I wasn’t so hungover, I’d kick your ass.”
“In your dreams man. Get some rest. We’ll stick around for a little while.”
He shifts on the bed and just as I’m closing the door behind me, he calls my name.
“Yeah?” I say sticking my head back in the door.
“Thanks man.” He says it so quietly I almost don’t hear him.
“You’ve got it.”
I close the door and then lean heavily against the wall beside it.
His behavior makes a little more since now. Rosalie is the love of his life; I can’t even begin to imagine what I would do if I lost Mia.
Just then my phone goes off in my pocket. I pull it out to see Grayson’s number flashing across the screen.
“Hey.”
“Hey, is everything okay with Lincoln?” he asks.
Grayson is a college professor at the Lunbar University in New York. Although this thing just happened, I’m not surprised that he knows about it already. News tends to travel fast in our family. Especially when one of us is going through something.
“Yeah, I got him back to his place. He should be able to sleep it off. I told him he needs to go to counseling.”
Grayson sighs. “We should have made him see a therapist after that incident with those two women.”
“Yeah I think so too.”
“Do you know what triggered this drinking binge.”
“Yep he ran into Rosalie, out with another guy.”
“Oh shit.”
We’re all aware of Lincoln’s history with Rosalie.
“My thoughts exactly.”
“Well I’m glad he’s at least safe. I’ll call him again tomorrow.”
“Alright.” We say our goodbyes just as I step into the kitchen. Mia looks up and smiles at me. And her smile causes that shift in my chest.
My phone starts ringing again
This time Sarah’s name is flashing across the screen no doubt wanting to know what’s up with Lincoln. I take a seat at the now clean counter. I field calls from my mom and dad, Gabe and Liam updating them on what’s going on.
By the time I get off the phone I’m tired as fuck.
“Is he okay?” Mia says coming to stand in front of me. I pull her into my arms needing to hold her.
“Yeah, he’ll be alright. I think he needs to see a therapist though.” I rest my chin on top of her head.
She grips the back of my shirt
