Pulling up the driveway, Stevie quickly threw the car into park and jumped out, barely closing the door behind her. She couldn't get there fast enough, not after hearing how worried her friend had sounded on the phone.
She hurried down the sidewalk, trying not to twist an ankle before she got to him. That was the last thing they needed in that moment.
And before she was even able to make it up the steps, Becky pulled open the front door to welcome her in. "He's in the living room." She had that sympathetic tone in her voice- the one that silently meant, I'm sorry I had to do this.
"Thank you," She wasn't totally embarrassed... It was just Becky and Dan. If he would had pulled that at anyone else's house, she would have just called him a cab and unlocked the door for him when he was dropped off.
But she had seen Dan drunk and she had cleaned up his puke off her hard wood floor a time or two in the thirty years they were neighbors. It happens and she know that Becky was the last person that wanted to judge them.
"Lindsey?" She frowned when she stepped through the foyer, eyes immediately scanning the living room.
He was sitting on the floor, slouched over to one side with his eyes closed. And sure enough, Dan was also three sheets to the wind, but he was still cradling a bottle of booze as he laid flat on his back in the corner.
"I'm so sorry, Becky." She could feel her heart pounding as she turned back to look at her friend.... she was a hero.
Shaking her head a little, she waved softly. "Take care of your husband, Stevie." She gave her a warm smile, "And I'll let mine sleep there tonight." She added, a chuckle filling the thick air around them.
She didn't want Stevie to feel bad... She couldn't control her husband, just like Becky couldn't control hers.
Sinking down slowly, Stevie's hands met his face, bring his eyes up to look into hers. "Lindsey, we're gonna go home, okay?" She didn't know what had gotten into him and as much as she wanted to tell him to just get his ass up and get in the car, she knew she couldn't do that. "Here, come on." She started to stand up, trying to get him to do the same. "Help me, Lindsey." She mumbled, finally getting him off the carpet just a moment later.
It took another fifteen minutes for Becky and Stevie to get him to move his legs and get to the car. He had started drinking as soon as she left for dinner and it wasn't just a casual couple of beers... he was drinking to simply get drunk- she could tell.
It had been a long time since he'd played that game. A very, very long time and she hadn't missed it.
Letting off a heavy sigh, she fell back on her heels once he was finally sitting in the passenger seat, buckled up and mumbling something she didn't even care understand. "Thank you, dear." Closing the door, Stevie's eyes melted right into her best friends.
"If you need any help when you get home, call me and I'll walk down." She held out her arms, welcoming Stevie in for a warm hug.
~~
Pushing open the car down, he grabbed the blanket and pillow before he stepped out, heavy feet hitting the concrete floor of the garage.
He had a headache from hell, a sore neck from a night of sleeping in the car and he could have bet money that his wife was ready to squabble on the other side of that door.
He didn't remember much from the night before, but if she brought him out a blanket to sleep with... things probably weren't looking so hot.
Before opening the door, he tried to decide if he was really ready to go in, or maybe he would just spend the day hanging out outside, so he didn't have to argue...
But half heartedly, he pushed the side door open to step into the mud room. It was quiet- too quiet, even for Stevie. Setting his jacket down on the bench, he slipped out of shoes and headed through the room into the kitchen.
She was standing by the sink, staring out the window as the early morning sun beamed through the curtains. She was still in her nightgown, hair twisted into a clip as all that natural light brought out her real beauty.
She had spent all night in the living room, going in and out of the garage to check on him. She might have been mad, but she was also worried about leaving him out there alone so intoxicated...
"There's coffee." She half whispered, never looking back.
Shifting awkwardly, Lindsey slid both hands into his pockets. "It must have been pretty bad." He didn't remember anything after Donna stormed through the house to get Scotty off the kitchen counter... he was singing the greatest hits of the 80's. And everything after that just seemed kind of blurry.
Setting her cup down on the counter, she turned around slowly, eyes melting right into his. "Twice in the last week..." she mumbled, shaking her head softly. "You don't drink like that anymore." She held out her hands, a look of sadness lingering on her face.
Lindsey sighed, eyes falling towards the kitchen island. He didn't want to see the disappointed look. "I'm sorry, Stevie." He knew she was tired of that- she was many years earlier.
"What has gotten into you?" She questioned, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she cradled her cup close to her mouth.
They had spent a lot of their youth partying every night, even after the boys were born and they were on the road... He liked to have a good time, but at one point, she told him that they had to grow up. They had to be there for their children.
Both of his hands fell on the marble countertop as he slipped onto the bar stool. "I just got a little carried away, that was all." He wasn't sure what she wanted him to say... he lost count of drinks- it happens to the best of them.
She grew silent, turning back around to grab another mug out of the cabinet. "Well," sighing heavily, she started to pour another cup of coffee. "I suggest you start to shape up, Lindsey." She could feel the tears, but she had already promised herself that she wasn't going to cry, not in front of him. "I will not deal with this type of bullshit every other day." She gently pushed the cup across the counter, eyes burning into him.
He sank down in the chair. "This has been lot to take in, Stevie." He knew she was feeling the same way... of course she was.
Nodding her head, she shrugged her shoulders. "You should sleep in the guest room for a couple of nights to think about it then."
"I-" he creased a brow, but she held up her hand before he could continue.
"I won't deal with it." Her heart was heavy, but her voice was stern.
"I'm sorry." He was sorry, even if she didn't believe him.
She reached out, hand resting on his for a long moment. "I don't want you to come to any of my appointments from here on out."
