Never Alone

Part 2

Lindsey's eyes settled on the person, leaning against a car, waving at him to capture his attention. He would have liked to jump in a cab instead, but Stevie's father insisted that someone could pick him up. That someone was Glen Parrish and Lindsey had absolutely nothing in common with him. Well, other than wanting to help Stevie. Lindsey was awkward as it was, he wasn't particularly pleased having to endure painful small talk on top of that.

"Hi." Glen held out his hand for Lindsey to shake. "How was the flight?"

"It was okay." Lindsey replied and put his suitcase in the trunk of the car. He then got into the passenger's seat and fastened the seatbelt, hoping that Glen was out of questions.

"I want you to know how thankful we all are that you've agreed to come." Glen said as he drove out onto the road. "I hope that you can awaken something in Stevie."

"Yeah, I'm not sure, how one addict can help another, but..." Lindsey sighed, turning to look out the window.

Lindsey wasn't doing all that great himself. He was still a heavy drinker, he'd been seeing a shrink. He couldn't say that it was completely useless, but he wasn't sure yet, how helpful it was, either. If last night had ended with just that phone call from Chris, Lindsey would have stayed home. When Jess called, he knew, it had to be serious. Stevie's father was the only reason why he had agreed to get on that plane.

"We're here." Glen announced and took the key out of ignition.

Taking a deep breath first, Lindsey pushed the door open and climbed out of the car. He took in his surroundings, realizing just how long it had been since the last time he'd visited. He left his things in the trunk for the time being and Glen led the way inside the house. Lindsey was greeted with sighs of relief and weak smiles. No matter what had happened between him and Stevie, Lindsey was already welcomed warmly by her family. 

"You have no idea how much this means to me." Jess patted Lindsey on the back before the two men pulled back from their hug. "Thank you."

"I haven't done anything yet." Lindsey shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's more than likely that I'll be asked to leave."

"You probably will." Jess nodded. "But please, don't give up on her right away."

If he were totally honest, Lindsey thought that Stevie had just gone on another bender. He believed, he had already seen all kinds of her and she always made it out alive. However, the exhaustion on her father's face and the sincere worry in his eyes, made Lindsey question his assumption.

"So, uh..." Lindsey cleared his throat and took a seat. He looked around the room, at the faces of people, who were completely depending on him, and gulped. "What's been going on?"

"She's a mess." Lori's straightforwardness was only appreciated by Lindsey. Clearly, this was not a time to dance around the subject. "She's not eating, I doubt she's getting any sleep. She only comes out of her room if she needs to stock up, but before we can talk to her, she locks herself up again."

"None of us have been able to get through to her." Chris added, standing by the window, hands in his pockets, head hung low. "Every time I go check on her, I'm afraid that... that..."

Again, Lindsey swallowed uneasily. The atmosphere in the room made him feel as if he was already at someone's wake. "Where is Stevie? Would it be okay if I went to see her?"

"Please, do." Jess rushed to respond. "She's in her bedroom. I'm sure that you know where it is."

With a sole nod of his head, Lindsey rose to his feet and walked out. He had to stop for a second, take a couple of deep breaths and prepare himself. He wished, he could have taken a shot of courage, but if he had, Stevie would have just thrown it in his face.

Standing on the other side of Stevie's bedroom door, Lindsey leaned against it to listen first, not sure what he was trying to hear. He then brought his hand up and knocked. He knocked again, when she didn't answer. His eyes fell on the door handle. She'd be pissed if he had just invited himself in, but... Lindsey was surprised to find the door open. Most likely, she'd forgotten to lock it. Lucky for him.

Stevie sat in the middle of her bed, her favorite doll beside her. She took care of it the same way a mother cared for her child. That was something everyone had failed to mention. She was writing, when the opening door made her stop. She looked up and she couldn't believe her eyes.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

Lindsey didn't say anything, but he was glad that Jess was so persistent.