Forever and ever 2. The adventure starts now.

Part 71.

Harry's pov~

Calling my brother to ask if he was still on antidepressants was not something I enjoyed much, but at the same time Y/N had enough stress on her without having to worry about her husband 24/7.

Though, after Tom didn't pick up the phone after the first time, I had a gnawing sensation deep in my gut that left me feeling queasy and unsettled. After the second and third call, the feeling did not get any better. Blood turned to ice, fingertips cold and knots in my throat tightened until the last draught of oxygen was sucked out of my lungs.

"Honey, he won't answer it." Ciara called from the bed, turned to the next page of her thriller novel and took a sip of water from the bedside table. But if he didn't answer, I wouldn't get a wink of sleep that night. That much was certain.

One more time. I told myself. I clicked on his contact for the fourth time and called him until a sudden static appeared.
"Hola?" Spanish? That didn't sound like Tom.
"Tom?"
"No it's Rod." That explained the accent, but not why Rod answered for Tom.
"Well, can I talk to Tom?" It was really late, I just wanted to get to the point so I could go to sleep, but Rod picking up the phone immediately told me something was wrong. Tom would never let anyone touch his phone, not even his own manager.

"About that... Has Tom had any alcohol problems in the past? Or can he tolerate alcohol per se?" God damn it. A sharp intake of breath gushed from my throat.
"Why?" I asked, starting to panick. "What happened?!" That Tom had a drinking problem was nothing new to me. No, he had a huge drinking problem. So big, I feared, that he dug himself such a deep hole that in the end he couldn't escape from it himself. Not if no one was going to help him.
"Well." Rod started, hesitating as he searched for the right words. "He passed out in the bathroom of the restaurant we were dining at fifteen minutes ago. Figured it might have been a few too many whiskies he had drunk earlier." Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. I paced back and forth across the room, my steps quick and restless, as I scratched my scalp, tousled my curls.

Ciara's eyes lifted from the pages of her book, her brows knitting together in concern as she absorbed the distressed in my thoughts.
"What's up?" She whispered, not wanting to interrupt the conversation but wanting to know what was going on.
"Where is he now?" I questioned, hearing the honking of cars on the streets.
"Steven and William are carrying him to the car right now and we are driving him back to his hotel. If he doesn't improve soon, I'm afraid he won't be allowed to be part of the movie much longer." Understandable. Tom was going to hold up the shoot if he didn't behave as expected. But I knew my brother better than most of my family, and knew more than he did himself that this film was going to be a big deal for him. If he were to be fired, it would give him the last bit of what it took to push him all the way into the pit and dig it right up again.

"No! Please don't let that happen Lot." I often said Lot. That way I understood his name when he said it to me in his thick Mexican accent. "He needs this distraction more than anything and I'll make sure his behaviour improves! I promise!" A not-quite-believing grunt sounded from the other end of the line before the car door opened and all the background noise of the street traffic faded into silence.

"Two more weeks Harry. By then it must be possible to work with him." Beads of sweat dared to drip off my forehead as my eyebrows furrowed. It was an almost impossible task that needed to be done and I feared I could not be the person to save my brother from this situation and put him back on the ground before it was too late, but I had no choice. Tom would do the same for me, wouldn't he? Come what may.

I accepted the challenge and after Rod hung up, I immediately reached for my suitcase on the wardrobe and started packing.
"Harry? What's up?" Ciara asked again, having put her book aside to give me her full attention. I had totally forgotten to answer her first question, and now she was left utterly confused with nothing but worry in her voice as she watched me grab all my T-shirts from the closet.