Reaper's Lullaby

Nora: Intervention

"The mentality and behavior of drug addicts and alcoholics is wholly irrational until you understand that they are completely powerless over their addiction and unless they have structured help, they have no hope."
– Russell Brand

Nora couldn't start the letter she'd been asked to share at Lucas's intervention. The blank page stared up at her like an accusing eye. Once again, she retraced her pen over the only two words she'd written, "Dear Lucas," until they were bold black.

This was what kept sticking her: even if the letter she wrote was all true, it would still be a lie because she wasn't sharing his fate. She wasn't being honest. Once again, her fear was holding her hostage. Traitor, the blank paper seemed to say.

It had been a week since Lucas had woken up in the hospital after the Halloween party. They'd given him Suboxone to ease his detox at home, and Nora was giving him space. Well, not exactly. It was more like she was too guilty and ashamed of her secrets to face him.

Nora cringed when she remembered the conversation she'd had with Lucas's mother while he was unconscious.

"How long have you known, Nora?" Sarah asked, looking at her with probing eyes that made her hurt and squirm like being probed by the dentist.

Nora shifted her position on the slippery, faux-leather chair at the hospital. "He's been on heroin almost a year."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sarah asked as fresh tears ran down her cheeks.

"He didn't want you to know... about a lot of things."

"What things?"

One glance at Lucas was all it took for Nora to remember her promise to him: that she would never say a word about Brian. But she had made that promise when she was just thirteen, the first time Brian had beaten him with a belt. They were babies then, confused and scared. But now they were older, Lucas's father was dead and his son's life was at stake too. Everything was starting to fall apart, and it was happening too fast to make sense of it.

Frustrated, Nora sighed and threw down her pen. She couldn't do this to him. The whole thing felt dirty... telling him he should stop using even though she was the only one of them still sticking a needle in her arm. It was hypocritical. It was fake. It was mean.

She paced the room. Lucas was coming over soon, expecting an explanation for why she'd abandoned him since he'd gotten out of the hospital. The only thing left to do was prepare a fix and try to forget about it.

The worries left her alone for the first time in days as she let the high wash over her. Time jumped while she was nodding, and when she came to, it was almost time for the intervention, and someone was knocking at her bedroom door.

Lucas.

He was clean and healthy-looking but sad-eyed. He didn't smile at her like he normally did if they'd been apart for a few days.

"You didn't come," he said softly.

Nora looked down at her feet, still feeling woozy from the shot. "I know, baby. I'm sorry."

"You're mad at me?"

Nora looked up, confused.

"At you? No, why would I be?"

Lucas shrugged. "'Cause I lied about the robbery and did that China White and almost died and everything."

Nora's heart softened. He'd been at home all week thinking that was the reason she hadn't come to visit him.