Bottles of gin, tequila, and vodka, Pamela's trustees, were all half empty by Saturday night. She had begun gulping them down in the early evening. Drunk and uncomfortable, she stashed the bottles at the bottom of the pantry, behind stacks of containers and packages. She then slipped a mint tic-tac into her mouth, to hide the scent of the alcohol on her breath. Realizing that she didn't have the energy to walk to her bedroom, she fell into the couch, sleeping away. Her cellphone was turned off. The telephone and her beeper rang many times. She heard the first call, but was too exhausted to get up. When the other calls came in, she was already in a deep sleep. Lisa had called her, because Pam was supposed to drive over to her house that evening. When Pam didn't answer, she told Kendra to call her. Still no answer. They began to worry. Lisa rang Will's pager. He was still at work, but was just about to head home. He went to a nearby telephone and called her back.
"Hello? Will?" She spoke in a panic.
"Yeah, what's up?" His mind was racing a hundred miles per second. He didn't know what to expect, but her tone didn't sound good.
"Is Pam with you?"
"No. I was just leaving work. What's up?"
"She was supposed to meet me at my house hours ago. Me and Kendra been calling her and paging her, but she's not answering. I'm really worried, Will."
"Well I'm 'bout to go home now. I'll see if she's home. I'll call you back and let you know." Will's head felt like it was spinning, but he tried to remain calm.
"Okay."
Will ended the call and quickly went to his car. He drove straight home.
When he arrived home, he parked and hopped out quickly. He unlocked the front door and stepped inside. Pamela was spread out on the couch, sleeping. She frantically opened her eyes, then ran into the bathroom and vomited in the toilet. Will ran behind her, to see what was going on. She flushed the toilet, then washed her hands and face and rinsed her mouth with mouthwash. Will stood there watching her every move. She walked straight past him, not saying a word or acknowledging his presence. He followed her into the living room.
"What's up? Lisa's worried. She said you were supposed to see her today, and you didn't show up or answer her and Kendra's calls. What's up?"
"Oh damn. I forgot about that. I was so tired." She did in fact forget about going to see Lisa, but she lied about being tired. She staggered a bit, then sat down.
"You been drinking?"
"No." She faked a serious tone.
"You sure? So throwing up, what was that all about?"
"I went to McDonald's earlier. I think something must've been wrong with the food 'cause I haven't been feeling so well," she lied again. She had been at home all day.
"You always say you don't eat at McDonald's, Pam," Will stated calmly, his eyes staring right through her.
She felt uneasy.
"Yeah, but I felt for it today," she lied.
"Why do I feel like you're lying to me?"
"I'm not."
He saw a cup on the stand in the middle of the living room. He took it up and sniffed it to make sure it wasn't alcohol.
"It's just water, Will. Stop trippin'."
"Don't tell me to stop trippin'. You look drunk."
"I'm not drunk. I'm not feeling well, and you ain't making it any better."
