When I See You Again (MxB)

9. Jude

Family has always been the most important thing in my life. My father taught me that when a man loses everything, he can fight through it if there's a loving family at his back. And you have to give that love back.

But family could be a pain in your ass.

"What were you thinking?" I bit out the words to the person sitting beside me. My beautiful cousin was a shell of who he was before. His broken nose wasn't even the worst of it. He had sunken eyes, jutting collarbones, bones protruding every visible surface of his skin. He continuously licked his dry lips and fidgeted in the seat which made me anxious.

I missed Fey's calming presence beside me.

"I wasn't." He replied in a hollow voice which made my jaw tighten. But I remembered my brother who just cried into my neck as his whole body shook not even an hour ago.

"Ru, you have to understand that I'm trying to help you, going against everyone I love and my better judgement. You don't coperate, I won't be able to help you at all. And the state you're in now, you have to use all the help you get." I looked at him, he was looking down at his lap. For one moment, I could see the sweet little brother I once had.

" I wanna get clean Jude. This life has given me nothing but bad things, driven me away from people who actually gave a shit about me and into the pitch dark." He said, his lips trembling. I fought the urge to reach out and console him somehow.

"I'll get you all the help I can. But you have to promise me that you'll do everything to fight this off." I said, looking into his eyes and he nodded.

"I promise." He whispered and looked down at his arm. My eyes followed his gaze and saw the needle punctures all over his veins. My jaw tightened.

"We're going into a private facility, a rehab as you call it. But it's more than that, it gives you a way of connecting with people and a fighting chance to get back to the life you had. In your case, not the life you had but the life you deserved and your parents couldn't give you." I told him while looking at the door and driving through the city that was now thinning into a less congested, more sophisticated version.

"Thank you, brother." He said and I smiled. He was still there, he just needed some guidance.

"We're here." I said as I pulled into the gates of a grey building surrounded by a large garden where a lot of people roamed. I parked the car in the parking space just left of the large gate and opened the door.

"Let's go." I said as I got out of the car and Rudy followed me quietly.

We walked on the path that started from the gate and led to the big building. The people in the garden were busy in several different activities. Some were reading, a few were tending to the plants and flowers, some exercised and a few were sitting together and talking. It was all very peaceful.

A gatekeeper opened the door for us as we reached the building and I smiled and thanked him, which earned me a smile in return. We reached the reception and walked up to the man sitting behind the desk.

"Hi, how may I help you?" The old receptionist asked just as we reached the desk.

"Hi, I'm Sangeet Roy. I have an appointment with Mr. Ashok Gupta at 4?" I said and he looked at his watch that said 3:56 and smiled at me.

"Of course sir, Mr. Gupta told me about you. Just follow the man upstairs, he'll take you to him." He said and beckoned for a man in a blue shirt and black trousers who smiled at us.

"Please come with me this way, sirs." He said and started walking. We followed behind.

"Who's Mr. Gupta?" Rudy asked in a hushed voice.