10:
Lance held his head and glared at the clock. Zahra had left the afternoon before to fly to New York. She and Amanda had interviews and appearances scheduled, so he was home alone. No one was there to fuss over him, or lecture him on the evils of alcohol. <i>Evils . . . yeah right . . . its only evil if you have a problem</i> he thought. He swallowed two aspirin and washed them down with a beer. "I feel better already," he muttered, stretching out on the couch. As soon as the walls stopped spinning he would go take a shower. Yep, that seemed like a good plan.
He had gone out alone the past few nights . . . he thought so anyway . . . he didnt really remember but that didnt matter. He shrugged and stood, stumbling over empty beer cans and glass bottles from wine coolers and other assorted drinks. He laughed. He wasnt sure why it was funny, but it was. He made his way to the bathroom and stepped into the shower. The hot water helped clear the fog from his brain and he wondered what he would do with the rest of his afternoon. Maybe he should go see Joey . . . Joey needed all the friends he could get right now, and Gina probably needed a hand with the baby, especially since she refused to ask Joey for so much as a diaper and her parents and brother had left early that morning.
Sugar put the car in park and stared at the house. Should she go in? She needed to talk to someone, and he of all people should understand. But something held her back. Fear, probably. Taking a deep breath, she got out of the car and approached the door. She rang the bell and waited. She could hear the faint sound of crying from inside. It got louder as the door opened. She looked up at Joey and winced. "You look like hell," she said.
"Well hello to you too, Bitch."
OK, so Joey wasnt in the mood for honesty. He rubbed his face. "Sorry, Sug. Im not exactly friendly right now. Ginas upstairs."
"Actually, I came to see you," she said.
"Why?" he asked, obviously preparing himself for another lecture . . . or maybe this would be a name-calling session. He hadnt had one of those in a few hours.
"Geez, ease up. I just wanted to check on you, let you know we dont hate you. People make mistakes."
"Not like this one," Joey muttered, allowing her to hug him.
"Youd be surprised," she said.
"Huh? Katie, is something wrong?"
"I . . . um-"
"Never fear, Uncle Josh is here," an all too familiar voice called from the back door. Sugars head swiveled around.
"You know what, I better be going. I didnt tell Justin where I was going. Ill come back later. I was just stopping in to see how you were," she hastily said to Joey before darting out the front door and practically jumping in the car.
Joey watched in confusion, his mind refusing to even try and process what had just happened. He turned around and looked at his friend. "Hey, C."
"Joe. The kitchen door was open. I let myself in." Joey nodded and JC nervously shuffled his feet. An uncomfortable silence stretched out between them. They were saved from the awkward moment by footsteps on the stairs and the babys happy gurgles.
"Hey, Jace," Gina said, forcing a weak smile. She shifted Marcus to her hip and adjusted her glasses. She hadnt bothered with her contacts since a few weeks before Marcus was born. After all, it wasnt like she went anywhere she would need them. JC offered her a light hug and held his arms out for the baby. Gina handed the blanketed bundle over and smiled at the look on her friends face, and the careful way he handled the infant.
"We need milk and diapers and stuff . . . Im gonna run to the store." Gina nodded just slightly but gave no other indication that she had heard her husbands words. JC watched the exchange silently. The front door clicked shut and a car engine sounded from the driveway.
"Still not talking to him, huh?" Gina said nothing, just nodded and stared down at her feet. "The two of you <i>have</i> to resolve this, G. Its not healthy. For the two of you or for the baby. Speaking of which, I think this little guys hungry," he said, pulling his thumb from the babys mouth. Gina nearly laughed and held her arms out.
"Ill be right back. Make yourself at home," she said, heading to another room to nurse her son. He waited for her to return, and she did so in less than half an hour. She found him at the kitchen table. He had poured her a glass of iced tea.
She pulled out the chair and sat beside him, taking a sip before looking at him. "It hurts so much," she whimpered, breaking into sobs. He immediately held out his arms, letting her cry. Neither heard Joey return, his arms full of plastic grocery bags.
He stood in the doorway, watching. His immediate reaction was jealousy. It wasnt that of suspicion. He knew better. They were too alike to be anything more than friends. But she was his wife and she wouldnt even speak to him, much less allow him to hold her. Yet she was clinging to his best friend like a lifeline. That hurt more than he would have thought possible. He had to do something about this. This had to be resolved. He placed the bags on the counter and left again.
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