“Thanks, buddy,” Trey said.
Trey made his way back to the sofa and plopped down next to Brian.
Sed watched Jessica across the table for a moment as she typed data from the night before into Myrna’s laptop. Jessica had finally caught up on the data backlog and she refused to get behind again. Sed touched her wrist to gain her attention and she glanced up. Sed nodded toward Trey, their conversation about him the night before at the forefront of his mind. She shrugged, not getting his silent message.
“Hey Trey, why do we need to stop?” Sed called to him.
Trey started and then smiled broadly. “I’m almost out of medicine.”
“Again? Didn’t you just get a refill a couple of days ago?” Sed asked.
Trey avoided his gaze. “I spilled about half the bottle down the sink. I’m such a klutz since my surgery.” He ran his fingertips along the scar under his hair. You couldn’t even see it now unless he pushed his hair up.
“You’re a terrible liar.”
“I’m not lying.”
“Sed, get off his case. Why would he lie about being a klutz?” Brian handed Trey several pieces of music. “What do you think of this? Do you think you can handle it? It’s got a lot of triplets, and I know those are still hard for you.”
Trey frowned as he read over the lines of notes. “I’ll get through it somehow. I’m getting better.”
“Yeah, I know.” Brian patted Trey on the thigh. “Do you want to practice for a while?”
“Yeah, okay. Get my guitar out. I’ll be back in a minute. I need to use the bathroom.” He climbed to his feet and headed toward the back of the bus.
Sed glanced at Jessica again. She nodded, her expression sad as she watched Trey amble past and slip into the bathroom again.
“We’ve got to do something, Jess,” he murmured.
“I think so too,” she whispered so only he could hear, “but what do we do?”
“Let me talk to the other guys first. See how they want to handle this.”
She nodded. “I’ll help any way I can.”
He reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “Thanks.”
Sed slid from the booth and sat next to Brian, who was tuning Trey’s acoustic guitar on the sofa. “We need to do something about Trey.”
“He’s doing the best he can, Sed. His fingers are getting stronger every day. Don’t be so hard on him.”
“I’m not talking about his guitar playing. I’m talking about his painkiller addiction.”
Brian’s fingers stopped moving over the strings and he looked up at Sed. “What do you mean?”
“You’re his best friend. How can you not notice? He’s in the bathroom right now poppin’ another pill or three. He’s going to end up killing himself.”
“He’s just using the bathroom, Sed. No need to call in the Feds.”
“He just went to the bathroom ten minutes ago. And do you really buy that story about him spilling his pills down the sink? Come on, Brian, look at the signs. We saw this happen to Jon and we ignored it until it was too late. I’m not going to let it destroy Trey too.”
“In case you’ve forgotten, Trey has a prescription and he needs his meds. Jon was abusing illegal drugs.”
“Addiction is addiction. Percocet is a narcotic. He was only supposed to be on it for two weeks and it’s been over a month. How does he keep getting refills? Something is not right here.”
“If it will make you feel better, I’ll ask him about it.”
Sed didn’t think Brian was taking him very seriously. The bathroom door slid open and Trey emerged. He paused next to Sed, unsteady on his feet.
“You okay there, bud?” Sed asked.
“Just a little dizzy. I need to sit down.”
Trey nudged Sed closer to Brian and sat heavily on the sofa beside him. “So does Jessica help you write songs, like Myrna helps Brian? I guess not, since you haven’t finished a song all summer. Have you run out of things to say or what?”
Trey obviously wasn’t thinking clearly. “Actually, as you should know, we’ve written several songs for the new album. Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”
“I feel fantastic. Brian, hand me my guitar. Let’s see if my stupid fingers want to cooperate today.”
“See, Sed. I told you he was fine.” Brian handed Trey his guitar.
Trey glared at Sed. “Are you talking about me behind my back?”
“I think you need to stop taking those painkillers.”
Trey ducked his head. “I can’t play without them.”
“How would you know? You haven’t tried. Your head doesn’t hurt anymore, does it?”
“It doesn’t hurt because I’m taking my pills.”
“How many have you had today?”
“Two.”
“Today, Trey, not in the past ten minutes.”
“Get off my case, Sed. If it weren’t for the pills, I wouldn’t be able to play at all. If I can’t play, you’ll kick me out of the band.”
“If you get messed up on drugs, then I’ll kick you out of the band.”
“I’m not messed up on drugs!”
Jessica appeared before Sed and took his hand. “I’ve got an itch only you can scratch, stud.”
“I’m sort of busy at the moment.” He couldn’t believe she’d just barge in the middle of his conversation with Trey.
She glanced pointedly at the bedroom. “I really want to get you alone.” She pulled on his arm until he relented and climbed to his feet.
“Jessica, now is not the time—”
She covered his mouth with her hand. “Come with me.”
Sed tugged her hand from his mouth. “I’m not going to let this rest, Trey,” Sed assured him as he allowed Jessica to pull him to the bedroom.
She closed the door behind them.
“I hope you didn’t bring me back here for sex,” Sed said.
“Of course not.” She moved to the bed and shook Myrna’s shoulder. “Myrna, are you awake? We need to talk to you.”
Myrna took a deep breath and opened her eyes. “Jessica?”
“Yeah, and Sed.”
She blinked heavily and sat up, holding the sheet over her naked br**sts. What in the hell was Brian doing to her that left her in such a state of exhaustion?
“What’s up?”
“We were hoping you could talk some sense into Brian,” Jessica said.
Trey made his way back to the sofa and plopped down next to Brian.
Sed watched Jessica across the table for a moment as she typed data from the night before into Myrna’s laptop. Jessica had finally caught up on the data backlog and she refused to get behind again. Sed touched her wrist to gain her attention and she glanced up. Sed nodded toward Trey, their conversation about him the night before at the forefront of his mind. She shrugged, not getting his silent message.
“Hey Trey, why do we need to stop?” Sed called to him.
Trey started and then smiled broadly. “I’m almost out of medicine.”
“Again? Didn’t you just get a refill a couple of days ago?” Sed asked.
Trey avoided his gaze. “I spilled about half the bottle down the sink. I’m such a klutz since my surgery.” He ran his fingertips along the scar under his hair. You couldn’t even see it now unless he pushed his hair up.
“You’re a terrible liar.”
“I’m not lying.”
“Sed, get off his case. Why would he lie about being a klutz?” Brian handed Trey several pieces of music. “What do you think of this? Do you think you can handle it? It’s got a lot of triplets, and I know those are still hard for you.”
Trey frowned as he read over the lines of notes. “I’ll get through it somehow. I’m getting better.”
“Yeah, I know.” Brian patted Trey on the thigh. “Do you want to practice for a while?”
“Yeah, okay. Get my guitar out. I’ll be back in a minute. I need to use the bathroom.” He climbed to his feet and headed toward the back of the bus.
Sed glanced at Jessica again. She nodded, her expression sad as she watched Trey amble past and slip into the bathroom again.
“We’ve got to do something, Jess,” he murmured.
“I think so too,” she whispered so only he could hear, “but what do we do?”
“Let me talk to the other guys first. See how they want to handle this.”
She nodded. “I’ll help any way I can.”
He reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “Thanks.”
Sed slid from the booth and sat next to Brian, who was tuning Trey’s acoustic guitar on the sofa. “We need to do something about Trey.”
“He’s doing the best he can, Sed. His fingers are getting stronger every day. Don’t be so hard on him.”
“I’m not talking about his guitar playing. I’m talking about his painkiller addiction.”
Brian’s fingers stopped moving over the strings and he looked up at Sed. “What do you mean?”
“You’re his best friend. How can you not notice? He’s in the bathroom right now poppin’ another pill or three. He’s going to end up killing himself.”
“He’s just using the bathroom, Sed. No need to call in the Feds.”
“He just went to the bathroom ten minutes ago. And do you really buy that story about him spilling his pills down the sink? Come on, Brian, look at the signs. We saw this happen to Jon and we ignored it until it was too late. I’m not going to let it destroy Trey too.”
“In case you’ve forgotten, Trey has a prescription and he needs his meds. Jon was abusing illegal drugs.”
“Addiction is addiction. Percocet is a narcotic. He was only supposed to be on it for two weeks and it’s been over a month. How does he keep getting refills? Something is not right here.”
“If it will make you feel better, I’ll ask him about it.”
Sed didn’t think Brian was taking him very seriously. The bathroom door slid open and Trey emerged. He paused next to Sed, unsteady on his feet.
“You okay there, bud?” Sed asked.
“Just a little dizzy. I need to sit down.”
Trey nudged Sed closer to Brian and sat heavily on the sofa beside him. “So does Jessica help you write songs, like Myrna helps Brian? I guess not, since you haven’t finished a song all summer. Have you run out of things to say or what?”
Trey obviously wasn’t thinking clearly. “Actually, as you should know, we’ve written several songs for the new album. Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”
“I feel fantastic. Brian, hand me my guitar. Let’s see if my stupid fingers want to cooperate today.”
“See, Sed. I told you he was fine.” Brian handed Trey his guitar.
Trey glared at Sed. “Are you talking about me behind my back?”
“I think you need to stop taking those painkillers.”
Trey ducked his head. “I can’t play without them.”
“How would you know? You haven’t tried. Your head doesn’t hurt anymore, does it?”
“It doesn’t hurt because I’m taking my pills.”
“How many have you had today?”
“Two.”
“Today, Trey, not in the past ten minutes.”
“Get off my case, Sed. If it weren’t for the pills, I wouldn’t be able to play at all. If I can’t play, you’ll kick me out of the band.”
“If you get messed up on drugs, then I’ll kick you out of the band.”
“I’m not messed up on drugs!”
Jessica appeared before Sed and took his hand. “I’ve got an itch only you can scratch, stud.”
“I’m sort of busy at the moment.” He couldn’t believe she’d just barge in the middle of his conversation with Trey.
She glanced pointedly at the bedroom. “I really want to get you alone.” She pulled on his arm until he relented and climbed to his feet.
“Jessica, now is not the time—”
She covered his mouth with her hand. “Come with me.”
Sed tugged her hand from his mouth. “I’m not going to let this rest, Trey,” Sed assured him as he allowed Jessica to pull him to the bedroom.
She closed the door behind them.
“I hope you didn’t bring me back here for sex,” Sed said.
“Of course not.” She moved to the bed and shook Myrna’s shoulder. “Myrna, are you awake? We need to talk to you.”
Myrna took a deep breath and opened her eyes. “Jessica?”
“Yeah, and Sed.”
She blinked heavily and sat up, holding the sheet over her naked br**sts. What in the hell was Brian doing to her that left her in such a state of exhaustion?
“What’s up?”
“We were hoping you could talk some sense into Brian,” Jessica said.
