Myrna looked entirely confused. “Huh?”
Sed sat on the bed next to her. “We think Trey is abusing his pain meds. Brian doesn’t seem to recognize it.”
“Abusing? Do you have proof?”
Jessica hesitated. “He keeps getting refills.”
“And he needs a prescription for those refills, so he obviously needs them.”
“Something doesn’t add up, Myrna.”
Myrna collapsed back on the mattress and covered her head with a pillow. “Did you already accuse him, Sed? Jesus, what are you thinking?”
“I’m not going to let him throw his life away on drugs.”
“He’s having a really rough time. You letting him know you don’t trust him will make it worse.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Sed grumbled. “You don’t see this as a problem either? I thought you, of all people, would recognize the slippery slope he’s sliding down.”
“Sed, he has a prescription. I don’t know why you’re equating this with a problem.”
“He’s taking more than he’s supposed to. A lot more.”
“Where’s your proof?” She slid the pillow from her face and looked up at him. “You have a tendency to jump to conclusions and assume you’re always right. Maybe you’re wrong. And you know what I see? I see Trey getting back to normal. The way he used to be. You don’t see that?”
“All I see is him heading to the bathroom to secretly take another pill when anything bothers him. Even little things. He’s not dealing with his problems. He’s trying to cover them up.”
“You’ve seen him in the bathroom taking pills?”
Sed sighed in frustration. “Not directly. No.”
“Maybe he just needs a moment to himself.”
“Maybe.” He knew that wasn’t the case, but Myrna wasn’t going to listen to him. She’d already decided he was off base. He’d been counting on her support to get Brian in his corner, because Trey would listen to Brian. Now what was Sed going to do?
“Myrna,” Jessica said, “I think Trey’s abusing his painkillers too. The longer we wait, the more addicted he’ll become.”
“His prescription will run out eventually and then you won’t have anything to worry about. Can I go back to sleep now?”
“Yeah, fine. Whatever.” Sed stood, took Jessica’s hand, and headed for the door. At least Jessica was on his side. It made him feel a little better about doing what he knew he had to do. No one was going to like it. Least of all Trey.
***
Jessica closed the bedroom door behind her and grabbed Sed’s arm, hoping no one could overhear their conversation in the main cabin. Trey and Brian were quietly strumming their guitars while Jace and Eric listened to them play. The bus slowed as it entered the exit ramp to a midsized town.
“I’ll go inside the pharmacy with Trey,” Jessica whispered. “He’ll be less suspicious of me.”
Sed nodded. “Yeah, we need to be careful or he’s going to become better at hiding it from us, which will make it harder to help him.”
She touched his face. He really did care deeply about people. She didn’t know why she hadn’t seen it before. Jessica leaned against him, resting her face against his chest and murmured, “You’re a good man.”
He chuckled. “Nosy, you mean.”
She smiled. “That’s one way to put it. Righteous is another.”
“Self-righteous?”
She laughed. “That’s not what I meant, but yeah, sometimes.”
“I really don’t know if you’re insulting me or complimenting me.”
She leaned back to look up at him. “I like it when you do what you think is right, even if you have to go it alone. It shows your strength.”
He stared down into her eyes and lifted his hand to brush a lock of hair behind her ear. She tilted her head back to accept his kiss, but the bus pulled to a stop. Jessica braced herself so she didn’t topple over from the momentum. “I’ll try to see if I can find out how he’s getting all these refills.”
“Don’t blow your cover.” He kissed her forehead and slipped through the bathroom door, closing it behind him.
Trey set his guitar aside and climbed to his feet. “I’ll be right back. Anyone need anything?”
“I do.” Jessica stepped forward. “Just a few feminine products. Tampons, maxi pads (the overnight ones), panty liners, a disposable douche, body wax. You guys will probably appreciate me having some Midol on hand and—”
Trey winced. “I’m not going to buy all that girl stuff for you. Get it yourself.”
Jessica huffed with annoyance. “Fine. I don’t see what the big deal is. It’s not like the clerk is going to think it’s for you.”
He opened the bus door and Jessica followed him. “I’d end up getting the wrong thing and you’d send me back in there for more.” He shuddered.
She laughed. “Probably.” Well, now she had a legitimate reason to be in the store with him. She just hoped the aisles were arranged properly for eavesdropping. She walked beside him across the parking lot, trying to think of something to say that might get him to reveal something. “I was listening to you play back on the bus. You sound great.”
He stroked his eyebrow with the side of his finger. “You think so? I still can’t get my middle finger to go where I want it, but the rest are back to normal. Mostly.”
“Just think where you were a month ago. None of your fingers would go where you wanted them.”
He smiled slightly. “I guess so. Maybe I’m getting better faster than I think.”
“You’re doing great, sweetie.” She rubbed his back encouragingly. “I’m amazed by how hard you’ve been working. I don’t know where you find the will to carry on. It must be frustrating.”
He looked away. She caught a flash of guilt on his face before he smiled. “Yeah, well, I know the guys are counting on me. And the crew… The opening bands… The fans… The record label…”
“That’s an awful lot of pressure.” When he started fidgeting with the chain dangling at his hip, she decided to drop the subject.
They entered the chain drugstore through a pair of sliding doors. Trey examined the layout of the establishment and located the pharmacy counter at the back.
“You don’t have to wait for me,” he said. “If you just want to get your stuff and go, that’s fine.”
Sed sat on the bed next to her. “We think Trey is abusing his pain meds. Brian doesn’t seem to recognize it.”
“Abusing? Do you have proof?”
Jessica hesitated. “He keeps getting refills.”
“And he needs a prescription for those refills, so he obviously needs them.”
“Something doesn’t add up, Myrna.”
Myrna collapsed back on the mattress and covered her head with a pillow. “Did you already accuse him, Sed? Jesus, what are you thinking?”
“I’m not going to let him throw his life away on drugs.”
“He’s having a really rough time. You letting him know you don’t trust him will make it worse.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Sed grumbled. “You don’t see this as a problem either? I thought you, of all people, would recognize the slippery slope he’s sliding down.”
“Sed, he has a prescription. I don’t know why you’re equating this with a problem.”
“He’s taking more than he’s supposed to. A lot more.”
“Where’s your proof?” She slid the pillow from her face and looked up at him. “You have a tendency to jump to conclusions and assume you’re always right. Maybe you’re wrong. And you know what I see? I see Trey getting back to normal. The way he used to be. You don’t see that?”
“All I see is him heading to the bathroom to secretly take another pill when anything bothers him. Even little things. He’s not dealing with his problems. He’s trying to cover them up.”
“You’ve seen him in the bathroom taking pills?”
Sed sighed in frustration. “Not directly. No.”
“Maybe he just needs a moment to himself.”
“Maybe.” He knew that wasn’t the case, but Myrna wasn’t going to listen to him. She’d already decided he was off base. He’d been counting on her support to get Brian in his corner, because Trey would listen to Brian. Now what was Sed going to do?
“Myrna,” Jessica said, “I think Trey’s abusing his painkillers too. The longer we wait, the more addicted he’ll become.”
“His prescription will run out eventually and then you won’t have anything to worry about. Can I go back to sleep now?”
“Yeah, fine. Whatever.” Sed stood, took Jessica’s hand, and headed for the door. At least Jessica was on his side. It made him feel a little better about doing what he knew he had to do. No one was going to like it. Least of all Trey.
***
Jessica closed the bedroom door behind her and grabbed Sed’s arm, hoping no one could overhear their conversation in the main cabin. Trey and Brian were quietly strumming their guitars while Jace and Eric listened to them play. The bus slowed as it entered the exit ramp to a midsized town.
“I’ll go inside the pharmacy with Trey,” Jessica whispered. “He’ll be less suspicious of me.”
Sed nodded. “Yeah, we need to be careful or he’s going to become better at hiding it from us, which will make it harder to help him.”
She touched his face. He really did care deeply about people. She didn’t know why she hadn’t seen it before. Jessica leaned against him, resting her face against his chest and murmured, “You’re a good man.”
He chuckled. “Nosy, you mean.”
She smiled. “That’s one way to put it. Righteous is another.”
“Self-righteous?”
She laughed. “That’s not what I meant, but yeah, sometimes.”
“I really don’t know if you’re insulting me or complimenting me.”
She leaned back to look up at him. “I like it when you do what you think is right, even if you have to go it alone. It shows your strength.”
He stared down into her eyes and lifted his hand to brush a lock of hair behind her ear. She tilted her head back to accept his kiss, but the bus pulled to a stop. Jessica braced herself so she didn’t topple over from the momentum. “I’ll try to see if I can find out how he’s getting all these refills.”
“Don’t blow your cover.” He kissed her forehead and slipped through the bathroom door, closing it behind him.
Trey set his guitar aside and climbed to his feet. “I’ll be right back. Anyone need anything?”
“I do.” Jessica stepped forward. “Just a few feminine products. Tampons, maxi pads (the overnight ones), panty liners, a disposable douche, body wax. You guys will probably appreciate me having some Midol on hand and—”
Trey winced. “I’m not going to buy all that girl stuff for you. Get it yourself.”
Jessica huffed with annoyance. “Fine. I don’t see what the big deal is. It’s not like the clerk is going to think it’s for you.”
He opened the bus door and Jessica followed him. “I’d end up getting the wrong thing and you’d send me back in there for more.” He shuddered.
She laughed. “Probably.” Well, now she had a legitimate reason to be in the store with him. She just hoped the aisles were arranged properly for eavesdropping. She walked beside him across the parking lot, trying to think of something to say that might get him to reveal something. “I was listening to you play back on the bus. You sound great.”
He stroked his eyebrow with the side of his finger. “You think so? I still can’t get my middle finger to go where I want it, but the rest are back to normal. Mostly.”
“Just think where you were a month ago. None of your fingers would go where you wanted them.”
He smiled slightly. “I guess so. Maybe I’m getting better faster than I think.”
“You’re doing great, sweetie.” She rubbed his back encouragingly. “I’m amazed by how hard you’ve been working. I don’t know where you find the will to carry on. It must be frustrating.”
He looked away. She caught a flash of guilt on his face before he smiled. “Yeah, well, I know the guys are counting on me. And the crew… The opening bands… The fans… The record label…”
“That’s an awful lot of pressure.” When he started fidgeting with the chain dangling at his hip, she decided to drop the subject.
They entered the chain drugstore through a pair of sliding doors. Trey examined the layout of the establishment and located the pharmacy counter at the back.
“You don’t have to wait for me,” he said. “If you just want to get your stuff and go, that’s fine.”
