Black Sheep Part 2 - 18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

“I don't need more sleep.”
I wake as Adam gets back in bed, he looks like hell. His face is pale, his eyes dark, his voice slurred. Tom meets my eyes for a moment, worry evident in his look.
“I'm okay.” Adam now turns to me. “Please tell him I don't need to go back to bed.”
Tome meets my eyes again, giving me a stern look. I don't need to be able to read his mind to know what he wants from me.
“Well, I'm still tired.” I yawn. “You decide what you want but I'm gonna go back to sleep. It can't be that late yet.”
Adam stares at me and huffs as Tom gives me a wink and walks out of the door. I make myself comfortable again, ready to drift off to sleep, and feel Adam do the same next to me. Only a few moments later I hear his breathing even out, slow down. He is already fast asleep and I haven't even closed my eyes yet.
I close my eyes, ready to go back to sleep too but it won't come. I sigh and turn around, my eyes on Adam. He looked worse than right after his attack. I now understand what they meant with not getting over it, the attacks were not the worst part, it was the medication. After a while I drift off to sleep anyway.

"I said no. You need to go home today." The loud whispering wakes me up. Tom and Vic are standing in the hallway, just outside the door.
"Why? I need to be at Dr West tomorrow, it only takes more time to get there from home. Why can't I stay?" Vic stomps his foot but tries to keep his voice low. I look at Adam, he is still fast asleep, and quietly get out of bed.
"Because Adam needs some quiet time. With you around that won't be possible."
"Don't pull that card on me. Don't act like you know him better than I do. You don't. And I don't want anyone to see me just yet." Vic points at his face which now looks worse from last night. The swelling in his lip hasn't gone down yet and the bruises which were reddish purple last night were now a dark blue shade of purple.
"Could you please keep your voices down?" I close the door behind me. "He's still asleep but I don't know for how long if you two don't quiet down."
Vic looks at me as if he has seen a ghost and rushes back into the guest room.
Tom rolls his eyes and sighs. "Yeah, getting you guys home is gonna be a lot of fun. Sorry about that, you want breakfast?"
"Just some coffee, please. What time do you want us to leave?" I follow Tom into the kitchen and sit down at the table, unsure what to do with everything going on today.

The train home is quiet. Tom and I share a table but Vic is sitting a couple of chairs away. The only sounds coming out of him today there are some grunts and huffs, not really conversational material anyway. Tom is lost in his own world and keeps calling Adam every ten minutes to see how he is. After about six times and yells at him not to call until he has dropped us off and Tom starts staring out of the window.
I'm glad when we start rolling into our own station and I see Anne and Steve waiting for us. Anne hangs up her phone as soon as we step out of the train, her face serious. But it turns to shock when Vic appears behind us.
"Well, here they are." Tom sighs. "I'll be on my way back then."
"Adam is okay. Liza is with him. They'll be fine. I on the other hand would like to talk to you for a bit. Just come join us for some tea or something at home please." Anne tries to smile but she also looks tired, just like the rest of us.
Vic grunts and gives a huff before he walks off to the car park. I want to go after him but Tom grabs my arm.
"Let him be. He is being an ass today. Just don't pay attention to it for now. He'll be fine in a couple of hours."
Anne sighs and Steve immediately puts his arm around her. I suddenly realise Eric is not here with Steve. That was uncommon, the guys seem to have fused together for the way they were acting. But I guess all the problems this weekend kind of ruined any romantic mood.
"What happened? In one weekend everything seems to have gone from really good to really bad. On your birthday for that matter."
"I don't know. I'm still trying to figure everything out." Tom shakes his head.
"It all came down to Vic not taking his medication on Saturday." I wrap my arms around myself, trying not to show how thinking about the weekend upsets me.
"Fuck." They say in unison before they look at each other and smile ruefully.

"You did really well sticking with them this weekend." Steve shuts off the car in front of the apartments and turns to me. "It shows how great a man you are."
"Thanks." I blush. "I was scared out of my mind though. First the fight, then the attack and then finding out Vic is gone."
"Yeah, I know. Anne was at our place for the weekend. They had a huge fight when Vic called."
"I thought she was on her own place. She said something about finding he was not at home." I'm confused, trying to piece everything together.
"Her mum called really early and freaked out. She went home then."
"What about Eric?"
"He had a hissy fit when I told him we were gonna have a film night. So he probably got smashed off his face at some club. I just didn't feel like dealing with him. He hasn't called yet though." Steve grimaces.
"I'm sorry." I pat his hand for a moment.
"It's what I get for wanting friends beside my boyfriend." He looks up to our floor. "Let's get inside. Sarah is stress baking again."