Page 163 of Camp Bliss
Hope leaps in my heart like a tree frog. “A-And what if you can’t get on standby? Will you be stuck in North Carolina overnight?”
“I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it,” he says, totally no-nonsense.
“I hate that you are rushing back,” I say in one breath before adding in the next, “but I’m really glad you’re coming home.” Is it wrong that I sound crazy relieved?
“Is he giving you any trouble?”
“It’s fine.”
“Let me talk to him.” A tone I’ve never heard from him rings alarm bells.
I pace the porch. “Umm… Do you really think that’s a good idea?”
A growl that’s almost feral comes over the line. “If he knows I will dismember him if he hurts youin any way,it’s a brilliant idea.”
I’m so glad he can’t see me right now. The corners of my mouth twitch. I fight the smile so he doesn’t hear it in my words. “He’s not gonna hurt me, babe. He’s a wreck. He can’t even go twelve hours without a drink.”
“He’s been there longer than twelve hours,” Zach snaps. “What the hell is going on?”
I explain to him about the beers, how Josh has basically been self-medicating to keep withdrawal symptoms at bay until we can find a program that can take him. Which reminds me. When I go out in a little while, I’ll need to pick up more beer. He’s almost wiped us out.
“Greta…” He says my name with more than a little worry. “That’s—That’s not normal.”
I roll my eyes. “Yeah, I know. I know it’s not normal. But he doesn’t want to get to the point where he needs to go to the ER to detox. It’s not ideal anyway,” I try to explain, telling him what I’ve researched online in the last few hours. “They’d only admit him if his symptoms were dangerous, and then they’d release him as soon as he was stable. That’s not the same as a treatment program, babe.”
Silence.
“So he’s staying.” It’s not a question. In fact, it may be a slab of lead.
“O-Only until we can get him in somewhere.”
Silence.
“And how long will that be?”
This time I’m the one giving nothing but dead air.
“Greta? How long will that be?”
I gnaw on my bottom lip. I can’t expect Zach to agree to let Josh stay with us for as long as it might take to find a place.
Hell, I don’t know how I can even contemplate it.
“It could take a few weeks—”
“Oh, hell no.”
“Zach, he’s got—”
“He’s not staying with you another night. And he sure as fuck isn’t staying at Camp Bliss for a few weeks.”
You know that scene inStar Wars: A New Hope? When Luke and Leia and Han are trapped in the garbage compactor? Yeah, that’s how I feel right now.
“You don’t understand, I—”
“Oh, I understand perfectly. He’s manipulating you. Like he always has,” he barks. “And, goddammit, I need to get on a fucking plane. Let me talk to him.”
Forget the intergalactic trash compactor. I’m about to be pulled in two, like Mr. Incredible when he fights the robot over a lake of hot lava. To keep myself intact, I ignore his demand to talk to Josh.
