“Danny.” A strong hand shook him awake. He peeked an eye open. Jackson.
“Your brother's here.”
Danny's eyes shot open. What was Brian doing here?
“Hey, bro.” Brian poked his head in the doorway.
Danny sighed. He was exhausted. The last thing he wanted to do was talk to Brian. To top it off, he was in a losing tug of war with his stomach. He held up his hand to gesture ‘wait a moment', then ran into the bathroom. Shit. He was dope sick as he hurled again for the third time that week. He looked at his face in the mirror. His skin was tinged gray and he was sweating. He looked thin. But he hadn't felt like eating. It's stress, he thought, pushing aside fear of a relapse.
Danny slowly trekked back to his bed and flopped down.
“Is Marnie here?”
He grimaced at the name. Marnie? That's all he ever heard these days. Marnie this and Marnie that. This woman was slowly taking over his life. A pang of guilt attacked him. Was she still barricaded in her room? How was he going to explain the situation to Brian? His brother had already laughed at his attempts to mentor her.
“I think she's in her room.” Danny got up and marched down the hall to her bedroom. “Marnie, Brian's here to see you.”
To Danny's surprise, Marnie came to the door knob hole.
“I'm stuck. I can't get the door open. I've got the bookcase over it.”
Danny cast a nervous glance at Brian. This was going to be more embarrassing than he thought.
“Okay, you pull on the bookcase and we'll push.” Danny motioned Brian over and together they used their shoulders to open the door. After a few tries they managed to open it large enough to squeeze into her room.
Brian wiped his brow and grinned. “You didn't call me all the way out here because you needed Superman did you?”
“No.” Marnie glanced at Danny. A glint of fear appeared in her eyes. Her hands clasped together and her nails dug into her skin. She turned her attention back to Brian.
“He's sniffing speedballs.”
“Coke and heroine? Oh yeah, he's high as a kite, but what do you want me to do about it?” Brian nonchalantly waved Danny's problems away.
“I'm not high. I explained it to you. They're vitamins! You're just, so, so…” Danny searched for the word that would give his frustration some meaning. “Thick.”
Marnie's face contorted. He couldn't tell if she was going to scream or cry.
“Danny, when was the last time you looked in the damn mirror?” Brian grabbed him by the collar and dragged him into the bathroom. “Look at your eyes!” Small pin pricks stared back at him. Brian grabbed his hands and shoved them into his face. “Your fingers look fucked.” The skin under his fingers was red. He had been picking the skin, causing them to bleed and scab over.
“I'm not high,” Danny stammered. “I've just been sick lately.”
Brian looked at him with disgust and walked out of the bathroom. He could hear him explaining how pathetic he was to Marnie.
“He does this all the time. I can't believe you got me to leave work and fly over here for this.”
“He needs help.”
Brian snorted. “He doesn't want help. He wants to do this shit forever, okay?”
“You once told me I didn't know what I was talking about. You said you're always there for your brother. Well, he needs you right now.”
“Marnie, what do you expect me to do?”
Danny heard silence. That was fine. He didn't need his help. He'd stop fucking with the vitamins and then he'd feel better.
“Danny.” A hand lightly smacked his jaw. “You want me to believe you're not high, yet you're fucking nodding off, in the bathroom?” Brian asked.
Danny surveyed the room. He'd slumped to the floor. How long had he been down here like this? He allowed Brian to pull him into a standing position.
“Come on.” His brother clasped an arm around his back. “Let's go for a walk.”
“Marnie,” Danny called out to her as his brother ushered him out the door. “I need to talk to you.”
“You can talk to her when you get back.” Brian tugged on him.
But she might not be here when he got back. Danny sighed and turned and walked out the door. One thing at a time. He would have to deal with Brian first.