“When? How bad is he?” It wasn’t the first time it had happened, but every time, Micah hoped it would never happen again.
“He’ll live, but he’ll need to stay a few days in the hospital. They want him to be discharged to rehab. They tried to call you, but they couldn’t reach you. They got to me through my publicist.”
“Damn! I just got a new phone, and I asked for a new number. I killed my old phone during a climb with Tessa. My executives don’t even have it yet. Tessa is the only one who has the new one. I should have been pickier about who I gave it out to over the years. I was getting calls from people I don’t even remember.”
“What do you think about rehab? I think he might need it,” Julian said huskily.
Micah took a deep breath, knowing it was time to clue his middle brother in on a few things. “He’s gone the rehab route, and it isn’t his first overdose. He checks out of rehab the minute he’s allowed to go, and he won’t talk to anybody about getting help. Something’s going on with him, Julian, but I have no idea how to get through to him,” Micah rasped in a frustrated voice.
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“I wanted you to have your time. These are your moments, everything you’ve worked for in the past decade,” Micah answered in a low tone.
“But Xander’s my brother,” Julian argued. “If he’s in trouble, I want to help.”
Micah exploded. “Don’t you think I haven’t fucking tried? I’m probably in California once a week, but I have a company to run, and Xander isn’t doing a damn thing to help himself. He’s addicted to prescription narcotics, the same drugs he used to keep his pain stable right after the murders. He drinks his hard alcohol straight from the bottle, uses it to wash down the pills until he’s unconscious. He doesn’t want help, Julian. I’ve tried.”
“Then he needs to try again or he’s going to die,” Julian barked.
“If he goes to rehab, he just leaves within a few days. The doctors say he has to want to kick the substance abuse. I don’t know what happened to him, but there’s more haunting him than he’s ever admitted. I know he watched Mom and Dad die right before his eyes, but it’s more than that. He’s scarred inside and out.” Feeling defeated, Micah turned away from Julian to go pack his bag. “I’ll go. I’ll see what I can do.”
Micah stumbled as his vision filled with an ominous aura of color, and he automatically slapped his hand on the back of his neck.
Shit! Not now. This couldn’t happen right now.
Julian was next to Micah as he froze before entering the hallway.
“Hey, bro, you okay? What’s wrong? Damn, you’re as white as a sheet.” Julian put his hand under Micah’s bicep. “You almost fell.”
“I saw colors. I’m going to go lie down for a little while,” Micah admitted hoarsely, knowing he didn’t have long to explain.
“The migraines are back?” Julian said anxiously. “I thought you outgrew them. I thought you hadn’t experienced them in years.”
“I thought so, too,” Micah grumbled. “They started again not long ago. I came here because the doctor suggested some downtime. My executives are handling the business right now.”
“You’re not eating right, not taking care of yourself, and you’re babysitting our baby brother, aren’t you?” Julian said angrily as he steered Micah toward the bedroom his brother had been using in the guesthouse. “Do you have pills?”
“Yeah. They help some. I’ll sleep on the way to California.”
Julian followed him. “You’re not going. Get your ass in a dark place and I’ll go deal with Xander. Looks like it’s my turn. Has it been that bad? Be straight with me, Micah.”
“Yeah. It’s that bad. This is his third overdose, and most of the time he won’t answer messages. I have to go there to see if he’s okay. He’s usually drunk and high as a kite on drugs. We need to cut off his source. The docs aren’t giving them to him, but he’s getting them somehow.” Micah collapsed on the bed, a dull ache starting behind his eye and shooting through the side of his head.
Julian looked at the prescription bottle at the side of Micah’s bed before shaking out the tablets while going to get water from the bathroom. He returned and handed Micah the pills and a glass of water.
Julian made a few calls to arrange his transportation to California, then told Micah, “I’ll be tempted to kick Xander’s ass, but I want to understand why he’s doing this. He was always the nicest out of the three of us. He didn’t drink much, and he sure as hell didn’t do drugs. What the fuck happened to him?”
“Bring him here,” Micah demanded. “He needs a different scene. I don’t know if he’ll agree, but try.”
“I’ll do more than try. I’ll drag his ass back here whether he likes it or not.”
“Be careful. He bites now,” Micah warned, knowing Xander was beyond surly.
“Then I’ll fucking bite him back,” Julian growled. “I’m sorry I have to go, Micah. I know you’ll be miserable. Anything else you need?”
“Text Tessa for me. Her cell is in my phone. I can’t be with her today. Maybe tomorrow.” Gritting his teeth at the intense pain that shot through the right side of his head, Micah tried to stay aware of his surroundings and function a little longer.
“Call me as soon as you can,” Julian said quietly and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.