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I’m keeping an eye on Maggie. She’s been standing at the back of the room, silently watching everyone. After a few minutes, she slips into the study off the main room, and I follow her. She’s pouring herself a drink, probably scotch. God, this is bad. She rarely drinks hard liquor. I’m going to have to step in. She’s not going to be able to walk out of here on her own at this rate.
I make my way across the room and step behind her. “Maybe slow down on the drinks,” I whisper.
“Or what?” she says, her voice entirely too loud. I try to take the glass from her hand, but she jerks it away.
“That’s like $600 worth of scotch,” I say. She’s picked James’ fifty year old Scotch. That bottle is worth thousands of dollars. She locks eyes with me – rage simmering behind her eyes and throws back the entire glass in one drink.
She starts to pour another one, but I grab her wrist with one hand and take the glass with the other. “No.”
She’s jerking wildly. “Declan, let go of me.”
“Maggie, you need to stop. I don’t think you want to explain to Elizabeth why you’re having a meltdown in the middle of her Easter celebration and pregnancy announcement.”
“Fuck you,” she hisses as she lurches for the glass. I hold my left hand as far away from her as possible while gripping her wrist tightly with my right.
“You guys okay?”
Maggie and I both jerk our heads the direction of the doorway. Will and Eli are just watching us, confused.
“Declan’s being a bully,” Maggie pouts. She would be more convincing if she wasn’t slurring her words.
Will locks eyes with me. Concern etched on his face.
“We need to get her out of here before Elizabeth sees,” I say. She growls at me. Eli walks over and says gently, “Come on, Maggie. I’ll walk you downstairs.”
I let go of her wrist, and she stumbles into Eli. She pats his chest twice and says, “You know you’ve always been my favorite Sterling brother.”
“Is that right?” Eli says as he wraps his arm around her waist, propping her up.
“Yes.” She glares back at me. “Declan’s too mean, and Will is too serious.”
Will snorts as Eli helps Maggie out of the room.
“I’ll be down in just a minute,” I call to Eli.
“What the hell is this, Declan?” Will asks, his eyes searching my face.
“You know I can’t tell you.”
“Goddammit, Declan, we need to tell James. Something is really wrong.”
I drag my hands over my face. “She just needs some time. I promise I’m keeping an eye on her.”
“You promise this isn’t about you?”
“I told you it wasn’t.”
He nods slowly. “What should I tell Elizabeth?”
I start toward the stairs. “Lie. She has a headache or stomachache.”
“Fine.” He grabs my arm before I can get any further. “Promise me you’ll ask for help if you need it.”
“I promise.”
She’s nearly unconscious by the time I get her back to our building. I carry her inside and lay her down on her bed. I leave her in her clothes, but take off her shoes and tuck her in. I watch her sleep for a moment – tomorrow is going to be rough. I can’t leave her alone. I’m afraid she’s going to choke on her own vomit tonight. I go over to my apartment and grab a sleeping bag and pillow. When I return, I add another blanket to her covers and then unroll the sleeping bag beside her bed. Before I go to sleep, I text Will and Eli to let them know I got her home, and I’m sleeping on her floor to make sure she’s okay.
The next morning, I wake up to a groan and the patter of feet running to the bathroom. By the time I make it into the bathroom, she’s already thrown up four times. Without saying a word, I hold her hair.
