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“One jab in your arm will take your whole life away. Please, Mikey. I’m begging you. Remember how good sobriety has felt.”
He leaned against the bed and buried his face in his hands. His body shook as he felt the emotions, and Haize sat nearby, allowing him to process everything. There was so much to take in – so much was going on, and she feared a relapse was coming. She was going to do everything she could to stop it.
Looking up, he nodded toward her, face red and soaking wet from his tears. “Where’s Jace right now?”
“With a very good friend of mine. He’s safe. I promise I’d never leave him with someone I didn’t trust.”
Several car doors out front opened and shut, and Haize stood to look out the window. “The police are here.” She let out a deep breath. They had averted the crisis, but she figured it wasn’t over. He’d still be going things and she had to make sure she was by his side to keep him safe.
Michael stood up and wiped his face with his hand, ripping the tourniquet from his arm and placing it on the table with everything else. There was no denying he was upset, and the police would know he’d been crying. They’d omit the details of a near relapse and leave it all on the table for the investigation. They let the officers in and took them down the hall, where they called in for a coroner at that address.
“You found him this way?”
Michael nodded. “I rolled him over. I thought he was just sleeping, so I was trying to wake him up.”
“How did he look when you first came into the room?”
“Buried under the covers. Facing away from the door. That’s why I rolled him. So I could see him.”
The cop looked at the items on the table and glanced at his partner. “Looks like a straight-up overdose to me.” He made some notes on a notepad. “And you’re his brother?”
“Yes, sir. I’m Michael Brennan, and he’s Mitch Brennan.”
“The Brennan’s,” the officer said with a nod. “You two are well known in our department.”
Haize stood in between Michael and the officer. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing. It was just a matter of time before one of you took too much of this shit.”
“With all due respect, Officer…” Haize looked at the name pin on his lapel. “Officer Williams. Michael just lost his brother. And if you knew any better, you’d see that he’s been doing well. Clean and sober. Has a job. So, a little compassion might go a long way.” She tried not to lose her cool, but the attitude toward Michael certainly wouldn’t help the strong emotions he was going through. It was the judgment he had always talked about. Now she was seeing it firsthand.
“Mitch was about to go to rehab,” Michael replied, almost a whisper.
Officer Williams nodded. “I’m very sorry for your loss.”
“What happens next?” Michael looked up, his red and tired eyes full of so much sorrow.
“They’ll come get his body. Run an autopsy. Finalize the investigation. His body will be released to the family for funeral arrangements.” Officer Williams raked his hand down the side of his face. “Has anyone else been here?”
“Not sure. I don’t live here. I just came by this morning to check on him.” Michael acted like he wanted to say more but closed his mouth. It was like he knew more he didn’t want the cops to know about.
“You two are free to go. We’ll contact you as soon as we have more information.”
Haize didn’t hesitate and pulled Michael back outside. “Let’s get some fresh air. You need to take a step away.”
“There were some text messages and a couple of missed calls from Marilyn on his phone.” Michael’s stare was blank, his voice monotone as he watched some kids playing down the street.
“I’m sure the cops will look into all that.”
“I just wanna know what she was doing here. She’s married. She has no business with my brother.”
Haize took his hand and pulled him close, hugging him so hard she never wanted to let him go. “Let’s get out of here.”
“I’m sorry, Haize.”
“For?”
“For acting like that in there. I know I could’ve screwed so much up. Thank you for coming over and stopping me.”
